Daily Archives: July 7, 2020

2020-07-07: News Headlines

Dave Lindorff (2020-07-07). Private: Why the High Dudgeon over Alleged Russian Bounties for Taliban Slaying of US Troops. counterpunch.org Democratic politicians like presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and liberal media pundits are all screaming for "action" against Russia based on an article in the New York Times that relies on anonymous sources in the "military" and "US intelligence." The article, picked up by most major media unquestioningly, asserts base on

Max Elbaum (2020-07-07). Socialist Strategy and the Biden Debate. zcomm.org Should anti-capitalists urge a vote for Joe Biden to defeat Donald Trump in November 2020 or not?>

Ramzy Baroud — Romana Rubeo (2020-07-07). Will the ICC Investigation Bring Justice for Palestine? counterpunch.org In the past, there have been many attempts at holding accused Israeli war criminals accountable. Particularly memorable is the case of the late Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, (known, among other nicknames, as the 'Butcher of Sabra and Shatila') whose victims attempted to try him in a Belgian Court in 2002. Like all other efforts,

Patrick Cockburn (2020-07-07). Trump's Racism May be Blatant, But the Culture He Defends Comes Out of the Civil War and Goes Well Beyond Racial Division. counterpunch.org President Trump is making plain the degree to which the country remains divided by the American Civil War. His threat to veto the $718bn Defence Bill if it renames military bases called after Confederate generals harks back to 1861. His stand highlights the bizarre way that the US military has named its biggest bases, like

Anthony Cartalucci (2020-07-07). "Woke" America is More Asleep to Injustice Than Ever. thealtworld.com While America's "Woke" revolution topples statues and hunts down fictional characters at home, corporate America continues to engage in the mass murder and enslavement of blacks abroad. | To drive home just how superficial and empty recent protests in America are and how little besides further division and destruction will become of them — take the fate of two fictional characters recently put in the spotlight by baying activists — PepsiCo's "Aunt Jemima" breakfast food brand and Mars Incorporated's "Uncle Ben's" rice products. | Both came into the crosshairs of "woke" America. Both fictional characters…

Andrew Korybko (2020-07-07). Britain Is Following Its Big Brother By Imposing So-Called Humanitarian Sanctions. thealtworld.com The UK's imposition of so-called "humanitarian sanctions" against 49 individuals from Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia that it claims are supposedly involved in "human rights abuses" is nothing more than London following its "big brother's" lead from "across the pond" in…

Richard Eskow (2020-07-07). The War on Logic: Contradictions and Absurdities in the House's Military Spending Bill. counterpunch.org The House Armed Services Committee just passed a defense appropriations bill filled with moral contradictions and illogical absurdities. Consider: It removes some racist symbols in the military, but preserves Trump's ability to use the military against anti-racist demonstrators. It abdicates Congress' responsibility to declare war, but prevents the executive branch from moving toward peace.

WSWS (2020-07-07). Canada's migrant workers protest lack of COVID-19 protections. wsws.org Hundreds of migrant workers and their supporters joined protests Saturday against atrocious working and living conditions—conditions long sanctioned by government and made still worse by the pandemic.

Yves Engler (2020-07-07). White Supremacist Intelligence Alliance Pushes China Hostage Standoff. dissidentvoice.org In recent weeks movements in different countries have toppled statues and put the police and other institutions upholding systemic racism on the defensive. But, amidst unprecedented protests against racism, there has been remarkably little interest in the white supremacist foreign policy alliance currently driving conflict with China. The "Five Eyes" intelligence arrangement has faced almost …

Daniel Beaumont (2020-07-07). Gimme Shelter: the Brief And Strange History of CHOP (AKA CHAZ). counterpunch.org "Rape, murder—it's just a shot away, it's just a shot away" —"Gimme Shelter" the Rolling Stones The end has come for CHOP—or CHAZ. At first the six-block area just east of downtown Seattle was called CHAZ. The area was occupied by protesters on June 8th after it was reluctantly ceded to them by Seattle Mayor

Fight Back (2020-07-07). Roll 4 Justice – Protest on wheels demands justice for all on July 4 in Minneapolis. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On July 4, more than 200 protesters took the streets on wheels for a new type of march calling for an end to a fundamentally racist criminal justice system and "#Justice4All." Protesters were on bikes, rollerblades, roller skates, skateboards, as well as in a car caravan as they rolled through various neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The protest was organized by Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) along with co-hosts Native Lives Matter, CAIR-Minnesota, LatinoAltRock, and Asamblea de Derechos Civiles. Messaging included slogans such as: "Abolish ICE," "Prosecute the police," and lin…

WSWS (2020-07-07). ICE threatens international students with deportation unless their college resumes in-person classes. wsws.org In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, an ICE rule change is forcing international students to risk their lives to stay in the US…

