Daily Archives: September 18, 2020

2020-09-18: News Headlines

A. Majumdar (2020-09-18). PDF of September 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. Philly encampment: 'Housing now!' ALSO: COVID: Is it genocide yet? 'Disability Visibility'; TPS workers' Journey for Justice; New poll tax on voting; Climate crisis fires; Editorial 9/11—pretext for war. Labor Defends Black Lives Work stoppage call; Athlete strikes inspire; 'Workers move the world'; Kenosha activist for . . . |

Paul Street (2020-09-18). For Real Resistance: The Fascist Trump-Barr Regime Can't Simply Be Voted Out. counterpunch.org In applauding the extra-judicial paramilitary execution of the anti-fascist Michael Forest Reinoehl outside Olympia, Washington two weeks ago, Trump told Fatherland (FOX) News' neo-Nazi host Jeanine Pirro last Saturday that "there has to be retribution." The self-described Chosen One told Frau Pirro that "I put out, 'When are you going to go get him?' And the U.S. Marshals went in to get him.

Norman Solomon (2020-09-18). Trump's Climate Denial Gains Strength If We're in Denial About His Neo-Fascism. indybay.org The left could be crushed…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-18). Party for Socialism and Liberation denounces arrests of anti-racist organizers in Denver. peoplesdispatch.org The party which has been at the forefront of the anti-racist protests since May denounced that the arrests are part of efforts to crack down on the Black Lives Matter movement…

WSWS (2020-09-18). Brazilian teachers call strikes against back-to-school drive. wsws.org Brazil's fascistic President Bolsonaro declared: "We are the country with the highest number of days of lockdown of schools. This is absurd."

Refuse Fascism Bay Area (2020-09-18). Monday 9/21: March Against Death, Lies, and Fascism, and for Humanity! indybay.org Rally 24th and Mission, San Francisco | March, with bodybags, to the Federal Building on 7th Street…

yenisafak (2020-09-18). Israel goes back to virus lockdown amid 5,000 new cases. yenisafak.com Israel is set to return to a total coronavirus lockdown later Friday as infections are mounting across the nation.The lockdown will be effective as of 2 p.m. local time (1100GMT). Under the lockdown, people must remain 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of home.Businesses except for food and medicine will be closed and no more than 10 people will be allowed indoors and 20 people most will be allowed to gather outdoors.Israel registered additional 5,238 cases from the coronavirus outbreak over the past 24 hours.In a statement, the Health Ministry said the country's tally rose to 176,933 confirmed cases, including 1,169 death…

Mitchell Plitnick (2020-09-18). Israel, the UAE, & Bahrain Didn't Sign Peace Deals, They're Military Alliances to Counter Iran. globalresearch.ca Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Washington on Tuesday. Brokered by the Trump administration, these deals represent two of the most broadly popular developments for both Trump and Netanyahu in many …

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Richard Trumka (2020-09-18). Faith and Labor Movements Are Bridging Trump's Racial Divide With Hope and Love. thenation.com Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Richard Trumka Faith and Labor Movements Are Bridging Trump's Racial Divide With Hope and Love…

Andrew Korybko (2020-09-17). The 'Israeli'-Emirati Alliance: Geopolitical Impact on Africa. globalresearch.ca The misleadingly described "peace" deal between "Israel" and the UAE will enable the self-professed "Jewish State" to use the latter's military and civilian port infrastructure in the Gulf of Aden, thus challenging recent Turkish inroads in this part of the …

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-09-17). No 'peace' without the Palestinians. thealtworld.com White House theatrics, Trump's delusions and Gulf regime collusion cannot 'end' the Arab-Israeli conflict | The missiles fired at Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip while the UAE and Bahraini foreign ministers were signing 'peace treaties' with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House were an affirmation: these agreements are worthless, and the only people capable of ending the Arab-Israeli conflict, by peace or by war, are the people of Palestine — with the backing of their Arab and Muslim brothers and sisters and supporters of justice worldwide. | President Donald Trump, who oversaw the theatrics in the…

WSWS (2020-09-17). Wilmington's Lie: The 1898 white supremacist coup in North Carolina. wsws.org The racist massacre in Wilmington was a major turning point in the entrenchment of Jim Crow segregation throughout the South.

