Running for the White House Exits: Who Would Want to Work for President Trump Anyway?
Truthout Stories | 2018-03-03
White House Communications Director and presidential advisor Hope Hicks arrives at the US Capitol Visitors Center February 27, 2018, in Washington, DC. Hicks is scheduled to testify behind closed doors to the House Intelligence Committee in its ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) | Truthout won't back down from taking Trump and his cronies to task. Click here to support journalism that holds those in power accountable! | Three weeks away from his next election, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had developed an invincible nuclear weapon. America shrugged. There is so much craziness happening in US politics right now that it simply didn't register. | Even the most pessimistic of observers assumed that President Donald Trump's White House would have gotten at least a little bit better at this by…
www.truth-out.org/news/item/43729-running-for-the-white-house-exits-who-would-want-to-work-for-president-trump-anyway

Who Would Want to Work for President Trump Anyway?
Heather Digby Parton, Salon | AlterNet.org | 2018-03-03
The president is at the center of all chaos in this White House. | Three weeks away from his next election, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had developed an invincible nuclear weapon. America shrugged. There is so much craziness happening in U. S. politics right now that it simply didn't register. Even the most pessimistic of observers assumed that President Donald Trump's White House would have gotten at least a little bit better at this by now. But we're over a year into the Trump presidency and it's only getting more chaotic. There's a desperate quality to it that hasn't been there before and people are beginning to wonder if the administration is even minimally functional. An astounding number of people have now left — a nearly 34 percent turnover rate in the first year. It's unknown how many people have left the. . .
feeds.feedblitz.com/~/529981260/0/alternet

Empire Files: War With North Korea – Propaganda vs. Reality.
TRNN | The Real News Network | 2018-03-03
On top of overtly genocidal threats, the Trump Administration has announced new terms: that they "will never accept a nuclear North Korea." But, the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea already has nuclear weapons. Does that mean a war is imminent?
therealnews.com/idirect.php?i=21253

Mother of Accused NSA Leaker Reality Winner: My Daughter Wasn't Read Her Miranda Rights.
Democracy Now! | 2018-03-02
On Tuesday, former U.S. intelligence contractor Reality Leigh Winner appeared in court in Augusta, Georgia, where her lawyers asked the judge to exclude her statements to FBI agents on the day she was arrested, arguing she was denied her Miranda rights. Winner is a former National Security Agency contractor who has pleaded not guilty to charges she leaked a top-secret document to The Intercept about Russian interference in the 2016 election. She is facing up to 10 years in prison on charges she violated the Espionage Act. For more, we speak with two guests. In Chicago, we're joined by Kevin Gosztola, a journalist and managing editor of Shadowproof Press. He was in the courtroom in Augusta on Tuesday, and his recent article is titled "In Reality Winner's Case, Defense Seizes Upon FBI Testimony to Bolster Motion to Suppress Statements." And in Augusta, Georgia, we speak with by Reality Winner's mother, Billie Winner-Davis. She's joining us from her daughter's house, where Reality Winner was questioned and arrested by FBI agents on June 3.
www.democracynow.org/2018/3/2/mother_of_accused_nsa_leaker_reality

Mother of Accused NSA Leaker Reality Winner: My Daughter Wasn't Read Her Miranda Rights.
Truthout Stories | 2018-03-02
On Tuesday, former US intelligence contractor Reality Leigh Winner appeared in court in Augusta, Georgia, where her lawyers asked the judge to exclude her statements to FBI agents on the day she was arrested, arguing she was denied her Miranda rights. Winner is a former National Security Agency contractor who has pleaded not guilty to charges she leaked a top-secret document to The Intercept about Russian interference in the 2016 election. She is facing up to 10 years in prison on charges she violated the Espionage Act. For more, we speak with two guests. In Chicago, we're joined by Kevin Gosztola, a journalist and managing editor of Shadowproof Press. He was in the courtroom in Augusta on Tuesday, and his recent article is titled "In Reality Winner's Case, Defense Seizes Upon FBITestimony to Bolster Motion to Suppress Statements." And in Augusta, Georgia, we…
www.truth-out.org/news/item/43726-mother-of-accused-nsa-leaker-reality-winner-my-daughter-wasn-t-read-her-miranda-rights

Iran Bans US Dollar in Trade Activities to Beat Sanctions.
Telesur | Global Research | 2018-03-02
Iran has banned the use of the U.S. dollar in all trade transactions, prohibiting businesses from registering import orders using the currency. | The Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trademade the announcement Wednesday, following an official request by the Central …
globalresearch.ca/iran-bans-us-dollar-in-trade-activities-to-beat-sanctions/5630721

