Daily Archives: August 11, 2020

2020-08-11: News Headlines

Fight Back (2020-08-11). Ilhan Omar speaks at Minneapolis celebration of NO BAN Act passage In House. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A small crowd gathered in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on August 10 for a press conference celebrating the passage of the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. | The bill would repeal President Trump's racist travel ban that has prevented immigration from a list of Muslim-majority and African countries. It would also strengthen prohibitions against discrimination on visa applications, permanently barring the executive branch from banning people from entering the United States on the basis of religious affiliation. Approv…

Monica Moorehead (2020-08-11). Student-athletes organize for health, Black Lives Matter, labor rights. workers.org Since March 12, the coronavirus has impacted every sector of U.S. society, not only health but also social life. With all the suffering going on and with no national public health care system in the U.S., different sectors of society are seeking to protect themselves by preventing the spread of . . . |

Paul Street (2020-08-11). Defund Fascism, Blue and Orange. counterpunch.org The American ruling class says it is opposed to "big government." It isn't. The wealthy Few are only against what the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu called "the left hand of the state" — those parts of government that reflect the victories of past and ongoing social movements by serving the common good, regulating Big Business,

A Guest Author (2020-08-11). Cops out of unions! Solidarity with the righteous rebellion! workers.org On July 7 the Boston School Bus Drivers Union, United Steelworkers Local 8751, passed "Resolution in solidarity with the righteous rebellion against racism, police brutality and white supremacy." Included was a demand to "Expel all so-called 'police unions' from the AFL-CIO!" USW Local 8751 Trustee Fred Floreal speaking at Mass . . . |

Staff (2020-08-11). Left-progressive Cori Bush makes her mark—On the neoliberal agenda. therealnews.com Racial justice activist Cori Bush's stunning upset against a Congressional Black Caucus-backed incumbent in Missouri underscores the power of the growing movement against racism and corporate greed.

Richard D. Wolff (2020-08-11). Why Capitalism is in Constant Conflict With Democracy. counterpunch.org The capitalist economic system has always had a big problem with politics in societies with universal suffrage. Anticipating that, most capitalists opposed and long resisted extending suffrage beyond the rich who possessed capital. Only mass pressures from below forced repeated extensions of voting rights until universal suffrage was achieved—at least legally. To this day, capitalists

The Canary (2020-08-11). Stephen Lawrence's parents will never give up hope of getting justice. thecanary.co The parents of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence have said they will never give up hope of getting justice for their son as the investigation into his death was shelved by police.Doreen and Neville Lawrence have campaigned tirelessly since the 18-year-old was murdered by racists in Eltham, south east London in April 1993. | Two of the 18-year-old's killers, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were jailed for murder in 2012, but three remain at large.Two of the three remaining suspects, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, have since served jail time for drug dealing, while Luke Knight has remained free.Gary Dobson and Davi…

South Front (2020-08-11). Video: Chaos in Lebanon, Marked by Start of New Round of Israeli-Iranian Standoff. globalresearch.ca The explosion in the port of Beirut in early August that caused thousands of casualties became a trigger point for the further development of the already existing crisis in Lebanon. | In the following week days after the August 4 explosion, …

WSWS (2020-08-11). US Attorney General Barr gives fascistic tirade against Antifa, Black Lives Matter. wsws.org Barr made a political amalgam connecting the Democratic Party, Black Lives Matter, Antifa and terrorism.

Raul Diego (2020-08-11). US, Israeli Media Scramble to Blame Hezbollah for Deadly Beirut Explosion. mintpressnews.com Pundits in the US and Israel are sounding the trumpets of war and trying to blame Hezbollah for the massive explosion in the port of Beirut. But a closer look at the stories being promulgated turn up the same old propaganda by the usual suspects…

Jordan Green (2020-08-11). Rural Organizing Pays Off. zcomm.org "Organizing in rural spaces with progressive, multiracial solidarity messaging is the future. Either we get there first or white supremacists get there first."

Refuse Fascism Bay Area (2020-08-11). Saturday 9/5: San Francisco: Nationwide Mass Protest to Demand Trump Pence Out Now! indybay.org San Francisco: Rally Embarcadero Plaza, Market St & Steuart St, then March to San Francisco City Hall…

DEFEND 209 (2020-08-11). Saturday 8/29: #AllOut Against Racist 'Hate-Pride' Anti-LGBT Rally in Modesto. indybay.org 1431 McHenry Ave, Planned Parenthood Parking lot.