MEE staff (2020-09-17). US considering 'appointing' Mohammed Dahlan as next Palestinian president: Friedman. middleeasteye.net US considering 'appointing' Mohammed Dahlan as next Palestinian president: Friedman | US ambassador to Israel also says freeze on West Bank annexation is temporary and Arab-Israeli conflict will be over within a year | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 10: 55 | David Friedman predicted that the normalisation deals marked the beginning of the end of the Arab-Israeli-conflict (AFP) | The United States is considering supporting…

MEE staff (2020-09-17). Israel likely to manufacture F-35 wings for UAE: Report. middleeasteye.net Israel likely to manufacture F-35 wings for UAE: Report | Both Israel and the UAE have denied reports that the sale of the fighter jets was part of their controversial normalisation deal | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 11: 57 | Israel's state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is expected to manufacture wings for F-35 aircraft intended for sale to the UAE, according to a newspaper report (AFP/file photo) | Israel wil…

MEE staff (2020-09-17). Israeli newspaper rows back on Friedman quote on Dahlan. middleeasteye.net Israeli newspaper rows back on Friedman quote on Dahlan | US ambassador originally quoted as saying Washington was considering supporting the former Fatah leader as Palestinian president | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 10: 55 | David Friedman predicted that the normalisation deals marked the beginning of the end of 'the Arab-Israeli conflict' (AFP) | An Israeli newspaper has rowed back on a quote by US Ambassador David Fr…

Henry Giroux (2020-09-17). Aligning Ignorance With Bigotry: Trump Attempts to Rewrite History. counterpunch.org As the presidential election gets closer, Trump is desperate to reassert his white supremacist and white nationalist views, even though they've never been hidden during his presidency. After all, his white supremacist ideology is the cornerstone of his appeal to the reactionary and bigoted elements of his base.

John Bachtell (2020-09-17). GOP election sabotage scheme using Wisconsin Green Party stalls. peoplesworld.org The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Sept. 14 against placing the Green Party on the 2020 election ballot. The decision vacated a hold the same court had put on sending ballots to municipalities and 1 million absentee ballots to voters last week. Under Wisconsin law, election officials must send more than a million requested mail-in ballots …

Yasmina Allouche (2020-09-17). Charter against Bahrain-UAE-Israel normalisation deal signed by one million. middleeasteye.net Charter against Bahrain-UAE-Israel normalisation deal signed by one million | Emirati and Arab NGOs launch an online campaign in solidarity with Palestinians | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 13: 54 | The launch of the charter by the UAE Anti-Normlisation Association comes the same week as both the UAE and Bahrain officially signed normalisation agreements with Israel (AFP) | Over one million people hav…

Miko Peled (2020-09-17). Why Arab Leaders Are Suddenly Groveling at the Chance to Normalize Ties with Israel. mintpressnews.com Arab leaders understand that relations with Israel provide access to US Empire and all that comes with it, including much desired US-made weapons and other perks such as security and economic cooperation.

Liberation Staff (2020-09-17). Police operation arrests anti-racist organizers in Denver area. liberationnews.org Police agencies in the Denver area arrested anti-racist organizers in a coordinated assault today. Those arrested were the leaders to demand justice for Elijah McClain, who was brutally murdered by the Aurora Police Department. They are facing multiple felony charges and years in prison in an obvious frame-up aimed at stopping the movement for justice for Elijah McClain.

