2020-07-20: News Headlines

Aaron Morrison (2020-07-20). Tens of thousands walk off job in 'Strike for Black Lives'. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK (AP)—Organizers of a national workers strike say tens of thousands are walking off the job today in more than two dozen U.S. cities to protest systemic racism and economic inequality that has only worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. Dubbed the "Strike for Black Lives," labor unions, along with social and racial justice organizations …

Eds. (2020-07-20). Fascism: The decay of capitalism. mronline.org Talk about the decaying global capitalist system, the fascist aesthetic, the construction of "the other" and where we might be headed if we don't do something quick.

John Wojcik (2020-07-20). With secret police, Trump's practicing fascism in the streets of our cities. peoplesworld.org Camouflaged secret police turned loose on U.S. citizens in Portland, Oregon, in recent days are likely indicative of what the Trump administration has in store for the entire nation. What started out as the use of dog whistles to racists and fascists early in the administration and soon graduated to trumpets is now unfolding as …

Dave Lindorff (2020-07-20). Watching Constitutionally Protected Freedoms Die in Oregon. counterpunch.org One of the most clear signs of a fascist takeover of a nation or society is when words start to lose their meaning. Take Portland Oregon. How's your geography? Does Oregon share a border with any foreign country? The answer of course is no. The nearest foreign border is with Canada and that border lies

Moss Robeson (2020-07-20). Influential DC-based Ukrainian think tank hosts neo-Nazi activist convicted for racist violence. thegrayzone.com The US-Ukraine Foundation hosted notorious neo-Nazi militant Diana Vynohradova in a webinar this month. While legitimizing Ukrainian white supremacists, the…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-20). Tributes pour in for civil rights icon John Lewis. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—From Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson to Richard Trumka and Black Lives Matter, tributes poured in over the weekend of July 18-19 for Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the longtime civil rights leader and "conscience of the Congress" who died late at night on July 17 of pancreatic cancer. He was 80, and had represented Atlanta …

Juan Cole (2020-07-20). Trump's Cynical and Deeply Dangerous Reelection Ploy: Sow Chaos in US Cities. commondreams.org Police arrest demonstrators as Black Lives Matter supporters demonstrate in Portland, Oregon on July 4, 2020 for the thirty-eighth day in a row at Portland's Justice Center and throughout Portland, with a riot declared about 12.20 am on July 5. CS tear gas and less-lethal weapons were used, and multiple arrests were made. (Photo by John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Juan Cole (2020-07-20). Barriers, Water Canons, Arrests. zcomm.org Netanyahu Treats Thousands of Israeli Protesters against his Corruption like Palestinians…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-20). The Hopelessness Discourse: How Palestinian Pessimism Could Spark a Much-Needed Rebellion. mintpressnews.com Palestine's biggest challenge is not the failure of the people to register as a factor in the liberation of their own land, but their quisling leadership's inability to appreciate the immense potential of harnessing the energies of Palestinians everywhere to stage a focused and strategic, anti-colonial, liberation campaign.

Tim Wheeler (2020-07-20). A personal remembrance of two civil rights giants. peoplesworld.org Two giants of the struggle for equality and human rights died this weekend, Rep. John Lewis who represented Atlanta for 17 terms in Congress and the Rev. C.T. Vivian, both lifelong fighters for voting rights. I met and interviewed both of these mass leaders on March 11, 2005, when my wife Joyce and I were …

Rashida Tlaib (2020-07-20). "It's the Same Folks Coming After All of Us" zcomm.org White supremacy is really what brings us all together… When we talk about anti-Semitism, when we talk about anti-Blackness, anti-immigrant, it's all of us together fighting against the same people…

Jeffrey C. Isaac (2020-07-20). In Praise of a Young Black Lives Matter Leader With His Eyes on the Prize. commondreams.org Travon Brown, with megaphone, leads the Black Lives Matter Protest march through Marion, Virginia on Friday, July 3, 2020. (Earl Neikirk for The Washington Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

commondreams (2020-07-20). 350.org on Today's SEIU-led Strike for Black Lives. commondreams.org ______________________________…

WSWS (2020-07-20). Trump's police-state attack in Portland, Oregon. wsws.org The crackdown on demonstrators by Trump's fascistic border agents is the latest move in his administration's years-long assault on democratic rights in the United States.

