{"id":23707,"date":"2019-07-21T00:22:27","date_gmt":"2019-07-21T08:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=23707"},"modified":"2019-07-21T00:22:27","modified_gmt":"2019-07-21T08:22:27","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-dont-obey-dont-believe-fight-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-dont-obey-dont-believe-fight-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Don’t Obey. Don’t Believe. Fight Back!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We Say Fight Back!<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Montgomery County Children Services workers on strike<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

DAYTON<\/span> <\/span> \u2014 Montgomery County Children Services workers\u2019 strike began at 12:01 a.m. today.<\/p>\n

Those on the picket line belong to the Professionals Guild of Ohio, which represents 272 Children Services employees who on July 8 filed a 10-day notice of an intent to strike.<\/p>\n

The county and guild could not reach an agreement during a Thursday mediation session, said Jane Hay, president of the local PGO union council.<\/p>\n

\u201cWages, it\u2019s simply wages,\u201d Hay said about why some case workers will picket.\u00a0\u201cWe just want a fair wage.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2018Beat the machine\u2019: Amazon warehouse workers strike to protest inhumane conditions<\/h1>\n

Ahead<\/span><\/span> of the strike, an effort had been made to decorate the fulfillment center in Shakopee for Prime Day. There were silvered balloons spelling out MSP1, the name of the warehouse, visible through the glass visitor\u2019s window in the lobby, and walls of smiling Amazon boxes festooned with Prime Day banners. Also in the window: a large, smiling man in a blazer, some sort of security person, but it was hard to say because his ID tag was tucked out of sight in his armpit. Above the turnstiles was written: Work Hard. Have fun. Make History. That sign was permanent.<\/p>\n

The week before, the Shakopee workers had announced their intention to strike on the first day of Prime Day, which this year lasts two days<\/a>. It would be the first work stoppage at a US facility during a peak shopping time, the most ambitious in an escalating series of actions at the Shakopee fulfillment center.<\/p>\n

Shortly before 2PM, when the day-shift workers planned to walk out, Hibaq Mohamed and several other workers came into the lobby. Twenty-six years old, Mohamed is originally from Somalia but emigrated to Kenya, then won a visa lottery to come to the US three years ago. Her first job in the country was at Amazon. At first she liked it, but the pace of work had increased to grueling levels, and more and more workers were getting fired for not keeping up.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 www.theverge.com\/2019\/7\/16\/20696154\/amazon-prime-day-2019-strike-warehouse-workers-inhumane-conditions-the-rate-productivity<\/a><\/p>\n

These Dramatic Pictures Show The Huge Protests Against The Puerto Rico Governor<\/h1>\n

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Puerto Rico in protest against Gov. Ricardo Rossell\u00f3 following the leak of his misogynistic and anti-gay text messages.<\/em><\/p>\n

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www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/gabrielsanchez\/puerto-rico-governor-protests-photos<\/a><\/p>\n

The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Report Sheds Light on Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie’s Salary, Expenses & Perks<\/h1>\n

A new report is shedding light on Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie’s expenses and is questioning whether taxpayers are wasting money on “unecessary travel, lobbying activities, perks” and his “super-sized” salary.<\/p>\n

Adam Andrzejewski, CEO of OpenTheBooks.com<\/a>, outlined the numbers in a Forbes.com<\/a> article<\/b><\/a> published Wednesday calling Runcie “Florida’s $6 Million Man.” OpenTheBooks.Com<\/a> is a nonprofit that discloses public employee salary records from every level of government in the U.S.<\/p>\n

The report mentions Runcie’s trip to Washington, D.C. to attend March for Our Lives 37 days after the Parkland mass shooting, a trip to Indiana to tour what’s considered the “safest school in America,” and other taxpayer-paid travels in 2018.<\/p>\n

All in all, Runcie spent 79 work days traveling, research from OpenTheBooks.com<\/a> shows.<\/p>\n

“I think it begs the question whether or not you’re in tune with the needs of your district,” Andrzejewski told NBC 6 through a video call.<\/p>\n

