Is Erik Prince Helping China Build Concentration Camps For Muslims?
ZeroHedge | mintpressnews.com | 2019-02-11
One of America's most famous private security contractors – and, incidentally, brother to President Trump's secretary of education, has found himself caught up in China's intermittent of up to one million Uighur Muslims. | The post Is Erik Prince Helping China Build Concentration Camps For Muslims? appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/is-erik-prince-helping-china-build-concentration-camps-for-muslims/254926/

Arctic Refuge Protectors: An Open Letter from Teachers and Scholars
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2019-02-11
Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, Subhankar Banerjee, Finis Dunaway, & Norma Kassi | Defend the Sacred Alaska—Arctic Refuge rally, Fairbanks, Alaska on March 7, 2018. (Photo: Pamela A. Miller) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/views/2019/02/11/arctic-refuge-protectors-open-letter-teachers-and-scholars?cd-origin=rss

'Future of Unions' conference speakers push sectoral bargaining
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-02-11
WASHINGTON—What was supposed to be an intellectual weekend conference on the future of the U.S. union movement turned into a conference on the future of collective bargaining, and specifically the promotion of sectoral bargaining, instead. The Feb. 8-9 confab in D.C., hosted by the Albert Shanker Institute — a think-tank the Teachers (AFT) set up …
peoplesworld.org/article/future-of-unions-conference-speakers-push-sectoral-bargaining/

Strike Action in the US Hits a 32-year High
Patrick Martin | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
The number of workers participating in strike action in the US during 2018 reached the highest level in 32 years, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report issued Friday morning in Washington. The figures document the rise in … | The post Strike Action in the US Hits a 32-year High appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/strike-action-in-the-us-hits-a-32-year-high/5668239

"No More Bullshit": The Powerful Columns of NYC Celebrity Reporters Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill
Edward Curtin | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Growing up Irish-Catholic in the Bronx in the 1960s, I was an avid reader of the powerful columns of Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill in the New York newspapers. These guys were extraordinary wordsmiths. They would grab you by the … | The post "No More Bullshit": The Powerful Columns of NYC Celebrity Reporters Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/no-more-bullshit-the-powerful-columns-of-nyc-celebrity-reporters-jimmy-breslin-and-pete-hamill/5668232

British Military Presence Near Venezuela 'Extremely Concerning'
Phil Miller | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Britain's navy and marines are conducting military exercises close to Venezuela, the Morning Star has discovered. | The Mounts Bay, a giant Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship, spent New Year in Miami embarking a US coastguard helicopter for the first time…. | The post British Military Presence Near Venezuela 'Extremely Concerning' appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/british-military-presence-near-venezuela-extremely-concerning/5668194

Brazil Dam Collapse: Vale, the Private Giant Responsible, Has a History of Flouting Rules
Surangya | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
The Brumadinho dam burst, the most recent instance in Vale's long list of regulatory violations, has resulted in 121 deaths so far, with the number expected to rise | *** | With the death toll in the Brumadinho dam disaster in Brazil | … | The post Brazil Dam Collapse: Vale, the Private Giant Responsible, Has a History of Flouting Rules appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/brazil-dam-collapse-vale-the-private-giant-responsible-has-a-history-of-flouting-rules/5668246

The "Toxic Mythology" of 9/11 is Destroying Humanity
Mark Taliano | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
9/11 was a neo-con coup. To believe otherwise is to willfully suspend the laws of physics, and to reject historical facts and common sense. It requires a leap of misguided faith. | The post The "Toxic Mythology" of 9/11 is Destroying Humanity appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/the-toxic-mythology-of-911-is-destroying-humanity/5668201

Eurovision 2019 Song Contest, to be Hosted by Israel: The Only "Democracy" Worldwide that Has Killed over Two Thousand Children
Hans Stehling | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Holding the Eurovision Song Contest near to where 2172 Palestinian children have been killed since 2000, disregards the extreme brutality of the occupying military force of the host country. | Over two thousand dead children are equivalent to the massacre of … | The post Eurovision 2019 Song Contest, to be Hosted by Israel: The Only "Democracy" Worldwide that Has Killed over Two Thousand Children appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/eurovision-2019-hosted-democracy-worldwide-killed-two-thousand-children/5668197