Ali Salam (2020-07-20). Jerusalem Governor Detained by Israeli Police, for 18th Time in 2 Years. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Saturday detained Adnan Gheith, the Palestinian Authority's (PA) Governor of occupied Jerusalem, after storming his home in Silwan, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. The home of Governor Gheith, in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, was raided and searched by Israeli police, who proceeded to detain …

IMEMC News (2020-07-20). Soldiers Abduct A Teen, Injure Young Man In Ramallah. imemc.org Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, Monday, the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah before abducting a Palestinian teen, in addition to shooting a young man and searching many homes. Local sources in the refugee camp said the soldiers stormed and ransacked dozens of homes …

WSWS (2020-07-20). Israeli police deploy tear gas and water cannon against anti-Netanyahu demonstrators. wsws.org Around 2,000 people protested outside Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem in one of a series of demonstrations demanding his resignation.

Ali Salam (2020-07-20). Israeli Settlers Burn Palestinian-owned Crops, Hundreds of Olive Trees near Nablus. imemc.org Twice on Sunday, illegal Israeli settlers burned Palestinian-owned farmlands, first near Beita town, in the northern West Bank, according to a local official. The mayor of Beita, Fuad Ma'ali, told the Palestinian WAFA News Agency that several Israeli colonial settlers set fire to hundreds of dunams of agricultural lands, causing …

splcenter (2020-07-20). Aryan Strikeforce Leader Gets 20 Years in Prison as Neo-Nazi Gang Falters. splcenter.org The head of the racist skinhead Aryan Strikeforce group is going to prison for 20 years for his role in a drug distribution conspiracy.

_____ (2020-07-20). The GOP's 'Southern Strategy' Shows How White Supremacy Fuels Class Exploitation. popularresistance.org Starting in the early 1970s, the Republican Party began to draw voters away from the Democrats by appealing to racism and racial anxiety in the electorate; Republicans called it their "Southern Strategy." By 2000, with the presidency of George W. Bush, the Republican Party (and the U.S.) had been taken over by people who celebrate and emulate the Old South plantation system of social control — a rigid hierarchy featuring dominance of whites over people of color, of men over women, of humans over the natural world, and of violence and militarism over relationship-building and negotiation, with rich white men…

_____ (2020-07-20). On Using Our Power To Stop Climate Disaster And Create A Just World. popularresistance.org Time is running out to prevent full-blown climate catastrophe. Intertwined crises of wealth inequality, poverty, racism, and corporate despotism are deepening. | When working people refuse to go to work — when we put a stick in society's gears — we can make enormous changes quite rapidly. There are many historical examples of this, including, flawed though it was, the New Deal. | How can we join forces across movements today to use our power to create the world we want before it's too late? | Labor organizer, climate activist, and historian Jeremy Brecher will speak and then answer questions. He is the author o…

_____ (2020-07-20). Israel's Secret List Of Officials Who May Stand Trial At International Court. popularresistance.org Israel is drawing up a secret list of military and intelligence officials who might be subject to arrest abroad if the International Criminal Court in the Hague opens an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories. | Haaretz has learned that this list now includes between 200 and 300 officials, some of whom have not been informed. The great secrecy surrounding the issue stems from a fear that the mere disclosure of the list's existence could endanger the people on it. The assessment is that the court is likely to view a list of names as an official Israeli admission of these offic…

yenisafak (2020-07-20). US officials defend Portland crackdown: 'We're not going to apologize'. yenisafak.com U.S. Homeland Security officials said on Monday they had no intention of pulling back in Portland, Oregon, after a federal crackdown on anti-racism protests that included the use of unmarked cars and unidentified officers in camouflage.Weeks of protests in Portland over police brutality and systemic racism intensified as federal officers began cracking down on crowds last week, using tear gas to disperse protesters and taking some into custody without explanation.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent law enforcement units to Portland to help guard U.S. government facilities after receiving intelligence a…

