William Rivers Pitt | George W. Bush: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: As it turns out, there were weapons of mass destruction in that shattered, battered and bombed-out nation of Iraq – just not in the way it was explained to us. It was revealed this week that the country was littered with thousands of chemical munitions the United States and other countries had sold to Iraq before 1991.
In Greece, Media Censorship, Self-Censorship, Journalist Arrests and Murder
Michael Nevradakis, Truthout: By all international measures, Greece has seen a stunning decline in its level of press freedom. Murder and intimidation of journalists, including threats of state prosecution or private lawsuits, censorship and propaganda are rife.
Lenni Brenner: An Interview on Palestine Solidarity, Black Liberation and Anti-Zionism
Dan Falcone, Truthout: Civil rights activist and author Lenni Brenner discusses the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s work against Zionism and racism, Bayard Rustin, Kwame Ture, anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, Palestine and more.
Manufactured Emergency: The Neoliberal Assault on Michigan
Jane Slaughter, The Public Eye: Those who want to privatize public services and destroy unions have made some successful incursions into the once union-friendly state. Whether Michiganders can mount an effective resistance remains to be seen.
Islamic State: No One Wants to Talk to Terrorists, but We Always Do – and Sometimes It Works
Kristin M. Bakke and Govinda Clayton, The Conversation: Research has shown that as the governing and military capacity of an insurgent force grows, so does the likelihood of a negotiated settlement. This means that the growing strength of IS, while no doubt threatening the peace and security of the region, could paradoxically be the very catalyst to peace talks.
Neoliberal Feminists Don’t Want Women to Organize
Sarah Jaffe, Political Research Associates: One of the insidious things about neoliberalism is how it has managed to absorb our vibrant, multifaceted liberation struggles into itself and spit them back out to us as monotone self-actualization narratives. The way this has happened to feminism is particularly instructive.
Thwarting Democracy and the Battle for Voting Rights
Laura Flynn, Making Contact: It’s election season! But since the 2013 Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, many states have pushed changes to voter laws that raise disturbing connections to the past. On this week’s show, we’ll hear about hard fought battles for voting rights and the implications of new laws.
Farms Angry at Labor Department Crackdown on Suspected Worker Abuses
Bridget Huber, McClatchy Newspapers: A crackdown on minimum wage and child labor violations at berry farms in the Pacific Northwest has sparked a backlash that threatens one of the US Labor Department’s most potent tools for enforcing protections for farm workers.
How Germany Managed to Abolish University Tuition Fees
Barbara Kehm, The Conversation: All higher education will be free for both Germans and international students at universities across the country. But the debate about tuition fees can easily be revived in the future. It has not been dropped from the agenda once and for all.
The United States Is Number One . . . but in What?
Lawrence Wittner, History News Network: US politicians are fond of telling their audiences that the United States is the greatest country in the world. Is there any evidence for this claim? Well, yes. When it comes to violence and preparations for violence, the United States is, indeed, No. 1.
Our Empathetic Rich: The Rarest of Birds
Sam Pizzigati, Too Much: A landmark new study has laid bare the dirty little secret of modern US philanthropy: The United States’ wealthy don’t particularly care all that much about the rest of us. However, we need much more than empathy; we need more equality.
BuzzFlash
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$100 Million in Taxpayer Subsidies to Big Oil Promote Fracking in California
The Supreme Court Allows Texas to Use Controversial Voter ID Law
Read the Article at The Washington Post
Obama Is Putting Key Priorities on Hold Until After Midterm Election
Read the Article at the Los Angeles Times
Wind Power Pushes Down Electricity Prices in Nordic Countries, Ending Profitability of Fossil Fuels
Blowing the Whistle on CIA Torture From Beyond the Grave
Read the Article at The Intercept
The Making of Ferguson
Read the Article at The American Prospect
How We Punish People for Being Poor
Read the Article at TalkPoverty
Spirit In Action 