Daily Archives: September 18, 2019

2019-09-18: News Headlines

Helena Cobban (2019-09-18). The Emperor's New-Old Nuclear Clothes. commondreams.org One is that the longstanding refusal of most members of the U.S. political elite (officials, legislators, think-tankers, corporate media, and so on) to even mention the fact of Israel's own nuclear-weapons capabilities and to take full account of them in public discussions of strategic matters in the Middle East is extremely harmful. (Photo: Avi Ohayun/Israeli govt/cc/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/netan_0.jpeg

RT (2019-09-18). Big Brother is watching you (from afar): US spies seek long-range facial recognition capabilities. rt.com US intelligence agencies are looking to enhance their facial recognition capabilities with technology that can identify people from hundreds of meters away, potentially transforming drones into biometrically accurate spy cameras. | The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) wants any and all information that could help current biometric surveillance tech overcome the inaccuracy that comes with distance, according to a request for information posted by the In…

Fight Back (2019-09-18). Minnesota: Protesters demand Gov. Walz to divest from Elbit now. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – Over 40 people protested in front of the Governor's Residence Monday, September 16, to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems by the State of Minnesota. The protest, which was organized by the Anti-War Committee, is the latest action in their current campaign to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems from the state's public retirement fund. Currently the Minnesota State Board of Investments, which Governor Tim Walz chairs, holds $1.2 million, or approximately 10,000 shares, in Elbit Systems. | Elbit Systems is Israel's largest weapons company, which has been contracted by the U.S. Department o…

Miri Wood (2019-09-18). Syria: Terrorist Attacks, More NATO Weapons and War Crimes. globalresearch.ca As NATO media are currently mourning the departure of Neocon, John Bolton, and incited support for US bombing of Iran because Yemeni patriots engaged in a retaliatory bombing of an oil refinery in Saudi occupied Arabia, no attention is …

Michael Welch (2019-09-18). "The Non-Profit Industrial Complex", and the Co-opting of the NGO Environmental Movement. globalresearch.ca First published on April 24, 2016 | "Why do people continue to believe that NGOs such as 350.org/1Sky that are initiated and funded by Rockefeller Foundation, Clinton Foundation, Ford, Gates, etc. would exist to serve the people rather than the entities …

RT (2019-09-17). 'Very high probability' Iran behind Saudi attack, say anonymous US officials. rt.com While Saudi Arabia is holding off on assigning blame for the attack on its oil facilities, the US media are pointing the finger at Iran, citing anonymous government officials allegedly familiar with the ongoing investigation. | US and Saudi investigators have determined "with very high probability" that Saturday's strike was launched from an Iranian base close to the border with Iraq, CNN reported, based on these anonymous sources. | Both drones and cruise missiles were used to attack the refinery at Abqaiq and the Khurais oil field, flying over southern Iraq and Kuwait to avoid Saudi air defenses, according t…

RT (2019-09-17). 'Storm Area 51' forces shutdown of Nevada airspace to protect top secret facility. rt.com The US Federal Aviation Administration has banned all aircraft, including emergency vehicles, from the airspace near Area 51 ahead of the 'Storm Area 51 event' scheduled for Friday. | Everything from news helicopters to drones to private planes and even police vehicles have been barred from the airspace in anticipation of the viral event. The US Air Force (USAF) has also sternly warned people not to waste its time and energy, or even put their lives at risk, by attempting to flout the ban. | Only aircraft "working in support of the Department of Energy (DOE) Mission are allowed to enter the TFR (Temporary Flig…

Mehdi Hasan (2019-09-17). Saudi First: Trump Wants to Start a War With Iran When MBS Gives the Order. theintercept.com Why is Trump deferring to Riyadh? Questions need to be asked about his financial ties with Saudis who bailed him out during the 1990s.