It’s not just the travel, it’s Runcie’s salary, too. Andrzejewski estimates taxpayers will pay Runcie $6.1 million dollars for his services through the lifetime of his contract. The district defended its compensation, saying the superintendent earns less than his counterparts in neighboring Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.\u00a0 www.nbcmiami.com\/news\/local\/Broward-Superintendent-Robert-Runcie-Salary-Travel-Expenses-Forbes-Report-512870461.html?fbclid=IwAR23zX53TPq4rTt-j3eGIKxdIMH1sWE-CsrEMFni2-pOsfdFwb27VuEALH4<\/a><\/p>\n

Ex-Sweetwater schools employee gets house arrest, probation for embezzlement<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a>A former employee of the Sweetwater Union High School District who siphoned more than $50,000 from the district was sentenced Wednesday to a year of house arrest, three years\u2019 probation, and was ordered to repay the district.<\/h1>\n
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Danya Margarita Williams of Chula Vista, 42, pleaded guilty in May to an embezzlement charge for taking money paid by prospective employees through job application fees.<\/p>\n

In addition to house arrest and probation, Williams was ordered to pay back $56,988.
\nAnother embezzlement count and a grand theft count were dismissed as part of the plea deal.<\/p>\n

As part of her job, Williams was responsible for processing money orders received for fingerprint background investigations at the district, which are required during employment screenings, according to Chula Vista Police Capt. Phil Collum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Accusations in viral San Ysidro High valedictorian speech unfounded, district says<\/h1>\n
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San Ysidro High School.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The San Ysidro High School valedictorian whose graduation speech went viral \u2014 calling out a supposedly intoxicated teacher and absentee guidance counselor \u2014 was celebrated by some for offering a frank moment of truth instead of a litany of platitudes.<\/p>\n

But how true was it?<\/p>\n

A U-T Watchdog request under the California Public Records Act has found there may be very good explanations for faculty issues, an outcome that may provide one last lesson for the graduation class.<\/p>\n

In a statement released Tuesday in response to the records request, Sweetwater Union High School District officials said the valedictorian\u2019s allegations were based on rumors \u2014 not fact.\u00a0\u00a0 www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/watchdog\/story\/2019-07-18\/accusations-in-viral-san-ysidro-high-valedictorian-speech-unfounded<\/a><\/p>\n

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University of California\u2019s showdown with the biggest academic publisher aims to change scholarly publishing for\u00a0good<\/strong><\/h1>\n

This month, academic publisher Elsevier shuttered<\/a> the University of California\u2019s online access to current journal articles. It\u2019s the latest move in the high stakes standoff<\/a> between Elsevier, the world\u2019s largest publisher of scholarly research<\/a>, and the University of California, whose scholars produce about 10%<\/a> of the nation\u2019s research publications.<\/p>\n

Last February, Elsevier chose to continue providing access to journals via its ScienceDirect<\/a> online platform after UC\u2019s subscription expired<\/a> and negotiations broke down. With its instant access now cut off, the UC research community will learn firsthand what it\u2019s like to rely on the open web and other means of accessing critical research.<\/p>\n

The UC-Elsevier showdown made headlines because it\u2019s symptomatic of the way the internet has failed to deliver on the promise to make knowledge easily accessible and shareable by anyone, anywhere in the world. It\u2019s the latest in a succession of cracks in what is widely considered to be a failing system<\/a> for sharing academic research. As the head of the research library at UC Davis<\/a>, I see this development as a harbinger of a tectonic shift<\/a> in how universities and their faculty share research, build reputations and preserve knowledge in the digital age.\u00a0 theconversation.com\/university-of-californias-showdown-with-the-biggest-academic-publisher-aims-to-change-scholarly-publishing-for-good-120323?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+July+17+2019+-+1361812789+test+section+headers&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+July+17+2019+-+1361812789+test+section+headers+CID_8369d26e85341f69cbc9ca67c205bb51&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=University+of+Californias+showdown+with+the+biggest+academic+publisher+aims+to+change+scholarly+publishing+for+good&fbclid=IwAR14ZljrSTH5QszGCp6FEiahIRjvP4I1kKWEHWsxp5FfM99g3DydUzu5-dc<\/a><\/p>\n