Israel Buys the US Congress: Sabotaging the US-Iran Peace Negotiations.
Prof. James Petras | Global Research | 2018-03-02
Israel has escalated its propaganda war against iran . Its agents in the US Congress, the mass media and in the Executive branch moved to undermine the peace process.
globalresearch.ca/israel-buys-the-us-congress-sabotaging-the-us-iran-peace-negotiations/5356541

Israel Plans a New War in Syria — but Not for the Reasons It Claims.
Truthout Stories | 2018-03-02
A picture taken on February 10, 2018, shows the remains of a missile that landed in the southern Lebanese village of Kaoukaba, near the border with Syria, after Israel's military attacked 12 Syrian and Iranian targets inside Syria in what it described as "large-scale" raids following an exchange of fire earlier in the day. (Photo: Ali Dia / AFP / Getty Images) | On February 10, the Israel Defense Forces carried out the most aggressive Israeli use of force in Syria thus far, allegedly in retaliation for the shooting down of its fighter plane. But analysts believe Israel's planned attacks on Syria are in part a response to its inability to use force against Hezbollah in Lebanon, whose powerful arsenal of missiles has succeeded in thwarting Israel so far.A picture taken on February 10, 2018, shows the remains of a missile that landed…
www.truth-out.org/news/item/43713-israel-plans-a-new-war-in-syria-but-not-for-the-reasons-it-claims

An Unholy Alliance? Trump, Israel and Saudi Arabia — Targeting Iran.
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar | Global Research | 2018-03-02
Relevant article selected from the GR archive, first published in May 2017. | In the wake of President Donald Trump's visit to West Asia, is there even a faint glimmer of hope for peace in the most conflict-ridden region of …
globalresearch.ca/an-unholy-alliance-trump-israel-and-saudi-arabia-targeting-iran/5592491

Racing Towards a Low-Yield Armageddon.
Brian Cloughley | counterpunch.org | 2018-03-02
On February 3 the Washington Post observed that "the United States can deliver a [nuclear] strike anywhere in the world in 30 minutes with astounding accuracy" and questioned the need for "a new generation of low-yield nuclear weapons," quoting the commander of the strategic force, General John Hyten, as saying "I'm very comfortable today with the flexibility of our response options." But…
counterpunch.org/2018/03/02/racing-towards-a-low-yield-armageddon/

Reality and Hypocrisy: North Korea's nuclear Test Condemned by nuclear Powers.
Christopher Black | Global Research | 2018-03-02
Relevant article selected from the GR archive, first published in January 2016. | The news of another nuclear weapon test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, often referred to in the west as North Korea, has been met with condemnation …
globalresearch.ca/reality-and-hypocrisy-north-koreas-nuclear-test-condemned-by-nuclear-powers/5502392

Responding to US threats, Russian President Putin proclaims nuclear arms race.
WSWS | World Socialist Web Site | 2018-03-02
In a belligerently nationalistic speech Thursday, Putin boasted about advances in Russia's nuclear arsenal and played a video depicting a nuclear strike on the United States.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/03/02/puti-m02.html

Putin's State of the Union Reveals Russian Superiority in nuclear Weapons Technology.
DPCR | Global Research | 2018-03-02
Putin has given a remarkable address to the Federal Assembly, the Russian People, and the peoples of the world. | In his speech Putin revealed the existence of new Russian nuclear weapons that make it indisputably clear that Russia has vast …
globalresearch.ca/putins-state-of-the-union-reveals-russian-superiority-in-nuclear-weapons-technology/5630750

US 'not surprised' by Russia's new nukes, boasts about own 'unmatched' arsenal (VIDEO).
RT | RT US News | 2018-03-02
The US White House and Pentagon have dismissed Russia's new nuclear arsenal as "no surprise." American officials took the opportunity to accuse Russia of treaty violations and boast that their arsenal is "second to none." | RT.com…
www.rt.com/usa/420249-us-russia-treaty-violations/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Russia 'threatens our ability to dominate' — US general to Congress.
RT | RT US News | 2018-02-28
The US is seeking to contain Iran's rising influence in the Middle East and fend off challenges to Washington's hegemony posed by Russia and China, the top general commanding US forces in the region told Congress. | RT.com…
www.rt.com/usa/419986-centcom-vote-syria-iran-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Before the US Approves New Uranium Mining, Consider Its Toxic Legacy.
Truthout Stories | 2018-02-28
Support from readers keeps Truthout 100 percent independent. If you like what you're reading, make a donation! | Uranium — the raw material for nuclear power and nuclear weapons — is having a moment in the spotlight. | Companies such as Energy Fuels, Inc. have played well-publicized roles in lobbying the Trump administration to reduce federal protection for public lands with uranium deposits. The Defense Department's nuclear Posture Review calls for new weapons production to expand the US nuclear arsenal, which could spur new domestic uranium mining. And the Interior Department is advocating more domestic uranium production, along with other materials identified as " critical minerals." | What would expanded uranium mining in the US mean at the local level? I have studied the legacies of past uranium mining and milling…
www.truth-out.org/news/item/43687-before-the-us-approves-new-uranium-mining-consider-its-toxic-legacy

