Daily Archives: August 14, 2019

2019-08-14: News Headlines

Staff (2019-08-14). Protests In Honduras Intensify as President Is Implicated in Drug Trafficking. therealnews.com Adrienne Pine and Jesse Freeston discuss Hondurans' demand that President Juan Orlando Hernandez resign and the repressive, violent police response to protesters…

Staff (2019-08-14). The Government Relies on False "Evidence" Against Migrants. truthout.org | | Laura Peña could see that her 36-year-old client was wasting away. Gaunt and haggard after nearly two months in jail, he ran his fingers through his hair and opened his hands to show her the clumps that were falling out. He was so distraught that his two young children had been taken from him at the border, he could barely speak without weeping. | After Carlos requested political asylum, border and immigration agents had accused him of being a member of the notorious MS-13 gang in El Salvador [mdas…

WSWS (2019-08-14). Far-right government elected in Guatemala. wsws.org Marked by low participation and mass protests, the vote was overshadowed by the popular outrage against the "third safe country" agreement imposed by Trump.

teleSUR (2019-08-14). Nicaragua's Canal Project Back On: Daniel Ortega. telesurenglish.net Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega announced Tuesday that the Sandinista government had not given up on attempts to build an interoceanic canal, and would be doubling down on efforts to make the mega-project a reality. The U.S. had tried to impede previous attempts as they were concerned that a Nicaragua canal, outside their sphere of influence, would weaken the importance of the U.S. dominated Panama canal. | RELATED: | Nicaragua and Western Progressive Opinion | Though the project had been p…

teleSUR (2019-08-14). Won't Block Venezuela Ships Despite US Sanctions, Panama Claims. telesurenglish.net The Panama Canal will continue authorizing vessels coming from Venezuela provided they present the necessary paperwork, the waterway's chief said on Wednesday, suggesting a new round of U.S. sanctions on the South American nation should not make a difference to canal traffic. | RELATED: | Food Shipment Destined For Venezuela Seized Due to US Blockade

Staff (2019-08-14). "A Narco State Supported by the United States": How Crime & Corruption in Honduras Fuel Migration. democracynow.org We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sonia Nazario, who has closely detailed why migrants from Central America are fleeing their homes in an attempt to seek asylum in the United States. Earlier this year, Nazario spent a month in Honduras documenting how corruption and gang violence are forcing many people to flee. Her piece, "Pay or Die," ran in The New York Times, where she is a contributing opinion writer.

Al Neal (2019-08-13). Trump rule can deny legal status for immigrants using public assistance. peoplesworld.org At every turn the Trump administration takes regarding immigration, there's only one tangible goal: Fear produced by inhumane tactics aimed at deterring migration to the U.S. from Central America and Mexico. On Aug. 3, 22 people were killed by a domestic terrorist in a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The shooter targeted Mexicans and …

Staff (2019-08-13). Trump Keeps Cracking Down on Legal Immigration Because His Base Loves Cruelty. truthout.org | | When Democrats dismissed the Fox News-led fear-mongering about "hordes" of undocumented immigrants "invading" the United States from the south as a manufactured crisis, they were pilloried by Republicans and the mainstream media alike for not taking the issue seriously. Hardly anyone demonstrated an understanding of Democrats' nuanced argument. | Illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border appeared much more substantial precisely because the Trump administration had choked off acces…

teleSUR (2019-08-13). Most US Citizens Do Not Support President Trump's Asylum Policy. telesurenglish.net A Pew Research Center poll found that most U.S. citizens reject President Donald Trump's measures against asylum seekers and 72 percent of them support granting legal status to immigrants. | RELATED: | Guatemala Cannot Be 'Safe Third Country,' US Congresswoman Says | According to this study, 65 percent of respondents believe that the U.S. government is per…

teleSUR (2019-08-13). Mexican Women Protest Alleged Rape of 2 Teen Girls by Police. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of angry protesters amassed outside Mexico City's Attorney General building Monday to demand justice after reports that a teen girl was allegedly raped by four police officers. | RELATED: | Mexico Says 122 Mexicans Detained in Mississippi ICE Raids | As anger spilled over, protesters reportedly smashed the glass doors of the building. Proteste…

Stephen Sefton (2019-08-13). Nicaragua and Western Progressive Opinion. telesurenglish.net Progressives in Europe and North America attacking Nicaragua's Sandinista government consistently exclude from their version of events in 2018 the extreme, sadistic violence and economic hardship imposed on Nicaragua's people by the country's U.S.-supported political opposition. The demonstrable facts of the failed attempt to overthrow President Ortega stubbornly contradict the outright lies and misrepresentations promoted by the Nicaraguan opposition's foreign supporters. | Consequently, Western progressives opposed to President Ortega's government face various intractable dilemmas as they try in vain to dist…

Jeff Abbott (2019-08-13). The Other Americans: In Guatemala, Indigenous Residents Appeal to the President Over Stolen Land. progressive.org With a newly elected leader, hundreds of Mayan Mam families still await restitution—or face migrating north.

