First two weeks of US school reopenings lead to massive spread of COVID-19
wsws.org | 2020-08-14
Schools across the US continued to reopen for in-person classes this week, leading to the exposure of thousands of teachers and students to the deadly virus.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/14/scho…

Why I Am Voting No on the Democratic Party Platform
Ro Khanna | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
History teaches us that the Democratic Party has sometimes faced an issue so great that it alone should be the yardstick for measuring the wisdom of voting for or against the platform. This is one of those times. And Medicare for All is that issue.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/why-i-am-voting-no…

School That Suspended Student Documenting Lack of Social Distancing Goes Virtual
Chris Walker | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
In spite of President Donald Trump’s errant assurances that children are “almost definitely” immune from COVID-19, at least 97,000 kids in the United States tested positive for the disease in the last two weeks of July…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/school-that-suspen…

All Vaccines Are Unsafe. Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
On August 11, Russia registered the first vaccine for use against COVID-19, named Sputnik V. More on this development below. | *** | Toxins in vaccines make them hazardous to human health. | Time and again, they cause diseases they’re promoted as protection …
globalresearch.ca/all-vaccines-unsafe-ru…

Just 1 percent of the US Pentagon budget could end world hunger
George Stacey | nationofchange.org | 2020-08-14
The war machine must go on and keep on growing or, more than likely they’ll end up out of an occupation.
nationofchange.org/2020/08/13/just-1-per…

Bill Gates and the Depopulation Agenda. Robert F. Kennedy Junior Calls for an Investigation
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
Robert F Kennedy Jr, an avid Defender of Children’s Rights and anti-vaccination activist, has launched a petition sent to the White House, calling for “Investigations into the ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’ for Medical Malpractice & Crimes Against Humanity”
globalresearch.ca/bill-gates-and-the-dep…

Can Lebanon be Saved?
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
“Well, we can all agree that the sea took 70 per cent of the blast!” a close Lebanese friend announced to me this week, with intriguing if doubtful science. I had asked him — because I knew the answer — which of Lebanon’s religious communities had suffered most grievously from the explosion that changed the…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/can-lebanon-…

Venezuelan Guaidó coup regime pledges to restore relations with Israel, decade after Hugo Chávez broke ties
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-08-14
The US-backed Venezuelan coup regime of Juan Guaidó is reestablishing ties with Israel and has opened a “virtual embassy” in…
thegrayzone.com/2020/08/14/venezuela-gua…

Learning from Harry Haywood in the fight for Black freedom and socialism
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-08-14
Anyone doubting the relevance of Harry Haywood’s writings in 2020 hasn’t paid much attention to political events this year. | After success in three early Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders’ social democratic campaign for president, supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), ran first aground in South Carolina in February. African American voters turned out in greater numbers for his opponent, Joe Biden, even while favoring many of Sanders’ policies like Medicare For All. Voter turnout was low in general, owing to the fundamentally undemocratic character of the U.S. political system, and a lot of…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/8/13/learning…

Real Life Heroes: ‘a simple word can mean a lot to a refugee’
news.un.org | 2020-08-14
After leaving Gaza as a refugee, Shadi Mohammedali decided to dedicate himself to helping others in a similar situation. Today, he is working for an NGO in a Greek camp for asylum seekers, explaining how they can protect themselves from COVID-19.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/08/1…

Don’t be Hoodwinked by Trump’s UAE-Israel “Peace Deal”
Medea Benjamin | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
Donald Trump on twitter as he announced the new peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The deal makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state and the third Arab nation, after Egypt …
globalresearch.ca/dont-hoodwinked-trump-…

Trump Targets TikTok Social Media Platform, Escalates Trade War Between the U.S. and China
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that could ban TikTok from the U.S. if it is not purchased by an American company. On August 6, Trump’s executive order banned U.S. financial transactions with Chinese company ByteDance, owner …
globalresearch.ca/trump-targeting-tiktok…

