(2019-08-20). Calm and Conflict: a Dispatch From Nicaragua. counterpunch.org 
I've lost count of how many times I've been in Nicaragua, beginning with almost two years in the country during the Contra War of the 1980s. This month, I spent another nine days in the country. Here are some of observations "from the field." Things are calm in Nicaragua in some ways. There is little More
(2019-08-19). Democrats Have an Open Senate Seat in New Mexico. Will They Elect a Progressive, or the Former Head of the DCCC? theintercept.com 
With Sen. Tom Udall retiring, the Democratic Party establishment is unified behind Ben Ray Luján. The Working Families Party endorsed Maggie Oliver.
(2019-08-19). 26,000 Asylum Seekers Wait in Mexico for US Visas. telesurenglish.net More than 26,000 people are waiting in several cities of Mexico for a United States visa, according to authorities of Tijuana, the biggest city of both Baja California State and the Baja Peninsula, which houses the largest number of migrants. | RELATED: | US Pressures New President to Implement Guatemala Asylum Pact | Tijuana…
(2019-08-19). Facing Federal Charges for Aiding Migrants, Activist Says He Won't Be Deterred. truthout.org | | We broadcast live from Tucson, Arizona, where the government recently put humanitarian activist Scott Warren on trial amid the ongoing policing of the U.S.-Mexico border, separation of families, and cruel and inhumane conditions at immigrant jails across the country. Warren, a longtime volunteer with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, was charged with three felony counts for his alleged crime of providing food, water and shelter to migrants in Ajo, Arizona. The immigrants had arri…
(2019-08-19). Son, Brother of Outgoing Guatemala President Acquitted of Fraud. telesurenglish.net A Guatemalan court acquitted Monday two to one the eldest son and brother of outgoing President Jimmy Morales, in a corruption case that sparked the head of state's feud with the United Nations-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). | RELATED: | Right-Wing Alejandro Giammattei Elected President of Guatemala | In January 2017, the Attorney General's office and the anti-corruption commission accused both Samuel Morales, the president's older brothe…
(2019-08-19). Salvadoran Woman Acquitted in Retrial for Stillbirth. telesurenglish.net A Salvadoran court absolved a woman previously convicted of aggravated homicide after she gave birth to a stillborn child, the woman's lawyer Bertha DeLeon said on Monday, in a closely watched retrial that overturns a 30-year prison sentence. | Defendant Evelyn Hernandez, 21, has already served three years of the sentence handed down after prosecutors said she had induced an abortion. | RELATED: | El Salvador Teen Rape Victim to be Retried for Abortion | The case had attracted in…
(2019-08-19). Trump Wanted Navy Stationed Along Venezuelan Coast. telesurenglish.net The United States President Donald Trump proposed deploying navy ships along the Venezuelan coast to prevent the entry of products into the country according to a report by Axios news portal. | RELATED: | US: Already Interfering in Upcoming Venezuelan Elections | Trump devised the idea of the maritime blockade of Venezuela with his security advisors ac…
(2019-08-19). Activist Scott Warren, Facing Federal Charges for Aiding Migrants, Says He Won't Be Deterred. democracynow.org 
We broadcast live from Tucson, Arizona, where the government recently put humanitarian activist Scott Warren on trial amid the ongoing policing of the U.S.-Mexico border, separation of families, and cruel and inhumane conditions at immigrant jails across the country. Warren, a longtime volunteer with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, was charged with three felony counts for his alleged crime of providing food, water and shelter to migrants in Ajo, Arizona. The immigrants had arrived at the doorstep of a humanitarian shelter after a perilous journey across the Sonoran Desert. At the same time, he and othe…
(2019-08-19). "Humanitarian Aid Is Never a Crime": No More Deaths Volunteers Drop Water in Desert to Aid Migrants. democracynow.org 
Volunteers with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths have been venturing into the harsh Sonoran Desert for years to leave life-saving supplies for migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Longtime volunteer Scott Warren was charged with three felonies for the alleged crime of providing food, water and shelter to migrants. After a hung jury in June, he is now facing retrial on two felony counts and faces a possible 10 years in prison. As he awaits his next trial as well as deals with misdemeanor charges in another case of aiding migrants, Democracy Now! followed him into the Sonoran Desert for his first trip…
(2019-08-18). Mexico: EZLN Announces Creation of New Rebel Municipalities. telesurenglish.net The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) published Saturday a statement to report the creation of new rebel and autonomous municipalities in different areas within the southwestern state of Chiapas in Mexico. | RELATED: | Mexico: Indigenous Demand Demilitarization of Zapatista's Lands | The communiqué announced the foundation of Centers of Autonomous Resistance and Zapatista Rebellion, which will comprehend "caracoles" (autonomous organized Zapatista regions), "good" go…
(2019-08-16). US Trained Honduran Police Get Medieval as Political Prisoner Edwin Espinal Released. mintpressnews.com The Honduran corruption canard keeps the focus on police resources and individuals rather than on the pangs of privatization, and so it is often the line favored by the U.S. State Department.
(2019-08-15). Headlines for August 15, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration Moves to Seize Iranian Tanker Held in Gibraltar, Chinese Paramilitaries Mass on Hong Kong Border as Pro-Democracy Protests Continue, Dow Jones Plunges 800 Points on Fears of Looming Recession, Study Finds CEO Pay Increased 1,000% Since 1978 While Wages Stagnated, Facebook Hired Hundreds to Listen In on Users' Audio Messages, Mexico City Police Officers Suspended over Rape of Two Teenagers, Italian Court Allows Rescued Migrants to Disembark as Hundreds More Remain Stranded at Sea, NBC News: ICE Now Jailing 8,000 Migrants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Federal Court Weighs Fate of Protected Status…
(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…
(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.
(2019-08-13). Safe Zone in Syria, Elections in Argentina and Guatemala, Ex-president of Kyrgyzstan arrested. uwidata.com Safe zone in Syria Turkish-American talks on creating a safe zone in northern Syria took place in Ankara this week. According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Turkey and the United States have agreed to establish a coordination center for joint operations in establishing the peace corridor. uwidata.com/4836-turkey-and-us-come-to-agreement-on-creation-of-security-zone/ Argentine elections On Sunday, primary elections took …
(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.
(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…
(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 …
(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.
(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.