Fresno trustee under fire for talk with cheerleaders says superintendent knew about meeting<\/h3>\n
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Before Fresno Unified Trustee Terry Slatic allegedly scolded Bullard High cheerleaders<\/a> during their practice last week, he discussed his plans with Superintendent Bob Nelson, according to the district.<\/p>\n

Nelson is on vacation this week and could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n

But district spokesperson Amy Idsvoog said that Nelson knew of Slatic\u2019s intention to speak with the cheer team, but \u201cwas not aware of content or delivery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Slatic is now facing a recall effort after parents and students say he arrived uninvited to cheer practice on July 11 and threatened to have students kicked off the cheer team or barred from attending cheer camp if they brought up the blackface incident.<\/p>\n

And the school board has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday evening to discuss the issue.\u00a0 www.fresnobee.com\/news\/local\/education\/article232744407.html#storylink=cpy<\/a><\/p>\n

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How many students cheated to get into USC? A look inside the admissions investigation<\/h1>\n

Shortly after federal authorities took down a national college admissions scam<\/a> in March, officials at USC launched their own investigation with emails to dozens of students.<\/p>\n

They did not mince words: The school wanted to know whether the 33 students had lied on their applications to USC. Some of the students understood what was happening because their parents had been charged in the federal case. Others were in the dark.<\/p>\n

The reason for the emails would soon become clear to them all. They had been linked to William \u201cRick\u201d Singer, the confessed leader of the admissions con, and they now faced expulsion, depending on what university investigators discovered.<\/p>\n

USC officials told students that decisions would come within weeks, according to lawyers representing several of the students. But the probe has turned into a protracted, fraught push by USC to clear its ranks of any students who were complicit in the trickery Singer carried out to sneak them into the highly selective school. So far USC has ruled on only a few students \u2014 clearing each of them of wrongdoing \u2014 while the rest wait in limbo to learn whether they will be kicked out.\u00a0\u00a0 www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-college-admissions-usc-20190716-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n

The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Trump says U.S. warship destroyed Iranian drone<\/h1>\n
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A U.S. warship on Thursday destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship, President Trump said.<\/p>\n

The incident marked a new escalation of tensions<\/a> between the countries less than one month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close<\/a> to retaliating with a military strike.<\/p>\n

In remarks at the White House, Trump blamed Iran for a \u201cprovocative and hostile\u201d action and said the U.S. responded in self-defense. Iran\u2019s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters as he arrived for a meeting at the United Nations that \u201cwe have no information about losing a drone today.\u201d\u00a0 www.latimes.com\/world-nation\/story\/2019-07-18\/trump-iran-drone-destroyed<\/a><\/p>\n

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Why the Strait of Hormuz Is Still the World\u2019s Most Important Chokepoint<\/h1>\n

The Strait of Hormuz links the majority of the world\u2019s people\u00a0who live along the shores of Asia and East Africa\u00a0to the heart of the Middle East. Long before the discovery of oil, it was the world\u2019s carotid artery. Cut off the blood supply almost anywhere else and the world would adapt. Here, however, an interruption could be fatal: 90 percent of oil exported from the Gulf, about 20 percent of the world\u2019s supply, passes through Hormuz. Shipping through the strait, which is a mere 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point, is concentrated and hazardous. In Musandam, the Omani exclave on the strait\u2019s southern side, you can hear Persian radio from Iran as often as Arabic. Along the rocky shorelines, islets and peninsulas thrust precipitously into the sky. Heat, humidity, and a scorching wind make the climate inhospitable; many mountain ranges and valleys near Hormuz remain sparsely inhabited.<\/p>\n

Although Persia tried to claim it, no one group has ever actually controlled the entire Strait of Hormuz. On Musandam, Shihuh mountain groups and Dhahoori fishermen have historically maintained some autonomy from Muscat. On the northern, Persian side, Iran is as vulnerable to disruption as are many of the ships that pass through the strait. Iran based its oil terminal on Larak Island, in the strait, after Iraq attacked its previous installation on Kharg Island further inside the Gulf. Larak, Hormuz, Qeshm Island, and the Persian Gulf coast of Iran are inhabited by a mixture of Persians and Sunni Arabic speakers who migrated there from the Arabian Peninsula before the rise of international maritime boundaries and who differ from the majority population in Iran.\u00a0\u00a0 www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/2019-07-17\/why-strait-hormuz-still-worlds-most-important-chokepoint?utm_medium=newsletters&utm_source=twofa&utm_content=20190719&utm_campaign=TWOFA%20071919%20Tensions%20With%20Iran%20Threaten%20the%20World%27s%20Most%20Important%20Shipping%20Route&utm_term=FA%20This%20Week%20-%20112017<\/a><\/p>\n