Judy Greenspan (2020-08-11). Saturday 8/22: Stop the Racist Attacks! Black Incarcerated Lives Matter! indybay.org The event will be held in front of the gates of Soledad State Prison CTF off Highway 101 in Soledad, CA…

Reina Robinson (2020-08-11). BREAKING: Reina Robinson Launches Campaign for Vallejo City Unified School District Trustee. indybay.org Reina Robinson announced her candidacy for the Vallejo City Unified School District's newly created Trustee Area 2 today, along with a major community endorsement from Vallejo Girls Youth Empowerment Group. Her candidacy for VCUSD Trustee Area 2 comes nearly two years after the City of Vallejo was found to be in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

_____ (2020-08-11). 'Dialogue' Called by Añez In Bolivia Failed; New Election Date Set. popularresistance.org After more than five hours of dialogue between the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) and the Bolivian social movements, a consensus was not reached to define a new intermediate date for the general elections, which would bring political and social stability in the country run by an interim government, Xinhua reported. | "There was no agreement and Salvador Romero, president of the TSE, did not accept an intermediate date, our fight is with the Electoral Tribunal," said the executive secretary of the COB, Juan Carlos Huarachi, leaving the meeting. He explained to journalists that…

Howard Lisnoff (2020-08-10). Revolutionaries Living in a System of Growing Fascism. counterpunch.org Watching the documentary The Weather Underground (2002) (see Independent Lens review, PBS) is a painful experience. Included with this award-winning documentary about Vietnam-era revolutionaries is the smaller and separate interview with David Gilbert, who remains imprisoned in New York for his part in the 1981 Brinks robbery in which some of those involved in the robbery killed two policemen

_____ (2020-08-10). The 'Wall of Vets' Continues Long Legacy Of Veteran Activism. popularresistance.org Military veterans have long been resisting war, promoting positive peace, and defending human and civil rights against state violence and other forms of oppression. They have made significant contributions to the antiwar and peace and justice movements over many decades. | Their participation in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is no different. Veterans have been highly visible in supporting the racial justice demands of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The disturbing truth, which a great number of veterans recognize, is that white supremacy, systemic racism and police brutality at…

RT (2020-08-10). Victim of 'systemic racism'? Biden's Ferguson anniversary tweet flops… as his own DOJ justified Michael Brown shooting. rt.com Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden seemingly forgot what was made clear by his own administration when he was vice president under Obama: Evidence shows that Michael Brown was killed while assaulting a police officer. | That was the

Ralph Nader (2020-08-10). Ranking the Infinite Greed, Power and Controls of Giant Corporations. zcomm.org At the end of the day, we are all paying the price of the full measure of the infinite avarice spiraling from these corporate supremacists and their private governments of controls…

WSWS (2020-08-10). US Supreme Court defends deadly jail conditions in California. wsws.org The high court decision denies inmates their right to safety during a deadly pandemic and at the same time shows contempt for the lives of the poor.

Russell Pearce (2020-08-10). Not Just a Bad President, Trump is a "Holmesian Bad Man." Act Accordingly. aclu.org "If you want to know the law, you must look at it as a bad man does, who cares only for the material consequences," wrote legendary Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, "Not as a good one, who finds his reasons for conduct, whether inside the law or outside of it, in the vaguer sanctions of conscience." , , Donald Trump is a Holmesian bad man, and an even worse president, pushing the bounds of corruption and authoritarianism, unbound by norms, the rule of law, a sense of shame, or even care for others. To deal with such a bad man and bad president — one who truckles to adversaries like Russian P…

Ed Rampell (2020-08-10). The Killing that Awakened the City that Never Sleeps. progressive.org A new documentary reflects on the killing of a Black teenager in 1989, drawing parallels to today's Black Lives Matter protests.

Unicorn Riot (2020-08-10). The Caldwells: Father-Son Duo Team Up on a Portion of Historic Minneapolis Mural. unicornriot.ninja Minneapolis, MN — When Kenneth Caldwell got tagged on a Facebook post about participating in making a Black Lives Matter mural in North Minneapolis, he jumped at the opportunity. | The well-known local artist teamed up with his father, Charles Caldwell, another prolific artist, to create…

WSWS (2020-08-10). German government continues to boost military spending and cover for fascists. wsws.org The billion-euro armament projects are aimed at expanding Germany's ability to make war, including the upgrading of the elite KSK force, which is riddled with fascists.

Fight Back (2020-08-10). Tampa Bay SDS wins major victory in their Increase Black Enrollment campaign. fightbacknews.org Tampa Bay SDS wins major victory in their Increase Black Enrollment campaign | By Eithne Silva | Tampa, Fl – On August 4, the president of the University of South Florida (USF) released a statement to the public announcing changes being made to improve Black student life. Some of these changes include demands that Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) brought to USF administration through their Increase Black Enrollment campaign. | In the fall of 2019, after a string of white supremacist activity on campus as well as the lowest proportion of black students at USF in a decade, Tampa Bay SDS launched th…

G2MIL (2020-08-10). Video: The NATO Conquest of Eastern Europe. globalresearch.ca General Dwight Eisenhower was the first NATO supreme allied commander. | After assuming that post in 1951, General Eisenhower wrote about NATO's goal: | "If in 10 years, all American troops stationed in Europe for national defense purposes have not been returned …

Register Peace & Freedom or Green (2020-08-10). Social Security & Medicare Cut to Be Permanent if Nazi Trump Reelected. indybay.org Nazi Trump signed an illegal order on 8/8/20 to cut the payroll tax for Social Security and Medicare and promised on national TV to make it permanent if he is re-elected. This is a long-standing Republican Party program, outlined in their platform as they want to privatize both programs.

