Daily Archives: August 12, 2020

2020-08-12: News Headlines

Staff (2020-08-12). What the Nazis Learned from Jim Crow: Author Isabel Wilkerson on the U.S. Racial Caste System. democracynow.org In her extensively researched new book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson argues the United States' racial hierarchy should be thought of as a caste system, similar to that in India. In a wide-ranging interview, she describes how she also looks at the ways Nazi Germany borrowed from U.S. Jim Crow laws. "The Nazis needed no one to teach them how to hate," Wilkerson says. "But what they did was they sent researchers to the United States to study Jim Crow laws here in the United States, to study and to research how the United States had managed to subordinate…

Staff (2020-08-12). As Kamala Harris Makes History as VP Pick, Her "Top Cop" Record Faces New Scrutiny Amid BLM Protests. democracynow.org Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's selection of California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate for the November election makes her the first Black woman and the first Indian American on a major party presidential ticket. "It's hard to overstate how historic, how monumental this is," says Aimee Allison, president of She the People, which works to elevate the political voice and leadership of women of color. But in the midst of the largest protest movement in American history against racist policing, Briahna Joy Gray, the former national press secretary for the Bernie Sanders pres…

Raouf Halaby (2020-08-12). Teaching Palestinian Children to Love Beethoven, Bizet, and Mozart is a Threat to a Depraved Israeli Society. counterpunch.org The subject box of a mid-March email from Jerusalemite Palestinian author and scholar read: "Simply Reflecting." Samia Khoury's 16/March/2020 message was a concise and tellingly prescient homily on the pathetically worsening universal condition of humanity as well as the depraved banality to which Israel's Jewish leaders have descended. The topics included the spread of Covid-19,

Editor (2020-08-12). An anti-racist vote for class unity. workers.org Rashida Tlaib of Detroit made history on Nov. 7, 2018, when she became the first Palestinian American woman elected to Congress. This year, in the weeks leading up to the Michigan Democratic Party primary on Aug. 4, the capitalist media questioned whether she would get a shot at reelection. "Congressperson . . . |

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-12). The Likud Conspiracy: Israel in the Throes of a Major Political Crisis. counterpunch.org Protests against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have raged on for weeks, turning violent sometimes. Israelis are furious at their government's mediocre response to the coronavirus pandemic, especially as COVID-19 disease is experiencing a massive surge throughout the country. Netanyahu warned protesters, thousands of whom have been rallying outside his residence in Jerusalem, against "anarchy

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-12). The Politics of War: What is Israel's Endgame in Lebanon and Syria? mintpressnews.com Israel's strategic interests in the Syria conflict go beyond Netanyahu's need for a cheap victory. The outcome of the Syria war has the potential of yielding a nightmare scenario for Israel.

Fight Back (2020-08-12). Black Lives Matter rally in Waupaca, WI takes the street. fightbacknews.org Waupaca, WI – Nearly 100 people turned out for a Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally in the rural Wisconsin town of Waupaca. This huge turnout for an action in such a small town came in the wake of two earlier events that faced a growing amount of harassment from police and white supremacists. | The violent arrest of activist Matt Banta at a march on August 2 and the subsequent rise in racist threats toward others contributed to the organizing of this larger event. Organizers of previous BLM actions in Waupaca have been targeted by white supremacists, with a mass armed counter-protest allegedly being planned. | Hosted…

John W. Whitehead (2020-08-12). This Is America: Where Fascism, Totalitarianism and Militarism Go Hand in Hand. globalresearch.ca "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government IS the problem."—Ronald Reagan | There's a pattern emerging if you pay close enough attention. | Civil discontent leads to civil unrest, which leads to protests and counterprotests….