The Legal Loophole that Defies Democracy in Britain
Dr. Robert C. Palmer | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
A legal loophole — that has seemingly escaped the public purview in Britain — means that the UK is now caught in a legal lacuna, brought about by the illegal practices adopted by numerous Leave campaigns. | The words 'democracy' and … | The post The Legal Loophole that Defies Democracy in Britain appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/the-legal-loophole-that-defies-democracy-in-britain/5668209

Grand Theft Venezuela, Stealing a Nation: Financial Warfare Precipitates Economic Collapse
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Michael Hudson explained that Washington "treat(s) Venezuela as an extension of the US economy, running a trade surplus in oil to spend in the United States or transfer its savings to US banks." | Sanctions prevent Maduro's government "from gaining access … | The post Grand Theft Venezuela, Stealing a Nation: Financial Warfare Precipitates Economic Collapse appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/grand-theft-venezuela-stealing-nation/5668186

Denouncing Socialism, Practicing Fascism
Richard Falk | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
With Trump the silences are usually as expressive of his intentions as the incoherent dogmas. Indeed, his Second State of the Union Address (delivered in Congress on February 5, 2019) gives a clear insight into the political mentality of tormentor … | The post Denouncing Socialism, Practicing Fascism appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/denouncing-socialism-practicing-fascism/5668288

Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela
Whitney Webb | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
"People don't recognize that Hezbollah has active cells — the Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America. We have an obligation to take down that risk for America and [what we'll talk about is] how we … | The post Pompeo Attempts to Link Iran, Hezbollah to Crisis in Venezuela appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-attempts-to-link-iran-hezbollah-to-crisis-in-venezuela/5668244

Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents Relating to the Military Coup, September 11, 1973
Peter Kornbluh | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
September 11, 1998 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet. The violent overthrow of the democratically-elected Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende changed the course of the country that Chilean poet Pablo Neruda … | The post Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents Relating to the Military Coup, September 11, 1973 appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/chile-and-the-united-states-declassified-documents-relating-to-the-military-coup-september-11-1973/5668290

The Cynicism of Empire: Sen. Rubio Tells Venezuelans to Overthrow Their Government…or Starve!
Daniel McAdams | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
There is a sad disregard for human life among the neocon regime-changers. The devastation of Iraq, with its million dead, was a mere stepping stone to a "re-making" of the Middle East. A Libya turned into a modern day slave … | The post The Cynicism of Empire: Sen. Rubio Tells Venezuelans to Overthrow Their Government…or Starve! appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/the-cynicism-of-empire-sen-rubio-tells-venezuelans-to-overthrow-their-government-or-starve/5668274

Pop that Balloon! Personal Bankruptcy. He Was Broke
Philip A Farruggio | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Here he was, mid 30s and facing personal bankruptcy. He was coming out of a terrible divorce, with two young sons and child support that was too high for his present state of affairs. | A few years earlier, when he | … | The post Pop that Balloon! Personal Bankruptcy. He Was Broke… appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/pop-that-balloon-personal-bankruptcy-he-was-broke/5668224

Pompeo Cairo Speech: Misreading History
Prof. Elias Samo | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Mike Pompeo, the current American Secretary of State, gave a speech at the American University in Cairo on January 10, 2019. He started the speech identifying himself an evangelical Christian, that is also a Christian Zionist, and said, "In … | The post Pompeo Cairo Speech: Misreading History appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/pompeo-cairo-speech-misreading-history/5668261

Gearing Up for Possibility of Another Trump Shutdown, Airport Workers Ready Mass Protests in 80 Major Cities
Jake Johnson | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
"We're going to continue running as fast as we can right up to February 15, so that we can take action immediately on February 16 if necessary." | *** | With congressional negotiators still working on a deal to keep the federal … | The post Gearing Up for Possibility of Another Trump Shutdown, Airport Workers Ready Mass Protests in 80 Major Cities appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/gearing-up-for-possibility-of-another-trump-shutdown-airport-workers-ready-mass-protests-in-80-major-cities/5668266

Black Working Class Will Never Abandon Venezuela!
Black Alliance for Peace | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
"The struggles of the Black working-class, united around a national program must have international solidarity and must be understood within the context of an anti-imperialist struggle against global capitalism and the US-led imperialist global economic, military and political infrastructure. For … | The post Black Working Class Will Never Abandon Venezuela! appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/black-working-class-will-never-abandon-venezuela/5668221

