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Good day folks!

International Politics

Overall

– John Pilger: “Why the Rise of Fascism is Again the Issue”

– State Department officials say the allegations of a “secret nuclear facility” in Iran will not affect Iran-P5+1

– Director of National Intelligence James Clapper believed Turkey was focused on “other priorities” instead of the Islamic State

Middle East

– On Saturday, 37 people died from a series of bombings across Iraq.

– Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called for Sunni militias to leave ISIS before the army launches an offensive

– For anyone interested in what the Iraq media believes about the Islamic State, here is an interesting article on how conspiracy theories are on the rise in the country

– A U.S. drone strike killed three people as officials say they were suspected al-Qaeda militants

– Part one of two with Pernille Ironside, an official with UNICEF, on the lack of international investment in Gaza

– Israel is ramping up its illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which makes a two-state solution impossible; Although it wasn’t possible to begin with

Africa

– A court in Egypt ruled Hamas a “terrorist organization” and blamed the group for incidents in the Sinai peninsula

– Part three of three with Professor Seif Da’na on the the way the ruling class in Egypt operates and what they faced over the past few years

– Egyptian officials said at least 170 militants were killed in Sinai in the past month

Europe 

– Vice President Joseph Biden is looking forward to legislation being passed next week in Ukraine. Legislation, I must note, “developed with the International Monetary Fund.”

– The Northern League, a group moving farther to the right, rallied in Rome for an anti-immigrant protest

– A Ukrainian photojournalist died while in eastern Ukraine for some unknown assignment. I say unknown because the article notes the photojournalist’s editor refused to disclose why he was there.

– Boris Nemtsov, a critic of Vladimir Putin and his government, was killed after someone in a car shot him four times. Tens of thousands marched in Moscow in his honor.

– Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy accused the Greek government of pushing for a change in Spanish government

– Fantastic news out of Greece where support for Syriza is growing; In spite of the difficulties so far, this is good news going forward

Latin America, Caribbean and Canada

– Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced he would limit U.S. diplomats into Venezuela and create mandatory visas for Americans traveling into the country

– Jose Mujica left office today as the president of Uruguay as Tabare Vasquez, from the same party as Mujica, takes over.

Surveillance Planet

– Ralph Nader joins The Real News discussing Canadian imitations of fear-mongering tactics their neighbors to the south use to push anti-terrorism laws

– Emptywheel: “Will Verizon Challenge the Government’s Fishy Dragnet?”

– The Broadcasting Board of Governors is quite an interesting group, especially with support from the U.S. government

Financial Matters

– Never underestimate the power of finance when it comes to the international oil market, especially when oil prices are low

– Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras: We will not seek a third bailout from European negotiators

– The People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, cut interest rates as officials do not believe things will get better in the future

– Christopher Mitchell, an expert on telecommunications, explains to The Real News about the efforts in pressuring the FCC on Net Neutrality and what is needed next

– Professor William Black explains to The Real News the relationship between the corrupt HSBC company and lazy European regulators

– Potential GDP before The Great Recession may never return due to the severity of the financial crisis

Labor’s a-Brewing

– The Real News reports on the efforts of the National Nurses Union in stopping the Trans-Pacific Partnership

– Michelle Chen: “It Would Cost Just 5 Cents More Per Plane Ticket to Get Airport Catering Workers Some Decent Healthcare”

– Great news as a court ruled in favor of immigrants who were abused and lured by a U.S. company with promises of visas and money

Politics US

Washington USA

– William Blum: “The Ideology of the American Media is That it Believes That It Doesn’t Have any Ideology”

– Attorney Michael Ratner discusses to The Real News the consequences of recent verdict against the Palestinian Authority in a U.S. court

– At the Couldn’t Possibly Anticipated Comedy conference, former NSA Michael Hayden called himself an “unrelenting libertarian.” Everyone in the audience laughed.

– At the Cantankerous Political Authorities Come event, Rand Paul won a straw poll for presidential candidates with Scott Walker in second place

– Speaker of the House John Boehner denied there was an internal revolt in the Republican Party after a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security was averted

Anytown USA

– We know of Scott Walker as governor of Wisconsin, but what did he do when he wasn’t governor? Well, he liked using private prisons for his political benefit of course.

– Speaking of Wisconsin, the left needs to think about its next move should they want to oust the right-wing Walker government.

– Activists in Chicago, angry about the black sites in the city, demand investigations into the use of such sites

– Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old, is responsible for his own death by police offices, according to the city of Cleveland in a trial involving the 12-year-old’s death; Did I mentioned Rice is a 12-year-old? Just want to make sure.

We Don’t Need No Education

– The state of Maryland is interested in expanding charter schools, although it may come at a cost for unions

Health, Hunger and Homelessness

– It is far too simple to say “why do people doubt science” when it comes to the issue of GMOs

The Second Sex

– Women, especially those earning very little, are facing financial restrictions when getting an abortion

– A new study found sex workers in the U.K. originally worked in industries like retail or health care and pressures like finances led them to sex work

Planet Earth

– New research found the Black Death in Europe during the 14th century was caused by the change in climate in Asia

Mixed Bag

– Ed Walker: “Piketty Gets A Laugh At Mankiw’s Expense”

– The state of the left in the U.S. is extremely weak and, at this point, it seems a violent revolution could radically change everything; Hard to agree with the author. Wouldn’t there be the issue of opportunists like in China?

– A 25-minute reflection of Malcolm X’s impact in the past and in contemporary

– Ken Silverstein: “Where Journalism Goes to Die“; Quite damning insight into First Look Media

Break Time

– Times Are Tough In Rock ‘n’ Roll [Elizabeth Cook]