MEE staff (2020-09-17). University of Toronto rescinds job offer to academic over Israel criticism. middleeasteye.net University of Toronto rescinds job offer to academic over Israel criticism | University denies Valentina Azarova had ever been officially hired; it did not address concerns that a judge and donor had reportedly objected to her hiring | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 16: 07 | Valentina Azarova, fellow at Manchester International Law Centre, worked to establish human-rights enforcement mechanisms globally and has consulted o…

RT (2020-09-17). Princeton president's letter decrying 'racism' of institution BACKFIRES as Dept of Education announces investigation of university. rt.com The Department of Education has announced it will investigate Princeton University after President Christopher Eisgruber wrote a letter decrying his school's "racism" and the US's "anti-blackness." | A formal records request has been sent to the university to make sure they are not using racist practices and violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which says that no person "on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." | If found…

RT (2020-09-17). Pennsylvania Supreme Court kicks Green Party candidate off state's November ballot. rt.com The Green Party's candidate has been disqualified from the upcoming November elections in Pennsylvania after the state's Supreme Court deemed his paperwork to have been improperly submitted. | Howie Hawkins was disqualified from the ballot on Thursday when the Supreme Court overruled an earlier decision by a lower court. | According to the top court, the Green candidate was booted from the election over improperly delivered paperwork. The minor parties have to collect signatures to nominate their candidate, and while the Green Party delivered signatures by hand by the August 3 deadline, it decided to fax in an…

MEE staff (2020-09-17). Israeli firm provided phone-hacking services to Saudi Arabia: Report. middleeasteye.net Israeli firm provided phone-hacking services to Saudi Arabia: Report | The report by The Marker says that Cellebrite was also active in the kingdom at the time of Jamal Khashoggi's murder in October 2018 | Thu, 09/17/2020 – 11: 02 | Cellebrite says its technology serves 154 countries and that it has been used to make convictions in 5 million cases of serious crime (AFP) | A controversial Israeli security firm…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-09-17). The 'Desaparecidos' of Palestine: Gantz Escalates Israel's War on the Dead. dissidentvoice.org On September 2, the Israeli government approved a proposal that allows the military to indefinitely withhold the bodies of Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli army. The proposal was made by the country's Defense Minister, Benny Gantz. Gantz is the main political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also serves the role …

Editor (2020-09-17). Denying Trump's Neo-Fascism Endangers Our Ailing Planet. scheerpost.com Wolfram Burner / CC BY-NC 2.0] By Norman Solomon Spiking temperatures, melting glaciers, rising seas, catastrophic hurricanes and unprecedented wildfires are clear signs of a climate emergency caused by humans. Denying the awful reality makes the situation worse. The same can be said of denial about the current momentum toward fascism under Donald Trump. Trump's right-wing base and leading… |

Norman Solomon (2020-09-17). Trump's Climate Denial Gains Strength If We're in Denial About His Neo-Fascism. commondreams.org "Trump's right-wing base and leading Republicans are in lockstep with both types of denial. They embrace the most absurd claims about climate … And they refuse to recognize or deplore his autocratic moves," writes Solomon. (Photo: Oil Change International/Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-09-17). Occupation Of UK Factory Involved In Israeli Drone Manufacture. popularresistance.org Direct action protests against Israel's largest weapons company have escalated in the UK, with an occupation of a factory building engines for drones used by Israel's army entering its third day on Wednesday. | Protests were also held outside Elbit System UK's London headquarters and at its landlord's main offices, as new solidarity group Palestine Action escalated its campaign to shut down the company's operation in the UK. | Elbit Systems UK is part of the high-tech weapons group that supplies more than 80 percent of the Israeli army's military drones, including the Hermes 900 and Hermes 450…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-17). Activists occupy Elbit Systems factory in UK. peoplesdispatch.org The factory of the Israeli weapon company Elbit Systems in Shenstone, UK, is under occupation by protesters belonging to Palestine Action. They have demanded the shut-down of all sites of Elbit Systems in the UK.