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Iran says U.S. may have shot down its own drone by mistake<\/h1>\n

Iran denied\u00a0Friday\u00a0it\u00a0lost a drone in the Strait of Hormuz after the United States said it had “destroyed”\u00a0an Iranian drone that was threatening a U.S. ship.<\/p>\n

“We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) by mistake!,”\u00a0Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Twitter.<\/p>\n

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted military spokesman Gen. Abolfazl Shekari as saying that “all Iranian drones that are in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, including the one which the U.S. president mentioned, after carrying out scheduled identification and control missions, have returned to their bases.”<\/p>\n

The Strait of Hormuz<\/a> is\u00a0a strategic waterway for the seaborne transportation of about a\u00a0fifth of the world’s global crude oil exports.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/world\/2019\/07\/19\/iran-disputes-trump-claim-u-s-navy-destroyed-its-drone\/1775051001\/?fbclid=IwAR0SdcQZ1OIBdjHfgfaTV80BKyV5qtq3H2LiJLqCy4isph-4pkBSx2uNyjY<\/a><\/p>\n

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Iran Seizes British Tanker in the Persian Gulf<\/span><\/h1>\n

Iran seized a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf on Friday, the latest confrontation in three months of escalating tensions between Iran and the West.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said that the Iranian authorities had also seized another tanker, adding that he was \u201cextremely concerned\u201d and that British officials were working \u201cto swiftly secure the release of the two vessels.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Iran quickly disputed that account, saying that the second tanker \u201cwas not seized,\u201d according to Fars, the nation\u2019s semiofficial news agency.<\/p>\n

Instead, it said, the second ship \u201cwas given a warning by Iran\u2019s armed forces about observing environment regulations and safety precautions and it went on its way.\u201d\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/19\/world\/middleeast\/iran-british-tanker-drone.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Why does America propose military escort coalition in the Persian Gulf ?<\/h1>\n

By Liang Fang<\/p>\n

The US-Iran tension continues and their fight over the control of the Strait of Hormuz keeps escalating. General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his possible successor General Mark Milley both indicated recently that the US was working to put together a coalition with its allies to ensure “freedom of navigation” at the Strait of Hormuz and the Babel-Mandeb Strait in the Middle East. Iran, at the same time, is planning to charge tolls in the Strait of Hormuz in return for its efforts to maintain security in the region.<\/p>\n

Under the threats of America’s “military escorts” vs Iran’s “forced tolls”, the Strait of Hormuz has once again become a powder keg that worries the world 30 years later.<\/p>\n

The US has three purposes by proposing the military escort coalition: <\/strong><\/p>\n

The first purpose is imposing a new round of extreme pressure on Iran.<\/strong> Holding up high the “America first” flag, the US has constantly slapped sanctions on other nations and put extreme pressure on a rival state like Iran. It began to completely block Iran’s oil export on May 2, which nonetheless didn’t fully break off even though it caused serious impacts on the Iranian economy. In response, Iran not only raised its uranium enrichment, but also tried to work with the EU to save the Iran nuclear deal, which made America’s sanctions much less effective. Under such circumstances, the US will definitely step up the pressure on Iran. The US and UK took advantages of the intricate oil tanker attacks and sent more troops to the Gulf, attempting to force Iran to knuckle under grave military pressure….<\/p>\n

The third purpose is pushing an “Arab NATO in the Gulf” conception.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 eng.chinamil.com.cn\/view\/2019-07\/16\/content_9559543.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

The second purpose is turning the “sanction” issue into an issue of “freedom of navigat<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2018What Kind of Peace Talks Are These?\u2019: On the Front Lines of a 17-Year War<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

