Monthly Archives: June 2020

2020-06-26: News Headlines

Danny Shaw (2020-06-26). Colombia's Other Pandemic: Unchecked State Violence in the Time of COVID-19. counterpunch.org The human rights group Indepaz reports that 800 activists have been killed in the past three and a half years in Colombia, since November 24, 2016, the date the government signed "the Peace Accord" with the FARC.[1] Taking advantage of society's fear and distraction, and the demobilization caused by the novel coronavirus, state and paramilitary

_____ (2020-06-26). The 'New' American Mercenary: A Pocket History. popularresistance.org Though the bizarre story has been subsumed by other events, last month's aborted invasion of Venezuela should've hardly shocked anyone. The United States has long used mercenaries to do its bidding. They have provided Washington distance and deniability for unsavory operations. During the Cold War, the U.S. hoped this would limit domestic and international protest. Policymakers also discerned mercenary alternatives to bloody, expensive quagmires like the Vietnam or Iraq Wars. Traditionally, most of these hired guns were foreigners — ex-soldiers of declining European empires. | Much of this parallels the lat…

David Smilde (2020-06-26). Joe Biden Should Not Try to Out-Hawk Trump on Venezuela. commondreams.org Thousands gather in Caracas to protest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. April 2019 (Photo: Helena1 / Shutterstock.com) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-06-26_at_11.10.04_am.png

W. T. Whitney (2020-06-26). US Must Return Its Political Prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. counterpunch.org Murderous violence and oligarchy were in charge in Colombia during the 20th century. Colombians by the millions were marginalized, impoverished, and/or displaced from small land holdings. Violence and the failings of liberal democracy turned Simón Trinidad into a revolutionary. Few in the United States and Europe know about him. Colombia's allies in both places overlook

W. T. Whitney, Jr. (2020-06-25). U.S. must return its political prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. mronline.org Simón Trinidad matters; his time has come. This leader of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) faced bizarre and unfounded criminal charges in a U.S. court. He's being held under the cruelest of conditions in a federal prison in Florence, Colorado. He will die there unless he is released. Simón Trinidad will be …

RT (2020-06-25). Bitcoin bolivars? Venezuela reportedly accepting crypto as payment for passport applications. rt.com Venezuela's passport service is accepting Bitcoin as payment for some applications, according to people using the online system. The move suggests an increased shift to alternative payment systems in the South American state. | A screenshot of a Bitcoin (BTC) payment prompt on Venezuela's Administrative Service for Identification, Migration and Foreigners (SAIME) was posted to

Almasdar News (2020-06-25). US Sends Powerful Message to Iran, Venezuela as Warship Sails Near Caracas. globalresearch.ca The U.S. Naval Command in the southern region announced on Wednesday, that a warship belonging to it sailed near the Venezuelan coast, hours after an Iranian tanker was docked in the port of Caracas. | According to the Southern Command's official …

Alan Macleod (2020-06-24). A US Navy Destroyer Just Entered Venezuelan Waters. Is Trump Trying to Start a War? mintpressnews.com The USS Nitze is conducting what the US military is calling a "freedom of navigation operation… contesting an excessive maritime claim by Venezuela."

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2020-06-24). US Sanctions Iranian Ship Captains as Russia Hosts Venezuelan FM. venezuelanalysis.com Russian FM Sergei Lavrov reiterated his opposition to US aggression in Venezuela.

Leonardo Flores (2020-06-24). Bolton weaves a tall tale in his Venezuela chapter. peoplesdispatch.org Per Bolton, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remains in power only because the Trump administration lacked the determination to keep the pressure on. He argues that sanctions were neither strict nor swiftly applied. Yet during Bolton's tenure, the Trump administration blocked Venezuela's ability to trade gold, froze the assets of state oil company PDVSA (including US based subsidiary Citgo Petroleum), sanctioned Venezuela's Central Bank, and imposed an economic embargo. All of this occurred between November 2018 and August 2019, during Bolton's tenure as Trump's National Security Advisor. | Four major sanction…

yenisafak (2020-06-24). US sanctions five Iranian ship captains for bringing oil to Venezuela. yenisafak.com Speaking to reporters, Pompeo also said the United States continues to support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. Washington, which seeks the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and most other Western governments have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of the OPEC nation.

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-06-24). U.S. must return political prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. peoplesworld.org Murderous violence and oligarchy were at the center of Colombian political life during the 20th century. Colombians by the millions were marginalized, impoverished, and/or displaced from small land holdings. Violence and the failings of liberal democracy turned Simón Trinidad into a revolutionary. Few in the United States and Europe know about him. Colombia's allies in …

Philip Giraldi (2020-06-23). Victoria Nuland Alert. Her Ambition is Confront Russia to Deter Putin. globalresearch.ca It is difficult to find anything good to say about Donald Trump, but the reality is that he has not started any new wars, though he has come dangerously close in the cases of Venezuela and Iran and there …

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-06-23). Mexican Government Punishes Companies and Citizens that Supplied Food to Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Mexico and US are two countries that have a curious political history, alternating in long periods of rivalry and Mexican subordination. In fact, Mexico was the first country to suffer the consequences of American expansionist ideology, both for its policy …