RT (2020-07-20). Move over, Antifa and BLM — it's time to deploy… the moms? US protests take unusual turn in Portland (VIDEOS). rt.com As the violent standoff between BLM and Antifa protesters and rioters on one side and police officers on the other continues in Portland, dozens of moms have been deployed in a bid to de-escalate tensions. | Such is the bizarre state of 2020, that a so-called 'Wall of Moms' was created to protect hundreds of demonstrators from the wrath of federal forces over the weekend, as eyewitness footage from the scene shows. | #PortlandProtest pic.twitter.com/4u6Qif49BW— pdx law grrrl (@pdxlawgrrrl) RT (2020-07-20). St. Louis couple charged with illegal use of arms for 'threatening peaceful protesters' who crashed into their private community. rt.com The St. Louis couple who confronted Black Lives Matter protesters with firearms after they breached a gated community have been hit with weapons charges, with a city attorney insisting the demonstration was peaceful. | The two residents, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, were charged on Monday following an incident late last month in which the couple met protesters outside their upscale home wielding firearms after demonstrators entered their private community to protest at the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson. | 1/ Statement from Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner – Today my office filed charges against Mark and Patri…

RT (2020-07-20). Trump endorses wearing a MASK against Covid-19 after weeks of criticism, is immediately blasted for being too late. rt.com After weeks of pundits criticizing the president for not promoting or wearing a mask to protect against the coronavirus pandemic, Donald Trump took to Twitter to endorse the act because "there is nobody more patriotic" than him. | "Many people say it is patriotic to wear a face mask when you can't socially distance," Trump tweeted on Monday along with a black and white photo of him wearing just such a mask. "There is nobody more patriotic than me, your favorite president." | The president also took the opportunity to once again blame the worldwide pandemic on China. | "We are United in our effort to defeat the…

RT (2020-07-20). AP says it will NOT change style for 'white' after capitalizing 'Black'… to not encourage 'white supremacists'. rt.com The bible of writing rules for news organizations across the Western world — the Associated Press Stylebook — has made its ruling on uneven treatment of skin colors, and it turns out it might be in favor of the practice after all.

Staff (2020-07-20). Rep. John Lewis on the Freedom Rides, Surviving KKK Attacks, 1963 March on Washington & Malcolm X. democracynow.org Civil rights movement icon and 17-term Democratic Congressmember John Lewis, who died July 17 at the age of 80, helped found SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and was the youngest of the so-called Big Six who addressed the March on Washington in 1963. Before that, he was among the 13 original Freedom Riders who rode buses across the South to challenge segregation laws. He spoke to Democracy Now! in 2012 about his activism and that historic campaign, during which they were beaten and attacked by white mobs and the Klu Klux Klan, including by Klansman Elwin Wilson, who apologized to Lewis decades…

Staff (2020-07-20). "I Felt Like I Was Going to Die": Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Recalls 1965 "Bloody Sunday" in Selma. democracynow.org As the United States mourns the loss of civil rights icon and 17-term Democratic Congressmember John Lewis, we feature his 2012 in-studio interview, when he tears up remembering the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery march he helped lead in 1965 as a 25-year-old man, when he was almost beaten to death by police in what came to be called "Bloody Sunday" and helped push the country toward adopting the Voting Rights Act. "They came toward us, beating us with nightsticks and bullwhips, trampling us with horses," he told Democracy Now! "All these many years later, I don't recall how I made it back across that bridge to…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-07-20). 'Fascism Coming to a City Near You': Trump Pledges to Deploy Secret Police Units to Major US Cities. commondreams.org The president also praised federal agents for doing a "fantastic job" with a widely condemned crackdown on Portland, Oregon. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Fight Back (2020-07-20). Boyle Heights holds rally for national protest day against police crimes. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – Answering the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression's call for a national protest against police crimes, Centro CSO held a rally at Los Cinco Puntos in Boyle Heights, July 18. At the action, Centro CSO pushed for Black and brown unity and demanded the end to the killings of Blacks, Chicanos and Latinos by the Los Angeles Police and LA Sheriff's Departments. | The location of Los Cinco Puntos – the site where five important streets meet and a memorial for Chicano veterans who fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War – was significant for many reasons. Along…

