Daily Archives: August 20, 2020

2020-08-20: News Headlines

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-20). The Assassination of Yasser Arafat was Ordered by The Israeli Cabinet: "We will Choose the Right Way and the Right Time to Kill Arafat." globalresearch.ca First published on November 19, 2013. | Author's Note | Who killed Hariri, Who killed Arafat? | According to the August 18, 2020 verdict by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in The Hague Salim Ayyash was found guilty of killing Prime Minister …

Staff (2020-08-20). Before Kamala Harris, There Was Charlotta Bass: Remembering 1st Black Woman to Run for VP in 1952. democracynow.org Senator Kamala Harris is the first Indian American and first Black woman to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket, but, as many historians have noted, Harris is not the first Black woman to run for vice president. That distinction belongs to the journalist and political activist Charlotta Bass, who was the editor of The California Eagle for nearly 30 years, one of the country's oldest Black newspapers, which covered women's suffrage, police brutality, the Klu Klux Klan, and discriminatory hiring and housing practices. Bass joined the Progressive Party ticket in 1952 on an antiracist platform tha…

Prof. Juan Cole (2020-08-20). In Further War Crime, Israelis Cut Electricity to Gaza, Idling 50,000 Factory Workers. globalresearch.ca The government of far right Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu cut off fuel for the sole power plant in the Gaza Strip, a small Palestinian territory surrounded on three sides by and blockaded by Israel. As a result, on Monday …

_____ (2020-08-20). Global South Calls For Sanctions On Apartheid Israel. popularresistance.org Israel's decades-old regime of apartheid and theft of Palestinian land is continuing unabated. Reports that Israel is "suspending" formal annexation are a smokescreen for continued colonisation and piecemeal ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians. | Around the world, advocates for justice are pushing back.The Global South response, initiated by South African civil society, brings together notable figures, intellectuals, policy makers, civil society leaders and experts from Africa, Latin America and Asia, in a joint effort to promote lawful sanctions on Israel to end its decades-old oppression of the Palestin…

RT (2020-08-20). Red line? Biden rejects DNC guest Linda Sarsour's endorsement over her 'anti-Semitism' & BDS support. rt.com Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden hasn't encountered many far-left policies he won't embrace — from free healthcare for illegal aliens to free college — but he found one leftist supporter he won't abide: Linda Sarsour. | Sarsour, a Muslim activist and co-founder of the Women's March, endorsed Biden last week and spoke on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention's "Muslim Delegates and Allies Assembly." Biden responded by denouncing her. | "Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism his entire life, and he obviously condemns [Sarsour's] view…

Samia Nasir Khoury (2020-08-20). Woe to the Powerless! Once Again Palestinians Are Paying the Price. counterpunch.org During this century, 2020 seems like a year we would like to remove from our memory. With life being toppled upside down for everybody all over the world due to the Corona Pandemic, forces of evil still find a way to strike again and again We hardly got over the shock of the explosion in

Mark Gruenberg (2020-08-20). Harris targets Trump the predator, denounces structural racism. peoplesworld.org WILMINGTON, Del.—Several big Democratic figures graced television screens for the party's virtual national convention on Wednesday night, but the finale was left to Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. The history-making first Black woman ever on a major-party ticket, Harris used her acceptance of the party's 2020 vice-presidential nomination to introduce her personal story and tie it …

Liberation Atlanta Staff (2020-08-20). Racists outnumbered at Stone Mountain. liberationnews.org This summer of mass protests against police brutality and the brutality of this capitalist system more broadly has stirred up a predictable reaction from the far-right, leading several of Georgia's most notorious racists to plan an Aug. 15 march up Stone Mountain, about 30 minutes east of Atlanta, to prove the vitality of the racist …

A Guest Author (2020-08-20). Prisoners' lives matter! 'Inmates cannot social distance'. workers.org Makinni Iyapo By Makini Iyapo This edited talk was given at an Aug. 13 Workers World Party webinar, "From Black August to Black Lives Matter," hosted by the WWP Prisoners Solidarity Committee. I am so honored to be here, in the company of people of like minds. I feel rejuvenated . . . |

