Daily Archives: August 15, 2020

2020-08-15: News Headlines

Ted Kelly (2020-08-15). Palestinian Liberation Movement marks global day of action. workers.org The Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network called for global Days of Resistance from Aug. 7 through 9 to protest the ongoing conquest of Palestinian land by Israeli occupation forces. In a statement announcing the action, the organization said, "Today, the program of Israeli annexation continues to threaten Palestinians in the . . . |

RT (2020-08-15). 'Come on, don't do this': Yahoo slammed for shoddy story accusing RUSSIA of antifa.com prank of Joe Biden. rt.com The latest chapter in the conspiracy theory blaming Russia for 'meddling' in US elections accuses Moscow of somehow redirecting the website Antifa.com to Joe Biden's website, thanks to some major internet illiteracy at work. | On Wednesday, Republican activist Matthew Foldi pointed out that typing Antifa.com in one's browser redirected to Biden's campaign page, just as the Democrat candidate and his freshly chosen running mate Kamala Harris were about to do their first joint public appearance. | | üö®&uuml…

yenisafak (2020-08-15). UAE, Israel deal against democracy in Arab world: Experts. yenisafak.com The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel made a deal earlier this week to forestall Tel Aviv's controversial plans to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank and start a new era of normalization.Although the deal was supported by the West and regional countries namely, Egypt, Oman and Bahrain, the agreement sparked uproar in Palestine and on Arab streets.The Emirates became the third Arab country to recognize Israel after Jordan and Egypt, in a move touted as doing the Palestinians a favor.Palestinian groups, however, denounced the agreement, saying it does nothing to serve the Palestinian cause and ignore…

Gary Olson (2020-08-15). White Allies For Black Lives Matter. dissidentvoice.org We're now emerging from an intense period of racial justice protests that began after the killing of George Floyd. It was exhilarating and pride-inspiring to witness the multitudes in the Lehigh Valley (Pa) who "took it to the streets" on behalf of racial equality, especially the waves of Black and white young people. According to …

Karen Conner (2020-08-15). The Same Racist Rhetoric Used To Oppose D.C. Statehood Keeps The Federal Government Dysfunctional. cepr.net Talking Points Memo See article on original site The House's passage of legislation approving D.C. statehood in late June marked a milestone in the political struggle for full enfranchisement of the district, which, until recently, was a majority African-American city, and would become America's most predominantly African-American state. The bill, passed largely along party lines, …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-15). UAE-Israel agreement, clear violation of Palestinians' rights. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 15 (MNA) — The Secretariat of Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution in a statement on Sat. condemned the infamous Emirati-Zionist agreement to normalize relations, calling it a clear example of historic loss for the Emirati government.

Powell's Books & City Lights Books (2020-08-15). Saturday 8/22: "No Fascist USA!": A New Book Talk w/ Authors Hilary Moore & James Tracy. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

The Canary (2020-08-15). Transport union marks anniversary of overturning racist recruitment policy at Euston station. thecanary.co Union leaders have praised the "brave actions" of a railway worker who overturned a racist recruitment policy in the 1960s. | The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) marked the 54th anniversary of the breaking of the 'colour bar' at London's Euston station by pledging to continue its campaign against racism. | Asquith Xavier‚Äé: | On 15 August 1966, the colour bar at Euston station was defeated when West Indian guard Asquith Xavier was allowed to start work after initially being refused a job. | British Railways had announced, after negotiations with local leaders of the National Un…

yenisafak (2020-08-15). 'Israel-UAE deal null and void for Turkey'. yenisafak.com Turkey again lambasted on Friday a recent deal between the UAE and Israel to normalize ties between the two countries, saying the agreement is null and void for Turkey."This step, which ignores the rights of Palestinians, has already been condemned in the conscience of the peoples of the region, especially the Palestinians," Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter.Altun stressed that the agreement had clearly shown "those who are behind the wave of instability that took the region for a long time," as well as those who had been "using the Palestinian people's righteous cause for their own interes…

