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Another morning, another day and, hopefully, more tranquility.

International Politics

Overall

– Interestingly, peer pressure is more effective than propaganda when getting recruits to join the Islamic State

Middle East

– The news for Iraq keeps getting worse as agriculture fell by 40 percent as a result of ISIS

– A Palestinian Authority official said going to the International Criminal Court to charge Israeli leaders with war crimes is more effective because constant talks with Israel do nothing

– Meanwhile, the ICC is now a political issue used by the right in Israel to promote their agenda in the Israeli elections

– Iran denounced the Israeli air strike that killed six Hezbollah soldiers and one Iranian commander in Lebanon

– A newspaper in Iran was suspended after showing solidarity with Charlie Hebdo in its paper

– The Syrian government is now destroying places used for production of chemical weapons

– An interview with the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations on the role of the U.N. in terms of Syria and his restrictions when traveling the U.S.

Asia and Oceania

– Indonesian authorities do not believe terrorists caused the crash of the AirAsia flight last month

– According to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, China stole plans for a F-35 stealth fighter. China said it was untrue.

Europe 

– Ali Abunimah: “France begins jailing people for ironic comments”

– Part one of two with Leo Panitch, a professor, who talks about the role of SYRIZA in Greece

– Chris Hedges: “‘You Have a Mother’”

– As said before, the Charlie Hebdo killings can and will be used by fascist forces in Europe to promote their sick ideology

– Fighting in Ukraine escalated with dozens of deaths in eastern Ukraine as a result of artillery fire

– An anti-Islam group in Germany vowed not to stay silent after one of its protests was cancelled over a threat against an organizer

Latin America, Caribbean and Canada

– The prosecutor who accused the Argentinian government of covering up a bombing at a Jewish community center in 1994 was found with gunshot to the head.

– U.S. envoys will head to Cuba for the first time in 35 years to engage in talks with the government.

Surveillance Planet

– Documents from Snowden found GCHQ, Britain’s intelligence agency, took emails from The New York Times. And Washington Post. And BBC. And NBC. A lot of media outlets actually.

– Microsoft reported more users were worried about privacy last year as users in every country they surveyed, aside from India, said technologies affected their privacy.

Financial Matters

– Dean Baker: “Democrats Take on Wall Street With Financial Transactions Tax”

– Hold on to your seat. The top one percent in the world will have more money than the bottom 99 percent by next year; Next year. Wow, just wow.

– Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers: “How the People Will Stop Obama from Pushing Through A Disastrous Trade Deal”

– There’s money in keeping prisoners and, when that happens, there is no rehabilitation with a system failing prisoners and communities.

– Iraq hopes to improve trade with Iran and Turkey, which is now valued at $28 billion per year.

– Robert Reich: “The New Compassionate Conservatism and Trickle-Down Economics”

– After the Chinese government banned margin trading, where firms can invest with borrowed money, the stock market in Shanghai fell dramatically

– A former Saudi Arabia official said the country can deal with low prices; I’m not so sure

– Even the Iranian oil minister says the oil industry can withstand low oil prices even if they drop to $25 per barrel; Is this a joke?

Labor’s a-Brewing

– Uber believes it can provide employment in Europe through its services; Oh look, a capitalist firm thinking it can solve problems. This will end well!

– Workers at Kaiser Permanente who went on strike for better working conditions called off more strikes after getting a better contract

Politics US

Washington USA

– Protecting voting rights would be a good step to defend the legacy of Martin Luther King Junior; It is a good step, but we’re need a marathon

– The budget bill passed late last year by Congress will expand a prison in Illinois to place more inmates in solitary confinement

Anytown USA

– The role of police is not to clear up any problems in society as it only adds more problems.

– In Sentinel, Okla., a white man with a gun shot a black police chief four times. What happened to him? He wasn’t arrested. He’s actually free.

– John Kiriakou speaks with The Intercept about his remaining time at Loretto, torture and support from some CIA agents

– Two teenagers who committed a series of crimes were caught and we called in the media “Bonnie & Clyde.” Yes, they were white.

– Brian Sonenstein: “NYC’s new rules for solitary are not the reforms we’ve been looking for”

We Don’t Need No Education

– Evangelicals are pushing to place more churches in public schools where “religious entrepreneurs” work their magic to help out

– With issues like school closures affecting communities of color, it is indeed wise to push the Black Lives Matter movement into school-related issues

Health, Hunger and Homelessness

– A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency found chloropyrifos, a pesticide, can affect the health of workers who use it

Planet Earth

– Researchers found yields of wheat will decrease should climate change continue to make the climate warmer

– An interview with Estela Hernandez, a lawmaker in El Salvador, about community control and protecting the environment

Mixed Bag

– Cornel West: “[King’s] dream was for all poor and working people to live lives of decency and dignity”

– Martin Luther King Junior day is one where the message of King is twisted to serve the status quo rather than demolish it.

– An Irish official said he was gay after announcing it on a national radio station ahead of a referendum on same-sex marriage

– Dave Zirin: “Dr. Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali and What Their Secret Friendship Teaches Us Today”

Break Time

– Patricia [The Pillows]