As talks with the Taliban proceed, soldiers and police officers reflect on the pain of making peace with a deadly nemesis.<\/em><\/p>\n

The war in Afghanistan has raged for nearly 18 years, cost billions of dollars, shattered countless families and consumed the administrations of three American presidents. But it has taken a particularly heavy toll on Afghan troops and police officers, 45,000 of whom have been killed in the past five years of fighting alone.<\/p>\n

The fate of more than 35 million Afghans, including the 300,000 members of the Afghan security forces, could soon be decided over a negotiating table hundreds of miles away<\/a> in Doha, Qatar, where the Taliban and the United States are trying to reach an agreement to have Western troops withdraw from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Members of the security forces have put their lives on the line for a government that many now think will concede too much to their enemies. Some observers believe the military has been so ineffective \u2014 plagued by corruption, prone to infiltration, and lacking in leadership \u2014 that the government has no choice but to cut a deal.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We talked to soldiers and police officers in seven provinces who spoke frankly about their leaders, the Taliban, the prospects for peace and the loss of comrades and loved ones\u00a0 NYTimes 7\/18\/19<\/p>\n

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Fighting Next to U.S. Commandos, but Without the Same Training and Gear<\/span><\/h1>\n

The Army has failed to adequately train and equip the military bomb technicians and infantry troops who are increasingly accompanying American commandos on high-risk missions in war zones, according to interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times.<\/p>\n

As the Pentagon draws down the number of troops in combat, including in Afghanistan and Syria, it is largely relying on Special Operations forces to keep up the fight. Those American commandos depend on support from remaining conventional troops for extra firepower, security and logistics.<\/p>\n

But the documents and interviews with seven military officials show that the backup forces \u2014 including explosive ordnance disposal, or E.O.D., soldiers \u2014 often do not have the necessary gear for protection nor the same level of training as the commandos they join on Special Operations raids and patrols.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a difference between conventional and S.O.F. support equipment requirements for E.O.D. personnel,\u201d concluded one of the documents from October 2017, which reviewed the performance of an Army bomb disposal unit after it returned from Afghanistan.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/17\/world\/middleeast\/us-troops-commandos-training.html?te=1&nl=at-war&emc=edit_war_20190719?campaign_id=88&instance_id=10998&segment_id=15363&user_id=75336de5acb455a7a2aadc151b13d255&regi_id=85462422<\/a><\/p>\n

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Defense spending is America\u2019s cancerous bipartisan consensus<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

You often hear that in these polarized times, Republicans and Democrats are deadlocked on almost everything. But the real scandal is what both sides agree on. The best example of this might be the defense budget. Last week, the Democratic House, which Republicans say is filled with radicals,\u00a0voted to appropriate<\/a>\u00a0$733 billion for 2020 defense spending. The Republicans are outraged because they \u2014 along with President Trump \u2014 want that number to be $750 billion. In other words, on the largest item of discretionary spending in the federal budget, accounting for more than half of the total, Democrats and Republicans are divided by 2.3 percent. That is the cancerous consensus in Washington today.<\/p>\n

The United States\u2019 defense budget is out of control, lacking strategic coherence, utterly mismanaged, ruinously wasteful and yet eternally expanding. Last year, after a quarter-century of resisting, the Pentagon finally subjected itself to\u00a0an audit\u00a0<\/a>\u2014 which, in true Pentagon style, cost more than $400 million. Most of its agencies \u2014 Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps \u2014 failed. \u201cWe never expected to pass,\u201d admitted then- Deputy Defense Secretary\u00a0Patrick Shanahan<\/a>…<\/p>\n

Outside war zones, there are the usual examples of $14,000\u00a0toilet-seat lids<\/a>, $1,280 cups (yes, cups<\/a>) and $4.6\u2009million for\u00a0crab and lobster meals<\/a>. Remember when then- Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted that the Pentagon had about as many\u00a0people in military bands<\/a>as the State Department had active Foreign Service officers? Well, it\u2019s still true today….www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/defense-spending-is-americas-cancerous-bipartisan-consensus\/2019\/07\/18\/783a9e1a-a978-11e9-9214-246e594de5d5_story.html?fbclid=IwAR0jWE70aa8PDjMIodkgyNG0HAr5uv89DwRLL-I1qKKR8v2_JAXvcA1uOtA&utm_term=.a5cd8264bcbf<\/a><\/p>\n

