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Hey folks, how are you doing this day? Bad news as I will be out of town until next Monday, June 23rd. So I will not post a Roundup until then. Enjoy the rest of the week!

International Politics

Overall

– U.S.: Iran should play a “non-sectarian” role in Iraq and we are open to working with them; The Pentagon, however, said there is no upcoming plans with Iran for missions in Iraq

– U.S. officials are weighing different options to go into Iraq with special forces as one option or air strikes

– For Ramadan the UN launched a $27 million appeal to get food for Palestinian refugees escaping from Syria

Middle East

– Journalist Patrick Cockburn reports on how the massacres by the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIS) are causing the country to slip into sectarian warfare

– June Cole: “Seven Myths about the Radical Sunni Advance in Iraq”

– A member of the Iraqi parliament accused the Kurdish forces of helping ISIS in gaining Mosul

– Meanwhile, ISIS forces captured Tal Afar, a town near the border with Syria

– After three U.S. teenagers were kidnapped, Israel said they were considering expelling Hamas officials

Africa 

– The UN warns, as a result of the grave crisis in South Sudan, future generations could be affected if aid is not sent

– Suspected Islamist militants raided a tourist-friendly town in Kenya and killed at least 48 people

Asia and Oceania

– In Pakistan, the federal government’s authority is being usurped by the Pakistani Taliban in certain areas

– For “terrorist attacks” in the Xinjiang region, China executed 13 people 

Europe

– Based on studies, Der Spiegel found Greek shipowners, since 2002, have not paid any taxes on their ships

– As a result of failing to pay Gazprom, Russia cut off the gas supply to Ukraine

Latin America, Caribbean and Canada

– This World Cup will produce harm for the Brazilian population as its effects are already being felt

– The violence and turmoil in Colombia is not a domestic issue as it also includes multinational corporations

– Incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos was re-elected in Colombian elections and said he wants to discuss peace with FARC rebels

Surveillance Planet

– Ray McGovern: “How the NSA Criminally Aids Criminal Cases”

– Emptywheel: “The Black Holes in USA Freedumber’s Inspector General Reports”

Financial Matters

– After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Argentina’s case forcing it to pay “vulture funds” or else default, a debt crisis is feared to come to Argentina

– William Black explains to The Real News how poorly economists are rewarded in the field and what it does overall to the profession

– Dean Baker: “Doing for the Poor and Doing to the Poor”

– A new report found more than one-fourth of men between the age of 25-34 earned poverty wages in 2013

– Part seven of eight with economist Robert Johnson on the problems capitalism will have to solve or else we will suffer

– The International Monetary Fund said they would cut estimates for U.S. growth

– Despite 56 percent of British citizens stating there is a recovery, 46 percent say it is not benefiting their family

Labor’s a-Brewing

– With two deaths reported at an Amazon.com warehouse, the Labor Department will investigate the deaths and focus on the labor problems of the company

Politics US

Washington USA

– Gallup: Ahead of the midterm elections this year, polls show approval of Congress is at a historic low with 16 percent. Jon Walker has more.

– The U.S. Secret Service looking for software“to detect sarcasm and false positives” on social media in order to identify real threats

– President Obama is signed an executive order banning discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in the workplace

Anytown USA

– New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) told Republican donors at a conference to “get over” the Bridgegate scandal and not to worry; So corruption is something to not to worry about?

– Chris Hedges: “American Socrates“; On Noam Chomsky

– John Oliver takes on the offensiveness of the Washington Redskins in this short segment

We Don’t Need No Education

– Starbucks announced a new program to partially fund online college classes for baristas; Journalist Jana Kasperkevic notes the real-world limitiations of this offer

Health, Hunger and Homelessness

– Pew: One in four Native Americans and Alaskan Natives live in poverty in the U.S.

– In the UK, a governmental food agency warned consumers not to wash raw poultry as it may spread bacteria

The Second Sex

– After praising the role women had in Germany and Australia as Chancellor and Prime Minister, Hillary Clinton said the U.S. should have a woman in charge

Planet Earth 

– A new report says environmental groups are failing to get new recruits because of their organizational structure

– Dahr Jamail: “Atmospheric CO2 Crosses ‘Ominous Threshold’”

– It is significant a U.S. government report came out downgrading the Monterey Shale’s oil reserve by 96 percent as it shows hydrofracking is a myth

– U.S. researchers said they found melting and refreezing ice underneath Greenland’s icecap that is speeding up glacial flow increasing ice loss

– Secretary of State John Kerry says President Obama will sign an executive order tomorrow to protect the oceans from human impact; He went on to say the health of theworld’s oceans is a “vital security issue”

Mixed Bag

– As the World Cup continues into the Group Stages, Pew Research Center collected five quick facts on it

– A wonderful interview with Makaya McCraven, a jazz drummer, on being a jazz artist, the struggles felt, and the enjoyment that comes from being one

– Pew: 49 percent of Americans would be unhappy if a family member married an atheist

Break Time

– Dearly Beloved/Hikari