yenisafak (2020-08-15). Iran, Hamas discuss UAE-Israel normalization deal. yenisafak.com Iran's foreign minister and the political head of Hamas discussed on Friday a recent deal between the UAE and Israel to normalize relations.In a phone call, Iran's Jawad Zarif said Tehran stood by Palestinians and that the agreement was unacceptable, according to a statement by Hamas."We're confident that the heroic Palestinian people, Arab and Muslim worlds are strong enough to foil this agreement," Zarif said. Ismail Haniyeh, for his part, thanked Iran for defending Palestinians' rights."Palestinian people stand up for their cause and resistance," Haniyeh stressed.The deal to normalize UAE-Israeli ties was anno…

yenisafak (2020-08-15). EU calls Israel to abandon West Bank annexation plans. yenisafak.com Welcoming a controversial deal between Israel and the UAE to normalize relations, the EU on Friday called for Tel Aviv to abandon plans to annex areas of the West Bank."I welcome Israel-UAE normalisation; benefits both is important for regional stability," said Josep Borrell on Twitter.Stressing that suspending the annexation was a positive step, he called Israel to abandon the plans altogether."The EU hopes for resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on 2-state solution based on intl' agreed parameters," he added.- Israel-UAE dealThe deal to normalize UAE-Israel ties was announced by US President Donald Trump o…

yenisafak (2020-08-15). UAE, Israel deal not surprising, but shameful. yenisafak.com The announcement of an agreement to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Israeli occupation state was not surprising, but it was rude in terms of form and timing.Everyone who follows news of normalization in recent years notices it is no secret the Gulf, especially the Emiratis, is persistent and stubborn to break all taboos, which Arabs believed in for decades, in their relationship to the Palestinian cause. The most important of which is that it is impossible to normalize relations with the occupation state before a just solution to the Palestinian issue is achieved. This is the es…

Ben Norton (2020-08-14). Venezuelan Guaidó coup regime pledges to restore relations with Israel, decade after Hugo Chávez broke ties. thegrayzone.com The US-backed Venezuelan coup regime of Juan Guaidó is reestablishing ties with Israel and has opened a "virtual embassy" in…

Staff (2020-08-14). Headlines for August 14, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Records 1,000+ Daily Coronavirus Deaths Again as 2,000+ Quarantined at Schools, Georgia Governor Drops Lawsuit over Atlanta Mask Mandate, CDC Director Warns U.S. Risks Worst Fall in Public Health History, Senate Adjourns Without Deal on New Coronavirus Aid as Millions Face Hunger and Eviction, Coronavirus Cases Surge in India, Peru, Spain, France and Elsewhere, Israel to Normalize Relations with United Arab Emirates Despite Palestinian Protest, Unexploded Missile Found at U.N.-Run School as Israel Attacks Gaza Strip, Trump Admits He's Undermining the U.S. Postal Service to Thwart Mail-in Voting, USPS Confirm…

Medea Benjamin and Ariel Gold (2020-08-14). Don't be Hoodwinked by Trump's UAE-Israel "Peace Deal" dissidentvoice.org "HUGE breakthrough today," crowed Donald Trump on twitter as he announced the new peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The deal makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state and the third Arab nation, after Egypt and Jordan, to have diplomatic ties with Israel. But the new Israel-UAE partnership should fool …

Paul Street (2020-08-14). Whispers in the Asylum (Seven Days in August). counterpunch.org Hollow Resistance: The Antidote to Obama Nostalgia Syndrome The deadly ObamaLust Virus is ironically intensified by the fascist Amerikaner presidency the corporate-imperial Barack Obama helped hatch and empower. Here is an antidote that has passed with flying colors through all the testing trials: Paul Street, Hollow Resistance: Obama, Trump, and the Politics of Appeasement, now

Joyce Chediac (2020-08-14). Disaster in Lebanon seen as 'opportunity' by U.S. & Israel. liberationnews.org What the people of Lebanon need now is solidarity and an immediate and massive aid effort, proportionate to the damage done, and given to all without political strings.

Staff (2020-08-14). Supreme Court ruling prevents 1.4 million from voting in Florida. therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks with an attorney about what the impact of this ruling will be in one of the most contentious presidential elections in history.

Anand Naidoo (2020-08-14). The Heat: UAE-Israel agree to normalize relations. america.cgtn.com The UAE and Israel announce an historic peace deal establishing diplomatic relations after more than four decades.

