2018-09-06: News Headlines

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-09-06). Los Angeles Teachers Prepare to Strike: An Organizing Drive Long in the Making. therealnews.com LA teachers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, should contract negotiations fail. Each side accusing the other of illegal tactics. However, teachers say this is not mainly about wages, but about improving children's education. Jane McAlevey explains

teleSUR (2018-09-06). Honduras Struggles With Student Violence in Education Sectors. telesurtv.net Between 2010 and 2016, there were roughly 26,714 murders inside the walls of educational institutions.

teleSUR (2018-09-06). Mexican Students Protest Against Shock Groups. telesurtv.net The shock groups known as 'porros,' paid by politicians and university authorities, have been breaking up protests since decades.

teleSUR (2018-09-06). US Forces Anti-Nicaragua Agenda On UN Security Council. mintpressnews.com The U.N. Security Council meeting will move forward with a controversial decision to discuss Nicaragua and Venezuela, even without the consensus of all 15 members. | On Tuesday, China, Russia, Bolivia and Ethiopia rejected the U.S. proposal to include Nicaragua and Venezuela on the council agenda, saying the two Latin American countries pose no international security threat and that doing so could jeopardize peace efforts. | Equatorial Guinea and Kuwait were also hesitant to convene the conversation. | Despite the opposition, the United States proceeded to include Nicaragua and Venezuela on the agenda for the Security Council meeting, being presided over by the United States. | Last week, President Daniel Ortega dismissed a lengthy U.N. High Commission for Human Rights report regarding protests that took place between April 18 and August 18, calling its conclusions biased. | According to the Ortega…

teleSUR (2018-09-06). Colombia: ELN Frees 3 Soldiers in Effort to Restart Peace Talks. telesurtv.net The three military soldiers were detained by the ELN early last month.

wsws (2018-09-06). Only three percent of students have received Governor Cuomo's "free tuition" scholarship for New York public universities. wsws.org Despite the fact that the SUNY and CUNY systems are the second and third largest public higher education systems in the United States, with about 700,000 students in all, fewer than 21,000 Excelsior Scholarships were awarded last academic year.

wsws (2018-09-06). Tacoma teachers strike as walkouts spread across Washington. wsws.org School officials in three districts threatened disciplinary action against striking teachers while educators in Tacoma joined walkouts in 10 other districts Thursday.

amnesty (2018-09-06). Where are they? Their loved ones deserve to know. amnesty.org

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-09-05). Does Hogan's Schools Rhetoric Match his Track Record? therealnews.com Some Democrats say Larry Hogan is taking credit for their educational accomplishments, but will either candidate's policy be transformational for public schools?

Consortiumnews (2018-09-05). Plutocracy Now! consortiumnews.com The United States today qualifies as a plutocracy — on a number of grounds, and it is having a profound impact on the media, education and think tanks—indeed on the whole of society, says Michael Brenner. By Michael Brenner Plutocracy… Read more →

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-09-05). Extreme Heat Prompts 65 Baltimore School Closures, Student Protests. therealnews.com The closures sparked a debate between students and Republican Gov. Larry Hogan about who is to blame for the lack of air conditioning in city schools

Shared by Samantha Borek (2018-09-05). Back to School and Straight to the Picket Line. truthout.org Teachers in six school districts in southern Washington state were on strike in late August and early September to demand wage increases needed to bring their pay up to the level of other educators nationally. | Predictably, school officials are claiming that giving teachers a raise would force them to cut important programs for students. | But this stock response is particularly absurd because a recent Washington Supreme Court ruling in the McCleary case — which was the result of the state's failure to live up to its obligation to provide quality public schools under the state's constitution — has triggered extra funding in the state budget, including $2 billion specifically earmarked for teachers' salaries. | Instead of agreeing to the wage increases, however, district administrators have been hoarding the cash, which sits in a bank account accruing interest. | In addition…

Democracy Now! (2018-09-05). As Amazon Hits $1 Trillion in Value, Its Warehouse Workers Denounce "Slavery" Conditions. democracynow.org Amazon made headlines Tuesday when it became the second American company, after Apple, to reach $1 trillion in value. Amazon's founder and chief executive, Jeff Bezos, is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $167 billion. But what's behind that wealth? What about its workers? The working conditions in Amazon's warehouses have been the focus of protests, union drives and several investigations—including by student reporters. As students throughout the country head back to class, we feature an investigative report by students at the Rutgers University Department of Journalism and Media…

INA (2018-09-05). Nikki Haley: Trump's Middle East 'Peace Plan' Getting Close. imemc.org U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said, on Tuesday, that she has read the Trump administration's much-anticipated Middle East peace plan.

