2020-02-14: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-14). Anti-BDS laws are meant to censor & control speech, journalist Abby Martin tells RT after suing Georgia govt over cancelled talk. rt.com Barred from speaking at a public university over her refusal to sign a pledge of allegiance to Israel, journalist Abby Martin is now suing the state of Georgia, arguing its anti-BDS legislation sets fire to the First Amendment. | Slated to give a keynote talk at a media literacy conference at Georgia Southern University later this month, Martin was asked to sign what amounts to a loyalty oath to the State of Israel, mandated under a 2016 Georgia law barring the government from hiring contractors who boycott Israeli products or associate with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Martin t…

RT (2020-02-14). Canadian energy giant 'funding' Oregon sheriff's unit to thwart protests against one of its own pipeline projects — report. rt.com A Canadian fossil fuel company "bought" a sheriff's unit in Oregon with the aim of controlling and monitoring the behavior and activities of anti-gas pipeline activists and environmentalists, the Intercept has revealed. | In November 2018, Coos County Sheriff's Office — which has closely monitored local opposition to the Jordan Cove Energy Project — hosted a two-day training event for officers, instructing them on how to deal with battles against protesters. | Yet, the event costs of $26,250 were paid by Pembina Pipeline Corp. — the Canadian energy company that owns the Jordan Cove liquefied nat…

Medea Benjamin (2020-02-14). Can the World's Second Superpower Rise From the Ashes of Twenty Years of War? zcomm.org The peace movement's small victories demonstrate that we have more power to challenge U.S. militarism than most Americans realize…

Medea Benjamin (2020-02-14). Can the World's "Second Superpower" (Public Opinion) Rise from the Ashes of Twenty Years of War? globalresearch.ca February 15 marks the day, 17 years ago, when global demonstrations against the pending Iraq invasion were so massive that the New York Times called world public opinion "the second superpower." But the U.S. ignored it and invaded Iraq anyway. …

Fred_F (2020-02-14). Solidarity activists report on visit to Venezuela. greenleft.org.au

Medea Benjamin (2020-02-13). Can the World's Second Superpower Rise From the Ashes of Twenty Years of War. mintpressnews.com While our government's war propaganda has convinced many Americans that we are powerless to stop its catastrophic wars, it has failed to convince most Americans that we are wrong to want to.

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J S Davies (2020-02-13). Can the World's Second Superpower Rise From the Ashes of Twenty Years of War? commondreams.org The U.S. war machine demonstrated total disdain for its upstart rival, and unleashed an illegal war based on lies that has now raged on through many phases of violence and chaos for 17 years. (Photo: via EuroYankee) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

commondreams (2020-02-13). TODAY: 50+ Campus Actions Demand Fossil Fuel Divestment, Climate Action. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Staff (2020-02-13). Sanders and AOC's Fracking Ban Angers Centrists and Their Fossil Fuel Backers. truthout.org House Democrats have finally unveiled a flurry of climate bills aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but activists say only one proposal represents the "gold standard" for tackling the climate crisis: Legislation introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that would ban fracking nationwide. While none of these bills are likely to become law under President Trump, together they form the contours of a fierce debate among Democrats and environmentalists over the f…

RT (2020-02-11). Jussie Smollett indicted in Chicago on multiple counts in relation to 2019 hoax attack. rt.com Actor Jussie Smollett has been indicted on several counts, stemming from him falsely claiming to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. He was previously charged over the hoax, only to see the charges dropped. | The charges against the former 'Empire' star were filed by special prosecutor Dan Webb and confirmed by the Cook County Clerk's Office on Tuesday. Smollett was indicted on six counts, including disorderly conduct, all related to lying to law enforcement or filing false police reports. | "A Cook County grand jury returned a six-count indictment charging Jussie Smollett with making four separat…

Staff (2020-02-11). Headlines for February 11, 2020. democracynow.org New Hampshire Voters Head to Polls for First Primary of 2020, Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 1,000, with Over 42,000 Confirmed Cases, Chuck Schumer Calls for Investigation into Trump's Retaliation-Motivated Firings, DOJ Reviewing Ukraine Info from Giuliani, DOJ Charges 4 Chinese Military Hackers in 2017 Equifax Breach, El Salvador President Bukele and Armed Officers Confront Lawmakers over Military Funding, Fears Mount for 5 Activists Detained in Philippines, Sinn Féin Scores Major Victory in Ireland, Syrian and Turkish Forces Step Up Attacks as 100,000s Face Humanitarian Disaster, Massive Locust Swarms Threaten Cro…

John Whitehead (2020-02-11). We're All in This Together: A Case for Not Giving Up on the American Dream. mintpressnews.com America has been a warring nation—a military empire intent on occupation and conquest—for so long that perhaps we, the citizens of this warring nation, have forgotten what it means to live in peace, with the world and one another.

Whitney Webb (2020-02-11). Buttigieg Campaign Aggressively Targeting Progressive Activists, Media. mintpressnews.com Between efforts to censor information critical of Buttigieg on social media and harass independent media outlets and their reporters at his rallies, it appears that a concerted effort is underway to control the narrative around the DNC primaries…

Alan Macleod (2020-02-10). Journalist Abby Martin Sues State of Georgia Over Law Requiring Pledge of Allegiance to Israel. mintpressnews.com "This censorship of my talk based on forced compliance to anti-BDS laws in Georgia is just one level of a nationwide campaign to protect Israel from grassroots pressure."

Staff (2020-02-10). Headlines for February 10, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Deaths Soar as First U.S. Citizen Succumbs to Disease, Iowa Dem. Party Officially Gives Buttigieg the Lead as Candidates Prepare for New Hampshire Vote, Trump Budget Seeks Boost to Military and Nuclear Spending, Cuts to Social Programs and EPA, Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan, Trump Fires Key Impeachment Figures Following Acquittal, Thai Soldier Kills 29 People in Shooting Rampage, Brazilian Police Kill Hitman Suspected of Involvement in Marielle Franco's Assassination, Temperature Reaches Record-Breaking 65 Degrees in Antarctica, Extinction Rebellion Activists Demand New York Divest from Foss…

pip.hinman (2020-02-10). Activists oppose Trump's 'deal' on Palestine. greenleft.org.au

Venezuela Analysis (2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.

Medea Benjamin (2020-02-02). Why aren't Americans rising up like the people of Chile and Lebanon? zcomm.org The tinder for a revolutionary movement is everywhere…

splcenter (2020-01-23). Animated by Conspiracy Theories, Far-Right Extremists Seize Opportunity to Rally Around Guns in Virginia. splcenter.org Far-right extremists — from antigovernment activists and heavily armed militias to organized hate groups — came together Monday for a show of force in Richmond, Virginia, to oppose statewide gun safety proposals.