The End of the Age of Billionaires
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2019-02-11
Every month or so there's a stunning new headline statistic about just how stark our economic divide has become. | Understanding that this divide exists is a good start. Appreciating that a deeply unfair and unequal economy is problematic is even better. Actually doing something about it — that's the best. | As 2020 presidential hopefuls start trying to prove their progressive bona fides, serious policies to take on economic inequality are at the forefront. These ideas don't stand much of a shot of becoming law in the Trump era, of course. But if the balance of power shifts, so too does the potential for th…
truthdig.com/articles/the-end-of-the-age-of-billionaires/

Chinese authorities extract forced confessions from student activists
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-11
The crackdown reflects the fear in the Chinese ruling circles of a political movement of the working class for social and democratic rights that challenges the government itself.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/11/chin…

'For Our Students and For Our Profession': Denver Educators Strike for First Time in 25 Years
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-02-11
Demanding that their school district take steps to end a crisis of high teacher turnover rates, thousands of Denver, Colorado teachers went on strike Monday after 15 months of negotiations stalled. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/news/2019/02/11/our-students-and-our-profession-denver-educators-strike-first-time-25-years?cd-origin=rss

Global Poll Reveals Surging Fear of Climate Crisis and US Power Under Trump
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-02-11
While a rapidly rising number of people across the globe are worried about the climate crisis—prompting warnings from scientists, demands for robust action, and sweeping legislative proposals such as the Green New Deal—there are also mounting concerns about the United States in the era of President Donald Trump, according to new polling from the Pew Research Center. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files……
commondreams.org/news/2019/02/11/global-poll-reveals-surging-fear-climate-crisis-and-us-power-under-trump?cd-origin=rss

Oakland students walk out as school board prepares major cuts
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-11
Thousands of Oakland students voiced their support for teachers and hostility to planned budget cuts and school closures.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/11/oakl…

Think Tank Censured by Charity Commission for Hard Brexit Lobbying
True Publica | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-11
Ever since the EU referendum debate kicked off in 2016 after David Cameron's announcement to hold one, we at TruePublica have had very grave concerns about the undue influence of a prominent and highly influential think tank — the … | The post Think Tank Censured by Charity Commission for Hard Brexit Lobbying appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/think-tank-censured-by-charity-commission-for-hard-brexit-lobbying/5668264

In their first strike in 25 years, Denver, Colorado teachers walk out
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-11
The Denver strike highlights the growing determination of educators, nationally and internationally, in the face of a concerted assault on public education.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/11/denv…

West Virginia teachers, school staff vote "overwhelmingly" to authorize work action
WSWS | wsws.org | 2019-02-11
Teachers and other school workers in all 55 West Virginia counties voted last week to call a work action against a reactionary omnibus education bill moving through the legislature.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/02/11/wvir…

Geneva Politicians Vote to Propose Julian Assange Asylum
SWI | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-10
The Geneva city parliament has adopted a motion demanding that the Swiss government offer asylum to controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. | The somewhat surprising resolution was the result of an hour-long debate on Wednesday evening, framed in the context … | The post Geneva Politicians Vote to Propose Julian Assange Asylum appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/geneva-politicians-vote-to-propose-julian-assange-asylum/5668163

A Brief History of the Cold War and Anti-communism
William Blum | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-10
Our fear that communism might someday take over most of the world blinds us to the fact that anti-communism already has. — Michael Parenti | It was in the early days of the fighting in Vietnam that a Vietcong officer said … | The post A Brief History of the Cold War and Anti-communism appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/a-brief-history-of-the-cold-war-and-anti-communism/5668160

The Matamoros Strike: With López Obrador In, Mexican Workers Have the Confidence to Walk Out
David Bacon | globalresearch.ca | 2019-02-10
The election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of Mexico has raised the hopes and expectations of millions of Mexican workers. There could be no better evidence of this than the strike of tens of thousands of workers in … | The post The Matamoros Strike: With López Obrador In, Mexican Workers Have the Confidence to Walk Out appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/the-matatmoros-strike-with-lopez-obrador-in-mexican-workers-have-the-confidence-to-walk-out/5668151