Pan Africanism Today Secretariat (2020-07-07). Xenophobia in South Africa fractures international working-class solidarity. peoplesdispatch.org The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted migrants in South Africa who have been facing increasingly violent attacks and marginalization over the past decade, reinforced by xenophobic rhetoric on a state-level…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-07). Argentine social movements propose San Martín Plan to overcome extreme poverty post-COVID-19. peoplesdispatch.org Social leader Juan Grabois, in an interview with community media, detailed aspects of the plan which envisions the generation of 4 million jobs The plan envisions the creation of a fund which will set up 4,000 productive units…

Prabir Purkayastha (2020-07-07). All Articles The World Can Show How Pharma Monopolies Aren't the Only Way to Fight COVID-19. zcomm.org After his disastrous handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, Trump is trying to improve his waning electoral chances by reserving all of Gilead's stock of remdesivir…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-07). The Coronavirus Seal: Victoria's Borders Close. asia-pacificresearch.com

Mike Davis (2020-07-07). Anthony Fauci: The Last American Hero? thenation.com Anthony Fauci: The Last American Hero?

WSWS (2020-07-07). Coronavirus pandemic threatens lives of at least one million people at risk from AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria. wsws.org The global distribution of preventative treatments for other deadly diseases has been severely disrupted by the pandemic.

Sasha Abramsky (2020-07-07). Trump's 'Heroes' Garden Is a Nationalistic Nightmare. thenation.com Trump's 'Heroes' Garden Is a Nationalistic Nightmare…

Arun Gupta (2020-07-07). On Coronavirus and the Anti-Police-Brutality Uprising. zcomm.org An investigative reporter, Arun Gupta has been consistently ahead of the news. In September 2011, he founded The Occupy Wall Street Journal with the help of the Yes Men to help build support for the fledgling occupation in Zuccotti Park. During the 2016 presidential campaign, he warned that if elected Trump would carry out "the

pip.hinman (2020-07-07). 'Solidarity selfie' campaign draws support for persecuted Kurdish mayors, MPs in Turkey. greenleft.org.au

RT (2020-07-07). CNN's Don Lemon clashes with actor Terry Crews: Is BLM about police brutality, or problems in the black community? rt.com Actor Terry Crews faced an angry backlash after voicing concerns about the radicalization of the BLM movement. His clash with CNN's Don Lemon on why black-on-black crime is not part of the agenda split society even further. | Last Saturday, Crews, who is also a human rights activist, tweeted that he saw good people as allies regardless of the color of their skin, adding that he was "prepared to die on this hill." He previously expressed concern that the Black Lives Matter movement might slide into black supremacy. | July 4, 2020 | On Monday, Crews RT (2020-07-07). US still 'knee-deep' in FIRST wave of Covid-19, Fauci warns. rt.com Unlike countries in Europe, the US failed to get the first wave of Covid-19 under control and is now 'knee-deep' in a new surge of it, according to the country's top epidemic adviser Anthony Fauci. | The coronavirus situation in the US is "not very good," Fauci

RT (2020-07-07). US 'certainly looking' at banning TikTok & other Chinese social media apps, says Pompeo. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed Washington is considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, including the ultra-popular TikTok, apparently inspired by a similar ban in India and Australia's threat to do the same. | Speaking with Fox News, Pompeo affirmed "we're certainly looking at" banning TikTok and other Chinese apps, following the lead of India, which banned 59 Chinese apps after border skirmishes with Beijing, and Australia, which has threatened to do the same. Americans should download the apps "only if you want your information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party," he smirked.

RT (2020-07-07). Foreign students face mass DEPORTATIONS from US if their universities switch to online-only classes. rt.com US immigration authorities have warned foreign students at colleges offering online-only courses that they must transfer to schools with in-person classes or face deportation. The rule has students and many professors up in arms. | Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ended the temporary exceptions it granted foreign students during the spring semester, leaving some students whose schools have gone online-only for fall facing removal from the country — or stranded back home. The loophole had permitted non-immigrant student visa holders to stay in the US while taking online courses due to the coro…

The Canary (2020-07-07). China criticises US joint carrier drills in South China Sea. thecanary.co The Chinese government has accused the US of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea by conducting joint exercises with two American aircraft carrier groups in the strategic waterway.Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the exercises were performed "totally out of ulterior motives" and undermined stability in the area.Zhao told a daily briefing: "Against such a backdrop, the US deliberately dispatched massive forces to conduct large-scale military exercises in the relevant waters of the South China Sea to flex its military muscle."The US Navy said over the weekend that the USS Nimitz and the…

