Month

Archives: February 2017

Top 5 Ways Obama is Behind Leaks, Protests against Trump

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump did an interview with "Fox and Friends" for this morning in which he alleged that former president Barack Obama is behind the…

ISIL: In Iraq’s desert, mass grave horror beneath the dirt

AFP | (Video News Report) | - - "The sinkhole that could be the largest mass grave in Iraq's latest conflict is barely visible from the road, nothing more than a small…

Image of the Day: European Buddhists (?) & Zoroastrians, c. 1650

British Museum | (Safavid Era Painting) | - - School/style: Persian School/Style term details Culture/period: Safavid dynasty term details Date: 1650-1700 (circa) Production place: Made in: Iran "Four men worshipping at a…

Is Trump a bigger danger to the US or Europe?

By Joschka Fischer | (Project Syndicate) | - - BERLIN – Little more than a month after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, it has become clear that nothing good will come of…

After Mosul: Can Iraq survive without a unified National Army?

By Balsam Mustafa | (The Conversation) | - - The operation to retake Iraq’s second city of Mosul from the so-called Islamic State [group] (IS) has entered its crucial phase. The Iraqi…

Trump Official detained, nearly Deported French Holocaust Scholar

TeleSur | - - “My situation was nothing compared to some of the people I saw who couldn’t be defended as I was,” Rousso said on Twitter. Henry Rousso, a French historian…

Would Trump let Oscar Winner Mahershala Ali back into the Country?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Mahershala Ali, 43, last night won an Oscar for best supporting actor, in Moonlight . The film treats themes of sexual repression, gayness,…

Turkey’s Coup aftermath and Human Rights: A Feminist Perspective

By Banu Gökarıksel | ( Duke University Blog ) | - - Feminist critiques of political power reveal the central function of gender, sexuality, and difference in maintaining that power. Yet, in…

Trumpocalypse: How the U.S. Invaded, Occupied, and Remade Itself

By Tom Engelhardt | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - It’s been epic! A cast of thousands! (Hundreds? Tens?) A spectacular production that, five weeks after opening on every screen of any sort in America…

Iran’s Oscar-Winning Director Hopes Anti-Fascist Movement Grows

TeleSur | - - "We believe there is no best country, best gender, best religion or best color,” the directors of the five Oscar foreign films nominees wrote in a joint statement.…

Spurned Reporters should dump Trump Briefings, turn to Investigative Journalism

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald Trump was unhappy Saturday that the major media had neglected to report a point made by Herman Cain in an interview on…

As Trump Goes In: Foxing the public over Yemen and Iran

By Brian Whitaker | ( Al-Bab.com ) When it comes to reporting the conflict in Yemen, Fox News is exceptionally bad. Fox has been fooling its viewers for years but now, with…

Photo of the Day: Gaza (the Old Town), 1862

The New York Public Library | Francis Frith | - - The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Gaza (the…

Did White House interfere with FBI Probe of Russia Ties?

By Nika Knight, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org ) | - - Brazen attempt at political interference provokes comparisons to Watergate White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus attempted to interfere with…

Dear Trump officials: Stop confusing Muslim Conservatism with Terrorism!

By Z. Fareen Parvez | (The Conversation) | - - The Trump administration has been using the phrase “radical Islam” when discussing the “war on terror.” From his inauguration address to remarks…

Top 5 Hypocrisies of Trump Friday

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On Friday, Trump was making news again, after having appeared to be subdued (or muzzled?) by his staff midweek. But he addressed the…

Study finds 6 600 spills from fracking in just four US states

The Watchers | - - Each year, 2 to 16 percent of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill hydrocarbons, chemical-laden water, hydraulic fracturing fluids and other substances, according to a study published…

I Cover Hate. I Didn’t Expect It at My Family’s Jewish Cemetery

by Ariana Tobin | ProPublica | - - When it comes to death, my family honors all of the Ashkenazi Jewish traditions: We name our children after dead relatives, we sit shiva…

Oscar Nominee Asghar Farhadi between US Muslim Ban and Ayatollahs’ Censorship

By Kevin Hagopian | (The Conversation) | - - Politics loom over this year’s Oscars, with many bracing for what the winners will – or won’t – say when they ascend the…

With Trump, has the Israeli Right Wing caught the Car?