Philip Giraldi (2020-08-20). It's Not Happening: The Mainstream Media Is the Enabler of American Dysfunction. thealtworld.com If journalists were actually getting out on the streets, they would discover that people are really worried about the future of the country. | Has anyone seen anywhere in the mainstream media a serious discussion of Israel's possible role in the Beirut bombing? I am not suggested an evidence-free indictment of Israel but rather just a review of Israel's possible motive and a consideration of its capability to carry out such an attack without having to directly do it itself with one of its bombs or missiles. Given the Jewish state's unrelenting hostility towards Hezbollah and its repeated violations of Lebanese te…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-20). Zambian Socialist Party Secretary General Cosmas Musumali released from detention. peoplesdispatch.org Musumali was arrested along with nearly 30 other party workers while conducting a meeting. With the parliamentary elections only a month away, the ruling Patriotic Front has been cracking down on mobilizations and meetings by the opposition…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-20). The Hariri Assassination: Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Verdict. Fake Justice on Behalf of Israel. globalresearch.ca In May 2007, Security Council Resolution 1757 established the STL "on the outskirts of the Hague." | Ten SC members voted "yes," none "no," Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia, and Qatar abstaining. | Five judges were involved in proceedings, Judge David Re…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-20). Trump Regime Unilaterally and Illegally Imposing Snapback Sanctions on Iran. globalresearch.ca Unanimously adopted Security Council Resolution 2231 that affirmed the JCPOA nuclear deal eliminated UN sanctions on Iran. | Its provisions and the P5+1 approved nuclear agreement are binding international and US constitutional law under the Supremacy Clause — Article VI, Clause …

Manal Tamimi (2020-08-20). A bullet lodged next to my son's heart. zcomm.org I have lived my entire life under Israeli occupation. Generations of my family have fought against Israel's violent apartheid…

Fight Back (2020-08-20). Green Bay police videos prompt march for Black lives. fightbacknews.org Green Bay, WI – On August 14, more than 30 community members gathered at Brown County Courthouse to protest the recent 'public service' videos put out by the Green Bay Police Department. The third video, titled "Hands Up, Don't Shoot," is particularly offensive. The videos are meant to portray change, while no actual change takes place, and a murderer, Officer Erik O'Brien, remains employed. | In fact, GBPD promoted O'Brien to sergeant after he murdered Jonathon Tubby, an Oneida man, on October 19, 2018. Police Chief Andrew Smith publicly defends O'Brien, while making comments that compare Jonathon Tubby's…

Rannie Amiri (2020-08-20). The Hariri Assassination: Israel 's Fingerprints. globalresearch.ca This incisive article by Rannie Amiri focussing on Israel's spy ring in Lebanon was first published by Global Research on July 23, 2010. The article also addresses the role of the UN sponsored Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) | Is it …

The Poor People's Campaign (2020-08-20). Poor People's Campaign launches drive to build power among poor, low-income voters. zcomm.org U.S. residents have fewer voting rights today than they did after the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-20). Israeli regime biggest threat to region: Nasrallah. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (MNA) — Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement Hassan Nasrallah said that the Israeli regime is the biggest threat to the West Asia (Middle East) region.

CrimethInc. Ex-Workers Collective (2020-08-20). On Facebook Banning Anarchist and Antifascist Pages & the Digital Censorship to Come. indybay.org Today Facebook deleted a variety of far-Right militia and Qanon accounts along with anarchist and antifascist pages, including It's Going Down and CrimethInc. The following is a joint statement in response.

The Peoples Oakland Pride (2020-08-20). Sunday 8/30: Amerikkka Is Burning Ball. indybay.org LAKE MERRITT AMPHITHEATER…

ACLU & partners (2020-08-20). Thursday 8/27: Supporting Voting Rights in California Jails: A Community Training. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

_____ (2020-08-20). On Facebook Banning Anarchist And Antifascist Pages. popularresistance.org Facebook has taken down multiple Facebook pages they believe to be connected with crimethinc.com and itsgoingdown.org, among other anarchist and anti-fascist publishing projects, officially on the pretext that they "support violence." This has nothing to do with stopping violence and everything to do with cracking down on social movements and everyday people getting organized in their communities. | Facebook has always promoted itself as seeking to assist people in creating networks to meet their needs.

