(2020-10-02). Truth Is The First Casualty In Cold War: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com ~ | No institutional changes were made to ensure that the evils of the Iraq invasion wouldn't be repeated. It's one of those big, glaring problems people just decided to pretend is resolved, like racism. | ~ | Whenever someone says "I oppose Assange's extradition, but," everything before the "but" is a lie, and it's a safe bet that everything after it will be too. | ~ | Truth is the first casualty in war. This adage is especially true of cold war, where the absence of hot firepower makes an emphasis on mass-scale psychological operations necessary. | ~ | People who tell you that now is not the time for truthful c…
(2020-10-02). Armenia withdraws ambassador to Israel over Azerbaijan arms sales. middleeasteye.net 
Armenia withdraws ambassador to Israel over Azerbaijan arms sales | Armenia said it was 'unacceptable' for Israel to continue providing weaponry as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 09: 45 | People demonstrate in support of Armenia and against the war in Nagorno Karabach during the Special European Summit in Brussels (AFP) | Armenia has recalled its ambassador to Israel over the country's…
(2020-10-02). Why Far-Right Paramilitaries are Not Just "Vigilantes" counterpunch.org 
Trump's call for the Proud Boys and other armed far-right paramilitaries to "stand by" has finally shed light on the real threat of physical intimidation around the election, to add to the threats of cyberattacks and abuses of the legal system. His call to arms is also a reminder why calling far-right domestic terrorists merely "vigilantes" minimizes and even trivializes the threat, for several reasons.
(2020-10-02). Federal executions paused, racism continues. workers.org 
Houston In the previous 56 years, the U.S. government had executed just three prisoners. But in 2020, seven federal executions have already taken place since July. The most recent was Christopher Vialva, put to death Sept. 24 at the federal prison in Terra Haute, Ind. He was the first Black . . . |
(2020-10-02). In Lieu of a Liberation Strategy: Palestinian Elections Are Designed to Buy Time. dissidentvoice.org 
It is abundantly clear that Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has underestimated the seriousness of the challenges facing Palestine and the Palestinians. The rushed agreement between his party, Fatah and Hamas in Istanbul on September 24, and the Palestinian leader's speech at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly the following day, indicate that …
(2020-10-02). The Third World War, Illustrated. counterpunch.org 
George Grosz was an artist in Weimar Germany. His works lampooned the rich and super rich and condemned war. A Dadaist who was anti-capitalist and antifascist, he exiled himself to the United States in 1933 as the Nazi party began to rise in Germany. Although he changed the nature of his art after he moved to
(2020-10-02). Mossad chief holds talks with Bahrain as ties with Israel deepen. middleeasteye.net 
Mossad chief holds talks with Bahrain as ties with Israel deepen | Yossi Cohen reported to have discussed 'mutual interests' with his Bahraini counterparts following normalisation deal | Fri, 10/02/2020 – 11: 16 | Mossad chief Yossi Cohen pictured in 2017 (AFP) | Israel's top spy chief Yossi Cohen has held talks with Bahrain's intelligence services following the two countries recent normal…
(2020-10-02). The Leahy Laws: Why Biden's Promise to Israel is Illegal. counterpunch.org 
While co-hosting an interview on the Palestine Chronicle, I asked Dr. Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, about his thoughts on Kamala Harris' promise to maintain unconditional aid to Israel. "I am disappointed of course by the Harris-Biden positions on Israel. I would have hoped for something closer to what Bernie
(2020-10-02). Trump's Operation Dictatorship: What the debate exposed. indybay.org Joseph Kishore, the Socialist Equality Party US presidential candidate and David North, the Socialist Equality Party US national chairman explain how the White House is the center of a fascistic conspiracy to overturn the Constitution and establish a presidential dictatorship– and what must be done to avert it. Clue: it will not be voting for Biden.