Dan Bacher (2020-08-10). Senate Committee Votes Against Bill to Create Health and Safety Setbacks Around Oil Wells. indybay.org "The fact that dozens of Spanish speaking residents who are currently poisoned by the fugitive emissions coming out of oil wells near their homes and schools were denied the opportunity to express their support for AB345 during yesterday's hearing is just another example of the environmental racism that they have endured, being unheard," said Nayamin Martinez, Director of CCEJN and a member of the VISION coalition.

Reina Robinson (2020-08-10). BREAKING: Reina Robinson Launches Campaign for Vallejo City Unified School District Truste. indybay.org Reina Robinson announced her candidacy for the Vallejo City Unified School District's newly created Trustee Area 2 today, along with a major community endorsement from Vallejo Girls Youth Empowerment Group. Her candidacy for VCUSD Trustee Area 2 comes nearly two years after the City of Vallejo was found to be in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

_____ (2020-08-10). Major New Study Calls For A Ban On Facial Recognition In Schools. popularresistance.org A new study from the University of Michigan on the use of facial recognition in schools is recommending that lawmakers and school administrators ban the use of this technology in educational settings. The researchers behind the study write that facial recognition in schools "will likely have five types of implications: exacerbating racism, normalizing surveillance and eroding privacy, narrowing the definition of the 'acceptable' student, commodifying data, and institutionalizing inaccuracy. Because FR is automated, it will extend these effects to more students than any manual system could." | "Using facial recogn…

Staff (2020-08-10). When Things Feel Dire, Remember Real Change Begins at the Grassroots Level. truthout.org Right now feels like a challenging time to be an American fighting for equality, fighting for justice. We have COVID-19, an economic crisis, and the violence against Black Americans and anti-Blackness in the foreground. But we also have people across the nation rising up to say, in the words of Ella Baker, "We who believe in freedom cannot rest." | This is our moment to make sure we do what we can, where we are, with what we have. | We don't have to do it all. There's a saying that goes, "many h…

yenisafak (2020-08-10). Israel says ready for war with Lebanon: Gantz. yenisafak.com Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Monday Israel is ready for a war with Lebanon if such war is imposed on Tel Aviv. | In his briefing to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Gantz warned that such war would have serious consequences on Lebanon. | "While [Hezbollah leader Hasan] Nasrallah is our biggest enemy in the north, he is Lebanon's biggest problem." He said. | Gantz also said that the situation in the Middle East in the past decade was fragile and uncertain, stressing that Israel will continue efforts to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear power, and from operati…

Institute for Middle East Understanding (2020-08-09). Israeli Crimes Against Humanity: Remembering the Sabra and Shatila Massacre. globalresearch.ca First published on September 17, 2012 | The Gaza massacre is part of longstanding process of Israeli crimes against humanity. This article describes one of the worst atrocities in modern Middle Eastern history committed against the people of Palestine. This article …

Yanis Iqbal (2020-08-09). The Attack on Indigenous Rights in Brazil. globalresearch.ca On 5 August, 2020, the Brazilian Supreme Court

Staff (2020-08-09). What Is the US-Mexico Border to Indigenous Peoples Who Have Lived There? truthout.org For Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the U.S.-Mexico border is increasingly a symbol and tool of genocide. When this border was created, Indigenous peoples of the region were divided, including the Yaqui, O'odham, Cocopah, Kumeyaay, Pai, Apache, and Kickapoo. These peoples are represented by 26 sovereign tribal nations in the United States with tribal relatives residing in Mexico. Indigenous peoples tend to understand and talk about the U.S.-Mexico border in different terms from those who under…

reenvia Red Latina sin fronteras (2020-08-09). E$paña: No somos esclavos! indybay.org E$paña: °No somos esclavos! -reclamo antirracista de trabajadorxs agrícolas inmigrantes- | "A los negros aquí nos tratan como mierda"

Gordon Duff (2020-08-09). As Israel's Regime Change War on Hezbollah ramps up, This Devastating Image Haunts. thealtworld.com I'm not an expert on explosives but damn, that looks like a nuke going off. That mushroom cloud…. Infrared, coloriz…