Staff (2019-08-13). Headlines for August 13, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Announces New Rule to Limit and Penalize Low-Income Immigrants, Trump Slashes Endangered Species Act, Hong Kong Protesters Shut Down Airport for Second Day, Flooding, Landslides Kill Hundreds Across South and Southeast Asia, Ebola No Longer "Incurable" After Success of Experimental Treatments, Reports: Director of Mexican Migrant Shelter Kidnapped, Racist Border Patrol Agent Who Intentionally Ran Over Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty, Friend of Dayton Shooter Says He Bought and Stored Gun Parts and Ammunition Used in Massacre, WaPo Editor Responds to Sanders Claim That Paper Writes Negative Stories Because of A…

Martha Pskowski (2019-08-12). How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won. thenation.com How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won…

unitedEditor (2019-08-12). Guatemala's Elections May Decide the Future of the US' Migration Crisis. uwidata.com Guatemala is currently holding the second round of its presidential elections. With about 98% of polling places reporting, it seems that Giammattei had about 58% of votes, compared to about 42% for Sandra Torres. The first round took place on June 16 (parliamentary and presidential). The winner will be tasked with managing the most populous …

John Washington (2019-08-11). Border Patrol Arrest Reports Are Full of Lies That Can Sabotage Asylum Claims. theintercept.com On December 29, 2017, the night his daughter was born, Augusto left the hospital and rode his motorcycle to his home in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, to pick up a change of clothes for his wife. On his way back, he was stopped at a police checkpoint and taken into custody. Police officers questioned him for hours about his father, a former mayor and member of the opposition party to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. At one point, a police detective pushed Augusto into a windowless room and beat him with a plastic Pepsi bottle loaded with sand. The next morning, caked with blood and bruised to a pulp, Augusto was releas…

susan_p (2019-08-09). Nicaraguans grow divided under Ortega but reject US meddling. greenleft.org.au Nicaraguans commemorated the 40th anniversary of their country's revolution on July 19 in a variety of ways, reflecting counterposed views on the present government. | While President Daniel Ortega and his partner, Vice President Rosario Murillo addressed thousands of Sandinista party faithful at Lake Managua, others, including many former Sandinistas, quietly commemorated this historic day without Ortega. | Nicaragua's revolution on July 19, 1979, overthrew US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza after 44 years of the Somoza family dynasty. The Sandinista-led revolution ushered in radical social and political change…

Adrienne Pine (2019-08-08). To Flee or Not to Flee? In Honduras, A Child Braves Tear Gas to Sell Vinegar Bags. mintpressnews.com Public education and job opportunities have been stolen from Honduran youth by a U.S.-backed narco-state bent on privatizing the whole of society. Youth face the choice of suffering violence and repression at home or risking the dangerous journey to the United States.

United Nations (2019-08-07). Wednesday's Daily Brief: Syrian detainees, Zimbabwe hunger crisis, Kabul attack, Mexico disappearances, new tech to feed the world. un.org Wednesday's top stories: Syrian detainees "failed by Security Council"; Zimbabwe experiencing "worst-ever hunger crisis"; Guterres welcomes new Mozambique peace accord; deadly Kabul attack; Mexico "responsible for enforced disappearances"; indigenous languages at risk; and how innovation should be used to feed the world.

