Daily Archives: August 8, 2020

2020-08-08: News Headlines

Ari Paul (2020-08-08). Trump's Tantrum Against TikTok Is No Laughing Matter. zcomm.org Trump lashing out at some youngsters making music videos is indeed the kind of absurdity his administration has employed that makes satire almost impossible, but the free speech and anti-Asian repercussions of this move are real and dangerous…

Max Blumenthal (2020-08-08). Western media's favorite Hong Kong 'freedom struggle writer' is American ex-Amnesty staffer in yellowface. thegrayzone.com A prominent Hong Kong pundit and anti-China activist named Kong Tsung-gan has become a go-to source for Western media. An…

_____ (2020-08-08). CODEPINK Denounces Elliott Abrams' Appointment As US Special Representative For Iran. popularresistance.org The appointment of Elliott Abrams to replace Brian Hook as the next U.S. Special Representative for Iran is another low point for the Trump administration's disastrous policy towards Iran. The dangerous conflict resulting from Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement will be exacerbated by a man committed to Washington's failed policies of regime change, including in his present-day position as Trump's representative for Venezuela. | Elliott Abrams has made a career of lying and committing criminal acts that have led to the death and suffering of innocent people from Guatemala to Iraq.

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Turkey's IHH aids thousands in Lebanon after blast. yenisafak.com Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) on Saturday provided humanitarian aid for thousands who have been affected by Tuesday's massive explosion at Beirut port.In a statement, the IHH said rescue efforts are still underway for those still missing after the blast, which killed at least 154 people."The grain silos destroyed by the explosion were a vital artery for the supply of food in the country," IHH said, warning of a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon in case of failure to supply the country with enough quantities of flour within a short period of time.According to the statement, the IHH has launched a camp…

Fight Back (2020-08-08). Tribute to the outstanding communist Ka Fidel V. Agcaoili. fightbacknews.org On what would have been the 76th birthday of Ka Fidel V. Agcaoili, Freedom Road Socialist Organization joins in paying tribute to this great revolutionary and fighter for the liberation of the Philippines. Every communist can learn from his example and from his many contributions to the international communist movement. His passing is a cause for sadness among all of us who are working to end exploitation and oppression. | Ka Fidel was a revolutionary who devoted the whole of his life to the struggle for national liberation and socialism. He came from a privileged background, took up the science of Marxism, and i…

Eds. (2020-08-08). The filthy hypocrisy of America's "clean" China-free internet. mronline.org The Trump administration wants to keep other countries from weaponizing technology the way the U.S. and its allies already have.

Anand Naidoo (2020-08-08). The Heat: U.S. targets China. america.cgtn.com No deal yet. Talks still in limbo over an economic rescue package providing financial relief to millions of Americans as the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge across the United States.

RT (2020-08-08). 'Lebanese people have suffered too much': US encourages 'peaceful' regime change as protests rage in blast-ravaged Beirut. rt.com The US embassy has expressed its solidarity with anti-government protesters in Lebanon, urging all sides to "refrain from violence," after clashes in blast-devastated Beirut left some 500 people injured. | Thousands of people gathered in Beirut on Saturday, demanding government resignation over corruption and negligence that they believe led to the horrific explosion this week. | Also on rt.com | | Amid clashes with riot police, protesters stormed severa…

RT (2020-08-08). 'Too much pot brownie': Clinton slams NYT's Maureen Dowd over claim it's been 36 YEARS since a man & woman ran on Dem ticket. rt.com Hillary Clinton and thousands of others roasted a now-corrected story and tweet from the New York Times claiming the last time there was a mixed-gender presidential ticket for the Democratic Party was in the '80s. | "It's hard to fathom, but it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket," the New York Times' Opinion Twitter account wrote, linking to an article by columnist Maureen Dowd, which included the same quote. | How does an error this significant get past an editor?