Fight Back (2020-07-20). Chicago joins national day of protest, presses demand for community control of police. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – About 500 people and at least 200 cars responded to the call from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression for a caravan on Chicago's South Side, July 18. They drove through the 3rd, 6th and 17th Wards to call on the alderpersons there to support the movement for community control of police. | In Chicago, 19 out of 50 members of the city council have signed on to the legislation to create an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) that will have final authority over the police budget and policy, and the ability to make decisions in misconduct cases, not just provide…

Audrea Lim (2020-07-20). Building Community Power in a White Supremacist Country. thenation.com Building Community Power in a White Supremacist Country…

_____ (2020-07-20). Inside The Battle For Portland. popularresistance.org On the night of July 11, as hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters amassed around the Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, federal Homeland Security officers opened fire with "crowd control" munitions. They shot a teargas canister directly at the head of Donavan LaBella, a peaceful protester who had been standing across the street holding a sign. The video that captured the protester — unconscious, bleeding and being carried to safety by other demonstrators and street medics — went viral almost immediately, pushing state officials to make public statements and demand that federal law enforcement pul…

Service Employees International Union (2020-07-20). Monday 7/20: Strike for Black Lives SEIU Livestream (online). indybay.org

Jonathan Nack (2020-07-20). Strike for Black Lives targets McDonald's. indybay.org Video of marchers going up Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, CA to the McDonald's restaurant at Telegraph and 45th Street. | July 20, 2020 | Video by Jonathan Nack | Oakland, CA…

sputniknews (2020-07-19). Nailed It! 'Science Guy' Bill Nye 'Just Ended Racism' in Viral Video. sputniknews.com Racism contributes to uncountable conflicts around the globe. Recently, the topic of racism saw a sharp resurgence in the wake of the killing of an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd, by white police officers in the United States in May, sparking a wave of anti-racism and anti-police-brutality protests around the world.

sputniknews (2020-07-19). Portland Mayor Claims Federal Police Exacerbate City's Riots as Trump Vows to Protect Citizens. sputniknews.com The anti-racism protests in Portland began following the death of George Floyd and have at times turned violent, with rioters recently breaking into a police union building and setting it on fire.

RT (2020-07-19). Activists call for Harvard University's Board of Overseers to be renamed due to racist connotations in latest wokeness crusade. rt.com Harvard University is again caught up in controversy over a name that some students and alumni have found to be racially offensive, as an activist group is pressing the Ivy League school to rename its Board of Overseers. | The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard is taking issue with the word "overseers" because it harks back to slavery. The men hired by plantation owners to supervise and violently control slaves were called overseers. | The activist group has been urging individual members of Harvard's second-highest governing body to get rid of the word "overseers" in its name since 2017, and with anti-racism pro…

Juan Cole (2020-07-19). Barriers, Water Cannons, Arrests: Netanyahu Treats Thousands of Israeli Protesters Against His Corruption Like Palestinians. commondreams.org Israeli police spray protesters with water cannons during an anti-government demonstration in Jerusalem on July 18, 2020. (Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Shabbir Manjee (2020-07-19). Black, Indigenous solidarity rally met with violent police force in Chicago. liberationnews.org On July 17, protesters gathered at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago to denounce colonialism and call for the abolishment of the police and the redistribution of funds back to the people of Chicago. The rally, which drew more than 1,500 people, was organized by Chi-Nations Youth Council, Black Lives Matter Chicago, BYP1000 and several other organizations. …

