Guaidó Returns to Venezuela as US Issues Warning to Maduro

THE GUARDIAN: Washington says Maduro faces ‘strong and significant response’ if Guaidó is detained or threatened after tour of South America

Washington has warned Nicolás Maduro he faces a “strong and significant response” if his rival, Juan Guaidó, is detained or threatened as he tries to reenter Venezuela on Monday before a day of fresh protests.

Guaidó sneaked out of Venezuela on the eve of a failed bid to force humanitarian aid into the economically ravaged country on 23 February and subsequently set off on a five-nation tour of South America.

The 35-year-old visited Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay despite a travel ban introduced after his decision to challenge Maduro by declaring himself Venezuela’s rightful interim president.

Most western governments now recognise Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate interim president but, beyond widespread popular support, he enjoys little concrete power in Venezuela. » | Tom Phillips, Latin America correspondent | Monday, March 4, 2019

Killing Jamal Khashoggi: How a Brutal Saudi Hit Job Unfolded | NYT - Visual Investigations

An autopsy expert. A lookalike. A black van. Our video investigation follows the movements of the 15-man Saudi hit team that killed and dismembered the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump and Netanyahu Scandals a Very Dangerous Moment - Wilkerson & Jay

Desperate men do desperate things; two leaders facing corruption charges may more aggressively push their Iran regime change agenda - Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay

Calls to Raise Smoking Age to 21 "Infantalise Young Adults"

FOREST: Forest has criticised calls to raise the legal age for buying tobacco from 18 to 21.

The proposal is included in a report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health which is run by the anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

Other proposals include further restrictions on the portrayal of smoking on television and in films, and introducing a levy on tobacco companies that would be used to fund further anti-smoking initiatives.

Simon Clark, director of Forest, said:

“These proposals infantilise young adults. If you’re 18 and old enough to vote, drive a car and join the army you’re old enough to make an informed decision to smoke. » | Sunday, March 3, 2019

US Ambassador to UK Under Fire over Defence of Chlorinated Chicken

THE OBSERVER: Critics say process Woody Johnson called ‘no-brainer’ is ‘harmful’ to nation’s health

The US ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson, has come under fire from a leading food critic, a farming union and trade justice campaigners over his push to open up the UK to American farmers post-Brexit.

Jay Rayner, the BBC presenter, Observer columnist and MasterChef critic, said the UK should tell Johnson where he can stick chlorinated chicken, the US’s preferred approach for protecting consumers from pathogens such as salmonella and campylobacter.

Writing in the Telegraph on Friday [£], Johnson attacked warnings that a post-Brexit trade deal would result in chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-pumped beef arriving on supermarket shelves. “You have been presented with a false choice,” he wrote. “Either stick to EU directives, or find yourselves flooded with American food of the lowest quality. Inflammatory and misleading terms like ‘chlorinated chicken’ and ‘hormone beef’ are deployed to cast American farming in the worst possible light. » | Jamie Doward | Saturday, March 2, 2019

Did President Donald Trump Just Have His Worst Week Yet As President? | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

From a failed North Korea nuclear summit, Democrats after his tax returns, new questions over Kushner's security clearance, and Michael Cohen's damning testimony, Trump had a very bad week. Michael Steele, Annie Karni, Matthew Miller, and Nelson Cunningham react.

Cooper Slams Trump: His Idea of Leadership Is Not Normal

Ivanka's Husband Deemed A Security Threat

Lawrence's Last Word: President Donald Trump's Golf Socialism | The Last Word | MSNBC

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez exposed Donald Trump's favorite socialism.

Hamza bin Laden Loses Saudi Citizenship after US Offers $1m Reward

THE GUARDIAN: Kingdom acts against Osama bin Laden’s son, who US says has become an al-Qaida leader

Saudi Arabia has revoked the citizenship of Hamza bin Laden, after the US offered a $1m (£755,000) reward for the [the] son of the late al-Qaida leader.

The kingdom announced the news on Friday in an order in its official gazette.

Hamza bin Laden’s father, Osama, masterminded the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and was killed in a US military raid in Pakistan 10 years later.

The US State Department said the $1m reward would be paid for help locating Hamza bin Laden in any country as part its “rewards for justice” programme. » | Associated Press | Friday, March 1, 2019

Otto Warmbier Parents Blame Kim for Son's Death and Reject Trump's 'Excuses'

THE GUARDIAN: Parents of American who died after Pyongyang detention say ‘Kim and his evil regime are responsible – no excuses can change that’

The parents of Otto Warmbier, a young American who was detained by North Korea for more than a year and died soon after his release in 2017, have rebuked Donald Trump’s defense of Kim Jong-un for the death of their son.

“We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier wrote in a statement Friday, the morning after Trump returned from his summit with the North Korean leader in Vietnam, where the pair failed to reach a deal over US sanctions and nuclear weapons.

“Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that.”

Trump received a fierce backlash, including from fellow Republicans, after he refused to blame Kim for Warmbier’s death, in response to a question during the president’s visit to Hanoi earlier this week, about how it affected his relationship with Kim. » | Lauren Aratani in New York | Friday, March 1, 2019

Otto Warmbier's Family Rebukes Trump for Siding with North Korea

The family of Otto Warmbier rebuked President Donald Trump for siding with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who denied knowledge of their son's maltreatment during his imprisonment.

Can Netanyahu Avoid Indictment? l Inside Story

He's the first sitting Israeli Prime Minister to be put on official notice of planned prosecution on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. But Benjamin Netanyahu says he's innocent and will stay in his post. Israel's attorney general says he plans to indict Netanyahu on corruption charges.

If convicted he could face up to 10 years in prison. Netanyahu dismisses the allegations as a political “witch-hunt” designed to oust him from power. A hearing to decide if the prosecution goes ahead won't take place until after Israel's general election in April. So what’s likely to happen if, by then, Netanyahu has won a fifth term as prime minister? And what does it mean for his political career?

Presenter: Laura Kyle | Guests Akiva Eldar, Israeli Columnist for Al-Monitor; Yossi Mekelberg, Professor in International Relations at Regent's University in London; Mitchell Barak, speechwriter for former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and former Israeli President Shimon Peres.