RT (2019-09-17). 'We are not your prostitutes!' Tulsi Gabbard slams Trump for 'pimping out' US soldiers to Saudi Arabia. rt.com Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has doubled down on her attacks on President Donald Trump's 'disgraceful' allegiance to Saudi Arabia, eviscerating his 'betrayal' of her fellow soldiers and the US Constitution. | Singling out Trump's statement that the US was "locked and loaded" but "waiting to hear from the Kingdom … under what terms we would proceed," Gabbard slammed the US president for "offering to place our military assets under the command of a foreign country." | . @realDonaldTrump Despicable. Offering to place our mili…

Kurt Nimmo (2019-09-17). Trump: Saudi Arabia's Bitch. globalresearch.ca "Saudi Arabia's Bitch". That's what Democrat candidate Tulsi Gabbard calls President Trump for his slavish reliance on Saudi Arabia to declare Iran responsible for last weekend's attack on Saudi oil resources. | Gabbard's comments are in response to Trump's tweet on …

Robert Reich (2019-09-17). Reasons for optimism. nationofchange.org If stagnant wages, near-record inequality, climate change, nuclear buildups, assault weapons, mass killings, trade wars, opioid deaths, Russian intrusions into American elections, kids locked in cages at our border, and Donald Trump in the White House don't at least occasionally cause you feelings of impending doom, you're not human. | But I want you to remember this: As bad as it looks right now — as despairing as you can sometimes feel — the great strength of this country is our resilience. We bounce back. We will again. | Not convinced? | First, come back in time with me to when I graduated coll…

teleSUR (2019-09-17). UK Confesses Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia Was Illegal. telesurenglish.net The U.K. government apologized for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia breaching a court ruling against arms sale to the kingdom. | RELATED: | Jeremy Corbyn Slams May for Cozying up to 'War Ally' MBS at G20 | International trade secretary Liz Truss said Monday she informed the Court of Appeal of two "inadvertent breaches," in a letter to MP Graham Jones, chair of the Committees on Arms Export Controls. The court ruled against weapon sales because the weapons could ha…

Fight Back (2019-09-17). Yemeni forces strike Saudi Arabia; U.S. blames Iran. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – In the early morning hours of September 14 ten drones carried out an intensive bombing of two of the world's largest oil refineries, both located in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Aramco facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais were decimated, crippling the productive capabilities of the oil manufacturers in the country. The Air Force of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees have announced that these strikes are a part of what they're calling the 2nd Operation of Balanced Deterrence. | The attacks serve as the latest in an ongoing war of resistance by Yemen that began nearly five years ago. On one side, there a…

Jake Johnson (2019-09-16). 'Saudi Arabia First': Trump Letting Saudis Dictate US Foreign Policy After Oil Attack. theantimedia.com Trump appears to be taking marching orders from Saudi Arabia.

Staff (2019-09-16). Saudi Oil Refinery Attack Raises Fears of "Wider Regional War" Involving U.S. & Iran. democracynow.org President Trump is threatening to take military action after several large Saudi Arabian oil facilities were attacked Saturday by drones and cruise missiles. Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, but numerous reports indicate the attack may have come from Iraq or Iran rather than Yemen. Crude oil prices soared more than 15% after the Aramco-run plants suffered heavy damage. One of the plants struck is the world's biggest petroleum-processing facility. According to one estimate, the attacks decreased Saudi's daily oil output by nearly 6 million barrels. While the United States has been quic…

Jon Schwarz (2019-09-13). Donald Trump Just Admitted That It Makes Sense for America's Enemies to Get Nuclear Weapons. theintercept.com Trump noted that the overthrow of Moammar Gaddafi in 2011 sent foreign leaders a lesson: Disarmament can lead to your own personal doom.

2019-09-18: Social Media Postees

Minnesota: Protesters demand Gov. Walz to divest from Elbit now
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-18
St. Paul, MN – Over 40 people protested in front of the Governor's Residence Monday, September 16, to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems by the State of Minnesota. The protest, which was organized by the Anti-War Committee, is the latest action in their current campaign to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems from the state's public retirement fund. Currently the Minnesota State Board of Investments, which Governor Tim Walz chairs, holds $1.2 million, or approximately 10,000 shares, in Elbit Systems. | Elbit Systems is Israel's largest weapons company, which has been contracted by the U.S. Department o…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/17/minnesota-protesters-demand-gov-walz-divest-elbit-now