RT (2020-08-08). 'Why not a diverse Latino?' Maxine Waters claims Biden 'can't go home without black woman VP,' gets mocked for 'racism'. rt.com Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters was roasted online after saying 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden has no other choice but to pick a black woman as his running mate, suggesting he owed a debt to African American voters. | "We know that we're going to have a black woman as vice president," Waters said in an Let me guarantee you this, based on everything…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-08). The Likud Conspiracy: Israel in the Throes of a Major Political Crisis. dissidentvoice.org Protests against Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have raged on for weeks, turning violent sometimes. Israelis are furious at their government's mediocre response to the coronavirus pandemic, especially as COVID-19 disease is experiencing a massive surge throughout the country. Netanyahu warned protesters, thousands of whom have been rallying outside his residence in Jerusalem, against "anarchy …

Tom Coburg (2020-08-08). Military police allege cover-up of hundreds of UK war crime cases closed down by government. thecanary.co Claims that UK authorities covered-up hundreds of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq have been circulating for some years. But a BBC "Suspicious killin…

WSWS (2020-08-08). Georgia highschoolers use social media to expose disastrous conditions as schools reopen. wsws.org Two students from Georgia's North Paulding High School were suspended after photos of hallways packed with crowds of unmasked students went viral on social media.

Badri Raina (2020-08-08). Towards Theocracy: the ignominious collapse of Secular Democracy in India. zcomm.org The constitution of India is there, like many other artifacts in the archives, but, like the human appendix, it may now be vestigial…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-08). Workers, farmers give the call to "Save India" peoplesdispatch.org On August 9, trade unions and farmers' organizations across India will conduct a protest against the Narendra Modi government's anti-worker policies which have intensified during the lockdown…

Fight Back (2020-08-08). Justice for Travis Jordan – 38th birthday protest. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Minneapolis police's 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis, July 31, to demand justice for Travis Jordan, on what should have been his 38th birthday. | On November 9, 2018, Travis Jordan was shot and killed by two rookie officers of the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct during a wellness check for his suicidal ideation. Officers Neal Walsh and Ryan Keyes, who had each been on the police force less than a year, responded to the call. Instead of saving Travis's life and providing him with the mental health support he needed, they killed him. C…

Abdul Rahman (2020-08-08). Beirut blasts intensify economic and political crisis in Lebanon. peoplesdispatch.org Decades of neoliberal policies have made Lebanon among the most unequal societies in the world, and social and economic discontent is expected to grow following the blasts…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-08). Belarus elections may mark a key moment in European geopolitics. peoplesdispatch.org Five-time president Alexander Lukashenko is likely to win due to the lack of strong opposition candidates but the possibility of major protests remains. The country is a key part of both Russian and western strategies in the region…

_____ (2020-08-08). TikTok Diplomacy: A Digital Containment Doctrine. popularresistance.org With TikTok, Donald Trump is adding State Department coercion to his "art of the deal" toolkit. After months of feigned concern that the viral TikTok app represents a "trojan horse" for the Communist Party of China to access U.S. consumer data, the Trump Administration issued the Chinese company an ultimatum: sell the app to a U.S. buyer, or be shut down. | Microsoft has stepped forward as a potential buyer of TikTok, a clone of the Chinese video app Douyin tailored for a Western audience.

_____ (2020-08-08). Beirut: Explosion Was 'An Accident Caused By Negligent Governments'. popularresistance.org After the first news and the stupor generated by the violent explosions in the port of Lebanon, all kinds of rumors and false news began to circulate, trying to further poison the atmosphere of pain in which had fallen on the people of that country. In addition to the very high number of deaths (around 100) and thousands of injured, a strategic port of the Lebanese nation was destroyed. To be able to monitor the situation and the consequences of what happened, we spoke with Wafica Ibrahim, a journalist for Al Mayadeen TV and correspondent for Resumen Latinoamericano, in the Middle East…

_____ (2020-08-08). 'Russiagate' Hoax Unravels, but Their Anti-Russia Sanctions Don't. strategic-culture.org Eric ZUESSE | It was reported only on 'fringe' media (such as "Disobedient Media" now gone from the Web) until recently. However, the evidence that the entire "Russiagate" charge — that Russia's Government had "hacked" the Democratic National Committee in 2016 — is an Obama Administration hoax (which was continued into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report), is now starting to come out into public view and be endorsed publicly by retired U.S. intelligence professionals who can't be fired. It's not yet published in any mainstream U.S. news media, however. So, in this place will be chronologically pre…

