Daily Archives: July 15, 2020

2020-07-15: News Headlines

Chris Marion (2020-07-15). 'Palestine is here in New Hampshire'. liberationnews.org "Palestine is a struggle against settler colonialism, apartheid and systemic racism — defining traits of the United States since its inception…"

Edward Hunt (2020-07-15). 'Bias, Racism, and Quiet Discrimination' at the State Department. progressive.org For decades, Black diplomats have been struggling to change the department's racist culture.

news.un (2020-07-15). Independent rights expert says emerging technologies entrenching racism, discrimination. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert is calling for greater scrutiny of emerging digital technologies which she said are being used to uphold racial inequality, discrimination and intolerance.

Miko Peled (2020-07-15). How Two Seemingly Unrelated Events Laid Israel's Racism Problem Bare. mintpressnews.com A viral video showing an Israeli family mocking impoverished Palestinian children and a controversial New York Times editorial by famed Zionist commentator Peter Beinart have exposed the racist underpinning of the so-called Jewish state.

Robert Reich (2020-07-15). Corporate hypocrisy on racism. nationofchange.org Far from being the solution to systemic racism in America, these billionaires and their corporations are actively perpetuating it.

Staff (2020-07-15). Why The Black Environmental Justice Network Is Relaunching. therealnews.com Founded in 1999, the coalition paused its work in 2006. The relaunch aims to bring environmental racism and enforcement of environmental regulation back into focus.

_____ (2020-07-15). Toppling Statues As An Act Of Historical Redemption. popularresistance.org The brutal murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police set off an unprecedented wave of protests. In a highly publicized, graphic execution, Floyd was killed in broad daylight for possession of an alleged counterfeit bill. The ensuing rebellion of global dimensions is undoubtedly fueled by the exposure to uncertainty, stress and anxiety that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated. In the United States and beyond, frustration and anger at unprepared and incompetent governments overlap with the pressures of systemic racism, seen in sheer wealth gaps and repressive state practices. | Across the pond, protests ha…

RT (2020-07-15). ViacomCBS drops Nick Cannon over 'anti-Semitic conspiracies' after he calls whites 'savages' & black people 'the true Hebrews'. rt.com ViacomCBS, which has MTV and Nickelodeon among its assets, has said it's severing its relationship with TV host Nick Cannon, after he was accused of racism and anti-Semitism for a series of bizarre claims in a resurfaced clip. | The multinational media conglomerate accused Cannon — who has been a host for 'Wild 'n Out,' a comedy show broadcast by Viacom's MTV and VH1 for over a decade — of "promoting hateful speech" and "spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories" in a statement on Tuesday, shortly after an episode of his 'Cannon's Class' podcast went viral. | "While we support ongoing education and…

Ali Abunimah (2020-07-15). German anti-Semitism chief must resign, say Jewish and Israeli scholars. zcomm.org As Israel moves towards annexing large parts of the occupied West Bank, the scholars say that "the need for loud international criticism and opposition is only growing," but Klein keeps "chilling the public and political debate in Germany and beyond."

Max Blumenthal (2020-07-15). Did neocon cancel queen Bari Weiss stage her NY Times resignation to fuel her career? thegrayzone.com A closer look at the events surrounding Bari Weiss' resignation suggests she omitted some critical details about her toxic presence…

Max Blumenthal (2020-07-15). Did neocon cancel queen Bari Weiss stage her NYT resignation to fuel her career? thegrayzone.com A closer look at the events surrounding Bari Weiss' resignation suggests she omitted some critical details about her toxic presence…

Staff (2020-07-15). The Left Remakes the World: Amna Akbar on Canceling Rent, Defunding Police & Where We Go from Here. democracynow.org We look at another looming crisis for the American public: mass evictions. More than four months into a pandemic that has left millions unemployed, eviction freezes across the country are ending, even as case numbers rise and states reimpose lockdown measures. As the Cancel the Rent movement inspires rent strikes and protests nationwide, a coalition of labor unions, workers and racial and social justice groups in 25 states plans to stage a mass walkout this Monday called the "Strike for Black Lives." We speak with Amna Akbar, law professor at Ohio State University, who wrote about how to respond to all of this in…

Greg Palast (2020-07-15). ERIC Crow, Jim Crow's liberal twin. nationofchange.org I don't for a minute believe that the Pew Trust is out to wipe away African-American voting rights; just the opposite, they are the quintessential do-gooders. They just don't do any good.