RT (2020-08-14). Megachurch sues California, challenging state over ban on large religious services while allowing massive protests. rt.com A California church has sued the state, arguing it was hypocritical to restrict religious services because of the Covid-19 pandemic while allowing political gatherings, such as Black Lives Matters protests, to rumble on. | Grace Community Church in suburban Los Angeles filed the suit on Thursday, saying Governor Gavin Newsom and other state and city officials have violated California's constitution by applying pandemic regulations unequally. | "It is time for California to explain how it can justify banning worship to prevent the spread of a disease (with an overall mortality rate of 0.02 percent) while it is…

RT (2020-08-14). The Irony: MSNBC's Donny Deutsch repents for saying 'yellow man'…in the middle of rant calling Trump supporters racist. rt.com While branding one third of Americans "racists" for supporting Donald Trump, MSNBC host Donny Deutsch used the term "yellow." Deutsch later apologized for the racial slur, but not to the millions he accused of racism, however. | Liberal author Deutsch made his apology on Friday not long after using the term "yellow man," typically used by racists to refer to Chinese people, on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' | "Earlier, I was very passionate. I was talking about racism in this country, about how that's the only reason I can at this point believe people vote for Donald Trump," he said. "I was saying white people are afr…

RT (2020-08-14). Australian paper invokes wrath of woke Twitter by quoting Biden's own words in allegedly 'racist' cartoon about him and Harris. rt.com The Australian is under fire for publishing an allegedly racist cartoon that depicts US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden referring to his running mate Kamala Harris as "this little brown girl." | The cartoon by artist Johannes Leak was published in Rupert Murdoch's The Australian newspaper earlier this week, in an apparent attempt to deride the US Democratic party for perceived tokenism and racially motivated pandering, according to the paper's editor-in-chief, Christopher Dore. | Here's your little reminder of how ludicrously racist Australian commercial media are. This is in the country's only nat…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-14). The Politics of War: What is Israel's Endgame in Lebanon and Syria? counterpunch.org On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an ominous warning to Lebanon. "We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers. I suggest to all of them, including Hezbollah, to consider this," Netanyahu said during an official tour of a military facility

yenisafak (2020-08-14). Turkey may suspend ties with UAE, withdraw ambassasdor. yenisafak.com After the United Arab Emirates' controversial deal to normalize ties with Israel, Turkey may downgrade its relations with the UAE, Turkey's president has said."We may take steps to suspend diplomatic ties with the UAE or withdraw our ambassador," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul after Friday prayers.On Israel, Erdogan called its recent solidarity with Egypt and Greece and steps towards Palestine unacceptable.In signing a maritime pact last week, Athens and Cairo continued efforts to box in Ankara's territory in the Mediterranean based on small islands near Turkish shores, violating the interests of…

_____ (2020-08-14). When Impossible Becomes Inevitable: The Fall Of 'Petty Racism'. popularresistance.org The removal of Confederate statues around Richmond, Va., had a personal resonance for me, a Richmond native who once lived around the corner from the Robert E. Lee monument — the only one of the five monuments to rebel figures still (as I write this) standing on Monument Avenue. I used to go jogging on the avenue's median starting at Lee, veering around Jefferson Davis and turning to retrace my steps as I approached Stonewall Jackson. As Leon Trotsky said, "revolution is impossible until it's inevitable." He spoke from experience; the socialist revolution he sought seemed stuck in neutral until the events o…

teleSUR (2020-08-14). Chile: Mapuche Leader on Hunger Strike Will Stop Drinking Water. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the Mapuche's spiritual advisor (machi) Celestino Cordova, who has been on a hunger strike for 103 days, announced that he will stop drinking water in rejection of the violation of his rights. | RELATED: | Cristina Romo, his spokeswoman, released the decision shortly after the Supreme Court rejected Cordova's request to serve part of his sentence at home. | "The Sebastian Piñera administration will have…