Whispers in the Asylum (Seven Days in August)
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Hollow Resistance: The Antidote to Obama Nostalgia Syndrome The deadly ObamaLust Virus is ironically intensified by the fascist Amerikaner presidency the corporate-imperial Barack Obama helped hatch and empower. Here is an antidote that has passed with flying colors through all the testing trials: Paul Street, Hollow Resistance: Obama, Trump, and the Politics of Appeasement, now…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/whispers-in-…

Whispers in the Asylum (Seven Days in August)
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Hollow Resistance: The Antidote to Obama Nostalgia Syndrome The deadly ObamaLust Virus is ironically intensified by the fascist Amerikaner presidency the corporate-imperial Barack Obama helped hatch and empower. Here is an antidote that has passed with flying colors through all the testing trials: Paul Street, Hollow Resistance: Obama, Trump, and the Politics of Appeasement, now…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/whispers-in-…

IMF and WEF — From Great Lockdown to Great Transformation. The Covid Aftermath
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Great Global Reset is being ‘paralleled’ — not challenged — by the IMF. Both are pulling in the same direction, shoveling more assets from the lower echelons to a small elite, through debt enslavement — …
globalresearch.ca/imf-wef-great-lockdown…

The Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic: The Real Danger is “Agenda ID2020”
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
WHO has most likely received orders from “above”, from those people who also manage Trump and the “leaders” (sic) of the EU, European Union. The final decision to go ahead NOW with COVID-19 pandemic, was taken in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos – behind very much closed doors.
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-causes-eff…

What is the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED)?
Anthony Cartalucci | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-14
Who sits on the current NED board of directors and how do such people get away with claiming to promote democracy abroad when they are directly involved in circumventing it at home? | When US-backed regime change begins in a targeted nation, many — particularly those supporting protests — will deny the US is involved. | When US involvement is no longer deniable — many will finally admit it — but backpedal and claim there is nothing wrong with the US supporting “freedom” and “democracy” abroad. | With virtually every aspect of ongoing protests in Thailand funded by the US — from the leader…
thealtworld.com/anthony_cartalucci/what-…

Supreme Court ruling prevents 1.4 million from voting in Florida
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-08-14
Eddie Conway talks with an attorney about what the impact of this ruling will be in one of the most contentious presidential elections in history.
therealnews.com/stories/supreme-court-ru…

It Is Late, but It Is Early Morning If We Insist a Little
Vijay Prashad | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
Nothing happens in Beirut and Lebanon that is transparent; plots of all kinds unravel against the ordinary hopes of the population…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/it-is-late-but-it-…

It is late, but it is early morning if we insist a little
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-08-14
Nothing happens in Beirut and Lebanon that is transparent; plots of all kinds unravel against the ordinary hopes of the population.
mronline.org/2020/08/14/it-is-late-but-i…

Jail Took My Mom: Filmmaker on How His Mother Broke the Cycle of Incarceration & Shaping DNC Policy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-08-14
The coronavirus crisis and the movement for racial justice have magnified the challenges faced by people released from prison, whose criminal record makes it hard to find a job and even housing, especially women. We feature a new AJ+ series by Messiah Rhodes, whose mother was in and out of jail throughout his childhood and was able to break the cycle of incarceration. Rhodes says his work serves as a response to calls to defund police. “Instead of giving law enforcement agencies tanks and sci-fi-level weaponry, we should be funding … housing, education, family reunification, mental health support,” he says. We…
www.democracynow.org/2020/8/14/messiah_r…

Rashid Khalidi: Israel & UAE Deal to Normalize Relations Is New Chapter in 100-Year War on Palestine
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-08-14
In a deal brokered by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to fully normalize relations after years of secretly working together on countering Iran and other issues. Under the deal, Israel has also agreed to temporarily halt plans to annex occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, which had already been on hold due to international condemnation. We speak with Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, who says the agreement is being falsely characterized as a peace deal. “I don’t see that it has anything to do with peace,” he say…
www.democracynow.org/2020/8/14/israel_ua…

Refinery Shutdown, Santa Barbara Co. Staff Report Jeopardize ExxonMobil Offshore Drilling
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
However, opponents of offshore drilling say two unrelated developments that took place yesterday could undermine these plans. A coalition of conservation, environmental justice and indigenous groups is calling on the oil company to abandon this project and decommission its offshore rigs.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/14/1883591…