President Donald Trump, Ivanka Deny Special Treatment For Jared Kushner | Morning Joe | MSNBC

The president overruled concerns of security officials and his own White House counsel and ordered that a top-secret security clearance be given to Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Joe: President Donald Trump Appeases Yet Another Dictator | Morning Joe | MSNBC

As the president and North Korea are at odds over the reason for a breakdown in talks, Trump is receiving criticism from both sides of the aisle for saying he believed Kim Jong Un regarding the death of Otto Warmbier.

Fractured France: “There Will Be a Civil War” - BBC News

Yellow vest protestors have caused havoc on the streets on France for the past 15 weeks, driven by anger over fuel taxes, the cost of living, and a political system they detest. Now, President Macron has promised to listen to people’s frustrations and make changes.

But does he have what it takes to see off the protesters, or is France heading for a civil war? The Nine’s Europe Correspondent Jean Mackenzie has taken a road trip across the country to find out.

Reported by Jean Mackenzie; Produced by Sara Monetta

Concern over Food Safety as US Seeks Greater Access to UK Markets

THE GUARDIAN: US sets out aims for post-Brexit trade deal amid fears about chicken and beef standards

The US has outlined its objectives for a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK, demanding greater access to the food markets where products such as chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef are currently banned under EU rules.

The US laid out its aims for a trade deal to cut tariff and non-tariff barriers for US industrial and agricultural goods and reduce regulatory differences.

The Trump administration is seeking to eliminate or reduce barriers for US agricultural products and secure duty-free access for industrial goods. » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Friday, March 1, 2019

Why Did the Trump-Kim Summit Break Down? | Inside Story

'Sometimes you have to walk.' This was how US president Donald Trump described the sudden end to his summit with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un.

The pair arrived in Vietnam with hopes of building on last year's historic summit in Singapore. However, less than two days later, they signed no agreement, and it's unclear when they'll talk again.

North Korea's neighbours South Korea and China both said they were disappointed with the outcome. So what went wrong? And where does it leave the nuclear threat from North Korea?

Presenter: Hoda Abdel-Hamid | Guests: Se-Woong Koo - Publisher, Korea Expose; Robert Gutsche - Associate Professor at Lancaster University; Emil Dall - Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and Specialist on Nuclear Proliferation

Specter of Fascism: Cohen Says Trump Won’t Leave Peacefully in 2020

Hearings reveal deepening systemic corruption, further degeneration of GOP, progressive members standout in questioning - Jacqueline Lukman, Henry Giroux and Carmen Russell-Sluchansky join Paul Jay

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 28, 2019

Luxembourg PM Takes Arab Leaders to Task on Gay Rights at Summit

THE GUARDIAN: Xavier Bettel says his same-sex marriage would condemn him to death in some countries

Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, has confronted Arab leaders over the repression of gay rights, telling them his same-sex marriage would condemn him to death in some of their countries.

The conference room at a summit of EU and Arab states fell silent when Bettel made his statement, according to a German TV journalist.

Retweeting this account, Bettel wrote: “Saying nothing was not an option for me.” The tweet was signed with his initials.

Bettel, the first EU leader to be married to a same-sex partner, had planned to make the intervention before arriving at the summit, which was the first gathering between the EU and Arab League.

Homosexuality is punishable by death under sharia law in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. Other countries in the region prohibit same-sex acts, including Algeria, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait and some of the United Arab Emirates. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Thursday, February 28, 2019

Trump: I Took Kim at His Word over Otto Warmbier's Torture

THE GUARDIAN: President says he believes North Korean leader knew nothing about treatment of US student

Donald Trump has said he took Kim Jong-un “at his word” when he denied any responsibility in the imprisonment and torture of Otto Warmbier that led to the US student’s death in 2017.

“Some really bad things happened to Otto,” Trump said. “But Kim tells me that he didn’t know about it and I will take him at his word.”

Although Kim wields tremendous power in one of the world’s last totalitarian regimes, Trump said he believed the North Korean leader was not aware of Warmbier’s imprisonment in January 2016 and torture in jail until it was too late.

“I don’t believe he knew about it. He felt very badly about it, I did speak to him. He knew about it, but he knew about it after,” Trump said. North Korea, he went on, was a “big country” with “a lot of people in those prisons and the camps – there are some bad people”. » | Juliaan Borger in Hanoi | Thursday, February 28, 2019

Donald Trump 'a Racist, a Conman' Who Committed Crimes as President – Cohen

THE GUARDIAN: Cohen says Trump had prior knowledge of WikiLeaks release and conducted ‘criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws’

In explosive public testimony before Congress, Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen cast the president as a “racist” and a “conman” who engaged in criminal activity after taking office as president to cover up an illegal hush money payment to an adult film actor.

Appearing before the House oversight committee on Wednesday, Cohen became the first Trump associate to allege that Trump had prior knowledge that his longtime adviser, Roger Stone, was communicating with WikiLeaks during the 2016 election regarding the release of hacked Democratic Party emails.

He also said Trump was aware of the infamous Trump Tower meeting between members of his presidential campaign, including his son Donald Trump Jr, and a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin, which was arranged under the pretense of receiving damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Cohen’s testimony marked a rare opportunity for millions of Americans to bear witness to the account of a central player in multiple investigations ensnaring the president and his inner circle. Cohen acted for more than a decade as the president’s fixer – a role in which he became intimately familiar with both Trump’s personal and professional affairs. » | Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington and Jon Swaine in New York | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 27, 2019

UK Shooting Range Uses Shamima Begum Image for Targets

THE GUARDIAN: Wirral firm says woman who joined Isis in Syria had shown lack of empathy

A shooting range in Wirral has defended its use of targets with an image of Shamima Begum, the teenager who travelled from the UK to Syria to join Islamic State, saying it had received a high number of requests from customers.

