Daily Archives: July 8, 2020

2020-07-08: News Headlines

Sue Davis (2020-07-09). SCOTUS decides 5-4 win for abortion rights. workers.org SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective Executive Director Monica Simpson speaking at reproductive justice rally in Georgia, June 28, 2019. On June 29, the Supreme Court issued a much anticipated decision in June Medical Services v. Russo, the first reproductive justice case since anti-abortion Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and . . . |

Judy Greenspan (2020-07-09). Release San Quentin prisoners immediately! workers.org Oakland, Calif. July 5 — After a large prisoner transfer to San Quentin State Prison dramatically increased the COVID infection rate there, prisoners and advocates have stepped up their campaign to win the release of thousands of elderly, ill and vulnerable people inside. COVID-19 infections are spiking at astronomical levels . . . |

A Guest Author (2020-07-09). Deadly new sanctions on Syria. workers.org By Judy Bello This slightly edited guest article was originally published June 12 on the web site of the United National AntiWar Coalition (unac.notowar.net). On May 20, President Trump signed into law the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Embedded in this bill, a housekeeping bill of sorts where yearly . . . |

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-08). Remember the "Fake" 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic: Manipulating the Data to Justify a Worldwide Public Health Emergency. globalresearch.ca A Worldwide public health emergency is unfolding, 4.9 billion doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine are envisaged by the WHO.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-08). 21 Years Ago, NATO's War on Yugoslavia: Kosovo "Freedom Fighters" Financed by Organized Crime. globalresearch.ca Twenty-one years ago, June 10 1999, marks the end of NATO's aerial bombardment of Yugoslavia (March 24, 1999- June 10, 1999). The bombings which lasted for almost three months, were followed by the military invasion (under a bogus UN mandate) …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-08). 120 Covid-19 Vaccine Projects are Underway. globalresearch.ca Discussing permissible medical practices, the Nuremberg Code mandates consent and prohibits coercion, following Hippocratic Oath principles of doing no harm. | The Nuremberg Code is one of several foundational documents that influenced the …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-08). UN So-called Committee of Inquiry (COI) Casually Blames Bashar Al-Assad for US-Sponsored High Crimes Committed by Terrorist Proxies Against the People of Syria. globalresearch.ca Launched preemptively in March 2011 by the Obama regime, escalated by Trump, US direct and proxy aggression in Syria will likely continue indefinitely no matter which right wing of its war party is in charge ahead. | Formed in September 2011, …

Philip Giraldi (2020-07-08). Russia-Baiting Is the Only Game in Town. globalresearch.ca There is particular danger at the moment that powerful political alignments in the United States are pushing strongly to exacerbate the developing crisis with Russia. | The New York Times, which broke the story that the Kremlin had been paying the …

Andrew Korybko (2020-07-08). China-India Onset of "Cold Peace"? Mutual Disengagement Decision, Pull Back from the Line of Control. globalresearch.ca China accepts that India already made its geopolitical choice to become the US' proxy in "containing" the People's Republic, but it would prefer for their seemingly inevitable "decoupling" to be as manageable as possible, hence why it's helping its rival …

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-08). The US and UK are a wrecking ball crew against the pillars of internationalism. peoplesdispatch.org Vijay Prashad writes on the imperialist actions led by the US and the UK against Venezuela and the emptiness of their commitment to international law…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-08). Arrest of Shi'ite Militias in Iraq Is Part of Iranian-US Proxy Struggle. globalresearch.ca New Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi faces many challenges to his authority, including from powerful pro-Iranian Shi'ite militias like Kata'ib Hezbollah. On June 26, 14 militiamen of Kata'ib Hezbollah, commonly known as the Iraqi Hezbollah, were apprehended by Iraqi security …

Gareth Porter (2020-07-08). How the Pentagon failed to sell Afghan government's bunk 'Bountygate' story to US intelligence agencies. thegrayzone.com Another New York Times Russiagate bombshell turns out to be a dud, as dodgy stories spun out by Afghan intelligence…

Ali Salam (2020-07-08). Israeli Bulldozers Raze Land for Settler only Road near Nablus. imemc.org Israeli bulldozers continued razing, on Monday, Palestinian-owned lands in the northern occupied West Bank, town of Huwara, south of Nablus, to allow for the construction of an Israeli settler-only bypass road, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. Ghassan Daghlas, a local official monitoring illegal Israeli settlement construction, said that Israeli bulldozers …

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-08). On Israel's Bizarre Definitions: The West Bank is Already Annexed. mintpressnews.com The truth is that Israel rarely behaves as an 'Occupying Power', but as a sovereign in a country where racial discrimination and apartheid are not only tolerated or acceptable but are, in fact, 'legal' as well.