yenisafak (2020-08-14). USPS warns Pennsylvania over delivery of mail ballots. yenisafak.com The US Postal Service (USPS) has warned battleground state Pennsylvania that its election deadlines are "too tight" for its standards and might cause delays in delivery of mail-in ballots, according to a report.USPS' letter dated July 29 made public late Thursday as a motion filed to the state's Supreme Court in which officials are asking approval to continue counting mail ballots received up to three days after Nov. 3, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.Thomas J. Marshall, general counsel and executive vice president of the USPS, warned in the letter that "certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in bal…

commondreams (2020-08-14). North Carolina Supreme Court Reinstates Life Sentence for Marcus Robinson. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Fight Back (2020-08-14). New Orleans trans community wins $256 name change fee decrease. fightbacknews.org New Orleans, LA – On August 13, the Real Name Campaign NOLA celebrated a $256 filing fee reduction for name changes. The Orleans Parish Civil District Court dropped the fee from an outrageous $506 to $250 after a year of community pressure. | This marks an important victory for trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people in New Orleans. Incorrect names on IDs out TGNC people, exposing them to discrimination in employment, healthcare, housing and many other aspects of life. | Naming yourself is a fundamental right, so the courts deny our humanity by denying our names. | But trans communities are beautiful, resi…

WSWS (2020-08-14). Fascistic candidate wins Republican congressional nomination in Georgia. wsws.org Marjorie Taylor Greene, a multi-millionaire businesswoman and supporter of the QAnon conspiracy, will likely enter Congress from the heavily Republican 14th District of Georgia.

news.un (2020-08-14). UN chief welcomes Israel-UAE agreement. news.un.org The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed a joint statement by the leaders of the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which suspends Israeli annexation plans over parts of the occupied West Bank, something the UN has consistently called for.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-14). Palestinians condemn Israel-UAE deal as betrayal. peoplesdispatch.org The United Arab Emirates and Israel signed an agreement to normalize relations. The agreement was mediated by the United States and makes UAE the first Gulf country to normalize ties with Israel…

teleSUR (2020-08-14). Iran Condemns UAE-Israel Deal And Calls It Strategic Stupidity. telesurenglish.net Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry Friday strongly attacked the agreement signed by Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and called it a "strategic stupidity." | RELATED: | Tehran called the deal an act of "strategic stupidity from Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv which will undoubtedly strengthen the resistance axis in the region." | The Ministry also warned the UAE government and the other signing parts that they "must accept…

Scott Ritter (2020-08-14). Trump doesn't even need Israel-UAE peace deal to actually succeed — just keep it viable till election to mark up as a victory. thealtworld.com Trump announced that the US, Israel and the UAE have agreed to a plan that would trade …

CJPME (2020-08-14). Israel-UAE Agreement Does Not End Threat of Israeli Annexation. globalresearch.ca In light of today's normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that the threat of Israeli annexation remains as urgent as ever. A widely reported statement published …

WSWS (2020-08-14). German court and state prosecutor ignore evidence of far-right terrorist network in Làºbcke trial. wsws.org The long preparation time for the murder of Làºbcke and the close connections of the defendants to the violent neo-Nazi scene strongly suggest that there were other confidants or accomplices.

Richard Sanders (2020-08-14). Watching the Watchers: Canadian War Technologies in the Surveillance of US Anti-Racism Protests. globalresearch.ca As Canadians look back over the 75 years since the mass murders in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we should reflect on how this country has long punched above its weight when fighting to serve and protect imperialism. This is perhaps especially …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-14). Trump already milked PG states to serve his Israeli friend BB. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (MNA) — Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah Secretary-General, said that US President Donald Trump has already milked some of the Persian Gulf states to serve his Israeli friend Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-14). Yemen condemns UAE's 'betrayal'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (MNA) — Yemen's Supreme Political Council has strongly slammed as 'betrayal' the UAE's decision to normalize ties with the occupying Zionist regime.

