2020-05-14: News Headlines

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-05-14). Don't Expect to See Trump's Tax Returns Before the Election. globalresearch.ca Donald Trump claims that while he is president, his pre-presidency financial records can't be subpoenaed and he can't even be investigated for criminal conduct. The Supreme Court will decide by the end of June whether Trump is indeed beyond the …

Adriaan Alsema (2020-05-14). Despite pandemic, Colombia's public hospitals still granted to politicians' buddies. colombiareports.com While Colombia's Supreme Court is investigating at least 11 governors for corruption with coronavirus emergency funds, at least nine public hospitals fell in the hands of friends and allies of…

Ruth Conniff (2020-05-14). Hell No, You Can't be Safer at Home. progressive.org Wisconsin Supreme Court, in act of 'blatant . . . judicial activism,' strikes down state rules meant to curb spread of COVID-19.

Elie Mystal (2020-05-14). The Supreme Court Has Given Its Blessing to Public Corruption. thenation.com The Supreme Court Has Given Its Blessing to Public Corruption…

RT (2020-05-14). 'Unlawful & invalid': Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down state's stay-at-home order. rt.com Measures purportedly enacted to stop the spread of coronavirus in Wisconsin have been overturned by the state's Supreme Court, which ruled that the orders violate the law and cannot be enforced. | The state's highest court issued a 4-3 ruling describing the restrictions as "unlawful, invalid, and unenforceable." The decision comes after Republican lawmakers sued Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, after she unilaterally extended the state's "Safer at Home" emergency order in mid-April. The measures were first implemented in March and were set to expire on May 26. | Wisconsin has alrea…

Sue Davis (2020-05-14). Trump v. birth control case heard by Supreme Court. workers.org A March 2016 demonstration in support of birth control coverage in the Affordable Care Act in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, D.C. Health care is the most pressing issue in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. So it's in keeping with the Trump administration's overall right-wing agenda to . . . |

RT (2020-05-14). Investigation opened after photos of HITLER & HIMMLER uploaded to Russian online WWII victory celebration. rt.com Russia's Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case after pictures of Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler were found on the website Immortal Regiment Online, celebrating Soviet veterans of World War II. | Every May 9, Russia celebrates the triumph over Nazism in the Second World War with fireworks, ceremonies, and parties. Another tradition, introduced in 2012, is the

Mirinda Crissman (2020-05-14). U.S. global prison model: white supremacy on display. workers.org The United States has institutionalized white supremacist violence at home and abroad through its use of police and prisons. This does not come as revelation, but as a call to action. Whether we examine photographs coming out of El Salvador's prisons, or surveillance software used by U.S. police and Immigration . . . |

A. Majumdar (2020-05-14). PDF download of May 14 issue. workers.org Download entire 12-page PDF here. Justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Kent State and Jackson State. Also: COVID‚Äë19: capitalism's end stage; workers resist. Editorial: Changing narrative in Michigan. World: China, Vietnam, Haiti, Ecuador. Tear down prisons: victory in PA; San Quentin caravan; No cages for migrants; Global prisons & white supremacy; Solidarity . . . |

en.mehrnews (2020-05-14). Iran names Palestine most significant issue in Muslim World. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 14 (MNA) — Iran's Foreign Ministry has released a statement on the occasion of the Nakba Day, which marks the anniversary of the establishment of the illegitimate Zionist regime of Israel, naming Palestine the most important issue in the Muslim world.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-14). Hamas releases statement on Nakba Day. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 14 (MNA) — On the occasion of Nakba Day, which marks the anniversary of the establishment of the illegitimate Zionist regime of Israel, Hamas released a statement on Thursday noting that history will not witness the cruelty and crimes similar to those committed by the Zionist regime in Palestine.

Michael Molitch-Hou (2020-05-14). Paramilitary Panda: WWF Land Grabs Rooted in Covert Apartheid History. indybay.org According to a BuzzFeed News series, the WWF has been tied to paramilitary violence in third world countries. What they completely ignored was that the WWF was previously involved in the murder of 6,000 anti-apartheid activists in South Africa a part of an "anti-poaching" mission in the 1980s. All evidence seems to suggest that the WWF was used as cover for an MI6 operation on behalf of powerful business interests in South Africa.