RT (2020-08-09). Israeli parliament to vote on bill that could end Netanyahu's political career. rt.com Israel's parliament will vote on a bill that would ban an indicted prime minister from forming a government. If passed, the law could put an end to the political career of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is charged with fraud and bribery. | "We are submitting the bill that would prevent an indicted person from running for Prime Minister because the current situation can't continue," Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition Yesh Atid-Telem coalition, said. | In November, Netanyahu, who has been in power since 2009, was indicted with fraud, bribery and breach of public trust after he was accused of accepting lavish gift…

The Canary (2020-08-09). BBC finally apologises over use of racist term in news report. thecanary.co BBC director-general Tony Hall has apologised for a news report which contained a racist term.More than 18,000 people complained to the BBC over the broadcast, which saw social affairs correspondent Fiona Lamdin repeat a racial slur allegedly used in a suspected racially-motivated attack in Bristol.After the broadcaster initially defended the report, Hall said in a statement that the BBC "now accepts that we should have taken a different approach at the time of broadcast and we are very sorry for that".Lord Hall said the corporation is 'very sorry' (Ben Stansall/PA)He said the report had caused "distress" to many…

_____ (2020-08-09). Federal Judge Calls On Supreme Court To Overturn 'Qualified Immunity'. popularresistance.org Handing down a ruling to dismiss a civil lawsuit which alleged a police officer violated a Black man's Fourth Amendment rights during a traffic stop in 2013, a federal judge in Mississippi made clear that he sided with the plaintiff—and demanded the U.S. Supreme Court overturn legal precedent that makes it nearly impossible for the judicial system to hold officers accountable for rights violations. | Calling for an end to qualified immunity, which dates back to a 1982 ruling and shields police from civil liability in most cases, U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves turned his ruling into a plea for just…

Pan Africanism Today Secretariat (2020-08-09). The lessons of South Africa's 1956 Women's March resonate to this day. peoplesdispatch.org On August 9, 1956, nearly 20,000 women marched in South Africa against apartheid-era Pass Laws. The struggles they waged and the demands they raised are especially relevant today…

Israel Shahak (2020-08-09). "Greater Israel": The Zionist Plan for the Middle East. globalresearch.ca When viewed in the current context, the war on Iraq, the 2006 war on Lebanon, the 2011 war on Libya, the ongoing wars on Syria and Iraq, the war on Yemen, must be understood in relation to the Zionist Plan for the Middle East…

Shane Quinn (2020-08-09). The Rapid Postwar Increase of America's Nuclear Arsenal. globalresearch.ca Hitler had, as early as June 1942, decided against the development of an atomic bomb — on both racial and pragmatic grounds. By the summer of 1944, Allied intelligence accounts were flowing in that a Nazi atomic bomb was non-existent.

Prabir Purkayastha (2020-08-09). Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the threat of nuclear extinction. peoplesdispatch.org It is difficult to believe that the US view of the justness of its possession of nuclear power, while threatening others, is not underpinned by the belief of many in white supremacy…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-09). West wants to avoid strategic coop. between Iran, East. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 09 (MNA) — In a tweet on Sunday, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani wrote that the west is in favor of avoiding Iran from developing ties with the eastern countries.

Autonomous Anti-Fascists in Marin (2020-08-09). Friday 8/14: F*ck Trump: Anti-Fascist Counter Protest. indybay.org DeLong Avenue Overpass in Novato.

_____ (2020-08-09). National Uprising Exposes Divisions In The Ruling Class… popularresistance.org For weeks on end, the George Floyd protests against racism and police violence shook America. Support for the movement overflowed all demographic boundaries as an estimated 10% of all American adults—some 25 million people—participated in at least one protest. However, although mass gatherings have continued unabated in some cities, in most of the country the torrential river has inevitably receded into its banks as it was deprived of a revolutionary outlet—for now. | The revived BLM movement has been a treasure trove of practical experience for the millions who drove it forward.

RT (2020-08-08). Portland protesters attack another police HQ, throw rocks and fireworks at officers (VIDEOS). rt.com Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland fired rocks and fireworks at police on the 71st night of demonstrations in the city, with some even wearing body armor and shields as they clashed with officers. | On Friday night, demonstrators made their way to the Penumbra Kelly Building in Portland, a headquarters shared by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and Portland Police Bureau. | Portland Police said in a statement on Saturday that they warned the crowd several times that arrests would be made for trespassing, but not all protesters cooperated. Some eventually took to launching rocks and fireworks at the…

RT (2020-08-08). 'Why not a diverse Latino?' Maxine Waters claims Biden 'can't go home without black woman VP,' gets mocked for 'racism'. rt.com Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters was roasted online after saying 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden has no other choice but to pick a black woman as his running mate, suggesting he owed a debt to African American voters. | "We know that we're going to have a black woman as vice president," Waters said in an Let me guarantee you this, based on everything…