Minnesota: Protesters demand Gov. Walz to divest from Elbit now
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-18
St. Paul, MN – Over 40 people protested in front of the Governor's Residence Monday, September 16, to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems by the State of Minnesota. The protest, which was organized by the Anti-War Committee, is the latest action in their current campaign to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems from the state's public retirement fund. Currently the Minnesota State Board of Investments, which Governor Tim Walz chairs, holds $1.2 million, or approximately 10,000 shares, in Elbit Systems. | Elbit Systems is Israel's largest weapons company, which has been contracted by the U.S. Department o…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/17/minnesota-protesters-demand-gov-walz-divest-elbit-now

The Emperor's New-Old Nuclear Clothes
Helena Cobban | commondreams.org | 2019-09-18
One is that the longstanding refusal of most members of the U.S. political elite (officials, legislators, think-tankers, corporate media, and so on) to even mention the fact of Israel's own nuclear-weapons capabilities and to take full account of them in public discussions of strategic matters in the Middle East is extremely harmful. (Photo: Avi Ohayun/Israeli govt/cc/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/netan_0.jpeg
commondreams.org/views/2019/09/18/emperors-new-old-nuclear-clothes?cd-origin=rss

Syria: Terrorist Attacks, More NATO Weapons and War Crimes
Miri Wood | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-18
As NATO media are currently mourning the departure of Neocon, John Bolton, and incited support for US bombing of Iran because Yemeni patriots engaged in a retaliatory bombing of an oil refinery in Saudi occupied Arabia, no attention is …
globalresearch.ca/syria-terrorist-attacks-more-nato-weapons-and-war-crimes/5689563

"The Non-Profit Industrial Complex", and the Co-opting of the NGO Environmental Movement
Michael Welch | globalresearch.ca | 2019-09-18
First published on April 24, 2016 | "Why do people continue to believe that NGOs such as 350.org/1Sky that are initiated and funded by Rockefeller Foundation, Clinton Foundation, Ford, Gates, etc. would exist to serve the people rather than the entities …
globalresearch.ca/the-non-profit-industrial-complex-and-the-co-opting-of-the-ngo-environmental-movement/5521526

Big Brother is watching you (from afar): US spies seek long-range facial recognition capabilities
rt.com | 2019-09-18
US intelligence agencies are looking to enhance their facial recognition capabilities with technology that can identify people from hundreds of meters away, potentially transforming drones into biometrically accurate spy cameras. | The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) wants any and all information that could help current biometric surveillance tech overcome the inaccuracy that comes with distance, according to a request for information posted by the In…
rt.com/usa/469045-facial-recognition-height-surveillance-iarpa/

'We are not your prostitutes!' Tulsi Gabbard slams Trump for 'pimping out' US soldiers to Saudi Arabia
rt.com | 2019-09-17
Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has doubled down on her attacks on President Donald Trump's 'disgraceful' allegiance to Saudi Arabia, eviscerating his 'betrayal' of her fellow soldiers and the US Constitution. | Singling out Trump's statement that the US was "locked and loaded" but "waiting to hear from the Kingdom … under what terms we would proceed," Gabbard slammed the US president for "offering to place our military assets under the command of a foreign country." | . @realDonaldTrump Despicable. Offering to place our mili…
rt.com/usa/468961-tulsi-trump-military-prostitutes-saudis/

UK Confesses Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia Was Illegal
telesurenglish.net | 2019-09-17
The U.K. government apologized for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia breaching a court ruling against arms sale to the kingdom. | RELATED: | Jeremy Corbyn Slams May for Cozying up to 'War Ally' MBS at G20 | International trade secretary Liz Truss said Monday she informed the Court of Appeal of two "inadvertent breaches," in a letter to MP Graham Jones, chair of the Committees on Arms Export Controls. The court ruled against weapon sales because the weapons could ha…
telesurenglish.net/news/UK-Confesses-Arms-Sale-to-Saudi-Arabia-Was-Illegal-20190917-0013.html

