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Hey folks, how are you this Wednesday?

International Politics

Overall

– The UN Security Council agreed on a resolution condemning the violence in Iraq

– Journalist Gareth Porter joins The Real News to discuss the latest negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran

– The G7 announced more sanctions against Russia for its involvement in Ukraine

– UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon: The violence at the MH17 crash site must stop for us to investigate

Middle East

– Economist Shir Hever explains to The Real News about the profits Israel gets for its arms sales and why a ceasefire is not in its interests

– Rania Khalek: “Stocks rise for Israeli drone-maker as Gaza slaughter continues”

– Israeli historian Ilan Pappe provides a good review on what is happening in Israel to The Real News

– In Jerusalem, three Israelis beat up two Palestinians in a racist attack

– Meanwhile, at least 17 people were killed and at least 200 wounded in a market in Gaza

– With another UN school bombed by Israel, a UN official called the attack a “source of universal shame” and the White House denounced the attack but without pointing a finger at who did it

– The Iraqi government is set to receive 5,000 Hellfire missiles by the U.S.; Because that’s what Iraq needs…more weapons

– Jon Stewart jokes on the United States’ sheer disregard of consequences when selling weapons to the Middle East

Africa

– A ceasefire between militants and the government was agrteed to in Tripoli, Libya to handle a blaze as 75 bodies were found in Benghazi

– Two mosques were bombed in Nigeria and 13 people were killed; Tragic

Europe

– Pew: 51 percent of Turks are dissatisfied with the country’s direction

– More on the sanctions by the EU and the U.S. against Russia and a backlash against austerity by the Kiev government

– A new poll found 82 percent of Russians blame Ukraine for downing of MH17

Latin America, Caribbean and Canada

– Latin American countries are investing more in their militaries, which poses a risk if they become too powerful

– If you criticize some southeast Asian officials involved in a case in Australia, the government will charge you for criticizing them. Why? “National security” Oh joy!

Surveillance Planet

– Tor, the privacy software, announced to its users to upgrade their software after hackers monitored Tor users

Financial Matters

– Part two of five with Heiner Flassbeck asserts contemporary conditions are similar to those in the 1930s and war may be coming soon

– Bank of America was ordered by a judge to pay $1.27 billion for its involvement in “Hustle” fraud

– ALEC creates the American City County Exchange (ACCE) to lobby locally to further its neoliberal agenda

– An arrest of a Portuguese oligarch for money laundering and tax evasion jeopardized the financial security of Portugal, and beyond

– In the second quarter the United States economy grew at four percent. Dean Baker has more.

Labor’s a-Brewing

– In response to more information on worker violations, FIFA stated they will continue to observe Qatar for the 2022 World Cup

– Across the U.S., workers hope to gain victories obtaining paid sick days

– Journalist Michelle Chen uncovers one in three restaurant workers are food insecure and the numbers when based on race, status and gender are worse

Politics US

Washington USA

– Former IRS official Lois Lerner stated in an email with someone that right-wingers in the U.S. were insane and “crazies“; Well, it is not like she’s wrong

– Georgia Davis Powers, an activist who worked in the Civil Rights Movement, talks to Steven Rosenfeld of Alternet about Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and race

– President Barack Obama said at a campaign stop in Kansas City, Missouri, in response to calls for impeachment by the GOP, that Republicans should “stop being mad all the time.”

– At Salon our friend David Dayen speaks with author Rick Perlstein on Ronald Reagan’s rise in the U.S.; Perlstein will be here on FDL Book Salon on August 17, a Sunday

Anytown USA

– Jason Leopold: “Revealed: Koch brothers’ politics reflect their father’s anti-communism” Not to mention he made his fortune in the Soviet Union back in the thirties

– A judge rejected police union claims on the necessity of stop and frisk, which means the program will change

– AP/GfK: 53 percent of Americans believe the U.S. has no responsibility giving asylum to those fleeing persecution and violence in Central America

Health, Hunger and Homelessness

– Gallup: 56 percent of Americans believe smoking in public places should be illegal

The Second Sex

– Pew: There are slightly more women in both the newspaper business and in editor positions

– A new bill introduced in the Senate would create an adviser on college and university campuses along with other measures to ensure justice for sexual assault victims

– Systematic failures lead the FBI to not count over a million rapes in the past few years; Moreover, the same can be said when indigenous women are affected by violence and the federal government does little

– Jessica Valenti: “Feminism makes women ‘victims’? I think you’ve mistaken us for the sexists”

Planet Earth

– A new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found climate change is threatening the world’s supply of shellfish

– A green economy is possible and the investments should be made, yet capitalism cannot lead the way

– Colorado is facing extreme risk as the state faces two oil and gas spills per day

Mixed Bag

– Gallup: 36 percent of Americans reveal alcohol is a factor in their family problems

– Journalist Dahr Jamail speaks with artist Erin Currier on the necessity of art during revolution

– Scientists state the planet is in the early stages of a sixth extinction

Break Time

– Where Did You Sleep Last Night? [Leadbelly]