Staff (2019-08-06). Parents of Parkland Victim Planned to Unveil a Mural in El Paso. Then Another Mass Shooting Happened. democracynow.org During this weekend's deadly gun violence in El Paso, Texas, Manuel and Patricia Oliver were in the vicinity because they were planning on commemorating what would have been the 19th birthday of their son, Joaquin Oliver. Joaquin was one of the 17 people gunned down during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day last year. Manuel and Patricia had traveled to Ciudad Juárez, across the U.S. border into Mexico, to visit an immigrant shelter in honor of their deceased son, saying no child should ever be separated from their parents by either gunfire or immigration ag…

Staff (2019-08-06). "Fascism Will Not Go Away by Itself": George Ciccariello-Maher on Confronting White Supremacy. democracynow.org Just before the mass shooting at a crowded El Paso Walmart this weekend, the gunman wrote in a lengthy manifesto saying that the massacre was in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." He also prompted a white supremacist conspiracy theory known as "great replacement" that has been cited by other mass shooters. From Mexico City, we speak with George Ciccariello-Maher, visiting scholar at NYU's Hemispheric Institute. In December 2017, Ciccariello-Maher resigned from Drexel University after a year of harassment and death threats from right-wing white supremacists. The threats stemmed from a…

Lucas Koerner (2019-08-05). NPR Shreds Ethics Handbook to Normalize Regime Change in Venezuela. fair.org The Reagan administration in 1982 coerced National Public Radio (NPR) to cover more favorably the US terrorist war then being waged against Nicaragua. | As Greg Grandin writes, Otto Reich, head of the administration's Orwellian propaganda outfit known as the Office of Public Diplomacy, informed the public network that his office had contracted "a special consultant service [to listen] to all NPR programs" on Central America. Dependent on state funding, NPR promptly buckled under pressure, reassigning reporters viewed as "too easy on the Sandinistas," and…

Jeff Abbott (2019-08-01). The Other Americans: Guatemalans Resist Trump's 'Safe Third Country' Agreement. progressive.org The Morales administration's decision to sign the agreement directly violates an order from the country's highest court.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-18). Venezuela: Trump Diverts Central America Aid to Guaido as EU Threatens More Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com Guaido's team is receiving over $40 million to fund salaries, travel, training, propaganda and technical assistance.

2019-08-14: Social Media Postees

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The Government Relies on False "Evidence" Against Migrants
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-14
| Laura Peña could see that her 36-year-old client was wasting away. Gaunt and haggard after nearly two months in jail, he ran his fingers through his hair and opened his hands to show her the clumps that were falling out. He was so distraught that his two young children had been taken from him at the border, he could barely speak without weeping. | After Carlos requested political asylum, border and immigration agents had accused him of being a member of the notorious MS-13 gang in El Salvador [mdas…
truthout.org/articles/the-government-relies-on-false-evidence-against-migrants/

Protests In Honduras Intensify as President Is Implicated in Drug Trafficking
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-14
Adrienne Pine and Jesse Freeston discuss Hondurans' demand that President Juan Orlando Hernandez resign and the repressive, violent police response to protesters…
therealnews.com/stories/protests-in-honduras-intensify-as-president-is-implicated-in-drug-trafficking

Far-right government elected in Guatemala
wsws.org | 2019-08-14
Marked by low participation and mass protests, the vote was overshadowed by the popular outrage against the "third safe country" agreement imposed by Trump.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/14/guat-a14.html

Nicaragua's Canal Project Back On: Daniel Ortega
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-14
Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega announced Tuesday that the Sandinista government had not given up on attempts to build an interoceanic canal, and would be doubling down on efforts to make the mega-project a reality. The U.S. had tried to impede previous attempts as they were concerned that a Nicaragua canal, outside their sphere of influence, would weaken the importance of the U.S. dominated Panama canal. | RELATED: | Nicaragua and Western Progressive Opinion | Though the project had been p…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nicaraguas-Canal-Project-Back-On-Daniel-Ortega–20190814-0005.html

Won't Block Venezuela Ships Despite US Sanctions, Panama Claims
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-14
The Panama Canal will continue authorizing vessels coming from Venezuela provided they present the necessary paperwork, the waterway's chief said on Wednesday, suggesting a new round of U.S. sanctions on the South American nation should not make a difference to canal traffic. | RELATED: | Food Shipment Destined For Venezuela Seized Due to US Blockade…
telesurenglish.net/news/Wont-Block-Venezuela-Ships-Despite-US-Sanctions-Panama-Claims-20190814-0013.html

"A Narco State Supported by the United States": How Crime & Corruption in Honduras Fuel Migration
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-14
We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sonia Nazario, who has closely detailed why migrants from Central America are fleeing their homes in an attempt to seek asylum in the United States. Earlier this year, Nazario spent a month in Honduras documenting how corruption and gang violence are forcing many people to flee. Her piece, "Pay or Die," ran in The New York Times, where she is a contributing opinion writer.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/14/sonia_nazario_honduras_crime_corruption_migration