Staff (2020-05-14). McConnell's PATRIOT Act Expansion Would Hand Barr Unprecedented Spy Powers. truthout.org Sen. Ron Wyden was joined by privacy advocates Wednesday in forcefully condemning a new proposed amendment to the PATRIOT Act put forward by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that would greatly expand the U.S. attorney general's surveillance powers under FISA. | McConnell's amendment, which the Senate began debating Wednesday as lawmakers took up the reauthorization of the 2001 PATRIOT Act, would explicitly permit the FBI to collect records of Americans' internet search and browsing histori…

Denijal Jegiƒá (2020-05-13). In banning Hezbollah, Germany responds to far-right, U.S. and Israeli pressure — not any security threat. thegrayzone.com Hezbollah has never been charged with any crimes in Germany nor does it have an official presence in the country….

Joshua Hanks (2020-05-13). China reacts with zero tolerance for racist incidents. workers.org Reports surfaced in April of cases of discrimination against African workers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong as pictures appeared on the internet of a sign refusing service to Africans at a McDonald's restaurant and allegations that Africans were being evicted from hotels. Ambassador Liu Yuxi, head of Mission . . . |

RT (2020-05-13). Ex-army chief Ashkenazi to become Israel's FM — Blue and White alliance. rt.com Former Israeli Army chief Gabi Ashkenazi, who spent nearly four decades in the military, will be nominated as Israel's next foreign minister, AFP reported Wednesday, citing his Blue and White alliance. Ashkenazi held talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem ahead of his "appointment as minister of foreign affairs this coming Thursday," said Blue and White, which is led by the incoming alternate PM Benny Gantz. | A unity government agreed between Gantz and right-wing PM Benjamin Netanyahu is due to be sworn in on Thursday evening, ending more than a year of political deadlock. | Foreign affairs…

RT (2020-05-13). Was it worth it? Pompeo dons fashionable flag-themed mask at Israel airport… then takes it off for meetings. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emerged from his plane after touching down for a flying visit to Israel sporting an especially patriotic red, white and blue striped mask — but the novelty didn't last long. | Pompeo disembarked from his plane at Ben Gurion Airport wearing the colorful face gear, which many news outlets described as a "US flag" mask. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears the face-covering could have been a creative mash-up of the US and Israeli flags, given the addition of blue and white stripes and blue stars. | @IsraeliPM Elijah Magnier (2020-05-13). Iraq in the balance between Iran and the USA. thealtworld.com Iran and the US have been at war since 1979, when the "Islamic Republic" took power. This war will continue as long as the US seeks to defeat Iran, which in turn seeks to force the US out of the Middle East. Occasionally, the war manifests as direct clashes between the two countries, but usually it takes place on the territory of Iran's allies. These allies are becoming stronger and powerful enough to be reckoned with. This growth is imposing Iran as a regional power with influence in several countries around the Middle East—from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen to Iraq, where direct US-Iran confrontati…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-05-13). From Lebanon to Syria, the Arab World is Failing Palestinian Refugees. mintpressnews.com Heinous racism. That is how the Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described a recent decision by Lebanese authorities to bar Palestinian refugee expats from returning to Lebanon. | Lebanon's restrictions on its Many were ta…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-13). Palestinian youth for a new solidarity pact against Israeli occupation. peoplesdispatch.org Organizations from Palestine, Lebanon and the United States, announced the formation of a new united front to resist the Israeli occupation through a more unified, productive and determined global struggle, and has rejected the current Palestinian leadership…

Rima Najjar (2020-05-13). The "Zionist Virus" and the Future of Palestine. globalresearch.ca To me, an American-Palestinian, the world tainted by the corona virus is analogous to Israel tainted by the evil it contains. | Every day for the past few days, I have been listening to New York Governor Cuomo give his daily …

Jonathan Cook (2020-05-13). Why is Mike Pompeo risking a One-day Trip to Israel Amid the Pandemic? dissidentvoice.org As part of its battle against Covid-19, Israel has closed it borders to foreigners and imposed a two-week quarantine on anyone entering the country. There are also strict requirements to wear masks in public places. Israel, however, has thrown the rules — and caution — to the wind in approving the arrival on Wednesday of …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-13). Palestinian teen killed, another arrested by Israeli forces in occupied West Bank. peoplesdispatch.org A 14-year-old Palestinian boy, identified as Zaid al-Fayumi, was killed and four others injured after Israeli occupying forces opened fire on Palestinian protesters on Wednesday…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-05-13). Patriotic Vaccines: The Divided Coronavirus Cause. counterpunch.org When it comes to the politics of medicine and disease, the United States has always attempted to steal the limelight, while adding the now faded colouring of universal human welfare. In 1965, Washington pledged financial and technical support to the international effort to eradicate smallpox, though the initiative had initially been spurred by the Soviet

en.mehrnews (2020-05-13). Intl. conf. of supporting Intifada terms 'Deal of Century' futile plan. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA) — In a statement on Wednesday, the International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada announced that Deal of Century, Trump's plan for supporting the Zionist regime, has had no impact on the resistance of Palestinians and will not bear fruit.