Hunter, Daily Kos (2018-09-05). Trump Launches White House 'Witch Hunt' to Identify Aides Who Talked to Watergate Journalist Woodward. alternet.org The president is on a mission to find the person or people who betrayed him. | Well, we knew this was coming: Bob Woodward's new book featuring lots and lots of unflattering descriptions of Trump is resulting in yet another Trump meltdown. And so the White House is now engaged in a new, ahem, search for witch-like creatures. President Donald. . .

Gracie Bradley (2018-09-05). UK Complicity in Post-9/11 Torture and Rendition, We're Still Waiting for the Truth. globalresearch.ca The prohibition on torture is one of the few absolute rights. Its use can never be justified, regardless of the circumstances. | After 9/11, the USA engaged in an appalling programme of …

Derrick Broze (2018-09-05). 9/11 Attacks: Thousands of 9/11 First Responders Have Cancer. globalresearch.ca As Americans prepare for the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, nearly 10,000 first responders and New York City residents have reported 9/11-related cancers. | In early August the New York Post

David Ray Griffin (2018-09-05). The Invasion of Afghanistan, October 7, 2001: Did 9/11 Justify the War in Afghanistan? globalresearch.ca Will the war in Afghanistan turn out to be "Obama's Vietnam"?>

Josh Jones (2018-09-05). Art and Culture: How the CIA Secretly Funded Abstract Expressionism During the Cold War. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in April 2013. | Considering the possibility of a truly proletarian art, the great English literary critic William Empson once wrote, "the reason an English audience can …

Euractiv (2018-09-05). NATO: Unequal Burden-Sharing Is The Downside Of American Hegemony. iranian.com The dominance of the US in NATO is strategically wanted by Washington. Europeans can therefore stay calm in the face of Trump's threats to withdraw from the Alliance and devote themselves to their own priorities instead, Johannes Thimm explains. Johannes Thimm works in the research group "America" of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP). The Foundation […]

Gizem Akbash (2018-09-05). Turkish Media Slam Washington Over "Exploiting Christianity Against Ankara" globalresearch.ca Last week, several Turkish news sites published an article called "Washington Exploiting Christianity against Turkey" written by Adnan Cavusoglu. The author's attention was drawn by the site christianpersecution.com, which covers …

Nick Shaxson (2018-09-05). Financial + Technology: Fintech, Hotbed of Offshore Deregulation and Crime. globalresearch.ca Reuters has just published an article titled Swiss watchdog to propose looser anti-money laundering rules for fintechs. (Fintech is short for "financial + technology" and it is about bringing technology …

Brandon Turbeville (2018-09-05). Genocide for Profit: How the Government, Big Pharma, Psychiatry, and Department of Social Services (DSS) Are Conspiring to Destroy Native American Culture. globalresearch.ca From the first moments Europeans landed on the shores of North America, a war was waged against the indigenous people who lived there. That war took the form of deceptive agreements, …

Andrew Korybko (2018-09-05). China's "Influence Ops" in the USA. "Long March through US Institutions" globalresearch.ca The United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission alleged that Beijing is running a massive influence operation inside of America's institutions. | The recently released report raises the alarm about what its …

Paul Antonopoulos (2018-09-05). UN Says the Obvious: Al-Qaeda Able to Produce Chlorine Gas in Syria. globalresearch.ca Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra terrorists have the resources and ability to produce chlorine gas to use against the population, UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura told a news conference on …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2018-09-05). Video: Who Was Behind Assassination of Donbass Leader. globalresearch.ca People in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk bid farewell to the pro-Russia forces' leader, who was killed in a bomb blast Friday. | Mourners gathered in the streets paying their respects by …