(2020-10-02). The Supreme Male Head Unmasked. counterpunch.org Fascism is unique among political systems in that it treats society as a diseased body that needs to be purified. Certainly, the political left thinks that society is in need of reform, often to the point of advocating revolution, but the distinguishing feature of fascism, especially of the Nazi variety, is its organic imagery—the idea
(2020-10-02). Sunday 10/4: March Against White Supremacy #TrumpPenceOutNow. indybay.org Lake Merritt Pillars…
(2020-10-02). Israel detains senior Hamas leader in Ramallah. yenisafak.com Israel on Friday detained a senior leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in the central West Bank, according to local Palestinian media.Palestinian news website Donia al-Watan reported that Israeli forces detained Hasan Yousef, 64, in his home in the town of Beitunia to the west of Ramallah city.Israeli authorities released Yousef in July after he was jailed for 15 months.Yousef spent a total of 21 years in Israeli jails — mostly without trial under Tel Aviv's policy of administrative detention.He was actively involved in a recent rapprochement between the two Palestinian rival parties, Hamas and Fatah.* Ahmed A…
(2020-10-02). American History Is Getting Whitewashed, Again. thenation.com American History Is Getting Whitewashed, Again…
(2020-10-01). Coronavirus being used to intimidate Palestinians inside Israeli prisons, says group. middleeasteye.net 
Coronavirus being used to intimidate Palestinians inside Israeli prisons, says group | Palestinian prisoner organisation says authorities deliberately using fear of exposure to Covid-19 during interrogations | Thu, 10/01/2020 – 12: 02 | A Palestinian man walks past a mural depicting the coronavirus and a prison cell in Gaza City (AFP) | Shorouq Dawayyat is serving a 16-year prison sentence in an Is…
(2020-10-01). Muslim Advocates Denounces Trump's Racist Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar and Refugees. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-10-01). Legal group demands Israel end impunity for killing of Palestinian citizens. middleeasteye.net 
Legal group demands Israel end impunity for killing of Palestinian citizens | Adalah says public perception of Palestinians as the 'enemy' encourages deadly police violence | Thu, 10/01/2020 – 14: 48 | Four Palestinians pray in front of Israeli police at a street in Jerusalem's old city after they were prevented from entering the Al-Aqsa mosque compound for Friday prayers in October 2000 (…
(2020-10-01). The Court of God: How a Catholic secret society took over SCOTUS. mronline.org 
With his latest SCOTUS nomination, Trump advances the designs of a clique of ultra-conservatives with ties to a Catholic secret society and Cold War stalwarts leading the U.S. to the brink of overt fascism.
(2020-10-01). Lebanon and Israel agree to hold UN-mediated talks on border dispute. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon and Israel agree to hold UN-mediated talks on border dispute | United States, which has welcomed the framework agreement, will act as facilitator during the discussions | Thu, 10/01/2020 – 14: 37 | A file picture taken on 5 September 2018 near the Rosh Hanikra border crossing in northern Israel, shows the Naqura Bay south of the Lebanese city of Tyre as seen behind a new wall on th…
(2020-10-01). Money After Redlining with Rebecca Marchiel. mronline.org 
In this episode, Money on the Left hosts speak with Rebecca Marchiel, Assistant Professor of History at University of Mississippi, about her important new book, After Redlining: The Urban Reinvestment Movement in the Era of Financial Deregulation (University of Chicago Press, 2020). After Redlining tells the story of the anti-racist urban reinvestment movement in early …
(2020-10-01). The Next Steps in Eviction Defense. counterpunch.org 
A few thoughts on intentions, tactics, and building eviction defense networks Here in Portland, there are signs that the movement for Black lives and the movement for actually affordable housing are increasingly intersecting in all kinds of ways. Among the networks engaged in popular education and resistance organizing efforts around housing issues, you'll find groups
(2020-10-01). We know what we have to do: #VoteAgainst Fascism and dump Trump. peoplesworld.org 
Tuesday night's debate proved that the Communist Party's #VoteAgainstFascism slogan is exactly right. For an hour and a half, Trump launched (in classic German Nazi fashion) a blitzkrieg; that is, he attempted to roll over his opponent with overwhelming verbal force. He bullied and blustered, he shouted and shamed, he lied and leered in a …
(2020-10-01). And the medal goes to… Sexism! Oppression-olympics poster valorizing Hillary Clinton goes viral, boggling Internet's mind. rt.com 
The online community has ridiculed a 2014 political poster that uses the n-word and b-word repeatedly and seeks to prove racism ended with Barack Obama's presidency, while sexism has remained unchallenged throughout US history. | The art project, titled 'Words Matter' and designed by Yue Chen, went viral on Wednesday, after it grabbed users' attention for having the n-word typed over it some fourteen times.
(2020-10-01). Lebanon agrees 'framework' to negotiate on disputed maritime border with Israel — senior official. rt.com 
Lebanon is ready for US-mediated talks with Israel to resolve a long-standing maritime border dispute, the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, said. The two nations are technically in a state of war. | The talks will be held under the auspices of the United Nations, at a base near the UN-monitored boundary with Israel, known as the Blue Line, Berri told reporters on Thursday. The Lebanese military will lead the rare direct negotiations between the two nations, which will be mediated by the US. | "This is a framework agreement, and not a final one," Berri noted. | Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steini…
(2020-10-01). Debate aftermath: Most GOP leaders not running from Trump on white supremacy. peoplesworld.org 
Even as a few Republican leaders slammed Oval Office occupant Donald Trump's presidential debate endorsement of the white nationalist Proud Boys and similar racists, other patterns in the aftermath of his statement are emerging. The first is from Trump himself. He tried to excuse his endorsement by telling reporters "I don't know who the Proud …
(2020-10-01). The ultra-right background of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. wsws.org Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a protegée of arch-reactionary Antonin Scalia, would significantly shift the court in the direction of religious obscurantism and political repression.
