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“You know what uranium is, right? This thing called nuclear weapons like lots of things are done with uranium including some bad things.”

-- Donald J. Trump

News and Opinion

US a No-Show as Historic Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty Adopted

The United States has joined a small group of global outliers on Friday after a historic United Nations treaty to ban nuclear weapons was adopted by a majority of the world's nations.

"The adoption of the nuclear weapons ban treaty marks an historic turning point in the centuries-old battle to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction," said Jeff Carter, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Ahead of its adoption, Elayne Whyte Gómez, Coasta Rica's ambassador to the U.N. and president of the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, championed the "historic"agreement, calling it "the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to be concluded in more than 20 years."

Noting that the landmark moment comes 72 years after the atomic-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an editorial in Japan's Mainichi said: "The international community's firm determination not to repeat these tragedies is the linchpin of the convention." 

We have just made history! The #nuclearban treaty is adopted! pic.twitter.com/A08gT0E80Q

— ICAN (@nuclearban) July 7, 2017

One hundred twenty-two nations agreed to the final draft text after weeks of negotiations that were not attended by any of the nine nuclear-armed states, which include the U.S., Russia, and North Korea. (Among those signing on, however, are two of the other "axis of evil" states: Iran and Iraq.) The Netherlands cast the sole vote against the treaty.

"The nuclear weapons states' boycott of the ban treaty negotiations," Carter said last month, "illustrates a denial of medical science," referring to "empirically known consequences of the use, testing, and development of these weapons on human lives."

North Korea’s Fast-Track Missile Development: How Far It’s Come and Why It Has the U.S. on Edge

It is an article of faith in the West that each missile test by North Korea is a “threat” or “provocation.” But is it true? Over the last several months, India tested its Agni-2 medium-range and Agni-3 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, as well as an Agni-5 ICBM, producing only yawns of indifference. Pakistan fired an Ababeel medium-range ballistic missile, capable of delivering multiple warheads, while China and Russia both tested ICBMs. The United States, as it was roundly condemning North Korea for its tests, launched Minuteman 3 and Trident missiles. None of these tests by nuclear powers were deemed provocative. ... Objectively speaking, there is no difference between North Korea’s missile tests and the others, although it should be pointed out that the U.S. arsenal of nearly 7,000 nuclear warheads dwarfs that of North Korea. ...

From the North Korean perspective, the large-scale military exercises that the United States regularly conducts in tandem with South Korea are threatening. These drills rehearse the invasion of North Korea, including decapitation operations to kill North Korean leaders. ... In the Western mindset, none of these actions can be construed as being “provocative” or a “threat” to North Korea. ...

When the year began, North Korea found itself in a somewhat vulnerable position, given the Trump administration’s aggressive rhetoric. North Korea had a nuclear weapons program but no tested reentry vehicle–which meant that it had no means of delivery. The north’s conventional arms are sufficient to inflict heavy damage on South Korea. But in a conflict, harm to U.S. forces would be relatively mild, especially if the U.S. launched a first strike to eliminate much of North Korea’s military capability. The window of opportunity for attacking North Korea would permanently close once it could demonstrate an effective means of delivering a nuclear weapon and the ability to strike U.S. warplanes stationed in Guam and aircraft carriers off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. Thus for North Korea, the race was on.

The North Koreans have taken note of the experience of Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Libya, and arrived at the conclusion that a small nation relying on conventional arms alone has no chance of deterring attack by the United States. ... That is a conclusion the U.S. is keen to discourage. For the United States, it is a fundamental principle of its foreign policy that it should be able to attack any nation of its choosing, and that no country ought to have the means of defending itself. And therein lies the source of U.S. concern. The reason why stopping North Korea’s nuclear and long-range missile program is a priority for the Trump administration is not because it truly believes North Korea will launch an ICBM at the United States. Rather, it’s that if North Korea succeeds in establishing an effective nuclear deterrent, then this could have serious geopolitical implications for U.S. policy, as other targeted nations may follow North Korea’s example to ensure their survival.

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Now is Time for Trump & Putin to Negotiate, Not Escalate Tensions

'It’s an honour to be with you' – Trump and Putin meet at G20 in Hamburg

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are holding a much anticipated face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg. “We look forward to a lot of very positive things happening for Russia, for the United States and for everyone concerned,” the US president said as journalists were briefly allowed in to witness part of the meeting. “It’s an honour to be with you.” The Russian president replied: “I’m delighted to be able to meet you personally Mr President. And I hope as you have said, our meeting will yield concrete results.” ...

The leaders were joined by Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister for the meeting, which is taking place against an inauspicious backdrop. On Thursday the US president accused Russia of acting as a destabilising force determined to test the will of the west. ...