Author Chris Wilson Unveils his Master Plan with New Book
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-10
Chris Wilson, convicted as an adult at 17 and sentenced to life in prison without parole, tells his harrowing story in his new book, The Master Plan. The book details him turning his life around in prison, including teaching himself 5 languages and helping other youth offenders re-enter society. | The post Author Chris Wilson Unveils his Master Plan with New Book appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/author-chris-wilson-unveils-his-master-plan-with-new-book

Striking Chicago charter school teachers beef up CICS picket lines
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-02-08
Chicago, IL — Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) educators at four CICS schools struck for the third day, February 7, with management dug in on exchanging wage parity with CPS educators for higher caseloads for counselors and social workers, larger class sizes with no enforcement language, and no written guarantee not to cut student services or resources. Management wants to increase the student-to-counselor/social worker ratio, which is already well over nationally recommended ratios, giving management the wiggle room to lay off some frontline staff. | CICS still refuses to dip into $36 million in public educati…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/2/8/striking-…

Chicago charter school teachers strike for smaller classes and higher pay
Michelle Zacarias | peoplesworld.org | 2019-02-08
CHICAGO–Almost 200 unionized educators and staff at four schools run by the Chicago International Charter School network are on strike here this week. A number of CICS campuses have been faced with budget shortages and staff cuts over the last year. According to the Chicago Teachers Union website, however, CICS has received increased taxpayer funding, …
peoplesworld.org/article/chicago-charter-school-teachers-strike-for-smaller-classes-and-higher-pay/

Denver teachers' strike set for February 11
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-02-08
Denver, CO – The Denver Teachers Classroom Teacher's Association (DCTA) announced in a press conference, held in the driving snow in front of the Colorado State Capital Building, that the teachers' strike will begin on Monday, February 11. This would be the first time since 1984 that Denver teachers would walk off their jobs and set up picket lines. | The DCTA and the Denver School Board have been negotiating the union's demand for an increase in base pay, as opposed to the school board offer to give a small increase in the budget of its haphazard system of bonuses. When the district offered less than1% of its bu…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/2/7/denver-te…

Letter from the US: Teachers strike blow against school privatisation
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-08
After six days of strikes and mass mobilisations in the streets, Los Angeles teachers, joined on the picket lines and demonstrations by parents and students, won an important victory, Barry Sheppard writes from San Francisco, as they held the line against further privatisation of the public schools. | A front-page New York Times story on January 29 was headlined "Strike Throws Cold Water on a City's Embrace of Charter Schools". The article began: "Carrying protest signs, thousands of teachers and their allies converged last month on the shimmering contemporary art museum in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Clad…
greenleft.org.au/content/letter-us-teachers-strike-blow-against-school-privatisation

The South Dakota Legislature's Transphobia
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-07
Members of the legislature have renewed their attack on transgender students with three separate bills targeting their civil rights. | After a short-lived victory in January, transgender students in South Dakota are once again being targeted with legislation that would put them at greater risk and, at the same time, cause serious damage to the state's reputation and economy. | On Jan. 24, lawmakers in the state Senate scuttled a bill requiring transgen…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/south-dakota-legislatures-transphobia

When Colleges Confine Free Speech to a 'Zone,' It Isn't Free
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-07
Arkansas State University's policy requiring preapproval from the school for protest anywhere on campus violates the First Amendment. | On certain college campuses, administrators have created "Free Speech Zones" — spaces where people are allowed to speak, protest, or gather signatures for causes they believe in. While it may sound like these zones are designed to promote speech, they actually do the opposite by confining political expression to designated areas, often in out-of-the-way locations on campus. | That's why this week, in a legal challenge to Arkansas State University's "Free Expression Areas"
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/student-speech-and-privacy/when-colleges-confine-free-speech-zone-it-isnt-free

Virginia Is the Latest State to Go #Red4Ed
Rachel Levy | progressive.org | 2019-02-07
The movement has kicked off thanks to the efforts of an big-tent organization that has embraced all types of teachers, education professionals, and community members.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/virginia-latest-state-to-go-red4ed-levy-190207/

Activists Avoid Jail in U.K. After Blocking Plane From Deporting Migrants
Rebecca Nathanson | theintercept.com | 2019-02-07
On Wednesday morning, a group of British activists entered Chelmsford Crown Court, about 30 miles northeast of London, carrying backpacks and tote bags stuffed full. The Stansted 15, as the group has become known, had arrived for a sentencing hearing, and some of them had come prepared to face years in jail. In December, the activists were found guilty of committing a terrorism-related offense after they broke into an airport and blocked the departure of a government-chartered plane that was set to deport migrants and asylum-seekers. | But the group need not have packed their bags. Twelve of the defendants receiv…
theintercept.com/2019/02/07/stansted-15-sentencing-hearing/