Fight Back (2020-09-17). Palestinians slam Arab regimes' 'normalization' with Zionist occupation. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On September 15, the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) held a press conference to reject the charade that was happening the same day in Washington, DC, where the Trump administration was holding a signing ceremony for a 'peace' arrangement between Israel and both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. | CJP represents all of the major Palestinian organizations in Chicago. They spoke against the Arab regimes' 'normalization' with the Zionist Israeli enemy. Solidarity activists with the American Friends Service Committee and the Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy and othe…

Marwa Osman (2020-09-17). Yankees Going Home—MES EP.72. thealtworld.com The top U.S. general in the Middle East Frank McKenzie confirmed plans for partial troop drawdowns in both Iraq and Afghanistan before the Nov. 3 election, as President Donald Trump seeks to fulfill a campaign promise to end what he calls "America's endless wars". The U.S. plans to cut the troop presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 by the end of September. To discuss this issue with us from London is Patrick Henningsen founder of the 21st century wire news website. | The announcement that Bahrain would establish full diplomatic relations with Israel leaves open the possibility that more Arab states will follow. B…

Ari Berman (2020-09-17). "Mass Voter Disenfranchisement" zcomm.org GOP Ramps Up Assault on Voting Rights Across U.S. Ahead of Election…

Build Back Better (2020-09-17). Build Back Better with Reform, Justice, Equality, Democracy, Rights… indybay.org Want reform, equality, justice, liberty? Want Black Lives to Matter? Learn about how you can help Biden and Harris Build Back Better.

Build Back Better (2020-09-17). Build Back Better with Reform, Justice, Equality, Democracy, Truth… indybay.org Want reform, equality, justice, liberty? Want Black Lives to Matter?Learn about how you can help Biden and Harris Build Back Better.

_____ (2020-09-17). Less Than Two Minutes to Midnight — and Getting Closer. strategic-culture.org On January 23 this year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set their famous "Doomsday Clock" at 100 seconds to midnight — midnight signifying the outbreak of thermonuclear world war. In the 73 years since the famed and fearful symbol was first created in 1947, this setting was — and remains — the closest to Armageddon this supreme symbol of warning to the world has ever been set. | Yet were the Doomsday Clock to be reset today, eight months after that last announcement, the time gap to midnight would have to be further reduced, perhaps to a little more than one minute, but not by much [mdash…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-17). rallies against UAE, Bahrain ties with zionists. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 17 (MNA) — People of Tehran gathered in front of the Palestinian embassy on Thursday to denounce the disgraceful move by the UAE and Bahrain in the normalization of relations with the Tel Aviv regime.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-17). UAE, Bahrain's ties with Zionists part of US pres. campaign. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 17 (MNA) — Iranian parliament speaker's adviser for international affairs said The UAE and Bahrain's normalization of ties with the Israeli regime is part of a broader plot linked to the US president's reelection campaign.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-17). 'Israel-firsters betray their own people for votes'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 17 (MNA) — In a tweet on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammd Javad Zarif named US President as an 'Israel-firster' who has betrayed Americans just for votes.

sputniknews (2020-09-17). FBI Director Christopher Wray Slammed for Saying Antifa Is 'Not Group or Organisation'. sputniknews.com Conservative lawmakers said that Wray was carelessly diminishing the role of Antifa, which, according to them, has an organised structure and coordinates its work on all three levels – local, regional, and federal.

sputniknews (2020-09-17). Israeli Security Forces Accuse Palestinian Woman of Spying, Recruiting for Hezbollah. sputniknews.com Israeli authorities have arrested a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem, accusing her of spying for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Stage is set for stronger Turkey-Bangladesh ties: Top diplomat. yenisafak.com The current level of bilateral relations between Ankara and Dhaka is ready for takeoff, said Bangladesh's top diplomat on a visit to Turkey, stressing that a slight push by the two governments is needed to get things going.In an inclusive interview with Anadolu Agency in Ankara during his four-day visit to Turkey, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the economy and trade will be the key focus of bilateral relations.He also talked about the Rohingya refugee crisis, Dhaka's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and plan to revive the economy.On the normalization agreements with Israel and Arab states, Mo…