By: Ramzy Baroud | (Ma'an News Agency) | - - The president of the United States can hardly be taken seriously, saying much but doing little. His words, often offensive, carry no…

“Get out of my Country!” White Terrorist Shoots Asian-American Engineers in Wake of Trump Visa Ban

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - It is alleged that Adam W. Purinton, a regular at a bar and grill, went up to two Indian-American patrons on Wednesday night…

Did David Brooks & the NeoCons pave the Way for Trump?

By Andrew J. Bacevich | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Apart from being a police officer, firefighter, or soldier engaged in one of this nation’s endless wars, writing a column for…

Self-Radicalized? US ‘Moderate’ and Far Right at CPAC

TeleSur | - - Although the so-called "moderate" right wishes to distance itself from the far right, the list of speakers at the CPAC conference shows they have more in common than…

Film about Israeli imprisonment of Palestinians wins top award in Berlin

IMEMC | - - A film depicting the torture, humiliation and violence experienced by Palestinians imprisoned by Israel won the first ever “Silver Bear” award at the Berlinale international film festival. The…

Buyers’ Remorse: Americans think Trump is bad at almost Everything

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The vast majority of Americans in a new Quinnipiac opinion poll do not believe that Donald J. Trump is level-headed or shares their…

Red state rural America is acting on climate change – without calling it climate change

By Rebecca J. Romsdahl | (The Conversation) | - - President Donald Trump has the environmental community understandably concerned. He and members of his Cabinet have questioned the established science of climate…

Trump v. Islam

By John Feffer | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - Trump the businessman is at war with Trump the ideologue over the question of Islam. Donald Trump rode to power on…

Is Israel’s Netanyahu running Rings around the inexperienced Trump?

By Avi Shlaim | (Via OpenDemocracy.net ) | - - Trump is unencumbered by any knowledge of the Palestinians, their history, their politics, or their legitimate struggle for statehood. At the press…

Trump endangering rest of Us to hunt down the Law-Abiding Undocumented

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Gen. John Kelly's ramping up of deportation measures against undocumented residents of the US, in accordance with Donald Trump's campaign promises, contains many…

Under Saudi Bombardment, 33% of Yemenis Food Insecure

TeleSur | - - The U.N. says almost half a million children in the country are at risk of death from famine as Saudi Arabia’s war in the country completes a second…

Like Shoplifting: Israel gives Azarya 18 mos. for Killing subdued Palestinian Assailant

Ma'aN News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- After being found guilty of manslaughter for the filmed, execution-style shooting of 21-year-old Abd al-Fattah al-Sharif, 20-year-old Israeli soldier Elor Azarya was sentenced…

The Misuse of American Military Power and Mideast Chaos

By Danny Sjursen | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - The United States has already lost -- its war for the Middle East, that is. Having taken my own crack at combat soldiering in…

Should Bannon Resign? He and Milo Fake-Newsed Hillary as Pedophile

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The interview that emerged on the internet of practicing Catholic Milo Yiannopoulos expressing approval of some instances of priest pedophilia with boys has…

Never Fjorget What Happened In Sweden (Colbert)

Stephen Colbert | (Video Clip from The Late Show) | - - "In response to Trump's false claims of a terror attack, Sweden's Prime Minister asked, 'What has he been smoking?' Stephen…

CPAC, OK with alt-NeoNazism, drops Milo over Teen Sex Comments

TeleSur | - - Milo Yiannopoulos will not be allowed to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference following the discovery of his comments supporting pedophilia. Breitbart editor and self-described "occasional fellow…

Confusion over U.S. Travel Ban Grounding Foreign Correspondents

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage | (Inter Press Service) | - - NEW YORK (IPS) - New restrictions on immigrants and refugees coming to the United States are also posing challenges for foreign correspondents…

Forget the Tweets: The Impact on You of Trump’s Deregulation, Privatization of Everything

By Ali R. Abootalebi | (Informed Comment) | - - Beyond the campaign rhetoric and Twitter controversies over domestic and foreign policies, the question remains what actual policies the Trump administration is…

Netanyahu rejected offer by Kerry & Arab Leaders of Comprehensive Peace Talks

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Last year this time, Secretary of State John Kerry was trying to put together a huge peace deal between Israel and the Arab…

Danger as Turkey votes on Presidential System while in State of Emergency

By Arzu Geybullayeva | (Globalvoices.org) | - - On April 16, Turks will head to polls to yay or nay constitutional amendments which have been approved by the 550 seat parliament where…

