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Behind a made-for-TV Hong Kong protest narrative, Washington is backing nativism and mob violence

Hong Kong’s increasingly xenophobic protests are devolving into chaos with help from US government regime-change outfits and a right-wing local media tycoon with close ties to hardliners in Washington. by Dan Cohen Part 2 - ‘Stop unlimited invasion of mainland pregnant women!’ Born in the mainland in 1948 to wealthy parents, whose fortune was expropriated by the Communist Party during the revolution the following year, Jimmy Lai began working at 9 years old, carrying bags for train travelers during the hard years of the Great Chinese Famine. Inspired by the taste of a piece of chocolate gifted to him by a wealthy man, he decided to smuggle himself to Hong Kong to discover a future of wealth and luxury. There, Lai worked his way up the ranks of the garment industry, growing enamored with the libertarian theories of economists Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman, the latter of whom became his close friend.  Friedman is famous for developing the neoliberal shock therap

How Joe Biden’s privatization plans helped doom Latin America and fuel the migration crisis

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden has boasted of his role in transforming Colombia and Central America through ambitious economic and security programs. Colombians and Hondurans tell The Grayzone about the damage his plans did to their societies. by Max Blumenthal Part 7 - US reinforces ‘factors that generate violence the most in our society’ The Alliance for Progress also provided the backdrop for the assassination of the renowned Honduran environmentalist and feminist organizer Berta Cáceres. On March 3, 2016, Cáceres was gunned down in her home in rural Honduras. A towering figure in her community with a presence on the international stage, Cáceres had been leading the fight against a local dam project overseen by DESA, a powerful Honduran energy company backed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and run by powerful former military officers. The representative that DESA sent to sign its deal with USAID, Sergio Rodríguez, was later acc

John Pilger: Breaking up the Russian Federation is an American objective

globinfo freexchange On this season finale special episode of Going Underground , John Pilger describes the current state of global affairs as in a state of world war, warning that the ‘coming war on China’ he warned about has now arrived. He also discusses the Hong Kong protests and why they have grown, along with US involvement in the unrest. He discusses the collapse of the global nuclear arms control framework with the end of the INF Treaty and the beginning of a new arms race with Russia, amid a situation where he describes it as Washington’s goal to break up the Russian Federation under Putin. He also warns of the increased risk of nuclear war as nuclear superpowers such as Pakistan and India are also entering major tensions between each other. John Pilger also discusses his concern with John Bolton being at the ear of Donald Trump, how Brexit has created mass-distraction in the UK from the most pressing of issues at home (such as austerity and the NHS) and abroad. He s

Portland rejects Proud Boys & other ultra-right groups as Trump tries to criminalize Antifa

Democracy Now! A crowd of white nationalists took to the streets of Portland, Oregon, over the weekend for what they dubbed the “End Domestic Terrorism” rally. But they were outnumbered by a massive response from counterprotesters, who gathered across the city as police escorted members of the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and other right-wing groups across one of the city’s main bridges.  Police arrested 13 people throughout the day and seized weapons but largely avoided “the worst-case scenario” Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city was prepared for.  Portland Police put more than 700 officers on patrol, with more than one cop for every two of the estimated 1,200 protesters. Some Republican politicians have called for antifa to be recognized as a terror organization, and the FBI has found that the majority of domestic terror in the U.S. is caused by white supremacists.  Democracy Now! spoke with Jo Ann Hardesty, who this year became the first African-American woma

US to punish anyone who ‘touches or supports’ Iran-run tanker

“We have made clear that anyone who touches it, anyone who supports it, anyone who allows a ship to dock is at risk of receiving sanctions from the United States,” Pompeo told reporters at the United Nations on Tuesday. “If that ship again heads to Syria, we will take every action we can consistent with those sanctions to prevent that.” Britain’s naval forces seized the Grace 1 and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4 under the pretext that the vessel might be carrying crude oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions on Damascus. Iran says the UK’s reason for confiscation is not valid because Tehran is not a member of the EU and therefore its sanctions do not apply to the country. Moreover, the tanker was never headed to Syria, according to Iranian officials. The tanker, which has been renamed the Adrian Darya 1, left anchorage off Gibraltar on Sunday after being released. According to reports, the vessel was heading to Greece after the relea

No-deal Brexit becoming ‘most likely scenario,’ French official says

A no-deal Brexit is becoming the most likely scenario for Britain’s departure from the EU, a French presidential aide said on Wednesday, according to AFP. The prediction comes the day before Boris Johnson holds his first face-to-face meeting as prime minister with President Emmanuel Macron. “ The scenario that is becoming the most likely is one of no deal ,” the official, who was not named, said. Even so, Britain would still have to pay its €43 billion withdrawal bill. “ The idea of saying ‘there not a deal, so I won’t pay’ does not work, ” the official was quoted as saying. The current Brexit day is October 31. Johnson has repeatedly said that the UK will be leaving on that date, with or without a deal. Source: https://www.rt.com/newsline/466993-deal-brexit-french-scenario/  Related: The real reason Boris Johnson pushes for a no-deal Brexit

Manufacturing uncritical thinking

by system failure I was thinking about writing something related to a certain behavioural pattern that we often meet in the mainstream media journalist army. I was inspired by the impressively loud example of The New York Times ' Bari Weiss, and how it was presented by Jimmy Dore in his show. During this particular discussion with Joe Rogan, Weiss rushed to paint US presidential candidate, Tulsi Gabbard, as an "Assad toady", without even knowing what the characterization means. As Dore aptly pointed out: " That's what's called a 'received opinion'. So, it's not her own opinion. She has heard other people in her neoliberal bubble say that stuff, so she just repeats it. She doesn't even know what the insult means. " Ben Norton wrote on Twitter: " Neocon NY Times columnist Bari Weiss smeared Tulsi Gabbard (who bravely opposed regime change and US support for Salafi-jihadist contras) as an "Assad toady," then c

US complies with new rules as Iraq cracks down on use of its airspace

U.S. military officials in Iraq will now seek out Iraqi approval before launching any air operations, a move made a day after that nation’s prime minister announced a ban of unauthorized flights, including those involving coalition forces fighting ISIS. Top leaders with Operation Inherent Resolve, the joint task force leading anti-ISIS efforts in the country, have met with Iraqi defense officials to discuss the mandate to have every helicopter, unmanned aerial vehicle and fighter aircraft launch pre-approved, according to a Friday release from the Pentagon. “ As guests within Iraq’s sovereign borders, CJTF-OIR complies with all Iraqi laws and direction from the Government of Iraq, ” the release said. “ The U.S.-led coalition immediately complied with all directions received from our Iraqi partners as they implemented the Prime Minister’s order. ” Under the agreement, coalition forces would have to route any requests to fly through the Iraqi government, including urgent flights

The 5-step CEO pay scam

Robert Reich Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich explains how CEOs gamed the stock market and played politics to line their pockets.

How the mainstream media fuels America's income inequality machine

The Real News Network From medicare for all to neoliberal tax subsidies for major corporations the mainstream media often bolsters the notion that a more fair and equitable society is not possible.