Maureen Skehan (2020-07-15). Boston #SayHerName/Black women lead BLM march. workers.org By M. Skehan and G. Lechat — Over a thousand people took to the streets July Fourth to center Black women's role in the ongoing Black Lives Matter rebellion. Gathering in Boston's Nubian Square, recently stripped of its slaver name, the #SayHerName demonstration and march were organized by the initiative . . . |

M. Skehan and G. Lechat (2020-07-15). Boston #SayHerNameBlack women lead BLM march. workers.org Over a thousand people took to the streets July Fourth to center Black women's role in the ongoing Black Lives Matter rebellion. Gathering in Boston's Nubian Square, recently stripped of its slaver name, the #SayHerName demonstration and march were organized by the initiative of Black women community leaders Daunasia Yancey, . . . |

Denis Doherty, Hannah Middleton (2020-07-15). Australian government ramps up anti-China campaign, spends billions on weaponry. peoplesworld.org SYDNEY—In announcing $270 billion ($189 billion USD) for the military on July 1, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had the task of convincing Australians that the exorbitant spending was necessary. He turned to fear as his chief weapon, evoking the rise of Nazism and World War II and describing…

Amanda Yee (2020-07-15). Five years after Sandra Bland's death, NYC protesters demand justice for Black women. liberationnews.org The current national uprising against racist police terror has pushed Sandra Bland's name back into the public consciousness.

The Canary (2020-07-15). Sculpture of Black protester installed on plinth on Edward Colston statue. thecanary.co A sculpture of a Black woman who took part in a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol has been erected on the plinth where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston used to stand.Artist Marc Quinn created the life-size black resin and steel piece of Jen Reid, from Bristol, after seeing a photograph of her standing on the empty plinth after the Colston statue was toppled.The sculpture, entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid), was erected shortly before 5am on Wednesday by Quinn's team without the knowledge or consent of Bristol City Council.The black resin and steel statue by Marc Quinn is titled A Surge of Power (Jen…

Fight Back (2020-07-15). Elections signal post-socialist Poland's descent into reaction and repression. fightbacknews.org On July 12, Poland completed its second round of elections to decide who will be president and whether the far-right, chauvinistic, racist PiS would have full powers of the Sejm – Poland's equivalent to the House of Representatives. Sadly, despite being incredibly close and potentially contested, the official reports show Andrzej Duda getting 51% of the vote, while his opponent Rafal Trzaskowski achieved 49% of the vote. Duda is the candidate that represented the Prawo I Sprawiedliwosc (in English, the Law and Justice party). His opponent, Trzaskowski, represented the right-centrist party known as the Civil Platf…

Chris Schiavo (2020-07-15). Say Their Names. Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Say Their Names. Black Lives Matter.

Karen Rothmyer (2020-07-15). Where I Live, Hostility Toward Black Lives Matter Is Often Indirect. thenation.com Where I Live, Hostility Toward Black Lives Matter Is Often Indirect…

Rann Miller (2020-07-15). Why Saying Black Lives Matter Isn't Enough. progressive.org White educators who say they support the movement need to show it by helping get rid of cops in schools.