Trump’s Russia scandals could be about to get much, much worse

Luca Trenta | The Conversation | - - Whatever one thinks of the Trump administration’s policies, it is difficult to ignore that the new president’s tenure has so far been characterised by…

Eight People Flee U.S. Border Patrol to Seek Asylum in Canada

TeleSur | - - As the U.S. looks to tighten its policies on refugees and illegal immigrants, people seeking refugee status have been pouring over the Canada-U.S. border. Eight asylum-seekers, including four…

Trump invents Sweden Terror Attack, Lies about Immigrant Crime

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump made up another alleged terrorist attack at his rally on Saturday, this one about a figment of his imagination that did not…

Garden Party, 1640: Iranian Lady entertains European Gentleman

Metropolitian Museum of Art | Isfahan Tile | - - "At the center of this scene, a lady leans on a bolster pillow and languidly holds out a filled cup. Making somewhat…

Are Republicans Shielding Trump from Special Prosecutor and Russia Inquiry?

By Nadia Prupis, staff writer | Meanwhile, some experts say there is a case for appointing a special prosecutor. Republicans are dismissing the mounting call to thoroughly investigate the Trump campaign's connection…

Not Over: Trump Ban still ruining life of Iraqi Interpreter for US Military

by Megan Rose | ProPublica | - - In 2006, when I arrived at Camp Taqqadum in Iraq to embed with the U.S. Marines, I was immediately invited for tea by the…

Dutch Far-Right Leader Vows to Rid Nation of ‘Moroccan Scum’

TeleSur | - - Geert Wilders hopes the global upsurge in anti-establishment and xenophobic feeling that has helped propel Trump to power will propel him to power. Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders…

Top 8 Signs someone is a White Terrorist, e.g. plotting to Blow up Mosque

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - 1. If you appoint yourself to carry out surveillance of a mosque congregation who have never given any evidence of being violent, you…

Antarctica: Iceberg Size of Delaware Poised to Break Away

Mark Phillips | "CLimate Diaries" | CBS this Morning Video Report | - - "A massive iceberg in Antarctica is poised to break away at a time of uncertainty over the U.S.…

Trump’s Refugee Ban Is Even Crueler Than You Think

By Max Friedman | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - The so-called "Muslim ban" has been compared to U.S. treatment of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. It's actually even more draconian.…

Trump’s Mideast Policy is clear as Pea Soup, but likely bad for Palestinians

Jacob Eriksson | (The Conversation) | - - By the standards of his turbulent time in office, President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was relatively nondescript. In many…

As Antarctica Ice Cover Shrinks, Trump Picks ‘Most Dangerous’ EPA Leader

TeleSur | - - Pruitt, a suspected climate change denier, has expressed plans to roll back climate policies that regulate the fossil fuel industry. The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed Oklahoma Attorney…

Image of the Day: Gemini Constellation, As Seen in the Heavens, Iran,1630

New York Public Library | Spencer Collection, The New York Public Library. "Gemini, as seen in the heavens. Mirror image of f. 91?" Tarjumah-i suwar al-kawâkib (Translation of "Images of the Planets").…

The New Patriotism: Loving the Real America to resist Trumpism

By Frida Berrigan | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - So reality has inexorably, inescapably penetrated my life. It didn’t take long. Yes, Donald Trump is actually the president of the United…

How Trumpist White Supremacy Builds On Earlier Far-Right Upsurges

By Matthew N. Lyons | (TeleSur) | - - The "alt-right" network has brought together multiple currents, from neo-Nazis to men's rights activists, right-wing anarchists to neo-reactionaries. The day after Donald Trump's…

Israeli, Palestinian officials react to Trump’s shift away from 2-state solution

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Following a controversial meeting held Wednesday between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli and Palestinian leaders reacted with…

Trump plots keep Palestinians Stateless forever

Trump plots to keep Palestinians Stateless forever

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Trump-Netanyahu Show on Wednesday was par for the course in American and right wing Israeli discourse about the Palestinians. Nobody brought up…

Iranian Drummer Woman, 1842

British Museum | - - "Portrait of a young woman; single-page painting mounted on album folio. A woman beats a drum slung over her shoulder. She wears an orange blouse, a green…

Why America needs the Muslim Ms. Marvel now more than Ever!