Duck and Cover.
Winslow Myers | counterpunch.org | 2018-02-27
Once those articulate Florida high school students, God love them, are finished exposing the craven emptiness of politicians like Marco Rubio and others subverted by the NRA, they might want to turn to nuclear weapons as another sacred cow ripe for the "we call B.S." treatment. The acute dangers of gun violence and nuclear weapons…
counterpunch.org/2018/02/27/duck-and-cover/

Monsieur Hulot's nuclear Holiday.
Linda Pentz Gunter | counterpunch.org | 2018-02-27
On February 22, the French government mounted a military-style assault on a small community of anti-nuclear activists who had been watchdogging, and living on, a site for the country's proposed high-level radioactive waste dump in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France near the village of Bure. As many as 500 armed gendarmes in riot gear moved…
counterpunch.org/2018/02/27/monsieur-hulots-nuclear-holiday/

America's 'Liberalism' & Other Inhumane Styles of Governance at Home and Internationally.
Richard Falk | counterpunch.org | 2018-02-27
It should not be all about Trump, although his election in 2016 as U.S. president is symptomatic of a menacing national tailspin. This downward political drift in the United States, not only imperils Americans, but threatens the world with multiple catastrophes, the most worrisome of which involves Trump's double embrace of nuclearism and climate denialism.
counterpunch.org/2018/02/27/americas-liberalism-other-inhumane-styles-of-governance-at-home-and-internationally/

Interview with Arang Keshavarzian, NYU professor barred from the UAE.
WSWS | World Socialist Web Site | 2018-02-26
For years, the United States has forged an anti-Iranian alliance with reactionary Sunni Persian Gulf oil monarchies, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/02/26/kesh-f26.html

Fighting continues in Syria after another UN ceasefire.
WSWS | World Socialist Web Site | 2018-02-26
Tensions between the United States, Russia, Iran, and Turkey remained high in the wake of a US attack that killed dozens of Russian troops.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/02/26/syri-f26.html

Iran: Dozens of women ill-treated and at risk of long jail terms for peacefully protesting compulsory veiling.
Amnesty International | 2018-02-26
A warning by Iranian police that women could be jailed for up to a decade for joining protests against compulsory veiling has put dozens at immediate risk of unjust imprisonment and represents an alarming escalation of the authorities' violent crackdown on women's rights, said Amnesty International. | More than 35 women have been violently attacked and arrested in Tehran alone since December 2017 for taking part in ongoing peaceful protests against the discriminatory and abusive practice of compulsory veiling. In an official statement on 23 February, the police warned that women would now be charged with "inciting corruption and prostitution," which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. One of the protestors, Narges Hosseini, was today put on trial before an Ershad (Moral Guidance) court in Tehran on charges that include this new charge. | | "We want to send a message to Washington — there's a storm brewing and we're ready to stand strong for human rights. Our world leaders, including President Trump, need to know…
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/02/amnesty-international-ads-rejected-by-washington-dc-metro/

South Korean president holds talks with top North Korean officials.
WSWS | World Socialist Web Site | 2018-02-26
North Korea has offered to hold talks with the US, but the Trump administration is insisting that Pyongyang must first demonstrate its willingness to denuclearise.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/02/26/nkor-f26.html

Iran: Young human rights defenders at risk of torture: Shima Babaee and Dariush Zand.
Amnesty International | 2018-02-23
Young Iranian human rights defenders Shima Babaee, who is campaigning against compulsory veiling, and her husband Dariush Zand are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Both have been detained in Tehran's Evin prison, without access to family and lawyer following their arrest by the Ministry of Intelligence on 1 February in connection with their peaceful human rights work. They are prisoners of conscience.