_____ (2020-08-14). Minneapolis Reneging On George Floyd Promises. popularresistance.org At the height of the Minneapolis rebellion, a majority of the city council announced they would move towards "disbanding" their police force, in response to Black Lives Matter "abolition" demands. It turned out that what the councilpersons were actually proposing was a name change, retaining a force of armed cops in a new "Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention" with a "holistic, public health-oriented" mission. But even this palliative was too much for the Minneapolis Charter Commission, which voted to delay putting the police reorganization question on the November ballot, effectively killing th…

_____ (2020-08-14). Palestinians Reject 'Cheap Publicity Stunt' By Israel And The UAE. popularresistance.org Reactions to the disputed deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which is aimed at normalising relations between the two nations, from Palestinians abroad and the occupied Palestinian Territories has been scathing. | "May you never experience the agony of having your country stolen," said Dr Hanan Ashrawi member of the PLO Executive Committee. | She was responding to the triumphant announcement made by the UAE's de facto absolute monarch, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ), that his country had reached an agreement to halt "further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories."

sputniknews (2020-08-14). UAE-Israel Deal: How Breakthrough Agreement Could Help Keep Netanyahu in Power. sputniknews.com While the deal between Israel and the UAE has received mixed reaction, with Palestinians recalling their ambassador and Turkey threatening to follow suit, experts say that it is only a matter of time until more countries join the chorus for peace.

The Canary (2020-08-14). Iran brands UAE-Israel deal a stab in the back to 'all Muslims'. thecanary.co Iran has strongly condemned a historic deal establishing full diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. It's called the move a stab in the back to all Muslims. | A statement from the country's foreign ministry, reported by state TV on Friday 14 August, called the normalising of ties between the two countries a dangerous, "shameful" measure. Moreover, It warned the UAE against Israel interfering in the "political equations" of the Persian Gulf region. The statement said: The UAE government and other accompanying governments must accept responsibility for all the consequences of this ac…

Staff (2020-08-14). Expert: Israel and UAE Deal Is Being Falsely Characterized as a Peace Deal. truthout.org In a deal brokered by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to fully normalize relations after years of secretly working together on countering Iran and other issues. Under the deal, Israel has also agreed to temporarily halt plans to annex occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, which had already been on hold due to international condemnation. We speak with Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, who says the…

Staff (2020-08-14). Trump's New Racist Campaign Strategy Is Tweeting Mugshots of Black People. truthout.org Donald Trump's campaign has been tweeting mugshots of Black people out on bail in an effort to instill fear in voters about a future Joe Biden presidency. | The "Donovan Boone is a vi…

Fight Back (2020-08-14). Centro CSO Condemns LAPD S.W.AT. Swarming BLM Leader's Home. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO). | The morning of August 12, 2020 the private residence of Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles co-founder Dr. Melina Abdullah was swarmed by an LAPD SWAT team. With their semi-automatic rifles pointed at her home, the team stood surrounding her home in tactical gear. | "We looked out the front window, and two officers stood and put their assault rifles and pointed them directly at us," Abdullah said at a Cal State L.A. press conference. "And I realized they came for me. And they called out my addre…

yenisafak (2020-08-14). Muslim scholars slam UAE-Israel deal as 'high treason'. yenisafak.com The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) deal to normalize ties with Israel is tantamount to "high treason," a leading group of Muslim scholars said on Friday.In a statement, the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) urged the Muslim world to take a "decisive position against such concessions … and to exert efforts to preserve the full rights of the Palestinian people." | The group also rejected UAE's claim that the deal will halt Israel's annexation of more Palestinian territory, citing the Israeli premier's comments that he "achieved this agreement and others without any concession." | The deal to normalize U…

yenisafak (2020-08-14). Erdogan: Turkey may suspend ties with UAE over Israel deal. yenisafak.com President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its accord to normalise ties with Israel.Erdogan was speaking to reporters in Istanbul after the Turkish Foreign Ministry said history will never forgive the "hypocritical behaviour" of the UAE in agreeing such a deal.

yenisafak (2020-08-14). 'Turkey will respond to any harassment in Eastern Med'. yenisafak.com Turkey will respond to any Greek harassment of its energy exploration ship Oruc Reis in the Eastern Mediterranean, the country's foreign minister warned Friday."Greece should avoid maximalist policies in the region," Mevlàºt àáavu≈üoƒülu told a joint press conference with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis in Bern.The warning came on the same day as an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting by video link at Athens' request on the Eastern Mediterranean issue.On France declaring it would boost its military presence in the region,àáavu≈üoƒülu said: "France s…

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-08-14). To Halt Fascist March With Progressive Power, Sanders and Omar to Host 'United Against Trump' Town Hall at DNC Convention. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…