YouTube aims to ‘protect’ elections by CENSORING what it deems to be ‘hacked materials’
rt.com | 2020-08-14
YouTube will remove videos containing “hacked information” about election candidates if it deems them aimed at election meddling. The censorship is supposedly needed to protect the integrity of democratic institutions in the US. | The Google-owned video platform explained on Thursday how it intends to protect users from malign actors during election campaigns and allow apparently benign actors to better engage with voters. Among other things, YouTube will delete videos that contain “hacked information, the disclosure of which may interfere with democratic processes such as elections and censuses,” Leslie Mille…
rt.com/usa/497997-youtube-bans-hacked-co…

Beirut blast death toll rises to 178, with 30 still missing
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-08-14
The death toll from last week’s massive explosion in Lebanon’s capital has risen to nearly 180. An estimated 6,000 people were injured and at least 30 are missing, the United Nations (UN) said on Friday 14 August.The explosion has affected operations at six hospitals, up from an initial three, and damaged more than 20 clinics in the parts of Beirut worst hit by the blast, the UN’s humanitarian affairs agency said in a report. The report said: A preliminary rapid assessment within a 15-kilometre radius of the explosions has revealed that, out of 55 medical facilities, only half are fully operational and around 40%…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/08/1…

USPS warns Pennsylvania over delivery of mail ballots
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
The US Postal Service (USPS) has warned battleground state Pennsylvania that its election deadlines are “too tight” for its standards and might cause delays in delivery of mail-in ballots, according to a report.USPS’ letter dated July 29 made public late Thursday as a motion filed to the state’s Supreme Court in which officials are asking approval to continue counting mail ballots received up to three days after Nov. 3, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.Thomas J. Marshall, general counsel and executive vice president of the USPS, warned in the letter that “certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in bal…
yenisafak.com/en/news/usps-warns-pennsyl…

Turkey may suspend ties with UAE, withdraw ambassasdor
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
After the United Arab Emirates’ controversial deal to normalize ties with Israel, Turkey may downgrade its relations with the UAE, Turkey’s president has said.”We may take steps to suspend diplomatic ties with the UAE or withdraw our ambassador,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul after Friday prayers.On Israel, Erdogan called its recent solidarity with Egypt and Greece and steps towards Palestine unacceptable.In signing a maritime pact last week, Athens and Cairo continued efforts to box in Ankara’s territory in the Mediterranean based on small islands near Turkish shores, violating the interests of…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-may-suspend…

Roaming Charges: It Had to be You
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Kamala Harris is the least surprising VP pick since Bob Dole tapped Jack Kemp as his running mate in 1996. Harris is as bland, safe and predictable as Kemp, but she adds little to an already boring campaign and comes with toxic baggage of her own that may repel the voters Biden needs the most. Biden is counting on Harris’ reputation as a prosecutor to make a case against Trump that most people have already reached a verdict against. Yet, as a prosecutor and attorney general, Harris made a career out of punching below her weight class, sternly going after low-level drug and property crimes while largely turning a…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/roaming-char…

The Politics of War: What is Israel’s Endgame in Lebanon and Syria?
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an ominous warning to Lebanon. “We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers. I suggest to all of them, including Hezbollah, to consider this,” Netanyahu said during an official tour of a military facility…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/the-politics…

The “Lesser-Evil” Syndrome: Noam Chomsky’s Fall Into Self-Contradiction
Michael K. Smith | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-08-14
In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there “was a big difference” between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference “you could count in several million corpses in Indochina.” But, Chomsky added, “a lot of the young people on the left said, “I’m not going to vote for Humphrey. …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/08/the-lesser-ev…

Thai PM Right to Question Protest Funding
Anthony Cartalucci | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-14
The notorious US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is funding virtually every aspect of Thailand’s current “student protests” aimed at removing current government. | Only through repetitive propaganda across the Western media and their local partners in Thailand can current protests appear “student led,” “leaderless,” and “organic.” | An article published by the Bangkok Post titled, “PM: Who is financing student rallies?,” would repeat Thailand’s elected prime minister’s questions, but Bangkok Post’s reporters themselves have categorically failed to either ask or answer the same question. | Despite claiming…
thealtworld.com/anthony_cartalucci/thai-…