Trump rule can deny legal status for immigrants using public assistance
Al Neal | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-13
At every turn the Trump administration takes regarding immigration, there's only one tangible goal: Fear produced by inhumane tactics aimed at deterring migration to the U.S. from Central America and Mexico. On Aug. 3, 22 people were killed by a domestic terrorist in a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The shooter targeted Mexicans and …
peoplesworld.org/article/trump-rule-can-deny-legal-status-for-immigrants-using-public-assistance/

Trump Keeps Cracking Down on Legal Immigration Because His Base Loves Cruelty
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-13
| When Democrats dismissed the Fox News-led fear-mongering about "hordes" of undocumented immigrants "invading" the United States from the south as a manufactured crisis, they were pilloried by Republicans and the mainstream media alike for not taking the issue seriously. Hardly anyone demonstrated an understanding of Democrats' nuanced argument. | Illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border appeared much more substantial precisely because the Trump administration had choked off acces…
truthout.org/articles/trump-keeps-cracking-down-on-legal-immigration-because-his-base-loves-cruelty/

Most US Citizens Do Not Support President Trump's Asylum Policy
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-13
A Pew Research Center poll found that most U.S. citizens reject President Donald Trump's measures against asylum seekers and 72 percent of them support granting legal status to immigrants. | RELATED: | Guatemala Cannot Be 'Safe Third Country,' US Congresswoman Says | According to this study, 65 percent of respondents believe that the U.S. government is per…
telesurenglish.net/news/Most-US-Citizens-Do-Not-Support-President-Trumps-Asylum-Policy-20190813-0005.html

Mexican Women Protest Alleged Rape of 2 Teen Girls by Police
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-13
Hundreds of angry protesters amassed outside Mexico City's Attorney General building Monday to demand justice after reports that a teen girl was allegedly raped by four police officers. | RELATED: | Mexico Says 122 Mexicans Detained in Mississippi ICE Raids | As anger spilled over, protesters reportedly smashed the glass doors of the building. Proteste…
telesurenglish.net/news/mexico-women-protest-police-raped-2-teenage-girls–20190813-0008.html

Nicaragua and Western Progressive Opinion
Stephen Sefton | telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-13
Progressives in Europe and North America attacking Nicaragua's Sandinista government consistently exclude from their version of events in 2018 the extreme, sadistic violence and economic hardship imposed on Nicaragua's people by the country's U.S.-supported political opposition. The demonstrable facts of the failed attempt to overthrow President Ortega stubbornly contradict the outright lies and misrepresentations promoted by the Nicaraguan opposition's foreign supporters. | Consequently, Western progressives opposed to President Ortega's government face various intractable dilemmas as they try in vain to dist…
telesurenglish.net/news/Nicaragua-and-Western-Progressive-Opinion-20190813-0012.html

The Other Americans: In Guatemala, Indigenous Residents Appeal to the President Over Stolen Land
Jeff Abbott | progressive.org | 2019-08-13
With a newly elected leader, hundreds of Mayan Mam families still await restitution–or face migrating north.
progressive.org/dispatches/the-other-americans-in-guatemala-indigenous-appeal-president-stolen-land-abbott-190813/

The World is Uniting for International Law, against US Empire
Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-12
"We oppose the extraterritorial application of unilateral measures." That is not Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Russia, or China talking about the most recent unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States against Venezuela, i.e. economic sanctions that have become an economic blockade, but the European Union. Even allies who have embarrassed themselves by recognizing the phony …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/the-world-is-uniting-for-international-law-against-us-empire/

How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won
Martha Pskowski | thenation.com | 2019-08-12
How Indigenous Mexicans Took on Big Energy and Won…
thenation.com/article/mexico-transcanada-pipeline-puebla-indigenous-rights/

Guatemala's Elections May Decide the Future of the US' Migration Crisis
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-12
Guatemala is currently holding the second round of its presidential elections. With about 98% of polling places reporting, it seems that Giammattei had about 58% of votes, compared to about 42% for Sandra Torres. The first round took place on June 16 (parliamentary and presidential). The winner will be tasked with managing the most populous …
uwidata.com/4866-guatemalas-elections-may-decide-the-future-of-the-us-migration-crisis/

Border Patrol Arrest Reports Are Full of Lies That Can Sabotage Asylum Claims
John Washington | theintercept.com | 2019-08-11
On December 29, 2017, the night his daughter was born, Augusto left the hospital and rode his motorcycle to his home in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, to pick up a change of clothes for his wife. On his way back, he was stopped at a police checkpoint and taken into custody. Police officers questioned him for hours about his father, a former mayor and member of the opposition party to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. At one point, a police detective pushed Augusto into a windowless room and beat him with a plastic Pepsi bottle loaded with sand. The next morning, caked with blood and bruised to a pulp, Augusto was releas…
theintercept.com/2019/08/11/border-patrol-asylum-claim/