Trump offered no details about what issues had been discussed so far, describing them only as “various things”. Putin was similarly vague, telling reporters through a translator that they were discussing international problems and bilateral issues. Still, Putin described the fact that they were meeting at all as a positive sign in itself. “Phone conversation is never enough,” he said.

After those comments the leaders shook hands firmly but briefly before reporters were escorted out of the room. Trump did not respond to shouted questions about whether they would discuss Russia’s meddling in the US election – a topic politicians in Washington have been demanding that Trump raise directly.

MSM, Still Living in Propaganda-ville

As Trump prepares for his first meeting with Putin at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, the U.S. mainstream media has been in a frenzy, linking up its groupthinks about the Ukraine “invasion” with its groupthinks about Russian “hacking” the election.

In a July 3 editorial, The Washington Post declared, “Mr. Trump simply cannot fail to admonish Mr. Putin for Russia’s attempts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. He must make clear the United States will not tolerate it, period. Naturally, this is a difficult issue for Mr. Trump, who reaped the benefit of Russia’s intervention and now faces a special counsel’s investigation, but nonetheless, in his first session with Mr. Putin, the president must not hesitate to be blunt. … “On Ukraine, Mr. Trump must also display determination. Russia fomented an armed uprising and seized Crimea in violation of international norms, and it continues to instigate violence in the Donbas. Mr. Trump ought to make it unmistakably clear to Mr.Putin that the United States will not retreat from the sanctions imposed over Ukraine until the conditions of peace agreements are met.”

Along the same lines, even while suggesting the value of some collaboration with Russia toward ending the war in Syria, Post columnist David Ignatius wrote in a July 5 column, “Russian-American cooperation on Syria faces a huge obstacle right now. It would legitimize a Russian regime that invaded Ukraine and meddled in U.S. and European elections, in addition to its intervention in Syria.” Note the smug certainty of Ignatius and the Post editors. There is no doubt that Russia “invaded” Ukraine; “seized” Crimea; “meddled” in U.S. and European elections. Yet all these groupthinks should be subjected to skepticism, not simply treated as undeniable truths.

But seeing only one side to a story is where the U.S. mainstream media is at this point in history. Yes, it is possible that Russia was responsible for the Democratic hacks and did funnel the material to WikiLeaks, but evidence has so far been lacking. And, instead of presenting both sides fairly, the major media acts as if only one side deserves any respect and dissenting views must be ridiculed and condemned. ...

With the stakes this high, the demand for hard evidence – and the avoidance of soft-minded groupthink – should go without question. Journalists and commentators should hold themselves to professional precision, not slide into sloppy careerism, lost in “propaganda-ville.”

Srećko Horvat: What is the Violence on the Streets of Hamburg Compared to Violence of the G20?

U.S., Russia reach deal on Syria cease-fire

A cease-fire agreement reached Friday between the United States and Russia is intended to quell fighting in southwest Syria and allow anti-government rebels there to focus on the Islamic State, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

Tillerson announced the cease-fire as President Trump held his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin here at the Group of 20 summit.

Tillerson said the agreement, if it holds, may be a blueprint for other parts of the country. “This area in the south is our first show of success. We hope we can replicate that elsewhere,” he said. ...

It’s still unclear how the agreement will be enforced.

“We have a very clear picture of who will provide the security forces, but we have a few more details to work out,” he said. Those discussions should be finalized within a week. “The talks are very active and ongoing.”

Syria No-fly Zones to Be Discussed Between U.S. and Russia, Says Tillerson

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday that Washington is open to enforcing no-fly zones in Syria in coordination with Moscow.

Joint efforts may also include on-the-ground truce monitors and delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians.

All of those, likely talking points on Friday at an expected meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 in Germany.

Qatar: Rex Tillerson to fly to Kuwait in effort to defuse crisis

The US secretary of state will fly to the Gulf on Monday amid escalating US efforts to bring to an end a crisis that has seen a Saudi-led quartet of Arab countries embargo Qatar over what they say is its support for terrorism. ... The US state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington was growing “increasingly concerned that the dispute is at an impasse” and could drag on for weeks or months.

In a further sign of growing US intervention the defence secretary, James Mattis, called his opposite number in gas-rich Qatar, Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah, to emphasise the “importance of de-escalating tensions ... so all partners in the Gulf region can focus on next steps in meeting common goals,” according to a Pentagon statement. The US stations some 10,000 troops at a huge airbase in Qatar that is vital for the campaign against Islamic State.

Germany has also offered the help of its intelligence services to clear up allegations of Qatari funding of extremism.