(2020-10-01). At the Polls, Episode 3: The Role of the Courts in Election 2020. aclu.org Election Day is fast approaching, and while we're doing everything we can to prepare, some questions remain unanswered. , , Dale Ho, director of the ACLU Voting Rights Project, and University of Michigan law professor Leah Litman join the Election years are always busy for the ACLU…
(2020-10-01). Deterring 'atrocious crimes' contributes to development: International Criminal Court President. news.un.org Deterring genocides, armed conflicts and other atrocious crimes supports sustainable development says the President of the UN-backed International Criminal Court (ICC) Chile Eboe-Osuji.
(2020-10-01). Neo-Fascist Proud Boys Exult Over Trump Telling Them to "Stand By," Not Stand Down. zcomm.org Asked to tell white supremacists and militia groups to stay away from protests, the president told them to be on alert.
(2020-10-01). Are far right groups really just about spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation? zcomm.org Research finds that far right tactics are less about misinformation than looking for community support by highlighting societal inequalities…
(2020-10-01). America Is on the Road to Revolution. strategic-culture.org We have more in common with pre-Nazi Germany and pre-Soviet Russia than we think. | Rod DREHER | In 1951, six years after the end of World War II, the political philosopher Hannah Arendt published The Origins of Totalitarianism, in an attempt to understand how such radical ideologies of both left and right had seized the minds of so many in the 20th century. Arendt's book used to be a staple in college history and political theory courses. With the end of the Cold War 30 years behind us, who today talks about totalitarianism? Almost no one—and if they do, it's about Nazism, not communism. | Unsurprisingl…
(2020-10-01). Damascus rules out any agreements Israeli regime. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 01 (MNA) — Syria has underlined its rejection of any agreement with the Israeli regime, noting that the regime is harming the Arab cause and especially the Palestinian cause.
(2020-10-01). Kuwait will remain loyal to Palestinian cause: new Emir. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 01 (MNA) — New Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah said that the country will remain loyal to the Palestinian cause.
(2020-10-01). 'Re-Education Camp': US Cadet Sues Naval Academy Following Expulsion Over 'Racist' Tweets. sputniknews.com A 21-year-old cadet of the US Naval Academy claims service leadership is violating his First and Fifth Amendment rights and intends to expel him from the military school over social media posts that many have deemed racist.
(2020-10-01). Fox News Journo Goes Off on Trump Defenders Over White Supremacy Remarks. sputniknews.com After President Trump stated during Tuesday night's debate that the right-wing political activist group Proud Boys must "stand back and stand by", the public, including a number of Trump's Republican allies, have urged the president to clarify his stance and unequivocally denounce white supremacy.
(2020-10-01). Trump Isn't Keeping His Fascist Plan Secret. He's Trying to Derail the Election. truthout.org In the 1930s, when a New York publishing company was thinking of bringing out an unexpurgated English-language edition of Hitler's Mein Kampf, its editors first approached the radicals of New York's New School for Social Research, who assembled a specialist team of
(2020-10-01). GOP-Led Inquest Decried as Effort to Suppress Florida Voters With Felony Records. truthout.org Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's call for state and federal investigations into billionaire Michael Bloomberg's effort to raise millions to pay off court fees to help Florida felons restore their voting rights was a "gross abuse" of power, "voter suppression," "a fearmongering tactic used before" and based on a "fundamental misconception" of anti-corruption laws, according to experienced campaign lawyers and former federal election regulators. | "It's not just that an investigative…
(2020-10-01). DHS Officials Were Told to Portray Kyle Rittenhouse in a Positive Light. truthout.org Officials within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were directed to respond in a positive and defensive manner to inquiries regarding Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who shot and killed two Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in late August, according to an internal document. | Rittenhouse had traveled from Illinois to demonstrations in Kenosha, which began in response to the police-perpetrated shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot by law enforcement seven ti…
(2020-10-01). Progressive Groups Are Mobilizing to De-Escalate Far Right Violence at the Polls. truthout.org In preparation for potential voter intimidation this year, the Women's March, Working Families Party, Movement for Black Lives Electoral Justice Project, United We Dream and other organizations are mobilizing "election defenders" to de-escalate tense situations as well as provide voters with personal protective equipment and water on Election Day. | "So far, more than 6,000 people across the country have signed up to be election defenders," Working Families Party National Director Maurice…
(2020-10-01). Prince Harry and Meghan tell Britain: tackle 'structural racism'. yenisafak.com Meghan and Prince Harry has called on Britain to grasp an opportunity to change "structural racism" which they said was holding young people of colour back, The Evening Standard reported.Harry said Britain could be a better place if white people understood more about those "of a different coloured skin", the prince told the newspaper in an interview.