Thailand Prime Minister Questions Protest Funding
Tony Cartalucci | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
Only through repetitive propaganda across the Western media and their local partners in Thailand can current protests appear “student led,” “leaderless,” and “organic.” | An article published by the Bangkok Post titled, “PM: Who is financing student rallies?,” would repeat Thailand’s …
globalresearch.ca/thai-pm-right-question…

US Hospitals Getting Paid More to Label Cause of Death as ‘Coronavirus’
Sen. Scott Jensen | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
First published on April 15, 2020 | Senator Scott Jensen represents Minnesota. He’s also a doctor. He appeared on Fox News with Laura Ingraham where he revealed a very disturbing piece of information. | Dr. Scott Jensen says the American Medical Association …
globalresearch.ca/hospitals-getting-paid…

How the Covid-19 Crisis Affects Individual Rights and Freedoms. A New Crisis in International Law?
Dr. Abbas Poorhashemi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
One of the direct impacts of the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 is challenging human rights. The pandemic not only created and still creating health issues, economic challenges, political crises and social conflicts around the world, it also affects individual …
globalresearch.ca/global-decline-human-r…

‘Magical Thinking’ has Always Guided the US Role in Afghanistan
Paul Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Gould | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” — The Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland The best way for us to understand Afghanistan is to look at the record of American involvement going back four decades and to look at the record requires a reexamination of…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/magical-thin…

US claims seizure of oil supplies bound for Venezuela, Iran contests claim
shweta | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-14
Iranian ambassador to Venezuela stated that the US claims of seizure of ships belonging to Iran was false and an attempt at “psychological warfare”
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/14/us-claims…

Imperialists Run The Same Tired Old Script Day After Fucking Day
Caitlin Johnstone | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-14
Imperialist pundit and Obama administration cold warrior Michael McFaul recently tweeted the following: | “Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can’t explain. Can you?” | I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable (except for the extremely dubious claim that anyone ever reaches out to Michael McFaul). I am highlighting it because it is completely unremarkable. | New on…
thealtworld.com/caitlin_johnston/imperia…

Disaster in Lebanon seen as ‘opportunity’ by U.S. & Israel
Joyce Chediac | liberationnews.org | 2020-08-14
What the people of Lebanon need now is solidarity and an immediate and massive aid effort, proportionate to the damage done, and given to all without political strings.
liberationnews.org/disaster-in-lebanon-s…

Trump says congressional relief deal ‘is not going to happen’
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-08-14
San José, CA – With the additional $600 in unemployment benefits gone along with federal eviction protection, President Trump announced that a deal to restore the benefits and protect renters and home buyers “is not going to happen.” With tens of millions of people getting government aid, tens of thousands of evictions underway, and record numbers of people short on food, Trump’s statement may seem so beyond uncaring as to be almost senseless. | But his opposition to a deal makes sense from the privileged point of view of a man born to wealth who grew up to be a billionaire. The stock market, one of Trump’s favor…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/8/14/trump-sa…

Science Does Not Support the Claims About Grizzly Hunting, Lethal Removal
Adrian Treves — John Laundré | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
As the Montana Governor’s Grizzly Bear Advisory Council (GBAC) works to finalize its recommendations regarding the future of grizzly bear management in Montana, it would be well-advised to follow its own guiding principle: “the best available science should inform decisions in all aspects of grizzly bear management and conservation.” A close look at what that…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/science-does…

After 60 hours of resistance, MST camp is violently evicted
Brasil de Fato | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-14
The land repossession of the Quilombo Campo Grande camp in Minas Gerais was carried out this Friday August 14, after the Military Police committed violent actions against the families that resisted the eviction for almost 60 hours. | In the early afternoon, police shot tear gas against the members of the camp. According to the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST), the houses and crops were destroyed several hours later. The Eduardo Galeano Popular School, where children, youth and adults study, was also destroyed the day before. | The eviction was only completed three days after the process began, because of th…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/14/after-60-…