South Front (2020-07-08). Video: The US Air Force's "Swarm Approach". Toward Aerospace Warfare Model of the 21st Century. globalresearch.ca While the phrase "system of systems" has entered relatively common usage some years ago as a reflection of the need to field systems and assets with complementary capabilities that will operate as part of a synergistic whole in their respective …

South Front (2020-07-08). Video: Turkish Forces Lick Wounds After Airstrikes Hit Their Base in Libya. globalresearch.ca After a short break, the military confrontation between the Libyan National Army mainly backed up by Egypt and the UAE and the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord has once again entered an open phase. | On July 5, aircraft of the …

Ed Childs and G. Lechat (2020-07-08). 'End police brutality' with new forms of union solidarity. workers.org A rally and march against police brutality called by UNITE HERE Local 26 — a union representing hotel, casino and school dining hall workers — drew upwards of 500 to the Commons in the center of this working-class immigrant city on June 26. A former manufacturing center that fell on . . . |

Joe Bernick (2020-07-08). Arizona teachers want to tax the rich for their students. peoplesworld.org The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the ultra-right-wing state legislature were hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic would save them from those pesky citizen initiatives that regular citizens can place on the ballot to be voted into law. The corporate interests and their right-wing backers are especially fearful of a proposed initiative that would raise over …

Orlando Oramas León (2020-07-08). Cuba helping the world fight COVID-19, despite U.S. government's retaliation efforts. peoplesworld.org HAVANA—While the United States tries to disqualify Cuba's international medical cooperation, the list of brigades sent by the island to fight COVID-19 in different latitudes of the planet grows. They are the members of the Henry Reeve Contingent, created in 2005 by Fidel Castro to face situations of serious epidemics and natural disasters. It is a …

Prensa Latina (2020-07-08). Cuba exhorta a ayuda de OIT para dejar atrás crisis por COVID-19. peoplesworld.org LA HABANA—El presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, exhortó hoy a la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) a ayudar al mundo para superar la crisis causada por la pandemia de COVID-19. La OIT puede contribuir con su amplia obra en favor de la justicia social, la promoción del empleo digno y la protección de los derechos …

Melvin Goodman (2020-07-08). Afghanistan: What is to be Done? counterpunch.org The mainstream media is asking the wrong questions regarding the possibility of Russian bounties for American soldiers. Over and over, they ponder what did the president know and when did he know it? These were important questions that Senator Howard Baker asked of President Nixon during Watergate, but they are meaningless questions for Donald Trump, given his ignorance and indifference.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-08). Trump in 'free trade' talks with Brazilian right-wing authoritarian President Bolsonaro. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Even as he celebrates forcing one so-called "free trade" pact down Mexico's throat, President Donald Trump is pursuing another, with his right-wing Southern Hemisphere compadre, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Of course, the talks may have hit a medical snag: Bolsonaro, who's been even more outspoken than Trump in denouncing the coronavirus as a fabricated threat, …

Yves Engler (2020-07-08). Canada's membership in the Five Eyes alliance promoting conflict with China. mronline.org It is time Canadians debate whether they want to be part of an intelligence group driving hostile relations with China.

Sonali Kolhatkar (2020-07-08). The Merits of Medicare for All Have Been Proven by This Pandemic. counterpunch.org A pandemic is not the time to be having discussions about how to design a national health care system. The fact that the United States, which has 4 percent of the world's population, leads the world with 25 percent of all coronavirus infections, indicates at a glance that something about our nation's health care is

Laura Carlsen (2020-07-08). Lopez Obrador's Visit to Trump is a Betrayal of the U.S. and Mexican People. counterpunch.org To praise a tyrant is to insult a people. López Obrador's proposed visit to Washington is an insult to the American people, and especially to the 37 million Mexican migrants who live in the United States. The purpose of the state visit with Donald Trump on July 8 is to celebrate the entry into force of the Mexico-United States-Canada Treaty (T-MEC) on July 1. It comes at the worst possible time.

