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MORNING MESSAGE
Richard Eskow
7 Questions About the Syria Airstrikes That Aren’t Being Asked
“Mission accomplished,” says the President. What, exactly, was our mission? And what exactly was accomplished? The media’s job, we are told, is to ask skeptical questions about the people in power. That didn’t happen much in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it’s not happening now. Here are the questions that should be asked – not just on the eve of a bombing attack, but every day we continue our disastrous and drifting military intervention in the Middle East.
Trump Orders ‘Pinprick’ Strike On Syria
The many things Trump didn’t accomplish in the latest Syria strike. WaPo: “After days of speculation, the United States took action Friday night to punish the Syrian regime for a suspected chemical weapons attack a week prior. French, British and American forces launched a salvo of more than 100 missiles against three Syrian regime targets, and U.S. officials claimed the attack significantly degraded the regime’s chemical-weapons program… There’s still uncertainty over what exactly was destroyed during this ‘pinprick’ strike, with some reports indicating that Assad’s ability to use chemical weaponry remains intact. Meanwhile, Assad’s supporters partied in the streets of Damascus on Saturday, waving Syrian flags and holding up pictures of their leader. The attack, my colleague Liz Sly wrote, was ‘interpreted in Syria as a win for Assad because the limited scope of the strikes suggested that Western powers do not intend to challenge his rule.'”
WH Seeks To Block Disclosure Of Cohen Files
Trump wants to review material seized from personal lawyer before federal investigators. WaPo: “President Trump asked a federal judge Sunday night to allow him to review documents that FBI agents seized from the office of his longtime lawyer before criminal investigators have a chance to see the material. The request underscores the high stakes in an ongoing legal fight in federal court in New York, where Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, is also fighting to get a chance to review material seized as part of a criminal investigation of his business dealings. Trump’s request, in the form of a letter from other lawyers representing him, could further complicate a hearing set for Monday afternoon. During that session, lawyers for Cohen are expected to tell the judge overseeing the case how many legal clients he has and how many seized documents he thinks might be covered by attorney-client privilege. Cohen is set to attend the hearing. Also expected to be on hand is adult-film star Stormy Daniels, whom Cohen secretly paid $130,000 in 2016 to keep quiet the details of an alleged sexual liaison she had with Trump.”
CO Teachers Rally For Funding
CO teachers plan their own Capitol rally. CNN: “After seeing teachers in other states agitate for more funding, Colorado educators are taking their turn. At least 500 educators are expected to demonstrate at the state Capitol in Denver on Monday to push for more financial support, the Colorado Education Association says, in what will be just the latest in a wave of teacher protests at US state capitols this year That wave has notably seen teachers in West Virginia get a 5% pay raise last month after a nine-day strike. At least one Denver-area school district is closing Monday because so many of its teachers called in to take a personal day for the rally. ‘Our members are energized and fed up by the constant year-over-year chronic underfunding of our public schools,’ CEA President Kerrie Dallman told CNN. ‘Educators have been energized by what’s happened in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky and Arizona,’ she said, referring to teacher walkouts or demonstrations in those states.”
Nixon Wins NY Working Families Endorsement
Cynthia Nixon wins endorsement of progressive Working Families Party. Common Dreams: “The Working Families Party of New York (WFP) announced on Saturday its endorsement of Cynthia Nixon, at a meeting where the activist and actress called herself a candidate ‘who will stand with the people.’ The endorsement, was hinted at on Friday when two influential labor unions—the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Communications Workers of America—announced they were cutting ties with the state party, signaling their support for incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Since announcing her candidacy in March, Nixon has attacked Cuomo for his close ties to wealthy corporate donors and for allowing the state legislature to be controlled by Republicans and Democrats who caucus with them. ‘It’s hard for some Democrats to do right when they’re getting millions and millions to do wrong,’ she said at a meeting of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) on Friday. ‘The time is up for corporate Democrats.'”
More from OurFuture.org:
North Carolina’s Public Reckoning of CIA Torture. Alexandra Moore: “What can a small group of committed citizens who oppose these practices do to push back? A commission against torture in North Carolina may serve as a model for how citizen-led initiatives can create transparency and accountability for abuses of power in government… The revelation about the CIA program angered a number of North Carolinians. They condemned the use of tax dollars to fund an aviation facility that was involved in what they believed was illegal and immoral activity. They wanted to end the state’s participation in torture and hold accountable those who were responsible.” |