The moves came as the four Arab countries isolating Qatar vowed to take additional steps after Qatar refused to accept a list of 13 demands – which include shutting down the cable news network al-Jazeera, based in Doha.

Chinese aircraft carrier sails into Hong Kong in show of naval power

China’s first aircraft carrier emerged from the mist in the waters south of Hong Kong on Friday morning as a four-warship flotilla gave a potent demonstration of Beijing’s might.

The carrier, christened the Liaoning after the north-eastern Chinese province, sailed past half a dozen hulking container ships as it entered Hong Kong waters at about 7.30am.

The ship’s maiden visit to Hong Kong came less than a week after the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, toured the city, warning the former British colony must not become a launchpad for challenges to Beijing’s authority. ...

Amid calls for greater autonomy and even outright independence from some Hong Kongers, many saw the naval convoy as underlining Xi’s hardline message. “The Liaoning’s visit is an escalation of Beijing’s efforts to squeeze Hong Kong and is meant to show that the military has a role in safeguarding the Chinese government’s interests,” said Willy Lam, a politics professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

NYPD Attempts to Block Surveillance Transparency Law With Misinformation

Earlier this year, New York City Council members Vanessa Gibson and Daniel Garodnick introduced the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology Act, which would require public disclosure and dialogue on the New York Police Department’s purchase and use of surveillance equipment. The bill is in the weaker vein of similar legislation passed or under consideration by lawmakers in 19 cities across the U.S., where elected officials hope to write use policies and approve or deny the purchase of surveillance gear.

Criminal justice reform and civil rights groups have praised the POST Act for the transparency it brings to NYPD spy equipment purchases, but the bill already faces a steep path to passage as law. Mayor Bill de Blasio opposes it, meaning the city council will need to approve the legislation with at least 34 votes to override the mayor’s veto.

The tough odds haven’t stopped the NYPD from throwing itself into a bare-knuckles publicity campaign to push back against the proposed legislation. In a June 16 appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Deputy NYPD Commissioner for Legal Affairs Lawrence Byrne said, “This is not about transparency, this is about keeping New York City safe — this is about not revealing confidential law enforcement investigative techniques.” MSNBC did not invite any proponents of the bill to speak on the program, and the show’s hosts lobbed softball questions at Byrne and Miller when they weren’t busy working themselves into a lather about the perfidy of the Brennan Center, one of the prominent supporters of the POST Act.

During their recent testimonies at city council, Miller and Byrne made a number of statements that mischaracterized or omitted crucial details regarding the department’s record of transparency, its use of specific technologies like cell-site simulators, the surveillance of communities of color, and how such technologies are acquired by police.

To Protect Students from For-Profit School Predators, 19 States Sue Betsy DeVos

Led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a coalition of 19 states on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her department over their efforts to prevent the implementation of new federal rules designed to protect students from the predatory practices of for-profit colleges and their allies in the student loan industry.

The rules in question, known as "borrower defense," would make it easier for student to receive debt forgiveness when defrauded by higher education institutions. After years of consideration by the Obama administration the new rules were set to go into effect on July 1, but were put on hold by DeVos.

"Since day one, Secretary DeVos has sided with for-profit school executives against students and families drowning in unaffordable student loans," Healey said in a statement. "Her decision to cancel vital protections for students and taxpayers is a betrayal of her office’s responsibility and a violation of federal law."

In the wake of the announcement, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) issued her support of the states' legal challenge, tweeting, "Betsy DeVos might not like it, but her job is to serve students [and] if she won't do it, we will force her to do so." The purpose of the effort, explained Warren is to challenge the "illegal attempt" of Devos "to protect fly-by-night schools that cheat students and bury them in mountains of debt."

McConnell hints healthcare vote could fall short

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday hinted that the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could fall short as conservatives and moderates in his conference remain at an impasse over key aspects of the bill. ...

“If my side is unable to agree on an adequate replacement, then some kind of action with regard to the private health insurance market must occur,” McConnell told constituents at a Rotary Club lunch on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. “No action is not an alternative,” he added. “We’ve got the insurance markets imploding all over the country, including in this state.”

McConnell’s comments were quickly embraced by his Democratic counterpart, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. “It’s encouraging that Senator McConnell today acknowledged that the issues with the exchanges are fixable, and opened the door to bipartisan solutions to improve our healthcare system,” Schumer said in a statement.

Doing well by doing good? Pffffttt!!!