Robert Hunziker (2018-09-05). Chemically Induced Frankenstein-Humans. globalresearch.ca One of the biggest open questions of the 21st century is whether 144,000 different chemicals swirling throughout the world are properly tested and analyzed for toxicity. By almost all accounts, the …

DVBS (2018-09-05). History of Pan-Slavic Identity and Unity: The Idea of a "Greater Croatia" by 17th Century Publicist Pavao Ritter Vitezovi? globalresearch.ca The article will examine the model for the creation of a Greater Croatia designed by a Croatian nobleman, publicist and historian Pavao Ritter Vitezovi? (1652–1713). The article will offer a new …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2018-09-05). Senator Fraser Anning and the Smugness of Australian "Values" asia-pacificresearch.com

David Ray Griffin (2018-09-05). 9/11 Truth: The Mysterious Collapse of WTC Seven. globalresearch.ca Why NIST's Final 9/11 Report is Unscientific and False…

Stephen Lendman (2018-09-05). Turkish and US Regimes Allied Against Syria. globalresearch.ca Turkey's alliance of convenience with Russia and Iran on resolving conflict in Syria was always suspect. | Erdogan is a ruthless despot. Moscow and Tehran know the risks of dealing with a …

Global Research News (2018-09-05). Selected Articles: Terrorism and Genocide. globalresearch.ca For almost seventeen years, Global Research, together with partner independent media organizations, has sought Truth in Media with a view to eventually "disarming" the corporate media's disinformation crusade. | To reverse the …

Middle East Monitor (2018-09-05). Mayor of Jerusalem to Stop UNRWA's Operations. globalresearch.ca Featured image: Nir Barkat, the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem (Source: Wikimedia Commons) | Israel's Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat has threatened to end the work of the UN Refuge Agency for Palestine …

Hans Stehling (2018-09-05). No Wonder Jeremy Corbyn Is Reluctant to be Gagged by the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) Lobby at Westminster. globalresearch.ca It is a sobering fact of reality to appreciate that 95% of all pro-Israel supporters either in Britain or elsewhere who complain about Jeremy Corbyn's concern for the Palestinian people, …

Lorrie Goldensohn (2018-09-05). Lifting the Darkness: American and Vietnamese War Poets. asia-pacificresearch.com

Peter Korzun (2018-09-05). US to Drastically Expand Military Assistance to Ukraine. "They Need Lethal Assistance" according to US Envoy Kurt Volker. globalresearch.ca Washington is upping the ante in Ukraine. Kurt Volker, US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, said in an interview with the Guardian published on September 1 that "Washington is ready …

South Front (2018-09-05). Video: Trump Warns Syria Against Combating Terrorists in Idlib. The "Opposition" are Al Qaeda Affiliated Terrorists. globalresearch.ca The Turkish military has boosted its naval group in the Eastern Mediterranean as the battle of Idlib is looming in Syria, Turkey's pro-government daily Yeni Safak reported on September 2. According …

Andre Damon (2018-09-05). As Social Opposition Mounts, Silicon Valley and Washington Step Up Internet Censorship. globalresearch.ca As executives from Facebook and Twitter prepare to testify Wednesday on Capitol Hill, the social media monopolies are scrambling to demonstrate how far they have gone to implement censorship measures demanded …

Shared by Merula Furtado (2018-09-05). UCLA's Patent War in India Prevents Access to Prostate Cancer Treatment. truthout.org Drug prices are too high: One in five Americans ration their medicine due to high prices, and 10 million people die every year due to lack of access to medicines. Because of patent exclusivity laws, pharmaceutical corporations are able to set the price tag of a novel drug as high as they want, which often keeps it out of the hands of low-income populations. Patent rights, along with their political and economic power, allow Big Pharma to prioritize profit-making over health interests and leads to even larger inequalities in global access to medicines. | University research often plays a big role in the discovery of lifesaving medicines before manufacturers' move in to price-gouge the new drugs. Take enzalutamide, a treatment for late-stage prostate cancer, as an example. The underlying research that led to its discovery was done at the University of California…