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American Commandos Gear Up for New Shadow War With Russia<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Secretive, behind-the-lines mission rehearsals and other operations by 1,400 American and allied commandos to combat shifting Russian threats have laid bare a fundamental tension in the Trump administration: While the president courts Moscow, much of his government considers it an increasingly dangerous foe.<\/p>\n

Just days before President Trump made light of Russia\u2019s interference in American elections during a meeting last month with President Vladimir V. Putin, teams of Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs were practicing support missions for local resistance forces in Eastern Europe and the Baltics should they have to confront Russian commandos without insignia, the so-called little green men who helped Moscow seize Crimea<\/a> in 2014.<\/p>\n

Under a revamped Pentagon strategy to counter growing threats from Russia and China, American commandos are teaming up with partners on Europe\u2019s eastern flank to thwart Russia\u2019s so-called hybrid warfare, which allied officials say increasingly involves manipulating events using a mix of subterfuge, cyberattacks and information warfare. The threats hark back to Cold War-era intrigue, but so far are being fought with bytes and bandwidth, not bombs and bullets.\u00a0\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/12\/us\/politics\/us-russia-hungary.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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AQAP responds to Al Jazeera documentary<\/a><\/h1>\n
By Caleb Weiss<\/a> | July 16th, 2019 | weiss.caleb2@gmail.com<\/a> | @Weissenberg7<\/a><\/div>\n
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In a short statement released earlier today via Telegram, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) responded to a recent documentary produced by Qatar\u2019s Al Jazeera news channel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Qatari Al Jazeera channel released a film\u2026in which tries to prove relations between al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Bahraini government and that the Bahraini government uses AQAP to liquidate their accounts in regards to politics,\u201d AQAP\u2019s statement reads<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AQAP goes on to note that Al Jazeera has reported similar findings in regards to the jihadist group and the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

The documentary in question, \u201cPlaying with Fire<\/a>,\u201d attests that Bahraini intelligence services, at the direction of Hamid bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, works with AQAP to target Bahraini opposition figures and dissidents.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera interviewed several purported former Bahraini and American intelligence personnel that attest to this secret agreement.<\/p>\n

The al Qaeda branch denies the accusations in its statement<\/a>, saying that they were made \u201cin conjunction with their master, America.\u201d It further alleges that the Gulf states are \u201ckeen to persuade their master Trump of who is the most loyal of his devoted workers in the war against the mujahideen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ending its communique, AQAP then urges Al Jazeera to remain neutral and allow it to respond to the accusations on its site. Bahrain, much like the Emirates, has denied any such agreement with AQAP. However, the Associated Press reported late last year that the UAE<\/a> cut many backdoor deals with AQAP in Yemen.\u00a0\u00a0 www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2019\/07\/aqap-responds-to-al-jazeera-documentary.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28FDD%27s+Long+War+Journal+Update%29<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Yemenis die as UAE and Saudi withhold aid funds: UN<\/h1>\n

Abu Dhabi and Riyadh pledged $500m each but have so far failed to pay up as humanitarian disaster worsens.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Yemenis are dying from cholera, hunger and other ills because Saudi Arabia<\/a> and the United Arab Emirates (UAE<\/a>) are not making good on funding pledges they made earlier this year, a top United Nations<\/a> official warned on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Mark Lowcock, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator and under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the UN Security Council while most of the 40 countries that made pledges in February had stumped up aid cash, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh were holding out.<\/p>\n

“Those who made the largest pledges – Yemen’s neighbours in the coalition – have so far paid only a modest proportion of what they promised,” said Lowcock, referring to the coalition of the UAE, Saudi and others fighting in Yemen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Governments promised a combined $2.6bn in February, including $500m each from mega-donors Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. Without that cash from the Gulf powers, the “response plan is currently just 34 percent funded”, said Lowcock.<\/p>\n