By Katie M. Logan | (The Conversation) | - - During the first few weeks of the Trump administration, we’ve seen increased pressure on Muslim and immigrant communities in the United States.…

Pentagon To Recommend US Deploy Ground Troops in Syria?

TeleSur | - - Countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will meet on Friday for the first time since Donald Trump's U.S. administration took office. The U.S. Defense Department may recommend…

Human Cost of Trump’s Muslim Ban continue to Mount

Human Costs of Trump’s Muslim Ban continue to Mount

By Jody Mashek | (Otherwords.org) | - - I've seen firsthand how the White House's cruel ban is impacting moms and kids here in the United States. Legal challenges to Donald Trump’s…

Farewell to doublespeak: Israel’s vision for the future is terrifying

By Ramzy Baroud | Ma'an News Agency | - - Empirical historical evidence combined with a little common sense are enough to tell us the type of future options that Israel has…

All of Putin’s / Trump’s Men

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The NYT has broken the story that several Trump associates are under investigation by the FBI for their contacts with Russian intelligence and…

Photo of the Day: Sad Girl, Happy Girl, Iran 1900 (Sykes)

British Museum | Sir Percy Sykes | - - Two rural Iranian girls of the Qajar era, 1900, one sad, one mischievous. Via British Museum Museum number: Sykes.453 Description: Lantern slide, showing…

Psychologists: Trump’s Rage makes him incapable of Serving safely as President

TeleSur | - - "We believe that the grave emotional instability indicated by Mr. Trump’s speech and actions makes him incapable of serving safely as president.” U.S. President Donald Trump suffers from…

Has Trump quietly surrendered to Russia and China?

Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - If there’s a single consistent aspect to Donald Trump’s strategic vision, it’s this: U.S. foreign policy should always be governed by the simple…

Trump & Co.: The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown?

By David Faris | (Informed Comment) | - - WHERE are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley, The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter? All,…

Questions about Judgment: Trump appointed Flynn in the First Place

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The sudden resignation of Trump National Security Adviser Mike Flynn on Monday evening clearly was actually a firing. Flynn was given a pink…

Image of the Day: Persian Lady in Green, 1600

British Museum | Safavid Painting | - - Painting: Portrait of a Lady in Green, Iran, 1600 British Museum Description: Recto Painting. Portrait of a lady in green. Ascribed to Riza-yi Abbasi.…

Immigrant Cali Sikhs open Temples to Oroville Dam Refugees

TeleSur | - - At least seven Sikh temples opened their doors to evacuees. "DO NOT TRAVEL NORTH TOWARD OROVILLE," was the message the Yuba County Office of Emergency Services blasted on…

Israeli Gov’t Secretly funding illegal squatter Settlements in Palestine: Haaretz

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The recently dismantled illegal settlement outpost of Amona was funded through a million-dollar loan from the Israeli government, a report by Israeli newspaper…

Al-Qaeda Rising? After Aleppo defeat, Syrian Rebels turn on Each other

By David Patrikarakos | ( RFE/RL ) | - - 2017, it seems, will be no less chaotic than its predecessor -- an aphorism made plain by a mere glance at the…

SNL Spicey on ‘Extreme Vetting’: The Blondes Get In

NBC | Saturday Night Live Cold Open Skit | - - "Sean Spicer (Melissa McCarthy) and Jeff Sessions (Kate McKinnon) take questions from the press (Bobby Moynihan, Mikey Day, Vanessa Bayer, Sasheer…

After Miller’s Mega-Lies, time to rev back up the Reality Based Community

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Stephen Miller, a snot-nosed kid with a bad attitude, advertised as White House senior policy adviser, delivered himself of some stern jeremiads on…

Turkey’s Long Nightmare: Remembering the Night of the Coup

Cüneyt Özdemir | (Duke University Middle East Studies Center | - - Cüneyt Özdemir is a columnist and investigative journalist with 28 years experience reporting from Turkey and the Middle East. An…

Why Designating Muslim Brotherhood ‘Terrorists’ will harm Democracy at home and Abroad

Human Rights Watch | - - (Washington, DC) – A US government designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, which the Trump administration is reportedly considering, would threaten the…

Is the answer to Alt-NeoNazism Bernie’s Democratic Socialism?

TeleSur | - - Maria Svart of DSA speaks to teleSUR about how her organization is using Sanders’ vision to fight Trump and neoliberalism within the Democratic party. While the U.S. has…

Could Trump’s War of Words with China turn Hot?