RT (2020-07-19). Trump says he'd get '50 YEARS FOR TREASON' for what Obama & Biden did as he launches full-on attack on his rival. rt.com US President Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh offensive on Joe Biden, suggesting his presidential rival should be punished for "spying" and "treason," and needs to be subjected to a cognitive ability exam. | Trump went on the warpath on Sunday, with Joe Biden the target of his rage. In a scathing tweet, he accused Biden of being "totally controlled" by the "radical left," referring to the leaders of Portland, where Black Lives Matter and Antifa rioters have battered and burned the city's Justice Center for more than 50 days. | The Radical Left Democrats, who totally control Biden, will destroy our Country as…

RT (2020-07-19). 'Do we name Fort Bragg after Rev Al Sharpton?' Trump says he may veto renaming of military bases honoring Confederate generals. rt.com US President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the National Defense Authorization Act over the proposed purge of military base names that honor Confederate figures, telling Fox News, "Yeah, I might." | Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Trump told anchor Chris Wallace that renaming bases wouldn't go down well. "Go to the community, say, 'How do you like the idea of renaming Fort Bragg, and then what are we going to name it?' And 'We're going to name it after the Reverend Al Sharpton'?" he said, referring to the black civil rights activist and minister. | Renaming Confederate-honoring military installations is part…

RT (2020-07-19). Food goes woke: Trader Joe's bends knee after petition demands removal of its 'racist' food brands. rt.com Internet users have expressed bewilderment and amusement over a petition denouncing "racist" Trader Joe brands. The company has already admitted wrongdoing and claims it is in the process of discontinuing its "harmful" packaging. | The Change.org petition calls on the popular grocery chain in the US to remove the labels used for some of its ethnic food, claiming that the "racist" practice "perpetuates harmful stereotypes." | The internet complaint listed "Trader Ming's," which is used to brand the chain's Chinese food, and "Trader José," the label used for Mexican foods, as examples of this purportedly…

Ariel Gold (2020-07-19). The U.S. struggle for justice for Palestine begins a new chapter. zcomm.org The progress and victories of recent years absolutely are a cause for celebration. But it is important to keep in mind that the fight is far from over.

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-19). "Optimism of the Will": Palestinian Freedom is Possible Now. dissidentvoice.org In a recent TV discussion, a respected pro-Palestine journalist declared that if any positive change or transformation ever occurs in the tragic Palestinian saga, it would not happen now, but that it would take a whole new generation to bring about such a paradigm shift. As innocuous as the declaration may have seemed, it troubled …

Fight Back (2020-07-19). Black lives matter victories at University of Texas-Arlington. fightbacknews.org Arlington, TX – July 10, marked the culmination of the Progressive Student Union's call-in campaigns, email-ins, and callouts against Teik C. Lim's administration for not doing enough for Black students at the University of Texas-Arlington. Through both private email and public statements, UTA had conceded to several demands made by PSU in regards to doing specific actions to make "Black lives matter" truly mean something at UTA as opposed to simply being a simple statement made by the administration at the height of the movement calling for justice for George Floyd. | In response to these recent victories, PSU h…

teleSUR (2020-07-19). Portland Mayor Urges Trump to Remove Federal Agents From City. telesurenglish.net Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler urged U.S. President Donald Trump to remove the federal agents used by Washington to suppress the protests of the Black Lives Matter movement in that city in Oregon. | RELATED: | Videos released on social networks show how masked officers corner protesters in unidentified vehicles and arrest them without identifying themselves or explaining the cause of the detention. | "These actions shock everyone. We will no…

Ali Salam (2020-07-19). Israeli Army Detains Palestinian Youths from Ramallah, Jerusalem. imemc.org The Israeli army, at dawn Saturday, stormed al-Jalazoun refugee camp in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and detained three Palestinian teens, the Palestinian Information Center reported. According to Asra Media Office, members of a special Israeli military unit detained three teenagers from their homes in al-Jalazoun camp. The …

Ali Salam (2020-07-19). Israeli Forces Injure Many Palestinians, Including Medic at Peaceful Demonstration Near Nablus. imemc.org Two Palestinian civilians were injured, on Saturday, and many others choked on tear-gas fired by the Israeli forces, at a nonviolent protest in the village of Beita, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. WAFA correspondent stated that Palestinians held a demonstration, south of Nablus City in the northern occupied West Bank, …