The Canary (2020-07-07). PM's care home comments branded 'clumsy and cowardly'. thecanary.co Prime minister Boris Johnson's claims that "too many" care homes did not properly follow procedures during the coronavirus pandemic have been branded "clumsy and cowardly" by a sector leader.Mark Adams, chief executive of the charity Community Integrated Care, said on Tuesday he was "unbelievably disappointed" to hear the prime minister blaming care workers. | He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think this — at best — was clumsy and cowardly, but to be honest with you, if this is genuinely his view, I think we're almost entering an … alternative reality where the government sets the rules, we fo…

The Canary (2020-07-07). London mayor and Met chief remember victims on 15th anniversary of 7/7 blasts. thecanary.co Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick have paid tribute to the 52 people who died in the 7 July bombings, on the 15th anniversary of the terror attacks.A series of explosions ripped through London in co-ordinated terrorist strikes in 2005.The attacks on three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus killed 52 people as well as the bombers, and more than 700 people were injured.Dick and Khan laid wreaths at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park at 8.50am on Tuesday — the time of the first bomb. | #LondonBombings pic.twitter.com/YoW…

WSWS Repost (2020-07-07). Trump rails against Marxism and "international socialism" indybay.org While the deadly COVID-19 pandemic raged, President Trump celebrated Independence Day by unabashedly promoting a fractured, fascist interpretation of American history.

Andrew Stewart (2020-07-07). Can We Compare the George Floyd Protests to the Vietnam War Protests? Maybe, But the Analogy is Imperfect. counterpunch.org At the outset, I would argue it is paramount to emphasize the centrality of radical BIPOC organizers in this discussion. There undeniably are BIPOC-led local formations and organizations that have been fighting for racial justice for decades active in many cities, ones that cannot be given anything but high praise, support, and made into the

Nyla Ali Khan (2020-07-07). Fallacious Arguments Employed to Justify the Revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's Autonomy and Its Bifurcation. counterpunch.org The throes of pain, palpable on the face of the 3-year old child whose grandfather was killed in an exchange of fire between militants and Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Sopore, can lacerate the most hardened person. The palpable contrast between the enchanting beauty of Kashmir and the glazed eyes of its people is

Dean Baker (2020-07-07). Unemployment Benefits Should Depend on the Pandemic. counterpunch.org In recent weeks many members of Congress have been arguing against extending the $600 weekly supplement to unemployment insurance benefits that was put into the original pandemic relief package. Some members of Congress have even argued for extra payments to encourage unemployed workers to return to work. These proposals miss the logic that led Congress

Walden Bello (2020-07-07). The Racist Underpinnings of the American Way of War. counterpunch.org The U.S. military command's pushback against President Donald Trump's attempt to use the military against people demanding racial justice has received a lot of good press. But let's not overdo the praise. For most of their existence, the U.S. Armed Forces were racially segregated. It was only in the 1950s that the slow process of

Sam Pizzigati (2020-07-07). Social Distancing for Mega-Million Fun and Profit. counterpunch.org For the world's super rich, the thrills don't come cheap. But they do keep coming — even amid a pandemic. Case in point: this past Monday night's historic Sotheby's art auction, the first-ever "hybrid" sale of high-end artwork. On site in London, Hong Kong, and New York, socially distanced Sotheby's specialists took in phone and

Parth M.N. (2020-07-07). Back to School in Rural India: Digital Divide to Digital Partition. counterpunch.org It took a down payment of Rs. 2,500 for Rajesh Andhare to get his hands on a smartphone for the first time in his life. Two years later, he still can't operate it. "It was a gift for my older child Dinesh, who had passed out of school," says 43-year-old Rajesh. "We paid the remaining

Ed Sanders (2020-07-07). The Burning of Newgate Prison: a Glyph. counterpunch.org

WSWS (2020-07-07). Dozens of immigrants drown in eastern Turkey's Lake Van. wsws.org Migrants traveling from Central Asian war zones are reportedly forced to travel by boat over Lake Van to bypass police checkpoints on land.

Tom Tomorrow (2020-07-07). Donald Trump's Many Pandemic Blunders. thenation.com Donald Trump's Many Pandemic Blunders…

Saed Bannoura (2020-07-07). Statement: "Death Of Palestinian Detainee Not Confirmed" imemc.org The Israeli Prison Service has not yet officially informed the Palestinians or the Red Cross of the death of a Palestinian detainee in prison, while the current information reveals that the detainee is likely clinically dead, but so far, there has been no official confirmation, despite various conflicting reports. Former …