Children as young as six can visit the Wallasey site, which also reportedly features targets of high-profile figures, such as Donald Trump and Margaret Thatcher. » | Mattha Busby | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Netherlands Cuts Muslim Man's Benefits for Refusing to Shave Beard

THE GUARDIAN: Dutch court backs suspension after man told he had to be clean shaven to train as asbestos removal officer

A Dutch court has backed the suspension of a Muslim man’s benefits over his refusal on religious grounds to shave his beard while on training for a job.

The unnamed man had been offered a job as an asbestos removal officer but was subsequently told he would need to be clean shaven in order to undergo the training course.

When he refused on the basis of his religious convictions, Amersfoort city council suspended payments to both him and his wife for a month under the Participatiewet, which provides a minimum income for every legal resident in the Netherlands. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Donald Trump Hails ‘Great Leader’ Kim Jong-un at Hanoi Summit

THE GUARDIAN: US president flatters North Korean counterpart and offers economic help if he disarms

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have begun their second summit, with the US president calling his North Korean counterpart “a great leader” and offering to help give his country a “tremendous future”.

The two leaders advanced towards each other and shook hands in front of a dozen US and North Korean flags, set up in the Metropole hotel in Hanoi, in a tableau almost identical to the backdrop at their first meeting, eight months ago in Singapore.

In his remarks to the press, Trump addressed criticism that the first summit had not lived up to his claims that it was a breakthrough that would lead to North Korea’s disarmament and end the nuclear threat the country posed.

“It is an honour to be with Chairman Kim. It’s an honour to be together in a country, Vietnam, where they have rolled out the red carpet and they are very honoured to have us,” the US president told reporters as the two men sat alongside each other before brief introductory talks. » | Julian Borger in Hanoi | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Ivanka Laughing In The Face Of Poor People

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 26, 2019

The “Permanent War State” Aims to Plunder Venezuela - Wilkerson and Jay

Trump promises “democracy and freedom” to Venezuela, delivered by Elliot Abrams who brought you illegal wars, coups, and support for dictatorships; and Mike Pompeo and VP Pence, both with deep ties to the Koch brothers who need Venezuelan heavy crude to feed their Texas refinery - Col. Larry Wilkerson joins TRNN’s Paul Jay

Labour Party Leader, Under Pressure, Backs a New Brexit Referendum

THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Monday that it was prepared to support a second referendum on withdrawal from the European Union, a shift that could have significant ramifications for the fate of Brexit and for the country’s future.

After the resignations of nine Labour Party members last week, and amid the prospect of more, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dropped his longstanding resistance to a second vote on leaving the bloc.

Mr. Corbyn’s support for a new vote is certainly no guarantee a new vote will happen. Still, it will cheer pro-European Britons, who have been fighting to reverse the outcome of the 2016 referendum decision. » | Stephen Castle | Monday, February 25, 2019

The Beautiful Truth – Full Version

Dr. Patrick Vickers Explains Gerson Therapy for Healing Cancer Naturally

Chris Wark interviews Dr. Patrick Vickers of Northern Baja Gerson Center about medical genius Dr. Max Gerson and The Gerson Therapy for cancer.

Marco Rubio Tweets Out Death Threat To Venezuelan Leader

On Sunday, Marco Rubio sent out a cryptic warning to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro that only included a before and after picture of Moammar Gaddafi. One picture was before US intervention and one was right before Gaddafi was brutally murdered. Rubio’s tweet can only be viewed as a threat of what the United States wants to do to Maduro in Venezuela, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 25, 2019

The Coup Has Failed & Now the US Is Looking to Wage War: Venezuelan Foreign Minister Speaks Out

Venezuela’s opposition is calling on the United States and allied nations to consider using military force to topple the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is heading to Bogotá, Colombia, today to meet with regional leaders and Venezuela’s self-proclaimed president, opposition leader Juan Guaidó. The meeting follows a dramatic weekend that saw the Venezuelan military blocking the delivery of so-called humanitarian aid from entering the country at the Colombian and Brazilian borders. At least four people died, and hundreds were injured, after clashes broke out between forces loyal to Maduro and supporters of the opposition. The United Nations, the Red Cross and other relief organizations have refused to work with the U.S. on delivering aid to Venezuela, which they say is politically motivated. Venezuela has allowed aid to be flown in from Russia and from some international organizations, but it has refused to allow in aid from the United States, describing it as a Trojan horse for an eventual U.S. invasion. On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Maduro’s days in office are numbered. We speak with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, who has recently held secret talks with Trump’s special envoy Elliott Abrams.

Bigger Than Five Review 2017

Conversion by Aversion? Featuring Arnoud van Doorn, Former Member of the Dutch Freedom Party

‘I Felt the Hatred’, Says Philosopher Attacked by Gilets Jaunes

THE OBSERVER: Alain Finkielkraut says the protester who screamed ‘go back to Tel Aviv’ is part of a new wave of antisemitism

The French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut is at home: an airy apartment with walls packed floor to ceiling with books in one of Paris’s more chic arrondissements.

Today, however, the writer and commentator does not feel entirely at home in France. That feeling was heightened dramatically when, last weekend, a gilet jaune protester shouted at him that he was a “dirty Zionist shit” who should “go back to Tel Aviv”.

“I am home, but not to these people. Those who shout ‘go back to Tel Aviv’ believe Israel is stolen land, so what they are saying is that I have no place here, I have no place there … that I have no place on earth,” he told the Observer.

It is all part of what he calls “new winds blowing across Europe. Where are they taking us? Nobody knows,” he said. “It’s very worrying.” » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Sunday, February 24, 2019

How Much of a Problem Is Anti-Semitism in Europe? l Inside Story

French President Emmanuel Macron introduced a bill this week that would make anti-Zionism a criminal offence. Anti-Semitism, hostility and prejudice directed against Jewish people, is already illegal in France.

Anti-Zionism, opposition to the state of Israel, could now follow. Elsewhere in Europe, 12 MPs resigned from their parties in the UK, citing the failure to deal with anti-Semitism as one of the reasons. The EU says hate speech and harassment are becoming the new norm. So why are Jewish people being singled out?