yenisafak (2020-09-17). Romania receives Patriot missiles from US to boost defences. yenisafak.com The Romanian army received its first shipment of U.S. Raytheon Patriot surface-to-air missiles on Thursday, part of an effort to bolster its defences that has annoyed Russia."Romania has just become a safer nation by hosting these Patriot missiles on its territory. Romanian citizens are now better protected," Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said at the receiving ceremony at a firing range on the Black Sea shore.The missiles will form part of an integrated air defence system comprising newly acquired F-16 fighter jets as Romania brings its obsolete military equipment up to NATO standards and phases out outdated commu…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-09-17). Civil Rights Commission Calls for End to Subminimum Wages for People With Disabilities. commondreams.org "Paying workers with disabilities a subminimum wage is discrimination—plain and simple—and it's way past time we repeal this outdated policy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-09-17). House Passes 'Historic' Legislation to Protect Pregnant Workers From Discrimination, Prompting Calls for Senate to Follow Suit. commondreams.org Labor rights and women's rights advocates called on the U.S. Senate to follow suit on Thursday after the Democratic-led House passed an historic bipartisan bill to protect the rights of pregnant workers—but expressed little hope that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would prioritize the legislation. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-09-17). Protests And Rockets As Gulf States Sign Deals With Israel. popularresistance.org At a White House ceremony on Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain officially established diplomatic relations with Israel. | The signing of the US-brokered Abraham Accords formalizes decades of clandestine relations between Israel and the two Gulf states. | US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Emirati foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani all spoke before the signing. | Al Nahyan and Alzayani also signed separate treaties with Trump and Netanyahu.

Andrew Korybko (2020-09-16). The US-Brokered Mideast 'Peace' Deals Aren't Really What They Seem. thealtworld.com The loud applause that followed the US-brokered Mideast "peace" deals between "Israel" on one hand and the UAE & Bahrain on the other is misplaced since there was never any real state of war between the "opposing" sides to begin with, but presenting these accords as a "breakthrough for peace" is meant to pressure those remaining countries that refuse to recognize the self-professed "Jewish State" by portraying them as "obstacles to peace" so that they too consider abandoning their principled support for Palestine in exchange for positive media coverage and other perks such as economic support. | There's No "Peace…

Staff (2020-09-16). Mychal Denzel Smith on Breonna Taylor, Defunding Police, Systemic Racism & His Trump-Era Depression. democracynow.org Journalist and author Mychal Denzel Smith joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on the uprising against racist police, the upcoming presidential election and why he says a Biden win won't cure his Trump-era depression, and his new book, "Stakes Is High: Life after the American Dream." Denzel Smith questions whether arresting and charging the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor, a core demand of many protests in the wake of her death, represents justice, despite the historic settlement between Louisville and her family. "The only way to prevent another instance of the situation that took Breonna Taylor's li…

Staff (2020-09-16). Noura Erakat: Trump's Bahrain-UAE-Israel Deal Won't Advance Palestinian Peace & Will Up Repression. democracynow.org As the Trump administration celebrates deals establishing diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, we speak with Palestinian American legal scholar Noura Erakat, who says Trump's "peace" agreements are a sham. "This is not about advancing any kind of meaningful, enduring peace, but instead about entrenching a geopolitical alliance that would otherwise increase oppression for people of the Middle East," says Erakat, assistant professor at Rutgers University and author of "Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine."

Staff (2020-09-16). Continue to Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor's Family Wants Cops Arrested After Historic $12M Settlement. democracynow.org The city of Louisville, Kentucky, will pay a historic $12 million settlement to the family of Breonna Taylor, more than six months after police shot and killed the 26-year-old Black emergency room technician in her own apartment and Taylor became a household name as part of the nationwide uprising in defense of Black lives. It is one of the largest payouts ever for a police killing of a Black person in the U.S. The city will also institute major reforms to the police department responsible for Taylor's death. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced the settlement at a press conference, where he was joined by memb…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-16). Hamas warns Israel of escalation following air strikes on Gaza. middleeasteye.net Hamas warns Israel of escalation following air strikes on Gaza | Tensions coincide with Israel's signing of normalisation deals with the UAE and Bahrain in Washington | Wed, 09/16/2020 – 08: 19 | Israeli air strikes against Gaza took place in the early hours of Wednesday after rocket fire from Gaza (AFP) | Hamas warned Israel it would face a military escalation on Wednesday after its warpl…