yenisafak (2020-08-20). Palestinian dies after being shot, detained by Israeli army. yenisafak.com A Palestinian youth who was shot and taken away by Israeli soldiers succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.Mohammad Haziz was among three Palestinians shot by Israeli forces near the Deir Abu Meshal village, close to Ramallah in the central West Bank.The Palestinian Red Crescent said earlier on Thursday it had taken two wounded youths to hospitals in Ramallah, while a third injured person was detained by Israeli forces.Emad Zahran, head of Deir Abu Meshal's local council, told Anadolu Agency that Haziz's family was informed of his death by the Israeli army hours after he was detained."Mohammad was detained at dawn…

yenisafak (2020-08-20). Palestinian rights paramount over Israel: Pakistan. yenisafak.com Pakistan won't accept Israel until Palestinians are granted their rights, the country's president told the parliament Thursday. | "We cannot accept Israel until Palestinians are given their rights as envisaged by Pakistan's founder Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah," said President Arif Alvi, applauding Prime Minister Imran Khan for "taking a clear position on the issue". | Prime Minister Khan in an interview last Tuesday night had said: "Our stand about Israel is very clear. It is the same that the founder of nation, Quaid-i-Azam, had. We cannot recognize Israel until Palestinians get their right, which should b…

Joan Walsh (2020-08-20). Kamala Harris Does Her Best to Redeem Our Sexist, Racist Past. thenation.com Kamala Harris Does Her Best to Redeem Our Sexist, Racist Past…

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-08-20). A Kystallnacht For White Americans? thealtworld.com Those who are working overtime to delegitimize white Americans have coined a term that they use as a weapon—"white privilege." The propaganda is that being white is a racial privilege that elevates white Americans above other Americans and enables white people to oppress blacks. It doesn't strike those who use the term as a weapon that these same "racist white people" are the ones who elected Obama president and put Kamala Harris in the Senate. | "White privilege" conveys the idea that white people have impunity. They can abuse, even kill, people of color without consequence. Yet, it is white officer Chauvi…

Staff (2020-08-19). Headlines for August 19, 2020. democracynow.org Joe Biden Formally Wins Democratic Presidential Nomination, Postmaster General Promises to Suspend Service Cuts Until After Election, Notre Dame Cancels In-Person Classes Amid COVID-19 Outbreak Linked to Party, Coronavirus Death Toll from U.S. Prisons and Jails Tops 1,000, World Health Organization Says Young People Are Driving Coronavirus Outbreaks, Malian President Deposed in Military Coup Following Weeks of Protests, Senate Intelligence Committee Alleges Trump Campaign Associate Was Russian Agent, Far-Right Activist, Banned from Twitter over Racism, Wins Florida House GOP Primary, RNC to Feature St. Louis Coup…

Staff (2020-08-19). Dems Formally Nominate Joe Biden for President, as DNC Features Republicans & Sidelines Progressives. democracynow.org Joe Biden is the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, after he was formally picked by the party to challenge President Trump in November on the second night of the virtual Democratic National Convention. We feature highlights from the night, which featured speeches from 17 so-called rising stars in the Democratic Party, including voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, who unsuccessfully ran for Georgia governor in 2018, as well as Democratic heavyweights like former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. For a second night in a row, the DNC prominently featured the voices of Republicans and former Republicans…

sputniknews (2020-08-19). Israeli Defense Tanks Attack Hamas Posts in Gaza Strip. sputniknews.com Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks attacked Hamas posts in the Gaza Strip on Thursday local time.

Joyce Chediac (2020-08-19). UAE- Israel 'peace' deal is a dagger aimed at Palestinians. liberationnews.org By Joyce Chediac On Aug 13, Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to end decades of hostility and normalize relations. The agreement was brokered by, and announced by President Trump, who called it, "a significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous Middle East." Nothing could be further from the truth. This …

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-08-19). Among this Week's Victims of Israeli State Violence: A Disabled Elderly Palestinian Man. mintpressnews.com The week is not yet over but already Palestinians multiple Palestinian families are making funeral arrangements and planning hospital visits. The following are three stories — one death and two injuries. Each story raises many questions, more than there is space to fully answer, but there remains a benefit in asking. | A sixty-year-old disabled man is shot: | On Monday, a sixty-year-old Palestinian man approached an Israeli checkpoint on foot, not in the pedestrian section, but in the area of the checkpoint designated for vehicles. Israeli guards shouted at him to stop, but he kept walking "suspicio…