Movement in Geneva, NY, continues daily protests despite threats, repression
Hannah Dickinson | liberationnews.org | 2020-08-14
On July 19, Geneva City Councior Frank Gaglianese said he wished that he “could have got a gun and shot the squares on my computer screen and killed everybody” who participated in a recent virtual forum on police accountability. .
liberationnews.org/movement-in-geneva-ny…

Battleground Beirut: Western Colony or Back to the East?
Pepe Escobar | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
This article was originally published on Asia Times. | As much as Covid-19 has been instrumentalized by the 0.001% to social engineer a Great Reset, the Beirut tragedy is already being instrumentalized by the usual suspects to keep Lebanon enslaved….
globalresearch.ca/battleground-beirut-we…

Biden Wins: Then What?
Andrew J. Bacevich | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
If he seriously intends to be more than a relic of pre-Trump liberal centrism, how exactly should President Biden go about making his mark?>…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/biden-wins-then-wh…

‘It Means Nothing’: Trump’s Pledge to Aid Tenants Won’t Halt Evictions
Katy O’Donnell | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
Donald Trump’s executive order wouldn’t do much to immediately help the 20 million or so Americans who face losing their homes in the next few months.
zcomm.org/znetarticle/it-means-nothing-t…

Andrew Cuomo Wants to Protect His Wall Street Donors From Paying Taxes
Matthew Cunningham-Cook | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
New York Democratic legislators are trying to tax stock trades, capital gains, and carried interest. Wall Street, of course, is horrified by such a development — but luckily, their millions in campaign contributions have helped create a solid friendship with Governor Andrew Cuomo…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/andrew-cuomo-wants…

Covid-19: past, present and future
Ron Forthofer | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-08-14
The current pandemic continues to have a large negative impact on most aspects of our lives. Over 20.6 million have been infected and almost 750,000 have died worldwide (about 5.3 million infections and over 168,00 deaths in the US) due to this pandemic. Besides these horrific impacts, this pandemic has also made clearer the failure …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/08/covid-19-past…

Toppled Monuments and the Struggle For Symbolic Space
Michael Welton | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Outrage and anger directed at monuments, religious imagery and art itself is nothing new in humankind’s chequered history. Usually we think of iconoclasm as the smashing of religious images, relics and stained glass windows. The Tudor period in English history epitomizes this state-administered intention to smash the icons. Tabitha Barber and Stacy Boldrick (Art Under…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/toppled-monu…

Limits of Ontario’s Mineral Strategy: The Magino Mine Approval
Joan Kuyek | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
On June 11, 2020, 21 lakes, streams and wetlands in northern Ontario were re-characterized as a mine tailings impoundment for the proposed Magino gold mine. This magical transformation took place through Schedule 2 of the Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent …
globalresearch.ca/limits-ontario-mineral…

Planes Heard, Seen in Skies of Beirut before Blast
Alison Tahmizian Meuse | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
Military aircraft were heard, and in some cases seen, flying in the sky in the moments before the apocalyptic Beirut explosion, war-hardened residents of the Lebanese capital told Asia Times this week. | Araz Bedros, a resident of the Metn …
globalresearch.ca/planes-heard-seen-skie…

Open Letter to Dr. Anthony Fauci Regarding the Use of Hydroxychloroquine for Treating COVID-19
Dr. George C. Fareed | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
By George C. Fareed, MD Brawley, California Michael M. Jacobs, MD, MPH Pensacola, Florida Donald C. Pompan, MD Salinas, California | August 12, 2020 | Anthony Fauci, MD | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases | Washington, D.C. | Dear Dr. Fauci: | You were …
globalresearch.ca/open-letter-dr-anthony…

Trump’s Plan: Gut Social Security, Bankrupt the States
Eve Ottenberg | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Trump’s economic policy is simple: gut social security and bankrupt the states. He made this clear when he announced his executive orders on August 8. By suspending the payroll tax, he chokes off funding for social security and Medicare; he says he’ll ditch that tax completely if reelected. That means in about 10 years the…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/trumps-plan-…