Presenter: Hoda Abdelhamid | Guests Yossi Mekelburg, professor in International Relations at Regent's University; Michal Bilewicz, Chair at the Center for Research on Prejudice at the University of Warsaw; Hugo Drochon, Political Theorist at the University of Nottingham

Maduro bricht die diplomatischen Beziehungen zu Kolumbien ab – die neuesten Entwicklungen in Venezuela im Überblick

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Der Streit um die humanitäre Hilfe droht zu eskalieren.

Der venezolanische Präsident Nicolás Maduro hat am Samstag bekannt gegeben, dass Venezuela die diplomatischen Beziehungen zum Nachbarland Kolumbien abgebrochen habe. Bei einer Kundgebung in der Hauptstadt Caracas kritisierte Maduro am Samstag, die «faschistische Regierung von Kolumbien». Diese habe die vom selbsternannten Übergangspräsidenten Juan Guaidó initiierten ausländischen Hilfslieferungen nach Venezuela aktiv unterstützt. Deswegen müssten alle diplomatischen Vertreter des Nachbarlandes Venezuela binnen 24 Stunden verlassen, sagte Maduro. » | Tobias Sedlmaier, Boas Ruh (Agenturen) | Samstag, 23. Februar 2019

Opinion: The Grave Threats of White Supremacy and Far-Right Extremism

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Hate crimes are on the rise. Police and prosecutors need better tools to fight back.

Last week, federal agents in Maryland arrested a United States Coast Guard officer and said he was plotting to assassinate Democratic members of Congress, prominent television journalists and others. The officer, Lt. Christopher Hasson, apparently was inspired by a right-wing Norwegian terrorist who slaughtered 77 people in 2011, stockpiled firearms and ammunition and researched locations around Washington to launch his attacks, according to investigators. Fortunately, the F.B.I. arrested him before he could act.

This frightening case is just one of several recent reminders that white supremacy and far-right extremism are among the greatest domestic-security threats facing the United States. » | Thomas T. Cullen | Mr. Cullen is the United States attorney for the Western District of Virginia. | Friday, February 22, 2019

Saudi Crown Prince Defends China's Right to Put Uighur Muslims in Concentration Camps

THE TELEGRAPH: Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’’s crown prince, on Friday defended China’s use of concentration camps for Muslims, saying it was Beijing’s “right”.

"China has the right to carry out anti-terrorism and de-extremisation work for its national security,” Prince Mohammed, who has been in China signing multi-million trade deals much to the annoyance of his Western allies, was quoted as saying on Chinese state television.

Xi Jinping, China’s leader, told the crown prince the two countries must strengthen international cooperation on de-radicalisation to “prevent the infiltration and spread of extremist thinking”. » | Telegraph Reporters | Friday, February 22, 2019

Jared Kushner Heads Overseas To Suck Up To Saudi Royal Family

UN Concludes Journalist Khashoggi Murder Was Premeditated by Saudi Arabia Leadership

Via America’s Lawyer: UN investigators have concluded that not only did the Saudi Arabia's leadership have journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed, but that the murder was premeditated. Mike Papantonio and Trial Magazine Executive Editor Farron Cousins discuss.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 22, 2019

Chuka Umunna MP on Leaving Labour, a New Centrist Party and a Second Brexit Referendum

Chuka Umunna is one of the leading members of the new Independent Group - one of now 11 MPs to leave the traditional parties to forge what they call a new centre ground in politics. He talks to Krishnan about what motivated him to take the leap, what an alternative to left/right politics might look like and why he thinks Britain should stay in the EU.

Maajid Explains Why Love Kept Him Sane after Racist Attack

Maajid Nawaz explains why he will not 'harbour hatred' after he was subjected to a violent racist attack. Phil Campion says the assault Maajid suffered was "completely inexcusable".

Church of England Makes Sunday Services Non-compulsory

THE GUARDIAN: Synod approves change to ease burden on rural priests, who may have up to 20 churches

The Church of England has dropped a centuries-old requirement for all churches to hold weekly Sunday services.

Its general synod, meeting in London this week, formally approved a change to canon law to relax the requirement for morning and evening prayer in every parish church every Sunday.

The change, which will also apply to services of Holy Communion, will mainly affect parishes with small and declining congregations in rural areas.

Most rural priests have multiple benefices, with some in charge of up to 20 churches, but were required to maintain regular services even if only a handful of worshippers turned up. » | Harriet Sherwood, Religion correspondent | Thursday, February 21, 2019

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 21, 2019

Trump Admin’s Secretive Talks to Sell Saudi Arabia Nuclear Technology Spark New Fear of Arms Race

House Democrats are accusing the Trump administration of moving toward transferring highly sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of US law. Critics say the deal could endanger national security while enriching close allies of President Trump. Saudi Arabia is considering building as many as 16 nuclear power plants by 2030, but many critics fear the Kingdom could use the technology to develop nuclear weapons and trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. We speak with Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna of California and Isaac Arnsdorf, a reporter with ProPublica. Arnsdorf first wrote about the intense and secretive lobbying effort to give nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in 2017. His reporting was cited in the House report.

Antisemitism at Worst Levels Since Second World War, Says Macron

THE GUARDIAN: French president says his party will introduce legislation to combat hate speech online

Antisemitism appears to have reached its worst levels since the second world war, Emmanuel Macron told Jewish community leaders on Wednesday, a day after thousands of people took to the streets in France to denounce hate crimes.

The French government is to adopt the intergovernmental organisation International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and propose a law to stop hate speech being circulated online, the French president said.

Speaking at the annual dinner of the Jewish organisation Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (Crif), Macron said his country and other parts of Europe had in recent years seen “a resurgence of antisemitism that is probably unprecedented since [the second world war]”. » | Agencies | Thursday, February 21, 2019

Can Bernie Sanders Win against Donald Trump? l Inside Story

In 2016, Bernie Sanders started what he called a 'revolution' as an independent candidate. He ran for US president on a platform of progressive ideas such as free healthcare for all but eventually lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton.

The 77-year-old is making a second attempt, launching his campaign to be Democratic candidate in 2020 and believes he still has what it takes to win the White House. He's described Donald Trump as the most dangerous president in modern American history.