Cash shortfalls have left UN-backed aid teams unable to carry out vital work in Yemen, where fighting has forced millions from their homes and left 24.1 million – more than two-thirds of the population – in need of aid, said Lowcock.\u00a0 www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2019\/07\/yemenis-die-uae-saudi-withhold-aid-funds-190718164718969.html<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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\"Last<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

LAST WITNESSES<\/strong>
\nAn Oral History of the Children of World War II<\/strong><\/p>\n

My grandmother, a former artillery commander in the Red Army and one of the liberators of Auschwitz, talked little about her military service in World War II. When my grandfather\u2019s sister warned him that his bride-to-be was \u201ca common war rag\u201d he slapped her, earning my grandmother\u2019s loyalty for a lifetime. Year after year, when my grandfather donned his medals and marched in the Victory Day parade, my grandmother, like many female veterans, chose to stay at home. Not until I came across \u201cThe Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II,\u201d by the Belorussian writer Svetlana Alexievich, did I begin to make sense of my grandmother\u2019s complicated pride. \u201cThe men were the victors, the heroes; the grooms had made the war,\u201d one of the book\u2019s narrators recounts. \u201cBut they looked at us with other eyes. We know what you did there!\u201d Before she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015, Alexievich produced four more books of collective oral history, including \u201cZinky Boys,\u201d \u201cVoices From Chernobyl\u201d and \u201cSecondhand Time,\u201d each in its own way breaking long silences around Soviet-era taboos.\u00a0\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/13\/books\/review\/last-witnesses-svetlana-alexievich.html?te=1&nl=at-war&emc=edit_war_20190719?campaign_id=88&instance_id=10998&segment_id=15363&user_id=75336de5acb455a7a2aadc151b13d255&regi_id=85462422<\/a><\/p>\n

The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Big U.S. Banks Are Earning Billions. Trump\u2019s Tax <\/span>Cuts Are Helping.<\/span><\/h1>\n
\n

The five largest banks in the United States reaped tens of billions of dollars in profits in the first half of the year, thanks in part to a strong economy and to the lingering effects of President Trump\u2019s tax cuts.<\/p>\n

Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have all seen their tax rates decline to 22 percent or less as a result of the cuts, compared with rates of around 30 percent three years ago, one of the most consistent sources of strength apparent in quarterly earnings reports issued this week.<\/p>\n

JPMorgan\u2019s tax rate fell to just under 15 percent in this year\u2019s second quarter, although the bank said it would probably inch higher later in the year. Wells Fargo\u2019s tax rate for the quarter was just over 17 percent, and Bank of America\u2019s was 18 percent.<\/p>\n

The reduced rates helped offset a general decline in Wall Street trading revenue and added some pep to what would have otherwise been unremarkable quarterly performances by most of the banks.<\/p>\n

Bank of America had the strongest results across the board among the five. It earned $7.3 billion from April through June, 8 percent more than it did during the same period last year. It also reported growth in deposits and loans to consumers.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/17\/business\/bank-earnings-profits-taxes.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Trump to Nominate Eugene Scalia for Labor Secretary Job<\/span><\/h1>\n
\n

President Trump said<\/a> Thursday that he would name Eugene Scalia as his next secretary of labor, tapping the longtime labor lawyer and son of the former Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia for a position with vast responsibility over the American work force.<\/p>\n

The appointment is likely to be contested by Democrats and labor unions because Mr. Scalia has a long record of representing Walmart and other companies that pushed back against unions and tougher labor laws. He was a top lawyer for the Labor Department in the George W. Bush administration and is currently a partner in the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, a prominent corporate law firm.<\/p>\n

In a post on Twitter, Mr. Trump said Mr. Scalia \u201chas led a life of great success in the legal and labor field and is highly respected.\u201d\u00a0 …<\/p>\n

Mr. Scalia, like his father, who died in 2016, is a member of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization that has attained enormous influence within the Trump administration. The group has suggested numerous Trump judicial appointees and played a key role in their confirmations, including those of Mr. Trump\u2019s two Supreme Court nominees, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. Many Democrats view the Federalist Society as a \u201ccorporate, right-wing\u201d organization bent on undermining the federal bureaucracy, as Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island put it<\/a> in May\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/18\/us\/politics\/eugene-scalia-labor-secretary.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage<\/a><\/p>\n

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