2020-06-25: News Headlines

W. T. Whitney, Jr. (2020-06-25). U.S. must return its political prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. mronline.org Simón Trinidad matters; his time has come. This leader of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) faced bizarre and unfounded criminal charges in a U.S. court. He's being held under the cruelest of conditions in a federal prison in Florence, Colorado. He will die there unless he is released. Simón Trinidad will be …

Almasdar News (2020-06-25). US Sends Powerful Message to Iran, Venezuela as Warship Sails Near Caracas. globalresearch.ca The U.S. Naval Command in the southern region announced on Wednesday, that a warship belonging to it sailed near the Venezuelan coast, hours after an Iranian tanker was docked in the port of Caracas. | According to the Southern Command's official …

Alan Macleod (2020-06-24). A US Navy Destroyer Just Entered Venezuelan Waters. Is Trump Trying to Start a War? mintpressnews.com The USS Nitze is conducting what the US military is calling a "freedom of navigation operation… contesting an excessive maritime claim by Venezuela."

Leonardo Flores (2020-06-24). Bolton weaves a tall tale in his Venezuela chapter. peoplesdispatch.org Per Bolton, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remains in power only because the Trump administration lacked the determination to keep the pressure on. He argues that sanctions were neither strict nor swiftly applied. Yet during Bolton's tenure, the Trump administration blocked Venezuela's ability to trade gold, froze the assets of state oil company PDVSA (including US based subsidiary Citgo Petroleum), sanctioned Venezuela's Central Bank, and imposed an economic embargo. All of this occurred between November 2018 and August 2019, during Bolton's tenure as Trump's National Security Advisor. | Four major sanction…

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-06-24). U.S. must return political prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. peoplesworld.org Murderous violence and oligarchy were at the center of Colombian political life during the 20th century. Colombians by the millions were marginalized, impoverished, and/or displaced from small land holdings. Violence and the failings of liberal democracy turned Simón Trinidad into a revolutionary. Few in the United States and Europe know about him. Colombia's allies in …

yenisafak (2020-06-24). US sanctions five Iranian ship captains for bringing oil to Venezuela. yenisafak.com Speaking to reporters, Pompeo also said the United States continues to support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. Washington, which seeks the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and most other Western governments have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of the OPEC nation.

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2020-06-24). US Sanctions Iranian Ship Captains as Russia Hosts Venezuelan FM. venezuelanalysis.com Russian FM Sergei Lavrov reiterated his opposition to US aggression in Venezuela.

Philip Giraldi (2020-06-23). Victoria Nuland Alert. Her Ambition is Confront Russia to Deter Putin. globalresearch.ca It is difficult to find anything good to say about Donald Trump, but the reality is that he has not started any new wars, though he has come dangerously close in the cases of Venezuela and Iran and there …

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-06-23). Mexican Government Punishes Companies and Citizens that Supplied Food to Venezuela. globalresearch.ca Mexico and US are two countries that have a curious political history, alternating in long periods of rivalry and Mexican subordination. In fact, Mexico was the first country to suffer the consequences of American expansionist ideology, both for its policy …

RT (2020-06-22). Trump walks back Maduro olive branch after Biden challenges his commitment to Venezuelan regime change. rt.com US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed support for his administration's regime change policy in Venezuela, reversing course on negotiation after Democratic rival Joe Biden attacked his "admiration" for "dictator" Nicolas Maduro. | Trump would "only meet with Maduro to discuss one thing: a peaceful exit from power!" the president tweeted on Monday, walking back comments he made in an Axios interview, where he hinted he would "maybe think about" meeting with the Venezuelan leader. | "Unlike the radical left, I will ALWAYS stand against socialism and with the people of Venezuela," Trump added, proclaiming his o…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-06-22). Trump Slams Guaidó While Expressing Openness in Speaking with Maduro. globalresearch.ca In what potentially could be a radical change in Washington's policy towards Venezuela, U.S. president Donald Trump confessed that he has had doubts about his decision to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president of the South American country. Trump …

Javier Sierra (2020-06-22). La Vorágine en la Que Todos Vivimos. peoplesworld.org En su obra maestra, el autor colombiano José Eustasio Rivera narra la extrema explotación laboral y violencia en el Amazonas de Colombia durante el boom del caucho a principios del siglo 20. La tituló La Vorágine, el gran tumulto. Hoy vivimos en Estados Unidos una vorágine sin precedentes, en la confluencia de un movimiento popular …

Lucas Koerner (2020-06-22). Biden Bashes Trump's Willingness to Meet with Venezuela's Maduro. venezuelanalysis.com The White House insisted that Trump "has not lost confidence" in opposition leader Guaido.

sputniknews (2020-06-22). US Air Force Dispatches Surveillance Planes to Island Off Venezuela's Coast. sputniknews.com The US Air Force has dispatched two surveillance aircraft to a base just off the Venezuelan coast for what it calls "counter-narcotics operations." The move comes as Washington looks to enhance its "maximum pressure" against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Paul Dobson (2020-06-22). Guaido Lauds Takeover of Venezuela's Bolivia Embassy. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela's self-declared "interim president" Juan Guaido is said to share a "beam of light" relationship with Bolivia's de facto president.

Raul Diego (2020-06-22). Profit Move Underlies Trump Push to Place Foreign Aid Spending Under White House Control. mintpressnews.com The Trump administration is angling to move billions of dollars earmarked for humanitarian aid directly into the State Department, partially bypassing USAID and giving the White House near-total discretionary control over how and to who those funds are allocated around the world.