Elie Mystal (2020-05-13). SCOTUS May Have Just Decided to Exempt Trump From the Rule of Law. thenation.com SCOTUS May Have Just Decided to Exempt Trump From the Rule of Law…

Vanessa Beeley (2020-05-12). SND Live with Vanessa Beeley. thealtworld.com Independent journalist and complete badass, Vanessa Beeley, joins us from Damascus to discuss her recent work shedding light on how the West's response to Covid is providing cover for further atrocities in Syria. We also discussed the continuing genocide in Yemen and the UN's role in facilitating it, what hybrid warfare is, and who is determining the roll out of the UK's "new normal".

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-12). Germany Wants to Replace Poland's "Patriotic Government" with "Europhile Puppets"? globalresearch.ca The former Polish Minister of Defense accused Germany of conspiring with a few other foreign actors to replace the patriotic Polish government with Europhile puppets, arguing that the country's latest political controversy over the date of its presidential elections is …

Ajamu Baraka (2020-05-12). Trump wins! Completing Obama's Pivot to Asia and the Confrontation with China. dissidentvoice.org Even before becoming the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump had one consistent foreign enemy — China. Partly fueled by his intrinsic white supremacy and his antipathy for the liberal elite "globalists" who evoked his personal inferiority complex, Trump has never waivered from his fierce opposition to what he saw as the "yellow …

Staff (2020-05-12). Justice Thomas Said Forcing Trump to Release His Taxes Weakens the President. truthout.org The United States Supreme Court heard two different cases on a single matter: who may (or may not) have the legal right to access President Donald Trump's financial and tax records. | The District Attorney from Manhattan, Cyrus Vance Jr., is seeking to obtain…

RT (2020-05-12). Trump lawyer brands CNN's Stelter 'propagandist' as pair clash over fiery Covid-19 press conference. rt.com US President Donald Trump abruptly ending a Covid-19 press conference after tense exchanges with journalists provided fuel for supporters and critics alike, with his lawyer firing strong verbal barbs at a critical CNN host. | One of Trump's most vocal supporters following his contentious Monday press conference has been Jenna Ellis, the president's senior legal adviser. Liberal critics have meanwhile gone after Trump for his treatment of the press, with some even screaming racism over an exchange with CBS News' Weijia Jiang. | After Jiang asked what is the importance of saying the US is first in Covid-19 testi…

Staff (2020-05-12). "Losing the Fabric of the City": COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First & Exposed Structural Racism. democracynow.org We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated structural racism" in Chicago.

RT (2020-05-12). PROPAGANDA has diminished the Soviet Union's role in victory over fascism — Russian foreign minister. rt.com The White House shocked the internet on May 8 when it posted a now-infamous tweet declaring the USA and the UK as the victors of World War II, omitting the USSR. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes propaganda is to blame. | Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov recalled how, at the Holocaust Forum in January, US Vice President Mike Pence forgot that the Soviets liberated Auschwitz. | "To be frank, it doesn't surprise me to hear such things," he said, following an online meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers. "It's not because we suspect that any particular politician is deliberately obscuring hi…

Eds. (2020-05-12). Genocide and Military Occupation: The five most important keys to the Guaidó-Silvercorp contract. mronline.org Finally, the complete content of the contract signed by Juan Guaidó, Sergio Vergara and J.J. Rendón with the American mercenary firm Silvercorp, led by former military officer Jordan Goudreau, has been released.

Philip Giraldi (2020-05-12). Israel to Annex the United States. globalresearch.ca As the Beatles once put it, "I read the news today, oh boy…" One might argue that the "oh boy" has been part and parcel of one's morning media review ever since 9/11, but depending on one's own inclinations, the …

en.mehrnews (2020-05-12). MPs chant 'Down with Israel' after initial endorsement of anti-Zionism motion. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA) — Iranian lawmakers approved the double-urgency of a motion which, if eventually endorsed, will oblige the Iranian government to take certain measures against hostile measures of the Israeli regime.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-12). Israeli regime acting against Iran's interests amid Covid-19 pandemic: MP. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 11 (MNA) — Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mojtaba Zonnour said on Tuesday that while the world is distracted with the coronavirus pandemic, the Zionist regime is doing its best to put Iran's interests at risk.

en.mehrnews (2020-05-12). Iran Parl. to address motion against Israeli regime's hostile measures. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA) — An Iranian lawmaker said that the Parliament will address a double urgency motion today on the required actions against hostile measures adopted by the Israeli regime.