Republican Lawmakers Buy Health Insurance Stocks as Repeal Effort Moves Forward

Just as the House Republican bill to slash much of the Affordable Care Act moved forward, Rep. Mike Conaway, a Texas Republican and member of Speaker Paul Ryan’s leadership team, added a health insurance company to his portfolio. An account owned by Conaway’s wife made two purchases of UnitedHealth stock, worth as much as $30,000, on March 24th, the day the legislation advanced in the House Rules Committee, according to disclosures. The exact value of Conaway’s investment isn’t clear, given that congressional ethics forms only show a range of amounts, and Conaway’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

It was a savvy move. Health industry stocks, including insurance giants like UnitedHealth, have surged as Republicans move forward with their repeal effort, which rolls back broad taxes on health care firms while loosening consumer regulations which prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for medical treatment. UnitedHealth has gained nearly 7 percent in value since March 24. ...

The issue of insider political trading, with members and staff buying and selling stock using privileged information, has continued to plague Congress. It gained national prominence during the confirmation hearings for Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, when it was revealed that the Georgia Republican had bought shares in Innate Immunotherapeutics, a relatively obscure Australian biotechnology firm, while legislating on policies that could have impacted the firm’s performance.

The stock advice had been passed to Price from Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a board member for Innate Immunotherapeutics, and was shared with a number of other GOP lawmakers, who also invested in the firm. Conaway, records show, bought shares in the company a week after Price.

Labour takes eight-point lead over Tories in first YouGov poll since election

Jeremy Corbyn’s party now has an eight-point lead over Theresa May’s Conservatives, according to a poll appearing to show Labour enjoying a post-election boost.

The YouGov poll for The Times put the Tories on 38 per cent and Labour on 46. The Liberal Democrats were on six per cent of the vote, while Ukip support dropped to four per cent. 

In the last month pollster ICM put Labour two points ahead of the Tories while another firm, Opinium, found Labour had a six-point lead.

The remarkable turnaround in Labour’s position in the polls comes nearly one month on from the inconclusive general election after which Ms May was forced to seek a contentious supply-and-confidence agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party in a bid to cling to power – at the cost of £1bn.

'Democracy vouchers' aim to amplify low-income voices

If money amplifies the voices of wealthy Americans in politics, Seattle is trying something that aims to give low-income and middle-class voters a signal boost.

The city’s new “Democracy Voucher” program, the first of its kind in the US, provides every eligible Seattle resident with $100 in taxpayer-funded vouchers to donate to the candidates of their choice. The goal is to incentivize candidates to take heed of a broad range of residents – homeless people, minimum-wage workers, seniors on fixed incomes – as well as the big-dollar donors who often dictate the political conversation. ...

The democracy voucher program was created by a voter-approved ballot measure in November 2015 and is funded by a 10-year, $30m property tax levy. Registered voters are automatically sent the vouchers. Those who are not registered and those without a permanent address – such as homeless people – can apply by mail or in person with a city commission. ...

Vouchers alone will not change the political status quo, said Devin Silvernail, executive director of homeless advocacy organization Be:Seattle, which recently launched an effort to help homeless people register to vote when they check into shelters. “There are a lot of folks elected to office who, to be frank, don’t give a shit about people who are having a hard time,” he said. Still, putting vouchers in homeless peoples’ hands “ will be really useful as the start of a way for them to get their perspective known by elected officials”.

Proponents must also combat feelings concerning the futility of voting. “Our little voucher would be so small compared to corporate America’s donations,” said Soukaynah, a woman in her late 50s who was part of a knitting circle on Wednesday at the Mary’s Place day center for homeless women in downtown Seattle.

Did Clinton's Pro-War Record Cost Her the Election?

This is What Plutocracy Looks Like

In significant ways popular condemnation of Donald Trump and the corporate titans and billionaires he brought with him to ‘public’ office is cluttered beyond what makes analytical sense. Mr. Trump is the quintessential plutocrat— a self-interested man of inherited means and limited life experience who stumbled upward through political economy engineered to benefit his class. It is this very public nature of his ‘success’ that attaches class culpability to his actions.

If the problem is plutocracy, this is the one that must be addressed. Otherwise, who are these wise and caring plutocrats who are preferred to Mr. Trump? When Hillary Clinton was giving speeches to Wall Street ($21 million in speaking fees in two years), was she speaking to the intelligent, competent and socially ‘woke’ plutocrats who will someday soon save the environment and end U.S. militarism? When Barack Obama was bailing out Wall Street, was he bailing out the good and just plutocrats who really care about the rest of us?

The conceptual challenge of the moment is reconciling the form and function of late-capitalist political economy with its product(s). Even if Mr. Trump were a ‘rogue’ plutocrat, he brought enough of his class-mates into his administration to provide ballast to the ‘ship of state’ were they collectively interested in doing so. The most public political tension now playing out is between those who prefer the veil of ‘system’ against the venal vulgarity of that system’s product now visible for all to see. What Mr. Trump’s political opponents appear to be demanding is a better veil.

