2020-06-17: News Headlines

South Front (2020-06-17). Video: Russian Surface-to-Air Missile Systems in Syria Shoot Down Militants' Drones. globalresearch.ca Tor short-range surface-to-air missile systems have downed more than 45 unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Syrian militants, according to the chief of the Russian Air Defense Forces Lieutenant General Alexander Leonov. | "Since the start of combat duty, the calculations …

Lawrence Wittner (2020-06-17). Let Them Eat Weapons: Trump's Bizarre Arms Race. dissidentvoice.org In late May of this year, President Donald Trump's special envoy for arms control bragged before a Washington think tank that the U.S. government was prepared to outspend Russia and China to win a new nuclear arms race. "The president has made clear that we have a tried and true practice here," he remarked. "We know how to win …

RT (2020-06-16). No defunding: Trump's police executive order to ban chokeholds, urge safer policing. rt.com US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order urging police departments across the country to "adopt the highest professional standards," including increased use-of-force training and a partial ban on chokeholds. | Trump announced the order at the White House on Tuesday, after meeting with several Black Lives Matter families. It would ban chokeholds — except for when the police officer's life is at risk — and prioritize federal funding to departments that meet high standards on use of force and de-escalation training. | Police would also be encouraged to use new nonlethal weapons, and sh…

Mike Stone (2020-06-16). Trump to Undermine Treaty That Keeps Russia From Selling Missiles to Iran to Sell Drones to Saudi Arabia. anti-empire.com Editor's note: Trump wants to keep the missile part which is so crucial for the US to limit proliferation of missiles, but not the drone part where at the moment the US has a technology lead and there's a little money to be made for a sector that is already highly privileged in the American system. Russia has upheld the agreement, for example the range of the BrahMos anti-ship missile that Moscow developed for India was limited to 300 kilometers. |
| The Trump administration plans to reinterpret a Cold War-era arms agreement between 34 nations with the goal of allowing U.S. defense contractors to sell more A…

Thomas Gaulkin (2020-06-16). Curious Coincidence: The Birth of Donald Trump and the Struggle to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. globalresearch.ca The 45th president of the United States made his first international appearance on June 14, 1946. According to Donald Trump's Five minutes …

Staff (2020-06-16). Barbara Lee Unveils Plan to Cut Up to $350 Billion From Pentagon. truthout.org Demanding that Congress "prioritize our safety and our future, not more war," Rep. Barbara Lee on Monday "Redundant nuclear weapons, off-books…

yenisafak (2020-06-15). Israel owns 90 nuclear warheads: Report. yenisafak.com Israel is believed to possess between 80 and 90 nuclear warheads, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday. | In a report, SIPRI said Israel continues to pursue a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear program. | It said that the number of nuclear warheads in Israel rose to 90, up from 80 warheads in 2019. | "The nine nuclear-armed states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)—together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020," the S…

Alan Macleod (2020-06-15). Trump Rips up Decades-Old WMD Treaty in Order to Sell Drones to Saudi Arabia. mintpressnews.com The Missile Technology Control Regime is the latest in a list of longstanding international agreements that the Trump administration has withdrawn from, often to the benefit of Saudi Arabia and US arms dealers.

South Front (2020-06-14). Video: The Hypersonic Strike Systems of the United States. globalresearch.ca Even two years ago, hypersonic weapons were barely an item of discussion among the US national security establishment. Today these weapons are all the rage. What accounts for that sudden emergence of US interest in this category of weapons, …

yenisafak (2020-06-14). Putin says Russia will be able to counter hypersonic weapons. yenisafak.com President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday Russia was developing the means to counter other countries' hypersonic weapons, local news agencies reported."It's very likely that we will have means to combat hypersonic weapons by the time the world's leading countries have such weapons," the RIA news agency cited Putin as saying.

RT (2020-06-13). Seattle cops banned from using tear gas & stun grenades amid 'anarchist takeover' endorsed by mayor. rt.com Seattle Police have been ordered to stop using pepper spray, tear gas and flash-bang grenades following a lawsuit, further tying their hands as the so-called 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' sprouted around their abandoned precinct. | Handed down by US District Judge Richard Jones on Friday, the order concludes that "on some occasions [Seattle police] used less-lethal weapons disproportionately and without provocation," having a "chilling" effect on free speech amid ongoing demonstrations over police brutality. | "What brings the parties to this Court today are peaceful protesters desiring to engage in their rig…

yenisafak (2020-06-13). Fire on French nuclear submarine at Toulon extinguished. yenisafak.com A fire on a nuclear submarine docked at the French Mediterranean port of Toulon was extinguished early on Saturday morning, the Defence Ministry said.Some 100 firefighters had been called in to tackle the blaze on the Perle, which lasted 14 hours and ended at around 00: 50 a.m. (2250 GMT). the ministry said. It confirmed an earlier statement that no nuclear material was aboard when the fire broke out on Friday.Nobody was hurt and no nuclear materials or weapons were on board the vessel, which was in dry dock for repairs, authorities said on Friday.Toulon is France's biggest naval base and is home to most of its fl…