(2020-10-01). Citing Post-Election Period as Possible 'Flashpoint,' FBI Memo Warns of Far-Right, White Supremacist Violence to Come. commondreams.org With Trump repeatedly stoking the perception among his supporters that the only legitimate election will be one that he wins and that mail-in ballots will result in a rigged election, the FBI believes Election Day could be a "potential flashpoint" in an escalation of the Boogaloos' violent activities. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
(2020-09-30). Headlines for September 30, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Refuses to Condemn White Supremacists or Rule Out Post-Election Violence, New York City Coronavirus Infections Surge for First Time in Months, Indian Health Officials Claim 60 Million Coronavirus Infections Nationwide, House Democrats Unveil Pared-Down $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, Texas Sheriff and Prosecutor Indicted for Evidence Tampering in Javier Ambler Police Killing, Kentucky AG Didn't Recommend Murder Charges for Breonna Taylor's Killers, Trump Plans Pre-Election ICE Raids in U.S. Sanctuary Cities, More Women Detail Forced Sterilizations, Unnecessary Surgeries at Georgia ICE Jail, World Hea…
(2020-09-30). Former Neo-Nazi Says Trump's Call for Proud Boys to "Stand By" Will Encourage More Violence. democracynow.org 
President Trump refused to condemn white supremacists during the first of three scheduled presidential debates with Joe Biden. When pressed by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News to disavow far-right extremism, Trump name-checked the Proud Boys and told them to "stand back and stand by," words widely denounced as a tacit endorsement of the violent, white supremacist organization classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. The Proud Boys almost immediately responded by changing its logo online to include the Trump quote. Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi who now leads the Free Radicals Pro…
(2020-09-30). "He Wants Violence in the Streets": Trump's "White Supremacist Project" on Full Display at Debate. democracynow.org 
Donald Trump and Joe Biden were asked about how to address racism during the first presidential debate held in Cleveland. While Biden expressed sympathy with victims of police brutality, President Trump insisted that most violence came from left-wing groups — a false claim ignoring that the vast majority of political violence in the U.S. comes from right-wing extremists, according to the FBI and others. Trump's refusal to reckon with the issue "poses a real and grave threat to Black and Brown people in particular in our country who are often the victims of racial violence," says Kristen Clarke, president an…
(2020-09-30). 'Notorious RBG' had a mixed climate justice record. therealnews.com 
Ruth Bader Ginsburg voted on behalf of environmental protections in many Supreme Court cases. But her track record was mixed on climate justice issues, particularly on Indigenous rights and corporate land expropriation.
(2020-09-30). Brazil: Violence Against Indigenous People Increased in 2019. telesurenglish.net The Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) revealed that the violence against Indigenous people increased to over 150 percent last year compared to 2018, encouraged by President Jair Bolsonaro's policies. | RELATED: | The annual report highlights that in 2019 alone, there were 256 reports of invasions of Indigenous lands in Brazil, as well as several denounces of abuse of power, death threats, discrimination, assassination a…
(2020-09-30). Thousands raise up Black Lives outside presidential debate. workers.org 
Cleveland protest targets first presidential debate, Sept. 29. Cleveland While presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump were debating in what many have labeled a "shitshow," thousands of Greater Clevelanders came out for a "Protest for Black Lives and Climate Justice." A broad coalition spread the word about the action . . . |
(2020-09-30). Israel's West Bank annexation postponed for a year, not cancelled, says Friedman. middleeasteye.net 
Israel's West Bank annexation postponed for a year, not cancelled, says Friedman | US ambassador to Israel reiterates that controversial annexation plans have only been temporarily suspended | Wed, 09/30/2020 – 12: 04 | Archimandrite Abdullah Yulio, parish priest of the Melkite Greek Catholic church in Ramallah, joins other Palestinians as they gather to commemorate the second intifada and to protest against t…
(2020-09-30). Barrett on the bench: Bad news for workers. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—In her three years as a federal appellate court judge, Amy Coney Barrett, whom GOP Oval Office occupant Donald Trump has nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, has shown herself to be bad news for workers' rights, legal analysts report. But what may be scarier about the former Notre Dame University law professor is her …
(2020-09-30). Trump uses debate to trash democracy and empower white supremacists. peoplesworld.org 
The first presidential debate of the 2020 election season last night was a dark moment in American history—a moment when a sitting president, Donald Trump, came prepared not to discuss issues but to trash yet another democratic norm: presidential debates themselves. In addition, he tried to further delegitimize the entire election by calling into question …
(2020-09-30). Justice for Breonna Taylor and Black lives in Seattle. workers.org 
Decriminalize Seattle. Seattle — Demonstrators marched here on Sept. 24 to protest the previous day's decision by a grand jury in Louisville, Ky., not to bring charges against the cops who murdered Breonna Taylor. Hundreds took to the streets for hours, until after midnight, and marched on the Capital Hill . . . |