IMEMC News (2020-07-15). Soldiers Demolish A Home In Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli soldiers demolished, on Wednesday morning, an under-construction Palestinian home in Jabal al-Mokabber village, south of occupied East Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses said dozens of soldiers, and police officers, accompanied bulldozers and personnel of the City Council in the occupied city into the village, after surrounding it. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center …

IMEMC News (2020-07-15). Israeli Soldiers Injure Many Detainees In Ofer Prison. imemc.org Israeli soldiers injured, late on Tuesday at night, many Palestinian political prisoners in Ofer prison, which is built on Palestinian lands west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, in addition to forcing one detainee in solitary confinement. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that dozens of soldiers …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-15). Organizations issue joint appeal to UN for urgent action on Israeli killings of Palestinians. peoplesdispatch.org 83 organizations from around the world have demanded the relevant UN authorities to apply pressure on Israel to release the body of Ahmed Erekat, who was killed by Israeli forces on June 23, along with the bodies of 62 other Palestinians which are currently in Israeli custody…

IMEMC Staff (2020-07-15). Israeli Forces Deliver Demolition Orders to Three Palestinians in Jenin. imemc.org Israeli authorities in the northern West Bank district of Jenin, delivered three demolition orders, on Tuesday, to different residents from the Ya'bad town, south-west of Jenin. According to the board-member of the Ya'bad municipality, Samer Abu Bakr, the demolition orders involve stores belonging to Omar Alkilani and Zaid Herzallah, as …

Jennifer Loewenstein (2020-07-15). Forging Greater Israel: Annexation by Any Other Name. counterpunch.org July 1st came and went and Netanyahu made no formal statement regarding annexation. That left many journalists, politicians, activists, and others feeling abandoned to speculation. Declarations of support or opposition went forward accompanied by an air of uncertainty and the frustration of trying to second guess the objectives of those whose actions would determine the

Fight Back (2020-07-15). Leader of National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression talks about mobilizing against police crimes. fightbacknews.org Frank Chapman, a longtime leader in the Black liberation movement and Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, talks about the upsurge against police crimes and the need for community control of the police. | Fight Back!: What are your observations about the rebellions and upsurge in the fight against police crimes? | Frank Chapman: The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression initiated this campaign against police crimes back in 1973 – over 46 years ago. We have never seen an uprising like this, that confirms in the dirt and blood of battle that what w…

Strike for Black Lives (2020-07-15). Monday 7/20: Nationwide Strike for Black Lives. indybay.org Nationwide car caravans, rallies, and protest actions…

_____ (2020-07-15). Trump's Harsh Sanctions Lead To Iran-China Partnership. popularresistance.org China and Iran have drafted a "sweeping economic and security partnership," according to The New York Times. China will get a regular, heavily discounted supply of Iranian oil for the next 25 years, as well as an expanded role in Iranian banking, ports, railways, telecommunications and myriad other projects. Iran and China will also increase their military cooperation. | This "strategic partnership" is the result of Donald Trump's punishing sanctions against Iran. Although it has not yet been formally approved by Iran's Parliament, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, favors the partnership. | Two years…

Staff (2020-07-15). Activists Fight to Cancel Rents as Pandemic Eviction Freezes Come to an End. truthout.org We look at another looming crisis for the American public: mass evictions. More than four months into a pandemic that has left millions unemployed, eviction freezes across the country are ending, even as case numbers rise and states reimpose lockdown measures. As the Cancel the Rent movement inspires rent strikes and protests nationwide, a coalition of labor unions, workers and racial and social justice groups in 25 states plans to stage a mass walkout this Monday called the "Strike for Black Lives.

Labor Video Project (2020-07-14). Healthcare Workers, Covid & Black Lives Matter with Luci Riley NNU CNA Alta Bates Hospital. indybay.org WorkWeek interviews NNU CNA Peralta Bates nurse Luci Riley about the Covid-19 pandemic and the effect on Blacks and other minorities. She discusses the systemic racism in healthcare and the healthcare crisis.