By Rajan Menon | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Forget those “bad hombres down there” in Mexico that U.S. troops might take out. Ignore the way National Security Adviser Michael Flynn put…

Can Peak Gerrymandering by GOP by Challenged by Progressives?

Can Peak Gerrymandering by GOP be Challenged by Progressives?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In a dramatic outcome that could well change national politics, a Federal court last November found Wisconsin's highly gerrymandered electoral districts to be…

Image of the Day: “Jonah and the Whale” (Persian Miniature)

Metropolitan Museum of Art | (Persian Miniature Painting) | - - "Jonah and the Whale", Folio from a Jami al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles [A medieval World History]) Inscription: In Persian, on the…

Give us your Huddled Scientists: France woos US Climate Researchers, Inventors in age of Trump

By Frédéric Simon | EurActiv.com | - - The United States of America. Home of the free. Land of the brave. And, until Donald Trump became president, a beacon of science, research…

Racist Trump blocks UN Envoy for Libya because, Palestinian

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) slammed the United States for objecting to a proposal by the United Nations to appoint former Palestinian Prime…

Renewables now creating more jobs than Coal, Oil and Gas

TeleSur The findings of a new U.S.report bolster climate justice movement arguments that transitioning to renewables will not only save the planet but save the economy. The U.S. Department of Energy found…

Could NSA Flynn face Criminal Charges over Russia Ties?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn (Ret.) is the National Security Adviser of President Trump. Very serious questions continue to swirl around his relationship with…

Telling the difference between Friends and Strange Bedfellows in the Age of Trump

By Rebecca Gordon | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - You know you’re living in a looking-glass world when former Vice President Dick Cheney speaks out against one of Donald Trump’s executive…

As 100K Iranians Protest Trump; some thank Americans for defending Muslims

TeleSur | - - Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied on Friday to swear allegiance to their clerical leaders and reject U.S. President Donald Trump's warning that he had put the Islamic…

Is Steven Bannon marching America toward Messianic Apocalypse?

By John Feffer | (Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - What does it mean for international relations when the most powerful country in the world becomes a pariah state? [In] Der…

The real Victors in Judges’ ban on Trump’s Ban: US Universities

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - A three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied the Trump administration's request that the Executive Order banning Muslims…

White House, Inc.: Kellyanne Con Artist Pitches Ivanka Line

TeleSur | - - Ivanka Trump has said she would step away from her company when her father took office in the White House. A top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump…

Somali Muslim in MN mobilize for Love and Tolerance

Somali Muslims in MN mobilize for Love and Tolerance

By Christopher Zumski Finke | ( Yes! Magazine ) | - - The large refugee community in Minnesota is a big target for bigotry, and tensions are expected to get worse. But…

Turkey’s Referendum on a Presidential System provokes Fears on Both Sides

By Ali Murat Yel | (Informed Comment) | - - Turkey is facing a possible referendum in April regarding a constitutional amendment that would change the current system from a parliamentary to…

The Catch-22 of Trump’s Muslim Ban: First, Bomb them, then Demand Vetting

By M. Safa Saracoglu | (Informed Comment) | - - On January 30, 2017, the President issued an executive order suspending entry of people from seven countries for 90 days. This ban…

Spicer: Trump can Criticize Iraq War but no one can Slam Trump’s Yemen Raid

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) - - One-man fake news channel Sean Spicer, Trump's spokesman, said Wednesday that anyone who criticized the botched raid on Yakla in Yemen that killed innocent…

We want our Muslim Physicians Back! How America reclaimed a victim of Injustice

By Charles Ornstein | (ProPublica) | - - In a clandestine mission that had the makings of a hostage rescue, the Cleveland Clinic and its lawyers arranged for medical resident Suha Abushamma…

Pope Francis Says Building a Wall ‘Not a Christian Gesture’

TeleSur | - - "A Christian can never say 'I'll make you pay for that.' Never! That is not a Christian gesture," said Pope Francis. Pope Francis said Wednesday that society should…

Rights group warns Israel could could launch ‘wide-scale’ military offensive in Gaza

Ma'an News Agency | - - GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- In the wake of multiple airstrikes launched by the Israeli army inside the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Gaza-based al-Mezan Center for…