The list for the Democratic primary looks a crowded one and one of the most diverse ever. At least 12 candidates have confirmed they'll run so far - dozens more have still to decide.

There are already a record number of women, vast age differences between candidates, and ethnic minorities. But have any of them got what it will take to face up to Trump?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Jeffrey Stacey - Former State Department Official in the Obama Administration; Adam Quinn - Senior Lecturer in American Politics, University of Birmingham; Rina Shah - Republican Strategist and Consultant

Saudi Scholar: My Father Faces the Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia for Supporting Human Rights

While the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October sparked international outrage, far less attention has been paid to the ongoing Saudi repression at home. We speak with Abdullah Alaoudh, whose father has been locked up in solitary confinement in Saudi Arabia for his political activism since September 2017. Prior to his arrest, prominent Islamic scholar Salman Alodah had been a vocal critic of the Saudi monarchy who had called for elections with 14 million Twitter followers. But for the past 17 months, Salman Alodah has been silenced. He was one of dozens of religious figures, writers, journalists, academics and civic activists arrested as part of a crackdown on dissent in 2017 overseen by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We speak with Alodah’s son Abdullah Alaoudh. He is a senior fellow at Georgetown University in the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 20, 2019

Karl Lagerfeld - German Fashion Designer and Icon | DW Documentary

The German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85. He was a designer, an artist and a fashion icon. For this sad occasion we recommend a portrait DW made in 2014.

No living fashion designer, let alone a German one, was as celebrated as Karl Lagerfeld. On September 10, 2018 the man with the trademark ponytail and sunglasses celebrated his 85th birthday. From dawn to late morning, Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel, Fendi and his own signature brand - a combined workload of up to 15 collections a year. A workhorse who never takes breaks or even a vacation, he is also a photographer and filmmaker. His passion for fashion was awakened by a Dior show in Hamburg in 1950. Four years later, at the age of 17, Karl Lagerfeld was hired as an assistant to Pierre Balmain. Karl Lagerfeld recounts his beginnings in the industry, as well as his upper class background and childhood in Schleswig-Holstein. Karl Lagerfeld was greatly influenced by his mother, whom he describes as his personal style icon. Karl Lagerfeld's caustic comments were notorious and dreaded by those at the receiving end. As an artist, Karl Lagerfeld worked in several media, from pictures and photographs to book illustrations and videos. The documentary of 2015 follows Karl Lagerfeld to exhibition openings, during the hectic preparations for his fashion shows, and at photo shoots in Paris as it seeks to uncover the man behind the mask.

Bernie Sanders: End US Arms Sales to Saudis and Support for its Yemen War

TRNN Replay: At the Sanders Institute Gathering, Sen. Sanders joins Paul Jay to discuss his Senate resolution to end US support for the Saudi war in Yemen

Shamima Begum Has UK Citizenship Revoked by British Government, ITV News Learns | ITV News

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 19, 2019

Türkei: Führende Ex-Mitarbeiter von "Cumhuriyet" müssen ins Gefängnis

DIE PRESSE: Das türkische Berufungsgericht bestätigte die Urteile gegen 14 Angeklagte, die der türkischen Regierung zufolge Unterstützer der Gülen-Bewegung und der PKK sein sollen.

Führende Ex-Mitarbeiter und Journalisten der regierungskritischen türkischen Zeitung "Cumhuriyet" müssen nach einem gescheiterten Berufungsverfahren ins Gefängnis. Das Berufungsgericht in Istanbul wies den Einspruch der 14 Angeklagten zurück, die im vergangenen April zu teils mehrjährigen Haftstrafen verurteilt worden waren. » | APA/AFP/dpa | Dienstag, 19. Februar 2019

Former IS Bride: Shamima Begum Should Ask for 'Mercy'

Tania Joya has first hand experience of fleeing the Islamic State after she was married to one of the most influential American-born members of IS in Syria.

Ms Joya believes that like herself, Shamima Begum has been "deceived to believe" in a utopia that simply doesn't exist and that she can be helped if she asks for "mercy".

Shamima Begum: 'I didn't want to be IS poster girl' - BBC News

In an interview with the BBC's Middle East correspondent Quentin Sommerville, Shamima Begum - the schoolgirl who fled London to join the Islamic State group in Syria - has said she never wanted to be an IS "poster girl".

Ms Begum, who has just given birth, said she now wants the UK's forgiveness and supports "some British values".

She told the BBC while it was "wrong" innocent people died in the 2017 Manchester attack, it was "kind of retaliation" for attacks on IS.

The 19-year-old left Bethnal Green four years ago with two school friends

Shamima Begum: I Didn't Do Anything Dangerous

Sky News has spoken exclusively to Shamima Begum, the British schoolgirl who left the UK to join Islamic State when she was 15.

Now aged 19, she has given birth to a baby boy and she wants to return to the UK.

She says she knew about IS executions before she left for Syria, and thinks that people should have sympathy 'for everything [she has] been through'.

'A Woman's Life in Saudi Arabia Is Determined by the Roll of a Dice'

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 18, 2019

Mike Pence Met With Silence; Angela Merkel Hammers President Donald Trump | Morning Joe | MSNBC

While speaking at the 55th Munich Security Conference, VP Mike Pence was met with silence after mentioning President Trump. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized the Trump administration's foreign policies.

Where Is the Missing Wife of Scientology's Ruthless Leader? | 60 Minutes Australia

Rift Between Trump and Europe Is Now Open and Angry

THE NEW YORK TIMES: MUNICH — European leaders have long been alarmed that President Trump’s words and Twitter messages could undo a trans-Atlantic alliance that had grown stronger over seven decades. They had clung to the hope that those ties would bear up under the strain.

But in the last few days of a prestigious annual security conference in Munich, the rift between Europe and the Trump administration became open, angry and concrete, diplomats and analysts say.

A senior German official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on such matters, shrugged his shoulders and said: “No one any longer believes that Trump cares about the views or interests of the allies. It’s broken.”