Reasons for optimism
Robert Reich | nationofchange.org | 2019-09-17
If stagnant wages, near-record inequality, climate change, nuclear buildups, assault weapons, mass killings, trade wars, opioid deaths, Russian intrusions into American elections, kids locked in cages at our border, and Donald Trump in the White House don't at least occasionally cause you feelings of impending doom, you're not human. | But I want you to remember this: As bad as it looks right now — as despairing as you can sometimes feel — the great strength of this country is our resilience. We bounce back. We will again. | Not convinced? | First, come back in time with me to when I graduated coll…
nationofchange.org/2019/09/17/reasons-for-optimism/

Yemeni forces strike Saudi Arabia; U.S. blames Iran
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-09-17
Milwaukee, WI – In the early morning hours of September 14 ten drones carried out an intensive bombing of two of the world's largest oil refineries, both located in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Aramco facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais were decimated, crippling the productive capabilities of the oil manufacturers in the country. The Air Force of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees have announced that these strikes are a part of what they're calling the 2nd Operation of Balanced Deterrence. | The attacks serve as the latest in an ongoing war of resistance by Yemen that began nearly five years ago. On one side, there a…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/9/17/yemeni-forces-strike-saudi-arabia-us-blames-iran

'Very high probability' Iran behind Saudi attack, say anonymous US officials
rt.com | 2019-09-17
While Saudi Arabia is holding off on assigning blame for the attack on its oil facilities, the US media are pointing the finger at Iran, citing anonymous government officials allegedly familiar with the ongoing investigation. | US and Saudi investigators have determined "with very high probability" that Saturday's strike was launched from an Iranian base close to the border with Iraq, CNN reported, based on these anonymous sources. | Both drones and cruise missiles were used to attack the refinery at Abqaiq and the Khurais oil field, flying over southern Iraq and Kuwait to avoid Saudi air defenses, according t…
rt.com/usa/469034-us-blames-iran-saudi-attack/

'Storm Area 51' forces shutdown of Nevada airspace to protect top secret facility
rt.com | 2019-09-17
The US Federal Aviation Administration has banned all aircraft, including emergency vehicles, from the airspace near Area 51 ahead of the 'Storm Area 51 event' scheduled for Friday. | Everything from news helicopters to drones to private planes and even police vehicles have been barred from the airspace in anticipation of the viral event. The US Air Force (USAF) has also sternly warned people not to waste its time and energy, or even put their lives at risk, by attempting to flout the ban. | Only aircraft "working in support of the Department of Energy (DOE) Mission are allowed to enter the TFR (Temporary Flig…
rt.com/usa/469011-area-51-airspace-closed/

Saudi First: Trump Wants to Start a War With Iran When MBS Gives the Order
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-09-17
Why is Trump deferring to Riyadh? Questions need to be asked about his financial ties with Saudis who bailed him out during the 1990s.
theintercept.com/2019/09/17/saudi-arabia-oil-field-attack-trump/

'Saudi Arabia First': Trump Letting Saudis Dictate US Foreign Policy After Oil Attack
Jake Johnson | theantimedia.com | 2019-09-16
Trump appears to be taking marching orders from Saudi Arabia.

'Saudi Arabia First': Trump Letting Saudis Dictate US Foreign Policy After Oil Attack

Saudi Oil Refinery Attack Raises Fears of "Wider Regional War" Involving U.S. & Iran
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-09-16
President Trump is threatening to take military action after several large Saudi Arabian oil facilities were attacked Saturday by drones and cruise missiles. Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, but numerous reports indicate the attack may have come from Iraq or Iran rather than Yemen. Crude oil prices soared more than 15% after the Aramco-run plants suffered heavy damage. One of the plants struck is the world's biggest petroleum-processing facility. According to one estimate, the attacks decreased Saudi's daily oil output by nearly 6 million barrels. While the United States has been quic…
www.democracynow.org/2019/9/16/saudi_arabia_oil_supply_attacks

Donald Trump Just Admitted That It Makes Sense for America's Enemies to Get Nuclear Weapons
Jon Schwarz | theintercept.com | 2019-09-13
Trump noted that the overthrow of Moammar Gaddafi in 2011 sent foreign leaders a lesson: Disarmament can lead to your own personal doom.
theintercept.com/2019/09/13/trump-nuclear-weapons-libya-north-korea/