Karin Leukefeld (2020-08-19). After explosion, imperialists pressure Lebanon; Iran, China send aid. workers.org From jungewelt.de, Aug. 18. The author has been covering Syrian, Lebanon and Palestine for progressive German-language publications for decades. Translation by John Catalinotto. It was only last January — in response to the street protests — that the technocratic government of the engineer and former university professor Hassan Diab was . . . |

RT (2020-08-19). Facebook purges & restricts THOUSANDS of QAnon accounts — plus antifa & militia — stretching definition of 'dangerous individuals'. rt.com Facebook has removed thousands of groups and pages related to the QAnon conspiracy after expanding its concept of 'dangerous individuals' to include those who merely 'celebrate violent acts.' Streisand effect, meet slippery slope. | The social media behemoth announced a sweeping crackdown on militia groups, "offline anarchist groups that support violent act amidst protests" (i.e. antifa), and the pro-Trump psy-op QAnon in a Explaining that groups that "hav…

RT (2020-08-19). Facebook purges & restricts THOUSANDS of QAnon, Antifa & militia accounts, stretching definition of 'dangerous individuals'. rt.com Facebook has removed thousands of groups and pages related to the QAnon conspiracy after expanding its concept of 'dangerous individuals' to include those who merely 'celebrate violent acts.' Streisand effect, meet slippery slope. | The social media behemoth announced a sweeping crackdown on militia groups, "offline anarchist groups that support violent act amidst protests" (i.e. Antifa), and the pro-Trump psy-op QAnon in a Explaining that groups which "ha…

RT (2020-08-19). Goodyear backpedals on diversity virtue-signaling after Trump calls for boycott — but it's too late. rt.com Tire maker Goodyear is scrambling to do damage control after a leaked diversity-training slide suggested it'd fallen in with Black Lives Matter corporate virtue brigade, triggering calls for a boycott from President Donald Trump. | The company attempted to distance itself from the offending slide — which warned of "zero tolerance" for Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats or slogans such as "All Lives Matter" and "Blue Lives Matter," while deeming "Black Lives Matter" and LGBT pride attire acceptable — in a frantic tweet on Wednesday. | Cautioning that the slide had "created some misconceptions about…

RT (2020-08-19). FBI slammed after tweeting out ZION PROTOCOLS, history's most notorious anti-Semitic pamphlet. rt.com An FBI Twitter account has raised eyebrows after linking to the 'Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,' a century-old virulently anti-Jewish pamphlet, without any comment or context. | The FBI Records Vault tweets out documents from the bureau's archives. On Wednesday afternoon, it sent out a | A copy of the notorious pamphlet had previously been published on the FBI's archive website, vault.fbi.gov. | Thousands of people like…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-19). If we recognize Israel regime, we should give up Kashmir. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (MNA) — PM Imran Khan says Pakistan will not recognize Israel regime until the Palestine issue is resolved and if recognizes it, Pakistan must then give up Kashmir as well, due to its similar background with Palestine.

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-19). Tearing Down the Idols of Colonialism: Why Tunisia, Africa Must Demand French Apology. zcomm.org Tunisia, and many African countries, must demand a French apology. By doing so, they declare "loudly and intelligibly" that they are finally free from the "white man's (selfish and racist) values," and that they truly see themselves as equal…

South Front (2020-08-19). Video: Rain of Rockets Hits US Forces in Iraq. Israeli-UAE Peace Deal Crumbles Days after Its Announcement. globalresearch.ca As it was expected, the 'historic' UAE-Israeli peace deal did not contribute to the stability in the Middle East. Instead, the situation has been slowly, but steadily moving towards a larger confrontation in the region. | Immediately after the announcement of …

_____ (2020-08-19). The Supreme Court Dropped The Ball On The Right To Protest. popularresistance.org In recent months, US cities have seen widespread protests denouncing police brutality against unarmed Black people. Local and national law enforcement agencies, responding to crowds of unprecedented size and scale, relied on methods that were equally unprecedented. For more than 30 years, the Supreme Court has failed to take up a freedom-of-assembly case. As a result, this fundamental constitutional right is in sore need of an update, such as a ruling that would protect protesters from the unduly harsh police response that has become all too common as a response to demonstrations in recent years. | The First Amen…