The most immediate danger, diplomats and intelligence officials warned, is that the trans-Atlantic fissures now risk being exploited by Russia and China. » | Steven Erlanger and Katrin Bennhold | Sunday, February 17, 2019

Macron Condemns Antisemitic Abuse During gilets jaunes Paris Protest

THE GUARDIAN: Police protect philosopher Alain Finkielkraut after he is targeted during 14th weekend of protests

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has condemned antisemitic abuse of a leading intellectual by gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protesters and said it would not be tolerated.

Police intervened to protect philosopher and writer Alain Finkielkraut after he was targeted by a group of protesters on the fringe of a demonstration in central Paris on Saturday, according to videos posted on social networks.

“The antisemitic insults he has been subjected to are the absolute negation of what we are and what makes us a great nation. We will not tolerate it,” Macron tweeted.

“The son of Polish immigrants who became a French academician, Alain Finkielkraut is not only a prominent man of letters but the symbol of what the Republic allows everyone,” the president added in another tweet.

Several protesters shouted “dirty Zionist”, “we are the people” and “France is ours”, according to a video broadcast by Yahoo! News. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, February 17, 2019

Third of Britons Believe Islam Threatens British Way of Life, Says Report

THE GUARDIAN: Anti-Muslim prejudice replacing immigration as key driver of far-right growth

More than a third of people in the UK think that Islam is a threat to the British way of life, according to a report by the anti-fascist group Hope not Hate.

The organisation’s annual “State of Hate” report, which will be launched on Monday, argues that anti-Muslim prejudice has replaced immigration as the key driver of far right growth.

In polling conducted by the group in July last year, 35% of people thought Islam was generally a threat to the British way of life, compared with 30% who thought it was generally compatible. Forty-nine per cent of those who voted Conservative in the 2017 general election shared thought it was generally incompatible, while 21% of Labour voters did. » | Frances Perraudin | Sunday, February 17, 2019

Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy's Younger Sister, Dies Aged 85

THE GUARDIAN: Radziwill, born Caroline Lee Bouvier in 1933, was a successful interior designer and PR executive in the fashion industry

The American socialite Lee Radziwill, who was Jackie Kennedy’s younger sister, has died. She was 85.

The website WWD reported the news, saying Radziwill died at home in New York City on Friday. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Radziwill was born Caroline Lee Bouvier in 1933, four years after her sister. Briefly and unsuccessfully an actor, she achieved success as an interior designer and public relations executive in the fashion industry, working for Giorgio Armani. » \ Martin Pengelly in New York | Saturday, February 16, 2019

Karl Marx's London Memorial Vandalised for Second Time

THE GUARDIAN: The words ‘doctrine of hate’ and ‘architect of genocide’ were painted on Highgate cemetery memorial

The tomb of Karl Marx in Highgate cemetery in London has been vandalised for the second time in the space of a month.

The words “doctrine of hate” and “architect of genocide” were found daubed in red paint across the Grade I-listed monument in the north London graveyard on Saturday.

The latest attack comes less than two weeks after the marble plaque on the tomb was defaced by an apparent attempt to scrape and chip Marx’s name off the marble slab with a hammer. » | Ruth Quinn | Saturday, February 16, 2019

Mike Pence Rebukes European Powers over Iran and Venezuela

US vice-president rebuked European powers over Iran and Venezuela on Saturday, in a renewed attack on traditional US allies, rejecting a call by Germany’s chancellor to include Russia in global cooperation efforts. Describing the results of Donald Trump’s presidency as 'remarkable' and 'extraordinary', the vice-president told senior European and Asian officials the European Union should follow the US in quitting the Iran nuclear deal and recognising the head of Venezuela’s congress, Juan Guaidó, as president Pence hails 'remarkable, extraordinary' Trump tenure in attack on US allies

Rede der Kanzlerin: Merkel live auf der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz

Bundeskanzlerin Merkel hält eine Rede auf der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz. Merkel hat bereits angekündigt, dass sie ein Plädoyer für den sogenannten Multilateralismus halten will. Das dürfte als Reaktion auf Trumps "Amerika zuerst"-Außenpolitik verstanden werden.

THE GUARDIAN: Angela Merkel criticises US isolationism, urging 'win-win solutions' »

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Merkel Rejects U.S. Demands That Europe Pull Out of Iran Nuclear Deal »

UK's Saudi Weapons Sales Unlawful, Lords Committee Finds

THE GUARDIAN: Report finds UK arms ‘highly likely to be cause of significant civilian casualties in Yemen’

The UK is on “the wrong side of the law” by sanctioning arms exports to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen and should suspend some of the export licences, an all-party Lords committee has said.

The report by the international relations select committee says ministers are not making independent checks to see if arms supplied by the UK are being used in breach of the law, but is instead relying on inadequate investigations by the Saudis, its allies in the war.

It describes the humanitarian plight of Yemenis as “unconscionable”. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Saturday, February 16, 2019

Saudi Women, Unveiled

A 60 Minutes team returns from Saudi Arabia and talks about how the society is changing, especially for women

'Why I Fled Saudi Arabia and Sought Asylum in the UK' - BBC News

Hundreds of Saudi women flee the conservative kingdom every year and run away to Western countries over allegations of domestic abuse and oppression back home. One popular destination is the UK, where dozens seek asylum every year. Hanan Razek met two people who explain how they risked everything to flee from Saudi Arabia. Produced by: Dina Demrdash

Pelosi Slams Trump's National Emergency over Border Wall

Responding to Donald Trump's decision to declare a national emergency to fund his border wall with Mexico, House speaker Nancy Pelosi says he is setting a precedent that should be met with 'great unease and dismay' and the Democrats are considering making a legal challenge. 'You want to talk about a national emergency? Let’s talk about today,' Pelosi adds, noting that it is the first anniversary of the massacre at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, in which 17 people died

German Minister Calls for Ban on Conversion Therapy

THE GUARDIAN: ‘Homosexuality is not an illness,’ says gay health minister Jens Spahn

The German health minister, Jens Spahn, has said that he will seek to ban “conversion therapies” that claim to change sexual orientation.