RT (2020-07-08). US must tear down 'whole system of oppression,' says Democrat Ilhan Omar. Dems have 'given up' on America, Republicans reply. rt.com Ilhan Omar has called on the US "to tear down systems of oppression." But the Minnesota Democratic representative's remarks have outraged Republicans, who say she wants to ruin the whole American system. | Oppression is seen pretty much across the board in the American system, Omar claimed in a speech in Minnesota on Tuesday. | "We are fighting to tear down systems of oppression that exist in housing, in education, in healthcare, in employment, in the air we breathe," she said. | "We cannot stop at the criminal justice system. We must begin the work of dismantling the whole system of oppression wherever we fin…

Staff (2020-07-08). The New NYC? Houston Hospitals Struggle with "Astonishing" Rise in Coronavirus Cases. democracynow.org As COVID-19 cases rise and hospitalizations are soaring, hospitals in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California are running out of ICU beds. On Tuesday, Texas set a grim new record of 10,000 new cases in a single day. "It's been astonishing," says Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent Dr. Sheri Fink, who has been reporting from Houston's largest hospital. "They've been adding unit after unit after unit just to care for coronavirus patients."

Staff (2020-07-08). Headlines for July 8, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Begins Formal U.S. Withdrawal from World Health Organization, Brazil's Official Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 65,000 as Jair Bolsonaro Tests Positive, U.S. Confirms Record 60,000+ Coronavirus Cases as Trump Demands School Reopenings, Houston Mayor Pleads with Republicans to Cancel Texas Convention Amid Coronavirus Surge, Prominent GOP Senators to Skip Republican National Convention Amid Pandemic, Serbian Anti-Lockdown Protesters Storm Parliament; Spanish Study Questions "Herd Immunity", Mexican President to Meet with Trump; Canadian PM Won't Attend over COVID Concerns, Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley…

Staff (2020-07-08). COVID Exposes "Significant Racial Health Inequities" as Black, Brown & Indigenous People Suffer Most. democracynow.org The coronavirus continues to hit communities of color the hardest, with federal data showing African American and Latinx people are nearly three times more likely to be infected and twice as likely to die from the virus compared to their white neighbors. There were "pretty significant racial health disparities" even before COVID-19 ravaged the country, says Dr. Uché Blackstock, emergency medicine physician in New York and founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, a company working to fight racism and bias in health services. "What we saw in the pandemic these first few months is these really significant racial…

Staff (2020-07-08). ICE Threatens to Deport or Bar International Students If Schools Move Classes Online Due to Pandemic. democracynow.org As President Trump pressures states to reopen schools in the fall despite an alarming surge in new coronavirus cases, ICE says international students studying at U.S. universities could face deportation if their schools switch to online-only courses. The U.S. issues more than a million student visas a year, and international students account for as much as a third of the undergraduate student body at many colleges and universities and often constitute the majority of graduate students. "I have yet to see a justification for this," says immigration attorney Fiona McEntee, who notes that international students cont…

Nicolas J S Davies (2020-07-08). Key U.S. Ally Indicted for Organ Trade Murder Scheme. counterpunch.org When President Clinton dropped 23,000 bombs on what was left of Yugoslavia in 1999 and NATO invaded and occupied the Yugoslav province of Kosovo, U.S. officials presented the war to the American public as a "humanitarian intervention" to protect Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanian population from genocide at the hands of Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic. That

Thomas Klikauer — Norman Simms (2020-07-08). The End of the American Newspaper. counterpunch.org Since the birth of the Word Wide Web in March 1989 (at 00: 00PT/ 08: 00 CET) and the rise of Facebook and the like, the preferred business model of newspaper has been in steep decline as advertising revenue shifted from print media towards the Internet with Google, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are the largest winners. This meant that many newspapers are under severe financial stress while others have closed up shop all together.