Iran: Young human rights defenders at risk of torture: Shima Babaee and Dariush Zand

Iran: De jeunes défenseurs des droits humains risquent la torture.
Amnesty International | 2018-02-23
La jeune défenseure des droits humains Shima Babaee, qui mène campagne contre le port obligatoire du voile, et son mari Dariush Zand risquent d'être torturés et soumis à d'autres mauvais traitements. Ils sont tous les deux détenus à la prison d'Evin, à Téhéran, et privés de contacts avec leur famille et leurs avocats, depuis leur arrestation, le 1er février. Ils ont été arrêtés par des agents du ministère du Renseignement en raison de leurs activités pacifiques de défense des droits humains. Ils sont des prisonniers d'opinion.
www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/7949/2018/fr/

'Like Chavez, Castro or Putin': Trump's CPAC speech triggers MSNBC anchors.
RT | RT US News | 2018-02-23
President Donald Trump's speech at the CPAC conference sent MSNBC TV anchors into outrage, with Ali Velshi comparing him to the current or former leaders of Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Turkey and, of course, Russia. | RT.com…
www.rt.com/usa/419690-msnbc-trump-speech-reactions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Irán: Riesgo de tortura de jóvenes defensora y defensor de los derechos humanos.
Amnesty International | 2018-02-23
Shima Babaee, joven defensora iraní de los derechos humanos, que hace campaña contra el uso obligatorio del velo, y su esposo, el también joven defensor de los derechos humanos Dariush Zand, están expuestos a sufrir tortura y otros malos tratos. Ambos se hallan recluidos en la prisión de Evin de Teherán, sin acceso a sus familias ni a un abogado, desde el 1 de febrero, cuando fueron detenidos por agentes del Ministerio de Inteligencia por su trabajo pacífico de defensa de los derechos humanos. Son presos de conciencia.
www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/7949/2018/es/

Nuclear Nonproliferation, American Style.
Charles Pierson | counterpunch.org | 2018-02-23
"U.S. Chases a Saudi Deal" ran the front page headline in the February 21 Wall Street Journal. The story continued: The Trump administration is pursuing a deal to sell nuclear reactors to Saudi Arabia despite the kingdom's refusal to accept the most stringent restrictions against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, U.S. officials say. The Saudis…
counterpunch.org/2018/02/23/nuclear-nonproliferation-american-style/

Trump announces 'largest-ever' sanctions on North Korea.
RT | RT US News | 2018-02-23
The Trump administration has launched new sanctions against 50 vessels, shipping companies and trade businesses in a bid to ratchet up pressure on North Korea over its nuclear program — the largest round of sanctions yet. | RT.com…
www.rt.com/usa/419660-trump-north-korea-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Painting an Israeli Attack on Syria as Israeli 'Retaliation'.
Gregory Shupak | FAIR | 2018-02-21
Reuters, Vice and LA Times write about Israeli "retaliation." | Israel claimed that it intercepted an Iranian drone in Israeli airspace on Saturday, February 10; iran denied that it had a drone there. Israel then bombed a Syrian airbase, saying it was the command-and-control center from which iran had launched the drone. The Syrian government shot down an Israeli jet that had bombed the base, and Israel subsequently launched more airstrikes against Syria. | Reuters ( 2/13/18) described the latter airstrikes as Israel having "retaliated" for the downing of its aircraft. Vice ( 2/13/18) too characterized them as "retaliatory"; the Los Angeles Times ( 2/11/18) did the same three times. These word choices wrongly imply that Israel was acting defensively, when it was Israel who fired the first shots in the weekend's exchanges: These outlets were saying that Israel was…
fair.org/home/painting-an-israeli-attack-on-syria-as-israeli-retaliation/

Headlines for February 19, 2018.
Democracy Now! | 2018-02-19
Trump Lashes Out in Angry Tweetstorm After DOJ Indicts Russians for Election Meddling, After Parkland, Students Launch Historic Youth-Led Movement to End Mass Shootings, 66 Feared Dead After Iranian Plane Crash in Zagros Mountains, Israeli & Iranian Leaders Clash over Syria Conflict at Munich Security Conference, Syrian Gov't to Enter Afrin to Help U.S.-Backed Syrian Kurds Repel Turkish Offensive, Gaza: Two Palestinian Teenagers Killed by Israeli Tank Fire, Ethiopia Imposes Six-Month State of Emergency, Mexico Military Helicopter Crashes in Oaxaca, Killing 14 Earthquake Survivors, "Black Panther" Film Smashes Opening Weekend Box Office Records…
www.democracynow.org/2018/2/19/headlines