Yves Engler (2020-08-12). The Lobby Attacks Left-wing Restaurant. dissidentvoice.org As part of a well-organized, multilayered, Israel nationalist lobby bid to bankrupt a small left-wing restaurant a prominent Toronto interior designer sued Kimberly Hawkins for $800,000. Shai DeLuca is claiming the Foodbenders owner libeled him. The suit was filed by RE-LAW LLP and the US-based Lawfare Project which harasses pro-Palestinian activists. The Lawfare Project, reports …

Scott Ritter (2020-08-12). Russia wants neither 'rethink' nor 'reset' if it means restoring American supremacy & returning to Cold War diplomacy. thealtworld.com Some 136 American "experts" on US-Russian relations recently debated the merits of "rethinking" US policy on Russia. What these specialists failed to consider is that Moscow may not be interested in their plans. | In the span of a week, Politico, a non-partisan global news and information company whose The first, which appeared on August 5, was an "open let…

DEFEND 209 (2020-08-12). Saturday 8/29: #AllOut Against Racist 'Hate-Pride' Anti-LGBT Rally in Modesto. indybay.org 1431 McHenry Ave, Planned Parenthood Parking lot.

_____ (2020-08-12). Remembering Hiroshima And Nagasaki By Shutting Down A Nuclear Base. popularresistance.org At around 6: 45 AM on Monday, demonstrators arrived at the Main Gate and formed a vigil line along the roadway. At around 7: 05 AM, four "peacekeepers" entered the roadway and stopped traffic, while behind them, six demonstrators set themselves and their banners on the roadway. | Three of the demonstrators carried a banner stating, "Hiroshima Nagasaki Never Again!" Two demonstrators held a blue painted banner stating, "No More Genocide in My Name." One demonstrator carried a banner, "Peace Walk Nuclear-Free World, Black Lives Matter."

_____ (2020-08-12). Numerous Assaults Witnessed During Black Lives Matter Protests. popularresistance.org A group of about thirty Black Lives Matter protesters from Gardnerville, Carson City and Lake Tahoe took to the streets of Douglas County today, where they were met with hundreds of heavily armed counter-protesters, some of whom were physically and verbally assaulting the mostly-teenaged protesters. | After Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley issued a public open letter to the Douglas County Library Board stating his opposition to their proposed support of Black Lives Matter, joining numerous library associations across the country, and threatening to not respond to the library's call for assistance anymore, many…

_____ (2020-08-12). Chile's Militarisation of the Araucania Influences Racism Against the Mapuche Population. strategic-culture.org As Chile shifted its attention to the coronavirus pandemic, which brought out the country's widespread social inequalities, the state's aggression towards the Mapuche people went on unhindered. In June, President Sebastian Piñera

The Canary (2020-08-12). Activist's arrest in Portland galvanises Black Lives Matter movement. thecanary.co The arrest during a protest in Portland, Oregon, of a Black woman who became a leading activist in the racial justice movement, has galvanised Black Lives Matter groups. The activist, Demetria Hester, was assaulted by a white supremacist three years ago. | Portland has endured more than two months of often violent, nightly protests since George Floyd's police killing in Minneapolis, including weeks of clashes between protesters and federal agents. The agents were dispatched to the city by US president Donald Trump. | Authorities said they won't be charging Hester, a prominent activist, following her arrest after…

Hamzah Raza (2020-08-11). By clasping hands with Netanyahu, 'top cop' Kamala Harris whitewashes Israel's racism. thegrayzone.com A friendly meeting California senator and self-declared "top cop" Kamala Harris held with Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows…

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,

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.

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 . . . |

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). Louisiana Supreme Court denies review of Fair Wayne Bryant's life sentence for allegedly stealing a pair of hedge clippers. wsws.org This horrific experience demonstrates the true face of justice in America, with one set of rules for the poor and oppressed and another set of rules for the wealthy.

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…

Wingo Smith (2020-08-11). There's No Debate; Southern States Need Congress to Extend CARES Act Unemployment Benefits. splcenter.org

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…

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…

sputniknews (2020-08-11). Fury at Police Violence Reaches Boiling Point in Chicago. sputniknews.com On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Kofi Ademola, an activist and organizer with the Black Lives Matter movement.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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 …

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…

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…