Fight Back (2020-08-19). Tampa demands justice for Jonas Joseph, 'Community control now!'. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – Over 50 people rallied and marched through downtown Tampa August 15 to demand justice for Jonas Joseph, a 26-year-old Haitian-American man murdered by five Tampa Police Department officers after they fired 125 shots. The march was attended by the family of Jonas Joseph and members of the community and was hosted by the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC) and Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk Inc. | Jonas Joseph was murdered by Tampa officers the night of April 28 when he was pulled over for a traffic stop. Police accounts of the events leading up to the shooting have changed numerous times…

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-08-19). The UAE unites the Palestinians. thealtworld.com Can rival factions set differences aside in the face of the latest Arab betrayal? | The delegation of Egyptian intelligence officials that that was sent to Ramallah on Tuesday to confer with President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of an all-party Palestinian leadership meeting had one specific aim: to tone down Palestinian political and media criticism of the UAE following the announcement of its normalisation agreement with Israel. It failed. The statement issued after the gathering and its sharply critical tone made that clear. | Three important things came out of the leadership meeting held on Tuesday night that the thr…

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich (2020-08-19). The Hariri Assassination Verdict. The Geopolitical Implications. globalresearch.ca On February 14, 2005, an explosion rocked Beirut killing and injuring hundred of people chief among them the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafik al-Hariri. The West was quick to blame Hezbollah and Syria. In 2006, Israel and its …

Candis Watts Smith (2020-08-19). Historically, white Americans have failed to see racism as a systemic issue. Is that changing? nationofchange.org Although attitudes have shifted since, it's not enough for transformative change.

Chad Marlow (2020-08-19). Stop the Police Surveillance State Too. aclu.org In the wake of George Floyd's murder, protestors throughout America march to demand an end to police abuse. Advocates for the compelling movement to divest from the police and reinvest in communities convincingly argue that significant portions of the tax dollars we spend on policing would be better spent supporting the needs of communities of color and on alternatives to policing itself. Continuing to rely on overfunded police departments, which seem all too happy to continue to enforce laws in a racist manner and unwilling to limit aggressive uses of force, does not advance public safety., , Consider how the…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-19). Gantz calls for imposition of arms embargo on Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (MNA) — Israeli regime's war minister Benny Gantz has emphasized his country's desire to see an international arms embargo imposed on Iran.

sputniknews (2020-08-19). 'There Will Be Peace': Trump Predicts Saudi Arabia, Iran Will Join UAE-Israel Deal. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday he believes Saudi Arabia will be the next country to join the recent peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He said once enough nations join, so will Iran, and "there will be peace."

yenisafak (2020-08-19). Dozens of Jewish settlers storm Al-Aqsa complex. yenisafak.com Dozens of Jewish settlers forced their way into Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Wednesday, according to an official with the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. "Ninety-eight Jewish settlers have entered the compound since the morning, accompanied by Israeli police," the official told Anadolu Agency.He said the settlers entered through the compound's al-Mugharbah Gate, while more settlers are expected to enter the complex during the day to perform their rituals.Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site for Muslims, while Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Je…

Staff (2020-08-18). 19th Amendment Turns 100: Fight for Voting Rights Builds on Centuries of Struggle Led by Black Women. democracynow.org As this year marks 100 years since the ratification of 19th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing women's right to vote, we look at the connection between the movement for women's suffrage and the movement to abolish slavery. Many states created laws to continue to deny women the vote, and African American women were subjected to the same Jim Crow laws already used to deny the vote to African American men. "To look for African American women and their history of the vote in 1920 is to miss the important chapter that begins in 1920 and doesn't culminate until the Voting Rights Act is adopted in 1965," says au…

RT (2020-08-18). Israel strikes Hamas 'special forces unit' in Gaza amid continued rocket & balloon attacks (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com The Israeli military struck several Hamas targets in Gaza, including an alleged elite "special forces" unit, in response to rocket and explosive balloon attacks — the seventh consecutive day of strikes on the Palestinian enclave. | The late-night air raids reportedly targeted sites south of Gaza City on Tuesday, among them a Hamas special forces command post, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), who said the operations came in retaliation for attacks launched from Gaza earlier in the day. | "A rocket and explosive balloons were launched from Gaza into Israel today. In response, we struck Hamas…