Kevin Zeese (2020-07-14). The Uprising Is Only Beginning: Building Power To Win Our Demands. zcomm.org Photo by Untitled Title/Shutterstock.com The current uprising against police violence and racism is just beginning. It is rapidly shifting public consciousness on issues of policing, violence against Black people and others, and systemic racism. The movement is deepening and becoming broader as well as putting forward solutions and making demands. The confluence of crises

Jeff Cohen (2020-07-14). Let Us Name the System: "Racial Capitalism" zcomm.org It's fascinating to see pundits on CNN, MSNBC and other networks now discussing "systemic racism" after they'd spent months during the Democratic presidential primaries in panicked overdrive propping up "the system."

Lawrence Davidson (2020-07-14). Woodrow Wilson's Racism: the Basis For His Support of Zionism. counterpunch.org Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) was born in Staunton, Virginia, to Christian fundamentalist parents—his father was a Presbyterian minister—who supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. Thus, Wilson grew up and was educated in the segregated American South. This upbringing imbued him with both a literal interpretation of the Bible and a lifelong racist outlook which he

Staff (2020-07-14). Trump's Fox Fave Tucker Carlson Goes Fishing After Lead Writer Resigns over Racist Online Comments. democracynow.org The lead writer for President Trump's favorite Fox News TV show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" — the most popular cable show in history — has resigned for posting disturbing racist and misogynist messages to an online forum under a pseudonym. Now Tucker Carlson says he's going on vacation, and his advertisement blocks "are a wasteland," says Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters, where he documents the relationship between Fox News and the Trump administration.

Freedom Socialist Party (2020-07-14). Sunday 7/19: Activists of Color Speak Out on Systemic Racism in the Era of COVID-19. indybay.org Online. To register: http: //bit.ly/Demand-New-Normal…

RT (2020-07-14). 'Threat to the community'? Detroit student sent to DETENTION CENTER during pandemic for not doing her homework. rt.com A Michigan teenager was incarcerated during the Covid-19 outbreak for breaching probation, despite the governor's moratorium on locking up youthful violators who weren't "threats to the community." Her crime? Not doing homework. | A 15-year-old black girl has spent over a month in the Children's Village juvenile detention facility outside Detroit, after being deemed a "threat to the community" by Oakland County Family Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan for merely failing to do her homework while attending high school remotely during the pandemic. Shot through with hints of racism and discrimination against a child…

RT (2020-07-14). 'He's gone full black supremacist': Nick Cannon blasted for saying white people are a 'little less' and 'closer to animals'. rt.com TV host Nick Cannon is facing accusations of antisemitism and racism following a bizarre and now-viral interview in which he claims white people are "a little less" and black people are who Jewish people "want to be." | During the discussion with former Public Enemy member Richard Griffin (who left the group after saying the "Jews are wicked" in a 1989 interview), Cannon, who hosts the 'Masked Singer,' claimed it is impossible for him to be antisemitic. | "It's never hate speech, you can't be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people," he said. "When we are the same people who they want to be. That's our bir…

Jeremy Brecher (2020-07-14). Black Lives and the Green New Deal. zcomm.org Photo by Amani A/Shutterstock.com We are in the midst of the largest mass uprising in half a century. It is a response to the killing of an unarmed Black man named George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. But it challenges a pattern of Black oppression that goes far beyond one cop killing one

_____ (2020-07-14). Truth And Justice: Green's Trailblazing World Peace Platform. popularresistance.org The Green Party believes that economic development is only environmentally sustainable globally when it's rooted democratically in social and economic justice. As a superpower, our government's domestic militarism is tied to international militarism. Thus, our foreign policy of attacking, through overt and covert warfare, the sovereignty of nation-states to acquire their natural, financial, and human resources to maintain geopolitical supremacy must end if we are to protect ourselves and the people of the world against the corporate hijacking of our foreign policy. Our interests are best served in respecting inte…

Eds. (2020-07-14). The parlous state of poverty eradication. mronline.org The world is at an existential crossroads involving a pandemic, a deep economic recession, devastating climate change, extreme inequality, and an uprising against racist policies. Running through all of these challenges is the longstanding neglect of extreme poverty by many governments, economists, and human rights advocates.

