News & Comment

As US and Saudis blame Iran for attack on Saudi oil complex, Pepe Escobar says Houthis have advanced missile, drone capabilities….--in first of 2-part in-depth interview, Escobar offers extensive comments on the Mideast, and tells of his interviews with former Brazilian leaders Lula and Dilma; part 2 focuses on the protests in Hong Kong, where Escobar used to live
--Escobar says it was a very successful asymmetrical assault, a game changer for Yemen war

Yemeni rebels say they used 10 drones in oil hub attack, but US propaganda machine immediately blames Iran, without evidence….--Trump is “locked and loaded” and awaits instructions from MBS
--Saudis claim Iranian weapons were used;  Saudis use US weapons to slaughter Yemenis, but they don’t attack US
--in explainer, WashPost admits that proof of Iranian support for Houthis is thin

Biden admits blunder on Iraq vote, gets slammed for selective embrace of Obama,  rambles about record players when asked about reparations….--Elizabeth Warren gave best performance, Sanders was hoarse and gave a really bad answer on Venezuela, Julian Castro cornered Uncle Joe, Kamala Harris laughed at her own jokes, Pete Buttigieg was solid but unspectacular, Beto O’Rourke is coming for your assault weapons; Cory Booker tries to rise above squabbles, Amy Klobuchar was pretty boring, and Andrew Yang is giving away cash

In second unprecedented move that bows to Trump, SCOTUS breaks its own rules to approve asylum policies rejected by lower court….--outrageous 7-2 decision gives no rationale for deviating from longstanding judicial procedures; Sotomayor joined by Ginsburg in blistering dissent
--in Vox column written before the decision, Court watcher Ian Milhiser focused on Justice Gorsuch, who apparently flipped on “nondelegation” to support Trump

New poll shows half of Americans want a new investigation, as media and leaders ignore clear contradictions of official narrative….--new engineering study concludes that WTC Building 7 did not collapse due to fires, says the collapse required near-simultaneous failure of every column in the building
--small, suburban NY fire district supports investigation and prosecution of crimes of 9/11

SuperHawk John Bolton is ousted, as Trump says he “disagreed strongly” on Iran, Venezuela, Afghanistan, North Korea, and the moustache….--regarding the scrapped plan to host Taliban leaders at Camp David, Mehdi Hasan gets it mostly right
--Trump’s first national security advisor, Gen. Mike Flynn is trying to wriggle out of his guilty plea

John Lansing runs US propaganda media like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe; he’s the new CEO at NPR….--Lansing will ensure that NPR continues to color inside the lines; last week, Rachel Maddow cited RFE as credible source in report on Ukraine
--Trump administration floats plan to use data collected from “Internet of Things” like fitness monitors to predict mass shootings

Devastation on Abaco and Grand Bahama creates regional refugee crisis, just as Trump considers reducing 2020 refugee count to zero….--important new study concludes that fire did not cause collapse of WTC Building 7 on 9/11
--Oakland’s Ghost Ship fire killed 36 people in 2016; one defendant has been acquitted, the other drew hung jury
--doctors advise that vapers stop using e-cigarettes, after 3 deaths and 450 cases linked to mysterious vaping illness

In 7-hour marathon framed by Hurricane Dorian, candidates tout their plans to address climate change as anchors sneer Sanders plan…--your humble host zipped through most of the serial mini-town halls, and offers observations
--Jeff Greenfield at Politico says forum went badly for Biden

First, China put Uighurs in “re-education camps”; now they’re being imprisoned in large numbers.  World Bank loans partly fund ethnic cleansing….--and Twitter is exposed for running Chinese government ads that promote disinformation about the repression of Uighurs
--speaking of Twitter, NY Times columnist Bret Stephens has deleted his account after brutal “bedbugs” post