CP Editor (2020-07-08). Cornel West interview on the Clintons and "Race Matters" (1993). counterpunch.org

Eds. (2020-07-08). How the law killed Ahmaud Arbery. mronline.org In many states, legal regimes sanction the predictable murder of innocent black men. Justice will not be served until the law changes.

ABEAR (2020-07-08). Black Lives Matter rewrites history. workers.org July 7 — A people's tidal wave against white supremacy has swept through the U.S. since the police murder of George Floyd on May 25. The assertion of power by the people against racist oppression has defied curfews, teargas, deadly weapons, mass arrests and unjust laws. A statue of Christopher . . . |

John Bachtell (2020-07-08). Separation of Trump and state: Blocking Republicans' evangelical election strategy. peoplesworld.org On Monday, June 1, President Donald Trump stood in front of St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., awkwardly clutching a Bible. Moments earlier, military police had forcibly cleared peaceful demonstrators from Lafayette Park with pepper spray, flash and smoke grenades, truncheons, and rubber bullets. Outraged religious leaders across denominations immediately condemned Trump for his …

Lyn Neeley (2020-07-08). Milton, Mass.: Rally protests anti-racist teacher's suspension. workers.org Hundreds rallied on Juneteenth (June 19) in Milton, Mass., calling for an end to systemic racism in school curriculum and voicing support for Zakia Jarrett, an African-American sixth-grade English teacher. Jarrett was briefly put on administrative leave June 5 for her remarks on police violence during a lesson on racism. . . . |

Monica Moorehead (2020-07-08). Elijah McClain's life mattered — abolish the police! workers.org Elijah McClain was a 23-year-old massage therapist who lived in Aurora, Colo., outside of Denver. He was 5 feet, 7 inches and 140 pounds. He was also a violin player who used his talent to soothe animals. Elijah McClain was killed August 24, 2019. What was his crime? Walking while . . . |

RT (2020-07-08). SECOND night of clashes in Serbia as government & opposition blame each other for protests over Covid-19 lockdown. rt.com Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade and other major cities to protest the Serbian government's intent to reimpose coronavirus lockdowns. Stones and teargas flew as they clashed with riot police long into the night. | Police in Belgrade have reportedly dispersed the bulk of the demonstrators by midnight local time on Wednesday, after nearly five hours of standoffs and clashes with a crowd of mostly young men and women. | What started on Tuesday as a protest against the announced second round of Covid-19 lockdowns quickly turned into an attempt to storm the parliament and fights with the police. | Also on r…

RT (2020-07-08). Trump threatens to CUT FUNDING for schools that don't reopen amid Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com US President Donald Trump has warned schools that their funding may be cut if they choose to remain closed in the autumn — apparently to the benefit of his political opponents — because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. | "The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election," Trump tweeted on Wednesday, adding that he "may cut off funding" if schools refuse to reopen. | In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before th…

RT (2020-07-08). New York Times lays out conditions for Biden to debate Trump… or loophole to get Joe out of live sparring. rt.com Joe Biden is a stumbling speaker at the best of times, and Donald Trump is the insult king. With the two set to engage in three televised debates, the New York Times has decided that Biden needs an out. | "I worry about Joe Biden debating Donald Trump," New York Times opinion columnist Thomas Friedman wrote on Tuesday. Friedman is likely not the only liberal pundit sweating at the prospect. Donald Trump, for all his ineloquence, is a brutal debater, well used to ripping his opponents apart with off-the-cuff insults and jibes. Joe Biden, by contrast, mumbles and fumbles his way even through prepared statements,…

RT (2020-07-08). Facebook bans accounts linked to Roger Stone, Proud Boys & Brazil's Bolsonaro in fight against 'coordinated inauthentic behavior'. rt.com Facebook has banned dozens of pages allegedly linked to ex-Trump adviser and Republican operative Roger Stone, as well as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in its relentless battle against political 'misinformation networks'. | The 100-account network said to be linked to Stone, a Florida resident, was discovered in the course of an investigation into the right-wing group Proud Boys, banned from Facebook years ago, the social media behemoth