yenisafak (2020-07-07). WHO to travellers: keep an eye on 'anywhere and everywhere' COVID-19. yenisafak.com The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged travellers to wear masks on planes and keep themselves informed as COVID-19 cases surge again in some countries, prompting new restrictions in places like Australia.Spokeswoman Margaret Harris urged people not to be caught off-guard by resurgent local epidemics and quarantine measures, saying: "If it's anywhere, it's everywhere and people travelling have to understand that.""This virus is widespread and people have to take that very, very seriously."The WHO said last month that it would update its travel guidelines ahead of the northern hemisphere summer holidays but…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). Russia digs trench around Siberian village to enforce COVID quarantine. yenisafak.com Russian authorities have dug a trench around a remote Siberian village to enforce a quarantine, after dozens of residents contracted the coronavirus, which local officials believe was spread at a traditional shaman ritual.The village of Shuluta, located some 30 kilometres south east of Lake Baikal in Siberia's Buryatia region, has 37 confirmed cases of the virus among its 390 residents.Ninety-five other people are believed to have been in contact with those infected and are also required to quarantine, said the head of the local administration, Ivan Alkheyev.Alkheyev said the outbreak started after dozens of vill…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). WHO criticized for 'contradictory' COVID-19 statements. yenisafak.com The WHO, which has been chastised by the US for failing to make necessary warnings in a timely manner, has recently been subjected to intense criticism, including accusations of "misleading countries over use of mask," taking late steps and making "contradictory statements".WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus rejects criticism, saying they act in line with science, learn new information about the virus every day, and that the organization is constantly updating its COVID-19 guidelines.- Wearing masksIn the first days of the pandemic, the WHO made statements that healthy people do not need to wear a mask.On April…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). Spanish PM Sanchez to discuss EU recovery fund with Germany's Merkel. yenisafak.com Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a July 17-18 summit to discuss a planned European Union recovery fund, government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero said on Tuesday."Spain's future is at stake in the coming days," Montero said regarding the negotiations over the fund, from which Spain hopes to receive around 140 billion euros.

yenisafak (2020-07-07). China joins UN weapons trade treaty. yenisafak.com China has formally joined the UN's Arms Trade Treaty, the country's Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.At a news conference in Beijing, ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China had deposited its instrument of accession and completed "all legal procedures to join this treaty," daily Global Times reported."The treaty will become effective for China after 90 days," he said.Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, submitted the document to UN chief Antonio Guterres.In a statement, the Chinese diplomat said Beijing "attaches high importance to the problems caused by illicit transfer and abuse of c…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). Toll rises from rain storms in China as student bus plunges into reservoir. yenisafak.com A bus carrying high school students plunged into a reservoir on in southwest China on Tuesday, as days of torrential rain triggered flood warnings across large parts of the country and disrupted the first day of national college exams.In the central city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus epidemic first erupted in December, a record-breaking 426 millimetres (16.8 inches) of rain fell on Sunday, the official China Daily reported, and authorities were using giant pumps to remove water from the flooded roads.State broadcaster CCTV said the students on a bus that crashed into a reservoir in the city of Anshun in southwe…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). Demolition of Palestinian homes rises despite pandemic. yenisafak.com An Israeli human rights center reported a sharp increase in the number of Palestinian homes demolished by Israel in the occupied West Bank in June, despite the outbreak of coronavirus. | "During the past month, Israel escalated the pace of house demolitions in the West Bank," the Jerusalem-based B'Tselem NGO said in a Tuesday report. | The NGO said 63 Palestinian homes were demolished across the West Bank (not including occupied East Jerusalem) since the beginning of the year, 33 of which were destroyed in June only. | The report stated that a total of 151 Palestinians, including 84 minors, lost their homes and o…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). Air Serbia announces more flights to Turkey. yenisafak.com Serbia's flag carrier on Tuesday announced it will operate at least eight charter flights to Turkey's southern coastal city of Antalya in July.The first such flight by Air Serbia flew to the resort city on Sunday with 144 passengers on board. Another aircraft left for Antalya today.The flights on Airbus A319 and Boeing B737 planes are next scheduled for July 9, 11, 15, 17, 18, and 19."I am extremely pleased that in cooperation with our partners and travel agencies, we have resumed charter flights," Bosko Rupic, a senior manager of corporate sales at Air Serbia, said in a written statement.Turkey remains one of th…

yenisafak (2020-07-07). Turkish Central Bank lowers reserve requirement ratios. yenisafak.com The Turkish Central Bank on Tuesday cut reserve requirement ratios to provide more liquidity in domestic markets.Turkish lira reserve requirement ratios was lowered from 6% to 5% and will be effective from July 10.Showing the minimum amount of reserves that local banks must hold at the Central Bank, the reserve requirement ratios are determined by the Central Bank to manage the liquidity in local markets.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-07). Iran reports highest coronavirus death toll since outbreak. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 07 (MNA) — Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran hit a high record on Tuesday as 200 new deaths were registered over the past 24 hours, the highest since the virus outbreak in the country.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-07). AEOI rejects rumors on blast in Shahid Rezaei nuclear site. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 07 (MNA) — In a statement on Tuesday, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) dismissed the rumors of an explosion in Shahid Rezaei nuclear site in the Iranian province of Yazd.