William Davis (2018-09-05). Cyber Risks, the Achilles' Heel of Cashless Economies. globalresearch.ca Newspapers around the globe are telling us that contactless payments are thriving, cash is rapidly disappearing and cashless society is practically around the corner. | You don't need cash to pay for …

Suzanne Weiss (2018-09-05). Trudeau Government Acknowledges Nazi Genocide Against Roma. globalresearch.ca Featured image: A group of Romani prisoners in the Belzec concentration camp. | More then 50 people of all ages joined in Toronto August 2, 2018, in an international day of remembrance …

Adeyinka Makinde (2018-09-05). "Dear Vlad, Is It Something I Said?": The Fierce Rivalry Between John McCain and Vladimir Putin. globalresearch.ca The ferocious sense of enmity that existed between John McCain, the late US Senator, and Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, was quite palpable. While McCain was …

Sam Biddle (2018-09-05). Sheryl Sandberg Misled Congress About Facebook's Conscience. theintercept.com Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg draped herself in the star-spangled banner of American principles before today's Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing on social media. Sandberg proclaimed that democratic values of free expression were integral to the company's conscience. "We would only operate in a country where we could do so in keeping with our values," she went on. Either this was a lie told under oath, or Facebook has some pretty lousy values."We would only operate in a country where we could do so in keeping with our values." | Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., questioned Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about the fact that they are both ostensibly American companies, but also firms with users around the world — including in countries with legal systems and values that differ drastically from the United States. Rubio cited various governments that crack down…

Paul Street (2018-09-05). Creeping Fascism No Problem for Trump's Durable Base. truthdig.com How, liberals and progressives ask with shocked amazement, can President Trump's supporters continue to back him? They persist even as one piece of evidence after another emerges of his epic and pathological gaslighting, his shameless immorality, his abject criminality, his wild stupidity and his corruption. Then there's his chilling authoritarianism, his tendency toward fascism, his ugly sexism, his textbook malignant narcissism and his nasty racism. | These flummoxed observers aren't wrong about Donald "Don't Believe What You See and Hear" Trump's terrible, duplicitous and unabashedly Orwellian nature, but their incredulity is naive. | Yes, the evidence is clear as day—to people who pay serious attention to evidence. Nine of every 10 Americans—and certainly a larger share of Republicans and Trump backers—believe in the existence of God. Ask most Americans…

wsws (2018-09-05). Walkouts by Washington state educators spread. wsws.org More than 2,000 teachers in Tacoma voted overwhelmingly to strike as the struggle in Washington escalates, despite union efforts to prevent a statewide walkout.

Human Rights Watch (2018-09-05). Iran's Student Activists Denied an Education. hrw.org University students cross a street during a snow storm in Tehran November 8, 2010. | © 2010 Reuters/Caren Firouz | This time of year in Iran, graduate school applicants learn if they've been accepted into the programs they've s…

wsws (2018-09-05). US whistleblower Chelsea Manning defies ban to speak in Australia. wsws.org "Once you're immersed in a war zone, you realise that it isn't statistics anymore. These were human lives and flaws and all of the vulnerabilities that people have."

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (2018-09-04). Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights partners with Discovery Education to launch new education program. therealnews.com Khalilah Harris and Kerry Kennedy discuss RFK Human Rights' launch of the Speak Truth To Power education initiative; engaging young people in schools to be aware of and take action on global human rights issues; and, the need to support teachers with the right tools and resources to be effective in the classroom

Patrick Cockburn (2018-09-04). If the Troubles Return After Brexit, It Won't Just be Because of the Irish Border Issue. counterpunch.org More>

George Payne (2018-09-04). Speaking Freely, John McCain Was No Peacemaker. counterpunch.org Senator John McCain was a powerhouse in American politics. His legacy is far reaching and impacts every facet of civil life in our country. I didn't always agree with him, especially on matters of foreign policy, but Americans always knew where he stood on the issues; and one always trusted that he arrived at his More