“Homosexuality is not an illness, which is why it does not need to be treated,” Spahn, who is gay himself, told the left-leaning Berlin daily Die Tageszeitung.

He hoped that a German law banning such therapies could be adopted by the summer. » | Agence France-Presse | Friday, February 15, 2019

David Gergen: There's No Border Emergency, It's a Fake

CNN's David Gergen says that President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration is different than ones made by presidents in the past because there is no emergency.

Antisemitism Rising Sharply across Europe, Latest Figures Show

THE GUARDIAN: France reports 74% rise in offences against Jews and Germany records 60% surge in violent attacks

Antisemitism is rising sharply across Europe, experts have said, as France reported a 74% increase in the number of offences against Jews last year and Germany said the number of violent antisemitic attacks had surged by more than 60%.

The figures confirm the results of three recent Europe-wide surveys showing Jewish people feel at greater risk, and are experiencing markedly more aggression, amid a generalised increase in racist hate speech and violence in a significantly coarser, more polarised political environment.

France’s interior ministry said this week that recorded incidents of antisemitism rose to 541 last year from 311 in 2017, while the German government said offences motivated by hatred of Jews hit a 10-year high of 1,646 in 2018. Physical attacks rose from 37 to 62, leaving 43 people needing medical treatment. » | Jon Henley, European affairs correspondent | Friday, February 15, 2019

Trump Will Declare National Emergency to Fund Border Wall, Says White House

THE GUARDIAN: Trump is also expected to sign a funding bill that will prevent another government shutdown

The White House said it is going to declare a national emergency on America’s southern border as a way of funding Donald Trump’s long-promised border wall with Mexico.

The announcement came just before the Senate voted 83 to 16 to advance a spending package designed to prevent another government shutdown. The House will take up the bill later evening and Trump has said he will sign it.

“President Trump will sign the government funding bill, and as he has stated before, he will also take other executive action – including a national emergency – to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border. The President is once again delivering on his promise to build the wall, protect the border, and secure our great country,” the White House said in a statement. » | Ben Jacobs and Lauren Gambino in Washington | Thursday, February 14, 2019

Saudi Crown Prince Won't Be Standing On The Holy Mosque For Long - Imminent Regime Change!

Mike Pence Attacks UK for 'Breaking US Sanctions against Iran'

NAME: Mike Pence, the US vice president, has accused Britain, France and Germany of trying to sabotage American sanctions against Iran and called on the European states to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal.

In an unusually blunt attack on America’s traditional European allies, Mr Pence told a summit in Warsaw that the three countries were leading “an effort to break American sanctions against Iran’s murderous revolutionary regime”.

He focused his criticism on a financial mechanism created by the three states and the EU to allow European firms to continue trading with Iran in a way that skirts punishing US sanctions.

“It's an ill-advised step that will only strengthen Iran, weaken the EU, and create still more distance between Europe and the United States,” Mr Pence said.

He said the British, French, and German governments had “not been nearly as cooperative” in backing America’s anti-Iran policy as Israel and the Gulf Arab states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. » | Raf Sanchez, Warsaw | Thursday, February 14, 2019

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister: “Washington Hijacked Guaidó”

In an exclusive interview with TRNN, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza says Guaidó has not accepted the Pope’s offer to negotiate since he is being directed by Washington

'Salman Rushdie Radicalised My Generation'

BBC: It's Valentine's day 1989. Margaret Thatcher is prime minister and Kylie, Yazz and Bros are making noise. Far away, Iran's supreme leader issues a fatwa demanding the death of British author Salman Rushdie - and the effect on young Muslims in the UK is huge.

Alyas Karmani was soaking up everything student life had to offer. He'd grown up in Tooting, south London, in a traditional Pakistani household, his father a bus driver and trade unionist. Religion was an important part of Alyas's upbringing but not something he was particularly interested in.

"We were obedient to our parents. We'd go to the mosque when it was required but we had a clandestine double-life existence," he says. "We were partying, smoking weed, going out with girls and doing everything we could possibly do."

So when it was time to choose a university, Alyas ran away from his Pakistani Muslim identity and headed 400 miles north to Glasgow. "I was running as fast as possible. I was a 'self-hating Paki'. I didn't want brown friends. All my friends were white liberal mainstream types. That was my crowd." » | Mobeen Azhar, BBC News | Thursday, February 14, 2019

Dutch PM on Brexit: UK Is a Waning Country Too Small to Stand Alone

THE GUARDIAN: Mark Rutte gives withering verdict as he warns against ‘devastating’ no-deal scenario

Britain is a “waning country” and too small to stand alone on the world stage, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, has claimed in a withering assessment of the UK’s exit from the EU.

Rutte, who has emerged as a key player in the talks over the past two years, also warned in an interview that the UK looked to be sliding off the “precipice” towards a “devastating” no-deal Brexit.

“Who will be left weakened by Brexit is the United Kingdom,” he said. “It is already weakening, it is a waning country compared to two or three years ago. It is going to become an economy of middling size in the Atlantic Ocean. It is neither the US nor the EU. It is too small to appear on the world stage on its own.” » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Thursday, February 14, 2019

THE GUARDIAN: Netherlands PM uses Britain's Brexit 'chaos' as cautionary tale »

Glenn Greenwald: As Bezos Protests Invasion of His Privacy, Amazon Builds Global Surveillance State

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is publicly accusing the owner of the National Enquirer of “extortion and blackmail,” weeks after the paper revealed details about his extramarital affair. Bezos had recently hired a private investigator to determine how the tabloid newspaper obtained private text messages between him and his lover, and whether the paper’s actions were politically motivated. The National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media, Inc., responded to Bezos’s investigation by threatening to publish revealing photos of Bezos if he did not agree to publicly state that the Enquirer’s coverage was not politically motivated or influenced by political forces. We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald about the dispute and Amazon’s role in building the surveillance state.