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Turkey ready to rebuild Port of Beirut: Turkish VP. yenisafak.com Ankara is ready to send more medical assistance and food aid to help Lebanon during its time of need, Turkey's vice president said on Saturday.Fuat Oktay, who is visiting the Lebanese capital along with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said all of Turkey's hospitals and air ambulances are at Lebanon's service, as the country deals with the devastating fallout of Tuesday's massive blast at the port of Beirut.He said Ankara has told Lebanon that it can use Turkey's Mersin port until the Beirut port is rebuilt."Turkey is ready to help rebuild the heavily damaged Beirut port and nearby buildings," the vice…

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Death toll from Indian passenger aircraft accident rises to 18. yenisafak.com The death toll from an Indian passenger aircraft accident has risen to 18, while 16 people have been severely injured, a senior government official said on Saturday.The Air India Express plane, which was repatriating Indians stranded in Dubai due to the coronavirus pandemic, overshot the runway of the Calicut International Airport in heavy rain near the southern city of Kozhikode on Friday. This was India's worst passenger aircraft accident since 2010.The flight was carrying 190 passengers and crew.The plane's pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the accident, K Gopalakrishnan, chief of the Malappuram district…

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Indonesia reports 2,277 new coronavirus infections. yenisafak.com Indonesia reported 2,277 new coronavirus infections on Saturday and 65 more deaths, data from its health ministry website showed.This brings the country's total to 123,503 coronavirus infections and 5,658 deaths, the data showed.

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Two Lebanese shot dead in Tehran in rare shootout. yenisafak.com Two Lebanese nationals were shot dead by unknown assailants in Tehran, in what is being described as a rare incident of shooting in the Iranian capital. A father and daughter were shot by motorcycle-borne armed assailants north of Tehran's Pasdaran neighborhood on Friday, according to local media.The semi-official Fars News Agency identified the victims as Habib Davoodi and Maryam Davoodi, both Arab-speaking Lebanese nationals.Many social media users said the shooting took place near the Tehran house of slain Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed along with top Iranian general Qassem Sole…

yenisafak (2020-08-08). At least 43 Syrians among people killed in Beirut blast. yenisafak.com At least 43 Syrian nationals were among those killed in a massive explosion in the port of Beirut on Tuesday that destroyed parts of the Lebanese capital, Al-Mayadeen TV channel said on Saturday, citing the Syrian embassy in Lebanon.Al Mayadeen is a Lebanon-based channel close to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

yenisafak (2020-08-08). Russia reports more than 5,200 new coronavirus cases. yenisafak.com Russian authorities reported 5,212 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, pushing its national tally to 882,347, the fourth largest in the world.The official death toll rose to 14,854 after officials said 129 people had died across the country in the last 24 hours.

Aaron Maté (2020-08-07). Lebanon's corrupt, colonial system leads to explosion catastrophe. thegrayzone.com Beirut's explosion disaster is the product of a corrupt, sectarian political system maintained by foreign powers, Rania Masri argues. The…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-08-07). With an Eye on Balkanization, Israel throws Support Behind Separatist Militants in Southern Yemen. mintpressnews.com Israel is hoping to capitalize on internal tensions in Yemen, throwing its support behind a UAE-backed militant group with eyes on secession and control of the coveted Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Alan Macleod (2020-08-07). Disbelief as Trump Appoints Disgraced Iran-Contra Criminal Elliott Abrams as Iran Envoy. mintpressnews.com Activists, the UN, and even mainstream news outlets expressed dismay at the Trump administration's decision to appoint regime-change champion Elliot Abrahams to the role of Special Representative for Iran.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-07). America had first Contemplated Nuclear War against both China and North Korea in 1950. globalresearch.ca America's use of nuclear weapons on a first strike basis is no longer considered as a weapon of total annihilation. Quite the opposite, the preemptive use of nukes is upheld as a means to ensuring global peace and security. This is the doctrine which prevails today under Trump's "fire and fury"

commondreams (2020-08-07). CODEPINK Denounces Elliott Abrams' Appointment as the Next U.S. Special Representative for Iran. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Staff (2020-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2020. democracynow.org Study Predicts U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Could Reach 300,000 by December, Georgia High Schoolers Suspended for Sharing Images of Unmasked Students in Crowded Halls, India's COVID-19 Cases Top 2 Million as WHO Warns of Worsening Outbreaks in Africa, Peru's Health System in Collapse as COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 20,000, Congressional Talks on New Coronavirus Stimulus on Brink of Collapse, "Make Billionaires Pay Act" Would Tax Richest 0.001% to Fund Healthcare for Millions, Police Fire Tear Gas at Anti-Government Protesters as Anger Rages over Beirut Blast, New York Attorney General Files Suit to Dissolve NRA over Ex…