Trump Nominates Fossil Fuel Industry Lobbyist David Bernhardt as Secretary of Interior
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-07
Trump is not draining the swamp with Bernhardt's nomination. Rather, he shows he is filling it with polluters, says Jesse Coleman, senior researcher at Documented | The post Trump Nominates Fossil Fuel Industry Lobbyist David Bernhardt as Secretary of Interior appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/trump-nominates-fossil-fuel-industry-lobbyist-david-bernhardt-as-secretary-of-interior

Student climate strike: 'It's our future'
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-07
After the successful School Strike 4 Climate Action last November 30, where more than 15,000 students walked out of school, organisers have called another strike for March 15 as part of a Global Day of Action — and they are asking others to join in. | Richard Lane and Maureen Murphy spoke to Year 9 student Lilly Murphy, who has been involved in the School Strike 4 Climate Action, about the climate strike movement. | *** | How did you get involved with the Student Strike 4 Climate Action? | A few of my school friends knew about it due to social media. There were also a few signs around school. | One of them…
greenleft.org.au/content/student-climate-strike-its-our-future

Chicago Teachers Union on strike at charter school operator CICS
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-02-06
Chicago, IL – Top CICS bureaucrats have put management greed ahead of student need, forcing a strike at four unionized schools in the profitable charter operator's 14-school stable, February 5. | CICS management was also busted over the weekend for working to line up strikebreakers, offering to pay temporary workers $21.75 per hour to scab, an annual pay rate more than $10,000 greater than the low-wage paraprofessionals to whom management has refused to provide a living wage. Some of those low-wage paraprofessionals make barely $30,000 per year or less, despite bachelors or masters degrees and years of servi…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/2/6/chicago-t…

Why Oakland Teachers are Ready to Strike
Don Macleay | progressive.org | 2019-02-06
More than 80 percent of teachers have cast a ballot — the highest turnout in the union's history — and 95 percent have voted to authorize a strike.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/why-oakland-teachers-ready-to-strike-macleay-190205/

UPDATE: Students and Faculty Plan Walkout Over Johns Hopkins' ICE Contract
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-05
"ICE is a racist institution that terrorizes black and brown communities and violates the human rights of the families it separates," says one Hopkins professor. | The post UPDATE: Students and Faculty Plan Walkout Over Johns Hopkins' ICE Contract appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/columns/students-and-faculty-plan-walkout-over-johns-hopkins-ice-contract

UPDATE: Hundreds of Teachers Protest at Baltimore County
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-05
Baltimore County public school teachers will rally at a Baltimore County Board of Education meeting on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 5 to protest austerity measures, including budget and staff cutbacks. | The Real News will be covering events live on Twitter and the District will livestream the meeting, which begins at 6: 30. | Teacher protests have swept the nation over the past year–most recently in Virginia, where teachers staged a one-day walkout, and Los Angeles, where teachers won pay raises and class size…
therealnews.com/columns/baltimore-county-teachers-to-protest-budget-cuts

The Charter School Next Door
Sarah Lahm | progressive.org | 2019-02-01
What happens when public education becomes a marketplace?
progressive.org/magazine/the-charter-school-next-door-lahm/

How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won
Jesse Hagopian | progressive.org | 2019-02-01
"It's really hard to overstate the incredible feeling of empowerment, solidarity, and joy that you saw in school site picket lines and at the massive rallies that we held every single day."
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/how-los-angeles-teachers-won-hagopian-190201/

A Modern-Day Lynching?: "Always in Season" Looks at 2014 Hanging in NC & Legacy of Racial Terrorism
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-01
As we mark the beginning of Black History Month, we look at "Always in Season," a disturbing new documentary that examines lynching in the United States both past and present. It interviews Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, which built the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery to remember the more than 4,000 African Americans lynched in the United States. It also looks closely at the case of Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old African-American high school student who, on August 29, 2014, was found hanging from two belts attached to a wooden swing set in a largely white trailer park…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/1/a_modern_d…