Brexit Is National Crisis, Former Diplomats Tell Theresa May

THE GUARDIAN: Ex-ambassadors and high commissioners say UK is weakened by ‘fiasco’

More than 40 former British ambassadors and high commissioners have written to Theresa May warning her that Brexit has turned into a “national crisis” and urging her to delay proceedings until the government has greater clarity about Britain’s likely future relationship with Europe.

The letter, signed by many of the most senior diplomats of the last 20 years, underlines concerns that British influence in the world will wane if the country leaves Europe’s trading and foreign policy bloc.

In a joint statement they write: “As former diplomats who have served around the world we have a clear understanding of what contributes to Britain’s influence in the world. Our advice to Theresa May today is clear: we should not leave the EU when we have no clarity about our final destination. Instead we must use the mechanisms at our disposal, above all we must seek to extend the article 50 negotiating period.” » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Photographer Shows Trump Without Fake Tan And Fake Hair And It's Hilarious

A photographer in New Zealand has taken the liberty of showing the world what Donald Trump would look like if he decided to be honest about his natural skin color and the fact that he’s losing his hair. The results were posted online after extensive photoshopping, and it shows that Donald Trump would be just a run-of-the-mill old white guy. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Opinion: My Father Faces the Death Penalty. This Is Justice in Saudi Arabia.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The kingdom’s judiciary is being pushed far from any semblance of the rule of law and due process.

Despite the claims of Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his enablers, Saudi Arabia is not rolling back the hard-line religious establishment. Instead, the kingdom is curtailing the voices of moderation that have historically combated extremism. Numerous Saudi activists, scholars and thinkers who have sought reform and opposed the forces of extremism and patriarchy have been arrested. Many of them face the death penalty.

Salman Alodah, my father, is a 61-year-old scholar of Islamic law in Saudi Arabia, a reformist who argued for greater respect for human rights within Shariah, the legal code of Islam based on the Quran. His voice was heard widely, partly owing to his popularity as a public figure with 14 million followers on Twitter. » | Abdullah Alaoudh | Mr. Alaoudh is a legal scholar at Georgetown University. | Wednesday, February 13, 2019

France's Yellow Rebellion – A Movement against Macron | DW Documentary

Who are the "yellow vests” that have plunged France into crisis? Hundreds of thousands have been demonstrating to demand lower taxes and higher pensions.

What began as a spontaneous protest against high gasoline prices swiftly evolved into a mass movement that has caused a major crisis in France. The "yellow vests” have become synonymous with the widespread anger at the reform policies of President Emmanuel Macron - and constitute his greatest challenge since he took office. The protesters accuse Macron of being a representative of the rich while ignoring the plight of ordinary citizens. The wave of demonstrations was triggered by Jacline Mouraud and her video tirade on social media. Her subsequent fame has enabled her to continue criticizing politicians on TV talk shows. The "yellow vest” demonstrations have been organized almost exclusively online and without the involvement of opposition parties or unions.

The protesters have a range of demands, from lower taxes to high pensions and a greater say in the running of the country. They feel neglected by the Paris elite, who they see as showing no interest in their economic duress and fears of social decline.

Iran's Revolution Forty Years On: The Change People Wanted?

George Galloway on Venezuela (subtitulos en Español)

The Iran Revolution at 40: From Theocracy to ‘Normality’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In February of 1979, Tehran was in chaos. A cancer-stricken Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Western-backed autocrat, had gone into exile in mid-January, leaving behind a rickety regency council. On Feb. 1, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the godfather of the revolution, returned from exile in Paris. And in the Iranian version of “Ten Days That Shook the World,” street demonstrations raged until the government collapsed on Feb. 11.

Ecstatic Iranians danced in the streets, playing cat and mouse with soldiers as lingering pro-government sharpshooters fired from the rooftops. Families joined in mass protests, as vigilantes ransacked liquor stores and people kissed the foreheads of turbaned clerics leading the revolution. » | Thomas Erdbrink | Sunday, February 10, 2019

Reporting from Iran's 40th Revolution Anniversary Celebrations l Al Jazeera English

In Tehran, tens of thousands of marchers gathered at Azadi Square, one of the capital's most iconic monuments built by the United States-backed shah and renamed after the victory of the forces loyal to Khomeini.

Iran organises the nationwide rally every February 11 to highlight the size of grassroots support for the revolution, which replaced Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's government with an Islamic Republic under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Thousands of others also gathered in other cities, including the holy city of Mashhad. Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi reports from Mashhad, where he provides a first-hand experience of celebrations.

Additionally, Foad Izadi, professor of international relations at Tehran University, tells Al Jazeera how Iran has taken a more militaristic approach to diplomacy as a result of US President Donald Trump's decision to break the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Will Saudi Arabia Be Held to Account for Jamal Khashoggi's Murder? l Inside Story

It's been more than four months since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Despite widespread demands for an international investigation and to hold the Saudi government accountable, Donald Trump has largely stood by his ally, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

The US President has now missed a Friday deadline to tell Congress who's responsible for Khashoggi's killing. Instead, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote a letter insisting the Trump administration will seek accountability.

So, will anyone be held to account for Khashoggi's murder?

Presenter: Peter Dobbie | Guests: Scott Lucas - Professor of American Studies at the University of Birmingham; Selva Tor - Political and Financial Strategist; Drew Liquerman - Vice Chairman of Republicans Overseas UK

Jeff Bezos’ Extortion Claim And The ‘Saudi Angle’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Trump ally David Pecker could lose his immunity deal as federal prosecutors investigate whether AMI violated its non-prosecution agreement by trying to blackmail Jeff Bezos. A new report by the Daily Beast details the inner workings of the National Enquirer's "blackmail machine." Ari Melber discusses the new details with Noah Shachtman, Jonathan Alter and Nicholas Kristof.

Maduro Vows to Block US Aid

Geo-Political Realignments Over Venezuela

On the heels of the hard-line anti-Maduro Lima Group meeting in Ottawa, countries favoring a negotiated solution, including Uruguay, Mexico, and Bolivia, met in Montevideo on Thursday. The final declaration, however, compromises Venezuela's sovereignty, according to Bolivia. We discuss the outcome with Miguel Tinker Salas and Greg Wilpert