Nicaraguans grow divided under Ortega but reject US meddling
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
Nicaraguans commemorated the 40th anniversary of their country's revolution on July 19 in a variety of ways, reflecting counterposed views on the present government. | While President Daniel Ortega and his partner, Vice President Rosario Murillo addressed thousands of Sandinista party faithful at Lake Managua, others, including many former Sandinistas, quietly commemorated this historic day without Ortega. | Nicaragua's revolution on July 19, 1979, overthrew US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza after 44 years of the Somoza family dynasty. The Sandinista-led revolution ushered in radical social and political change…
greenleft.org.au/content/nicaraguans-grow-divided-under-ortega-reject-us-meddling

To Flee or Not to Flee? In Honduras, A Child Braves Tear Gas to Sell Vinegar Bags
Adrienne Pine | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-08
Public education and job opportunities have been stolen from Honduran youth by a U.S.-backed narco-state bent on privatizing the whole of society. Youth face the choice of suffering violence and repression at home or risking the dangerous journey to the United States.
mintpressnews.com/flee-honduras-child-braves-tear-gas-sell-vinegar-bags/261243/

Wednesday's Daily Brief: Syrian detainees, Zimbabwe hunger crisis, Kabul attack, Mexico disappearances, new tech to feed the world
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-07
Wednesday's top stories: Syrian detainees "failed by Security Council"; Zimbabwe experiencing "worst-ever hunger crisis"; Guterres welcomes new Mozambique peace accord; deadly Kabul attack; Mexico "responsible for enforced disappearances"; indigenous languages at risk; and how innovation should be used to feed the world.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043901

Parents of Parkland Victim Planned to Unveil a Mural in El Paso. Then Another Mass Shooting Happened
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-06
During this weekend's deadly gun violence in El Paso, Texas, Manuel and Patricia Oliver were in the vicinity because they were planning on commemorating what would have been the 19th birthday of their son, Joaquin Oliver. Joaquin was one of the 17 people gunned down during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day last year. Manuel and Patricia had traveled to Ciudad Juárez, across the U.S. border into Mexico, to visit an immigrant shelter in honor of their deceased son, saying no child should ever be separated from their parents by either gunfire or immigration ag…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/6/joaquin_oliver_parents_parkland_el_paso

"Fascism Will Not Go Away by Itself": George Ciccariello-Maher on Confronting White Supremacy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-06
Just before the mass shooting at a crowded El Paso Walmart this weekend, the gunman wrote in a lengthy manifesto saying that the massacre was in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." He also prompted a white supremacist conspiracy theory known as "great replacement" that has been cited by other mass shooters. From Mexico City, we speak with George Ciccariello-Maher, visiting scholar at NYU's Hemispheric Institute. In December 2017, Ciccariello-Maher resigned from Drexel University after a year of harassment and death threats from right-wing white supremacists. The threats stemmed from a…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/6/george_ciccariello_maher_white_supremacy

NPR Shreds Ethics Handbook to Normalize Regime Change in Venezuela
Lucas Koerner | fair.org | 2019-08-05
The Reagan administration in 1982 coerced National Public Radio (NPR) to cover more favorably the US terrorist war then being waged against Nicaragua. | As Greg Grandin writes, Otto Reich, head of the administration's Orwellian propaganda outfit known as the Office of Public Diplomacy, informed the public network that his office had contracted "a special consultant service [to listen] to all NPR programs" on Central America. Dependent on state funding, NPR promptly buckled under pressure, reassigning reporters viewed as "too easy on the Sandinistas," and…
fair.org/home/npr-shreds-ethics-handbook-to-normalize-regime-change-in-venezuela/

The Other Americans: Guatemalans Resist Trump's 'Safe Third Country' Agreement
Jeff Abbott | progressive.org | 2019-08-01
The Morales administration's decision to sign the agreement directly violates an order from the country's highest court.
progressive.org/dispatches/guatemalans-resist-trump-safe-third-country-abbott-190801/

Venezuela: Trump Diverts Central America Aid to Guaido as EU Threatens More Sanctions
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-18
Guaido's team is receiving over $40 million to fund salaries, travel, training, propaganda and technical assistance.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14592