Syrian refugees ‘detrimental’ to Americans? The numbers tell a different story

By Jeffrey H. Cohen | (The Conversation) | - - President Donald Trump wants to close the door on Syrian refugees, barring them indefinitely from settling in the U.S. In an executive…

Yemen withdraws blanket approval for US action after Trump’s botched Raid

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The the Arab press, reports that that government has withdrawn blanket permission from the Trump administration to conduct raids and drone strikes on…

Could Trump stumble into a Mideast War? It has happened before to Headstrong Presidents

By Guy Laron | (Informed Comment) | - - An American President enters office after his progressive predecessor courted a major Middle Eastern country. The new president is not satisfied with what…

Trump’s Larcenies to Come: The Looting of America

By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - It started in June 2015 with that Trump Tower escalator ride into the presidential race to the tune of Neil Young’s “Rockin’…

Sen. Elizabeth Warren silenced on Floor for Reading King Letter re: Sessions

CNN International | (Video News Report with text Appendix) In an extremely rare rebuke, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren was cut off while speaking on the Senate floor. She had been reading a…

Trump’s Travel Ban is to Keep US Snow White: Take it from a Chronic Interviewee

By Walden Bello | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) | - - Trump's ban isn't about national security. It's about race, religion, and cultural exclusion. As a citizen of the Philippines…

Trump’s Wrong on non-Coverage; But, Top 6 things actually Wrong with Terrorism Reporting

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump on Monday continued to troll the world, this time by alleging at CENTCOM that the media is not covering terrorist attacks. He…

Israeli Parliament gives Legal Cover to Massive Land Theft from Palestinians

Al Jazeera English | (Video News Report) | - - "Israel's parliament has passed a law to legalise about 4,000 squatter homes built on privately owned Palestinian land." Al Jazeera English: "Israel…

Feature, not Bug: Trump’s Chaos Theory of Government

Jacek Rostowski | (Project Syndicate) | - - WARSAW – In the weeks since Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States, it has become clear that he intends to roll…

Neither Informants nor Saudis: Wrong Ways to Slam Muslim Ban

By Dina El-Rifai | (Otherwords.org) | - - I’m a Muslim woman and a social justice advocate. I’m terrified, heartbroken, and outraged by Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban.” As I watched administrative chaos…

Speaker of British House of Commons: Trump not Welcome Here

TeleSur | - - "An address by a foreign leader to both houses of parliament is not an automatic right; it is an earned honor," Bercow concluded. The speaker of the United…

“This Land:” The pro-Immigrant Radicalism of Lady Gaga and Guthrie at Half-Time

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - By beginning with Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" and then switching to Woody Guthrie's "This Land is your Land," Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta,…

Will Trump use the Next ISIL attack to sweep away our Liberties?

By Allison Beth Hodgkins | (Informed Comment) | - - You have to hand to the civil society groups pushing back on the Trump administration’s recent executive orders banning the entry of…

Why Trump’s Immigration Order is a Tragedy for Everyone, Except Trump

By Barbara Elias | (Informed Comment) | - - For the moment, federal courts have interrupted the president’s immigration order. Judge Robart remarked in his Temporary Restraining Order that there is “no…

Trump’s Coming “Islamo-China” War . . . or, Whatever

By Ira Chernus | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - What kind of national security policy will the Trump administration pursue globally? On this issue, as on so many others, the incoming…

SNL: Bannon puts Trump up to Disastrous Calls to World Leaders

Saturday Night Live | (Video Clip) SNL Cold Open

Yes, Trump, Some Americans also murder: Some are Your White Supremacists

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In an interview with Bill O'Reilly airing Sunday afternoon, O'Reilly observes of Russian President Vladimir Putin: "He’s a killer, though. Putin’s a killer.”…

Cooking the Planet: GOP Congress quietly allows Methane Emissions on Public Land

By Andrea Germanos, staff writer | Commondreams.org | - - Fossil fuel industry hits paydirt as congress approves measure that gives "away a taxpayer-owned resource for free" The U.S. House of Representatives…

When Germany thinks someone is Killing Democracy . . .