RT (2020-08-07). AOC-narrated Green New Deal clip nominated for Emmy for… news analysis? rt.com Democratic socialist New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been nominated for an Emmy award for "news analysis" for a video envisioning how the implementation of the Green New Deal solves all the US' problems. | Ocasio-Cortez revealed the seven-and-a-half minute video she narrated, produced by the Intercept and illustrated by Molly Crabapple, was shortlisted for an Emmy for News and Analysis in the Editorial and Opinion category on Thursday. Initially published in April 2019, the clip outlines the environmental disasters facing the world and describes how the proposed 'Green New Deal' will solve…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-07). Apartheid or One State: Has Jordan Broken a Political Taboo? counterpunch.org What will it take for the idea of a two-state solution, which was hardly practical to begin with, to be completely abandoned? Every realistic assessment of the situation on the ground indicates, with palpable clarity, that there can never be a viable Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Politically, the idea

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-07). Blasts in Beirut 'tragic humanitarian crisis': Nasrallah. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 07 (MNA) — Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah delivering a speech on the latest developments in Lebanon described blasts in Beirut as a 'tragic humanitarian crisis'.

Kathy Kelly (2020-08-07). Reversal: Boeing's Flow of Blood. counterpunch.org Today, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the atomic attack on Hiroshima, should be a day for quiet introspection. I recall a summer morning following the U.S. 2003 "Shock and Awe" invasion of Iraq when the segment of the Chicago River flowing past the headquarters of the world's second largest defense contractor, Boeing, turned the rich, red

T.J. Coles (2020-08-07). Fighting Over Kashmir Could Blow Up the Planet. counterpunch.org Jammu and Kashmir, widely referred to as Kashmir, has had many designations since India and Pakistan were partitioned by Britain and gained their respective independence from the Empire: a Princely State, a State, a Union Territory. The 86,000 mile, Muslim-majority region sits in the Himalayas on the border with China. It is of strategic significance

Ian Goodrum (2020-08-07). TikTok — Trump's anti-China tech war is a protection racket for U.S. capital. peoplesworld.org I can't say I expected a viral teen dance smartphone app to be the latest flashpoint in President Donald Trump's war on all things China. But that's 2020 for you. TikTok, the wildly popular short video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is in the U.S. government's crosshairs due to alleged national security risks. Trump …

Janine Jackson (2020-08-07). Neil deMause on Reopening Coverage, Nicole Porter on Covid and Prisons. fair.org Media…

Vijay Prashad (2020-08-07). Do not reach for the sky just to surrender. mronline.org The novel coronavirus continues its march through the world, with 18 million confirmed cases and at least 685,000 deaths. Of these, the United States of America, Brazil, and India are the worst-hit, harbouring about half of the world's cases.

Louis Yako (2020-08-07). 20 Postcard Notes From Iraq: With Love in the Age of COVID-19. counterpunch.org I was in the Iraqi Kurdistan region when COVID-19 hit the world hard in March of this year. Suddenly, all airports, roads between cities in Iraq, and life itself were shut down in Iraq and many countries around the world. A strict curfew was imposed while I was visiting my relatives in Duhok city. The curfew kept getting extended, mostly two weeks at a time with no end in sight. I decided to remain calm and maintain my equilibrium. After everything I have experienced in Iraq over the years, there is hardly any disaster that can take me by surprise, I thought to myself. Not even death itself will get the pleasure…

Miko Peled (2020-08-07). Susan Abulhawa Embodies the Spirit of Palestinian Resistance in Her New Book: Against the Loveless World. mintpressnews.com Writer and political activist Susan Abulhawa weaves a daring tale of a Palestinian woman's defiant experience in solitary confinement at an Israeli prison.