Lee Harpin (2020-05-12). UK Jewish Students and Youth Movement Oppose "Unilateral Annexation of West Bank" globalresearch.ca More than 500 UK Jewish students and youth movement members have put their names to a letter urging the Board of Deputies to speak out against what they claim are the Israeli government's plans for the "unilateral annexation of the …

sputniknews (2020-05-12). Israeli Soldier Killed by a Rock in West Bank Raid is First IDF Casualty of 2020. sputniknews.com Israeli troops are currently searching the town where the attack happened to identify the culprits. It came a day before the scheduled visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to discuss Israeli plans to annex a chunk of the West Bank.

Staff (2020-05-12). COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First and Exposed Structural Racism. truthout.org We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated struct…

John Spohr (2020-05-12). Antifascists demand that May 8 become a holiday in Germany. indybay.org The real goal is a nationwide public holiday anyway, as demanded in the petition. The Berlin Senate could also lobby for such a gesture, that May 8 is considered the day of liberation from National Socialism.

WSWS (2020-05-12). EU supports Orbán's dictatorial measures in Hungary. wsws.org Although similar to Hitler's "Enabling Act," which consolidated the Nazi dictatorship in Germany in 1933, Orbán's Emergency Law enjoys the support of the European Union.

Fight Back (2020-05-12). National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression opposes repression of unions in Philippines. fightbacknews.org In response to the wave of repression unleashed by the U.S.-backed regime of Philippines President Duterte against the militant trade union grouping the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)/May First Movement, progressive forces in the U.S. are speaking out. | "We, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, have already called the Philippine Ambassador to express our outrage about the attacks of the police and military on KMU labor leaders and organizers in Southern Tagalog," states Frank Chapman, the executive director of the National Alliance. | "We demand, as citizens and residents of the United States,…

Fight Back (2020-05-12). Jacksonville demands justice for Ahmaud Arbery, justice for all victims of racist terror. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL — A crowd of more than 200 people, practicing social distancing and mostly wearing face masks, gathered in front of the Duval County courthouse, May 8, in response to the brutal murder of Ahmaud Arbery in nearby Brunswick, Georgia. The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), Northside Coalition, and the New Florida Majority put the demonstration of solidarity together; UNF Students for A Democratic Society (SDS) was represented as well. Even community members from Brunswick, where Arbery was killed, drove down to attend the demonstration. | Several speakers shared their thoughts, re…

teleSUR (2020-05-12). Rejection to Genetically Modified Seeds Grows in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net The Coordinator of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba in Bolivia rejected Tuesday Supreme Decree 4,232 that allows the use of genetically modified (GM) seeds in the South American country. | RELATED: | The joint statement from agricultural organizations in the Cochabamba region states that the de-facto President Jeanine Añez went beyond her powers as an interim official violating the count…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-05-11). The Elders Issue Scathing Rebuke of Israel's Trump-Approved West Bank Annexation Plan. commondreams.org "The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians can only ever be solved by finding a solution that guarantees peace, security, rights, and dignity to both peoples. Unilaterally seizing territory and ignoring international law achieves precisely the opposite." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Editor (2020-05-11). Los fascistas hacen trabajo sucio para los jefes. workers.org La aparición de alimañas neofascistas debajo de sus rocas para exigir negocios de "reapertura", una demanda querida por los gobernantes capitalistas súper ricos, hace imperativo que la izquierda desarrolle un plan para contrarrestar la amenaza fascista, una amenaza que ha re aparecido constantemente en la historia de los Estados Unidos. . . . |

Ramzy Baroud (2020-05-11). 'Justice is Indivisible': Placing Palestine Back at the Center of Muslim Discourse in the West. counterpunch.org It was nearly twenty years ago at a Muslim conference in Washington D.C. that I heard the distressing argument that Palestine should not be made a central topic in the American Muslim political agenda. The point, which took many by surprise, was enunciated by a young American Pakistani Muslim academic, whose name is not important

Halah Ahmad (2020-05-11). The Fight for the Democratic Platform on Racial Justice, Palestine. commondreams.org While support for Palestinian self-determination represents a departure from the status quo in US politics, it actually mirrors a shift in opinion among the Democratic Party's electorate. (Photo: Stop the War UK) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…