TeleSur | - - The illustrator is a Cuban immigrant who put his views on Trump into a piece of art that is now on the cover of one of the world's…

Militia Feuding, Insecurity in East Mosul hold up Advance on ISIL

Mustafa Habib | ( Niqash.org ) | - - The biggest problem in eastern Mosul, post-extremists, is security. The Iraqi army needs to move on, to fight in western Mosul, but they…

Tel Aviv: Huge Jewish-, Palestinian-Israeli Rally against racist state, home demolitions

Ma'an News Agency | - - TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- Thousands rallied in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Saturday evening in protest of home demolitions targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel,…

In Shocker, Federal Judge in Seattle Halts Trump Muslim Ban

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - When Trump issued his executive order halting immigration from seven countries, suspending the refugee program, and banning Syrian refugees indefinitely, I wrote that…

Mixed Signals: Now, White House Says Israeli Settlement Building May Not Help Peace

TeleSur | - - The tone was more measured than previous pro-Israel announcements, but did not go so far as to condemn settlement activity. The Trump administration said on Thursday that Israel's…

Taking Iraq’s Oil

By Edward Hunt | (Foreign Policy in Focus | Originally published in Lobelog. Trump wants Iraq's oil, and he's not interested in sharing. The leaders of the United States have provided many…

Life in an Arab-American community under Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’

By Tom Brocket | (The Conversation) | - - Life goes on for the parents who drop off their children at homework club, or those rushing in late for embroidery class. As…

Gambia’s ‘Trump’ and the dilemma of the Int’l Criminal Court

By Ebrahim Shabbir Deen | (Informed Comment) | - - The stepping down, under duress, of long-term Gambian president Yahya Jammeh clearly illustrates the impact of credible collective security. However, for this…

Trumpworld Fake News: Iran attacks US Navy, Iraqis Massacre Bowling Green

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - So I was watching Chris Matthews' Hardball on MSNBC Thursday evening and Matthews had Kellyanne Conway on to defend Trump's disastrous first two…

Trump’s Statue against Liberty

By Daniel Martin Varisco | ( MENA Tidningen ) | - - In 1886, slightly more than a century after the birth of the United States of America, the government of France…

Trump’s 5th Bankruptcy: Budget-Busting Trillions to US Department of War

By William D. Hartung | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - At over $600 billion a year and counting, the Pentagon already receives significantly more than its fair share of federal funds. …

In West Mosul, ISIL Extremists pledge ‘Divine Intervention’ will Defeat Iraqi, US Forces

Special Correspondent | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - In eastern Mosul, Iraqi pro-government forces are organizing themselves to begin to fight against the so-called Islamic State [group] [IS]. In western Mosul,…

Trump Counter-Terrorism Program to drop White Supremacists, focus on Islam

TeleSur | - - He could rename the "Countering Violent Extremism" program to "Countering Islamic Extremism," according to Reuters sources. The Trump administration wants to revamp a U.S. government program designed to…

Here we go Again: Trump Admin Threatens Iran

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - National Security Advisor Mike Flynn came out on Wednesday to make a brief statement putting Iran "on notice." Flynn complained about Iran's ballistic…

Why Trump’s Muslim ban is bad for business

By Shainaz Firfiray | (The Conversation) | - - Donald Trump’s executive order to restrict immigration from seven countries has sparked widespread criticism from several quarters, including the business world. Not only…

Trump Threatens to Send US Army to Mexico for ‘Bad Hombres’

TeleSur | - - It was not clear from the excerpt who exactly Trump considered "bad hombres" — drug cartels, immigrants, or both. President Donald Trump threatened his Mexican counterpart Enrique Peña…

Israel greenlights 3,000 new settler homes hours after ‘Legalization bill’ approved

Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Israeli government gave its approval for the construction of more than 3,000 new illegal settlement homes across the occupied West Bank, just…

Trump Can’t Make America Great Again without Immigrants

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In 2016, the US birthrate fell to 59.6 births per 1,000 women, the lowest ever recorded. Birth rates rise and fall over time,…

Trump Donated $10,000 to Beit El Israeli Squatter Settlement

IMEMC News | - - US president-elect Donald Trump made a $10,000 donation to the West Bank settlement of Beit El in 2003, Washington Post Newspaper revealed, Sunday. The newspaper said that…

Trump sends heavier weapons to Leftist Syrian Kurds to Fight ISIL

TeleSur | - - A Syrian militia led by the Kurdish leftist group YPG said they received armored vehicles from the U.S. military, the first such support. The U.S. has boosted support…

The Superbowl of American Values: Kaepernick and the Touchdown of Dissent

By Robert Lipsyte | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - The Super Bowl is superfluous this year. Who needs a reality show about violence, domination, and sexism, not to mention brain damage, now that…