Sue Davis (2020-07-14). Supreme Court rules for religious right, against health care. workers.org After signing three progressive decisions in June, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts revealed his true conservative stripes July 8. Not only did he sign one ruling supporting so-called "religious rights," he signed two. Reproductive justice activists protest outside SCOTUS to uphold access to contraception. March 23. The one potentially . . . |

RT (2020-07-14). Armenia says it shot down Azerbaijani drone as fierce border clashes continue into third day (VIDEO). rt.com The Armenian military has claimed it downed an advanced Azerbaijani drone amid ongoing border clashes. The flare-up has already led to casualties on both sides, with the South Caucasus neighbors blaming each other for the spat. | "Armenian air defense units hit a drone of the Azerbaijani armed forces, which is used as a fire control system," Armenia's Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said on Tuesday, sharing footage of the incident on Facebook. | The drone is said to be an Israeli-made Elbit Hermes 900, a medium-sized multirole UAV. Azerbaijan is believed to have as many as 15 such machines in…

RT (2020-07-14). 'We should be allowed to say what we want': Idris Elba blasts censorship of movies & TV over offensive material. rt.com 'Luther' star Idris Elba has pushed back against moves to censor past movies and television shows, saying he believes in "freedom of speech" and is against censorship to protect audiences. | "The thing about freedom of speech is that it's not suitable for everybody," Elba told "To mock the truth, you have to know the truth. But to censor racist themes within a show, to…

RT (2020-07-14). US carries out first federal execution for 17 years, after Supreme Court clears path for lethal injection. rt.com Daniel Lewis Lee, a convicted murderer, has been put to death by lethal injection at an Indiana penitentiary. It was the first federal execution in the US since 2003, marking a major policy change regarding the death penalty. | Lee was executed in Terre Haute for killing a family of three in 1996. The 47-year-old was one of four death row inmates scheduled for execution by the US Department of Justice. His life was expected to end on Monday, but a last-minute ruling by a federal judge in Washington delayed the procedure. The Supreme Court overturned it in a split 5-4 decision on Tuesday. | Also on rt.com…

Mary Miller, Ariel Gold (2020-07-14). The U.S. Struggle for Justice for Palestine Begins a New Chapter. commondreams.org Public opinion toward Israel and Palestine is shifting. (Photo: Stop the War UK) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

yenisafak (2020-07-14). Pandemic kills more people in Palestine, Kuwait. yenisafak.com In Kuwait, the Health Ministry recorded three more deaths and 666 cases over the past 24 hours. | Tuesday's tally brings the total infections to 56,174, including 396 deaths, and 46,161 recoveries.Since originating in China last December, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed almost 573,000 lives in 188 countries and regions. | Nearly 13.1 million cases have been reported worldwide, while over 7.3 million patients have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University. | *Writing by Mahmoud Barakat…

Philip Giraldi (2020-07-14). Israeli Proxies Profit from U.S. Coronavirus Funding. thealtworld.com Half a billion dollars goes to companies and foundations | Washington D.C. is surely one of the most corrupt places on earth. Money talks and nearly everyone into the game sometimes referred to as politics has his or her hand out and expects to end up a millionaire. Given that, it should surprise no one to learn that a large chunk of the CARES Business Assistance Program's trillions of dollars recently doled out for coronavirus relief, sold to the public as intended to help small businesses survive, has instead gone to those who are politically connected through lobbyists and other special interests. | A recent <...

Matt Sedlar (2020-07-14). Trump's Tax Returns Remain Hidden. Blame Richard Neal. cepr.net The American Prospect See article on original site Don't let the headlines fool you. The Supreme Court's decision last Thursday in Trump v. Mazars doesn't deserve much celebration. Although the Court upheld Congress's right to investigate the president as a general matter, it placed new restrictions on that power and punted on the specific question …