US trying to water down G20 text on lowering emissions, warn charities

Donald Trump is trying to water down the wording of a G20 draft communique about lowering fossil fuel emissions, it has been suggested. The section, seen by the Guardian, took note of the US decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change, but added: “The United States affirms its strong commitment to a global approach that lowers emissions while supporting economic growth and improving energy security needs.”

Charities warned that the US was attempting to take out the word “global” so it was not committed to an agreed international approach. They said officials also wanted to add a clause on fossil fuels. The new sentence would set out plans for the US to “endeavour to work closely with other partners to help their access to and use of fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently” as well as deploy renewable and other clean energy sources.

A spokesman for Oxfam said: “Ending climate change is about ending harmful fossil fuels. The US is attempting to force language into the communique on planet destroying, dirty energy. Clean coal is a myth. The remaining G19 should show some backbone and stand up to him.”

Berta Cáceres's Daughter Speaks Out After Surviving Assassination Attempt in Honduras

Creationist uses Trump order to get permission to take rocks from Grand Canyon

An Australian geologist who is trying to prove the existence of the biblical great flood will be allowed to collect rock samples from the Grand Canyon. Andrew Snelling was awarded a PhD by the University of Sydney in 1982 and is the director of research at Answers in Genesis, a Christian science group that believes in the literal interpretation of the Bible.

On Friday, News Corp reported that Snelling’s Grand Canyon research project had been approved after he agreed to drop a lawsuit against the national park’s administrators. Snelling had sued the US Department of the Interior in May alleging religious discrimination after his proposal to remove 50 to 60 “fist-sized” rock samples had initially been rejected for lacking scientific merit.

His lawyers argued the park violated a recent Donald Trump executive order expanding religious freedom, while Snelling told the Australian that the administrators “turned me down because­ they didn’t like the question I was asking”. However, Dr Gilles Brocard, a postdoctoral research fellow in geology at the University of Sydney, said the scientific evidence was incompatible with Snelling’s hypothesis.

“We know what the impact of extremely large floods on Earth are,” he said. “We know they happen sometimes, we have glaciers that have big ice dams that have a very distinct signature on the landscape. It produces extremely special features that you’re able to identify. “These are just normal rocks, they are mundane. They do not show traces of catastrophe.”

Brocard said nuclear dating had found rocks in the Grand Canyon that were 2bn years old, and that the age of the Earth was between 4.45bn or 4.47bn years old. “All the methods are concurrent, there are no contradictions. The only contradictions have been in the age of the canyon itself. Twenty years ago, people had the view that it formed around 20 million years ago, but more recently they think it may have formed in the past 5 million. “But this is a debate that is completely distinct from [Snelling’s] debate, which is to say it formed in the past 20,000 years.”

Texas companies penalized in less than 3% of illegal air pollution cases – report

Texas companies involved in illegal air pollution releases were penalized by the state in fewer than 3% of all cases, according to a new report.

The figure underscores the need for strong federal oversight in a period when the Trump administration is seeking to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and roll back rules, said Ilan Levin, associate director of the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).

“Lax enforcement at the state level is a real problem at a time when EPA is being gutted,” he said.

The report, Breakdowns in Enforcement, was released on Friday by the EIP and Environment Texas. The advocacy groups’ analysis of state records found that overall Texas imposed penalties for 588 out of 24,839 “malfunction and maintenance events” reported by companies from 2011 to 2016. The incidents caused the emission of over 500m pounds of pollutants and total fines amounted to $13.5m.

In 2016 there were 3,720 unauthorised pollution events but only 20 times did the state regulator, the Texas commission on environmental quality (TCEQ), impose a penalty, the report found.

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

After 1,379 Days, NYT Corrects Bogus Claim Iran ‘Sponsored’ 9/11

Here’s Why Washington Hawks Love This Cultish Iranian Exile Group

Mennonite Church to divest in protest of Israeli policies

New map records sites of Australia's colonial massacres

Paid FBI Informant Leading Counterterror Case Ran Wire Fraud Scams on the Side

The Wolf at Trout Creek

'Welcome to hell': G20 protests in Hamburg – in pictures

A Little Night Music

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The Coasters – The Snake And The Book Worm

The Coasters - Wrap It Up

The Coasters - Smokey Joe's Cafe

The Coasters - The Shadow Knows

The Coasters - Young Blood

The Coasters - Shoppin' For Clothes

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