RT (2020-07-08). California couple charged with HATE CRIME for painting over city-approved BLM mural. rt.com The couple who attempted to paint over the City of Martinez's "Black Lives Matter" mural on the 4th of July have been charged with a hate crime and two other misdemeanors by a controversial "progressive" prosecutor. | Nichole Anderson and David Nelson have been hit with three misdemeanor charges over their efforts to paint over a Black Lives Matter mural in front of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse just hours after the original painting was completed with the full blessing of the city of Martinez, a statement from Contra Costa District Attorney Diane Becton's office revealed on Tuesday. The pair could face up t…

RT (2020-07-08). TikTok violates children's privacy & feeds them with Nazi memes, media and NGOs wail — just in time to justify US ban. rt.com TikTok has failed to protect children's privacy and can't even keep them safe from froth-mouthed Nazis, US NGOs and media have declared, just in time to give Washington a reason to ban the popular Chinese-made app. | The US Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department are reportedly probing accusations that TikTok failed to protect children's privacy in keeping with a 2019 agreement, according to representatives of tech policy groups whose anti-Tiktok grievances neatly coincide with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's hints earlier this week that Washington is seeking to ban the wildly popular micro-vlogging p…

The Canary (2020-07-08). PM dismisses pleas to extend free car parking for NHS staff post-Covid-19. thecanary.co Boris Johnson has dismissed pleas to retain free hospital parking for all NHS staff after the Covid-19 pandemic.The prime minister told Keir Starmer to "take his latest bandwagon and park it free somewhere else" when asked by the Labour leader to extend the policy.Starmer had warned the decision to end free parking in all but certain circumstances once the pandemic begins to ease adds "further insult to injury" for NHS workers.Labour leader Keir Starmer (Aaron Chown/PA)The Opposition leader also repeatedly pressed the prime minister to apologise for saying too many care homes do not follow the procedures as they…

The Canary (2020-07-08). Five things we learned from Rishi Sunak's mini-Budget. thecanary.co Chancellor Rishi Sunak has delivered his "summer economic update" to MPs.Here's what we learned: — The scale of the economic hit could potentially be very large indeedThe chancellor said the economy had shrunk by 25% in two months as a result of the lockdown — the same amount it grew in the previous 18 years.The Office for Budget Responsibility and the Bank of England were both warning of "significant job losses". | — The cost of measures to protect jobs and businesses could rise to £30 billionUp to £9.4 billion is available to pay firms £1,000 bonuses for each furloughed worker ke…

_____ (2020-07-08). Is China the New Indispensable Nation? strategic-culture.org Usually when there are protests, however minor, happening in a nation that has run afoul of the United States the "International Community" and "Human Rights Activists" rally to push for regime change. However, now that there are mass protests exploding over the United States these types of voices are completely silent. American police are free to destroy CHAZ and other camps however they see fit. This is the power of America, however this time around there sure are a lot of red flags and Communist sentiments in the mouths of the protestors. If we were still in the Cold War the Soviet Union would have been instan…

Alan Macleod (2020-07-08). TikTok Could Become Latest Victim of US War on Chinese Competition. mintpressnews.com A potential US ban on TikTok comes amid a rise in anti-China warmongering that suggests the move has more to do with re-establishing American dominance over social media than concerns over privacy.

Alan Macleod (2020-07-08). Democratic Candidate James Averhart Personally Oversaw Solitary Confinement of Chelsea Manning. mintpressnews.com Alabama congressional candidate James Averhart led a campaign to punish soldiers who deserted the Vietnam war and personally oversaw the brutal imprisonment of whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

Fight Back (2020-07-08). FRSO condemns Duterte's terror law, demands U.S. out of Philippines. fightbacknews.org The U.S.-backed government of Philippines and its President Duterte is putting in place the legal framework to carry out a wave of repression against activists in the popular movements who are fighting for social and national liberation. Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the recently signed Republic Act 1147, also called Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, for what it is: an attempt to criminalize trade unionists, environmentalists, women's groups, student organizations or anyone else who wants to challenge the cruel rule of Duterte. | Duterte is using an old trick — a slight of hand utilized for years b…