RT (2020-08-07). Deadly crash-landing of Air India Express flight renews concerns over 'dangerous' TABLETOP location of Kozhikode airport. rt.com The crash of an Air India Express plane in Kerala, killing 14 and injuring dozens more, has renewed concerns over the airport's location on a raised plateau that would seem to invite accidents like the one that befell the flight. | News of the fate of Air India Express flight 1344 has prompted fresh complaints about the airport's precarious location — a 'tabletop' plateau that puts planes at risk of serious accidents like the Friday crash landing. | Google Earth depiction of It's a Tabletop runway which…

RT (2020-08-07). WATCH: Rescuers comb Air India Express crash site in desperate search for survivors. rt.com Rescue operations are underway after an Air India Express passenger flight carrying over 190 people overshot the runway and broke into two, killing at least 14 people and injuring 123 more in the southern Indian state of Kerala. | Videos and photos circulating on social media show the serious damage to the plane, as rescuers comb through the wreckage to find survivors. Rescue vehicles can be seen on site in footage that shows a hectic scene, with many running around and frantically talking into cell phones. | There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and 6 crew members, including 2 pilots onboard <...

RT (2020-08-07). 17 dead, 173 hospitalized after Air India Express flight skids off runway in Kerala with 191 people on board, splits in two. rt.com An Air India Express passenger flight en route from Dubai with 191 people on board overshot the runway during landing at Kerala's Kozhikode airport. Police officials confirmed 17 deaths with another 173 injured. | Officials also confirmed that both the pilot and co-pilot perished in the disastrous crash landing. | Media reports said the plane overshot the runway, fell into a valley and broke up. Images and video circulating on social media showed the aircraft broken into two pieces with rescue operations underway. | There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and 6 crew members, including 2 pilots on…

RT (2020-08-07). Israel shot down drone on Golan Heights overnight — military. rt.com Israel's military said on Friday it had shot down a drone overnight that crossed into Israeli airspace near Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. The strategic plateau is at the frontier with Syria. | The army said the incident was not connected to the triggering of sirens later in the day by a false alarm regarding a drone infiltration, Reuters reports. | Israel has been on high alert as tensions have escalated with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Earlier in the week Israeli aircraft attacked targets in Syria. | Most of the Golan Heights were captured by Israel from Syria in a war in 1967.

RT (2020-08-07). 'Scene from a post-apocalyptic movie': Russian rescue operations begin at the very epicenter of Beirut explosions. rt.com Rescue teams from Russia have begun their search operations at the ruins left by two massive explosions in Lebanon's capital Beirut, while survivors seek medical care in newly set-up emergency hospital tents. | Teams of Russian relief workers and their search dogs arrived in Beirut on Friday and quickly started looking for any survivors trapped under the enormous grain silos near the port, at the very epicenter of the blasts. The corn-filled silo — which sustained severe damage — has been credited with shielding some of the nearby area from the worst of the explosions. | Speaking to RT's Igor Zhdanov…

RT (2020-08-07). WATCH powerful shockwave from Beirut explosion hit church as guests gather for wedding. rt.com An exclusive video from a church shows guests running in fear after a shockwave from the blast in Lebanon's capital Beirut makes the walls shake and blows out the windows. | The clip obtained by RT's Ruptly video agency starts with jubilant guests gathering for a wedding in Ain El Remmaneh, near Beirut. They are confused and startled by what at first appears to be a minor earthquake. | When the shockwave hits the church a few seconds later, the guests scream in horror, stumbling and rushing to the exit. | One person grabs a child before running outside, where a plume of thick reddish smoke billows high into…

RT (2020-08-07). Hezbollah leader denies group had arms at Beirut port, calls for transparent probe into blast. rt.com Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday denied statements made in Lebanon and abroad that the group had arms warehoused at Beirut port. He also called for a just and transparent investigation into blast that occurred there on Tuesday. | "We know more about the port of Haifa than the port of Beirut," the Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying. "The port of Beirut is not our responsibility, whereas the port of Haifa is part of our defense strategy." | In a televised speech, Nasrallah said that Tuesday's huge explosion in the Lebanese capital was an exceptional event in the country's modern history which…