Where is resistance to structural violence of capitalism?
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-08-14
The reality in the United States has come to this: 160,000 dead in four months, thousands hospitalized, and many thousands sick or afraid to be sick because they have no sick days and no health insurance.
mronline.org/2020/08/14/where-is-resista…

Compromise & the Status Quo
Kollibri terre Sonnenblume | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Life is all about compromise, people say. Don’t I know it. That is, don’t I know that people say it. Personally, I don’t think it’s true. When people say this, they are conflating “life” with “society” and even then, they are limiting the concept of “society” to how the powerful define it, not to how…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/compromise-t…

Learning from the hibakushas
Robert Koehler | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
Waging peace is more complex than waging war, but we’ve given ourselves no choice but to take on the challenge. At long last…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/learning-from-the-…

Kamala Harris; It’s Complicated
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-08-14
Stir Crazy! Episode 78: Today we are joined by sociologist Taure Brown, political consultant Adriel Hampton, and Communications Director for Detroit Action Kenneth Williams. Hosted by Kim Brown. Email us your questions/comments/suggestions at stircrazy@therealnews.com…
therealnews.com/stories/kamala-harris-it…

Anti-laundering bill targeting shell companies stalled in Senate as big banks caught cooking books
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-08-14
The Anti-Money Laundering Act would expose the owners of shell companies now sits alone on a shelf in the U.S. Senate while the Federal Reserve shrugs its shoulders in the face of blatant manipulation by the too-big-to-fail banks.
mronline.org/2020/08/14/anti-laundering-…

Bloody Chicken: Inside the American Poultry Industry During the Time of COVID
Joseph Grosso | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. is the momentary spotlight it shined on the meatpacking industry. Working conditions inside packing plants were exposed in the sheer number of workers who were infected with the virus. Exact numbers are elusive but thousands of cases have been confirmed along with up to 100 deaths. Meanwhile, meatpacking workers were deemed ‘essential.’…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/bloody-chick…

We Do Not Live in the World of Before
Kenn Orphan | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Following the announcement of US presidential candidate Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris for VP, I have seen many social media posts. US American liberal friends seem thrilled and some have already started the “vote shaming.” Biden and Harris have been forgiven or, better yet, not even noted for their centrist, rightwing past. And I have…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/we-do-not-li…

German court and state prosecutor ignore evidence of far-right terrorist network in Làºbcke trial
wsws.org | 2020-08-14
The long preparation time for the murder of Làºbcke and the close connections of the defendants to the violent neo-Nazi scene strongly suggest that there were other confidants or accomplices.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/14/lueb…

A great read for Fidel Castro’s birthday
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-08-14
In honor of Fidel Castro’s birthday, Fight Back! is circulating a speech he delivered on May 1, 2003. Castro was born on August 13, 1926. Enjoy. | | Cuba’s achievements and America’s wars | | Distinguished guests; | | Dear fellow Cubans: | | Our heroic people have struggled for 44 years from this small Caribbean island just a few miles away from the most formidable imperial power ever known by mankind. In so doing, they have written an unprecedented chapter in history. Never has the world witnessed such an unequal fight. | | Some may have believed that the rise of the empire to…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/8/13/great-re…

Business as Usual Equals Many Extra Deaths from Global Warming
Pete Dolack | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Is it already too late to stop global warming? That question is not asked with thoughts of throwing up hands in despair and giving up. Rather, that question must be asked in the context of mitigating future damage to whatever degree might yet be possible. The context here is that the carbon dioxide, methane and…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/business-as-…

Massive Evictions Will Compound the Public Health Crisis
Abayomi Azikiwe | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
Since March of this year the United States has been plunged into the worst outbreak of an infectious viral disease since the influenza pandemic of 1918-1920. | The impact of the COVID-19 outbreaks beginning in February and March has resulted in …
globalresearch.ca/massive-evictions-comp…

Dead Zones: Industrial agriculture versus ocean life
Ian Angus | mronline.org | 2020-08-14
Worldwide, there are now over a thousand coastal areas where fish can’t breathe. The nitrogen that makes crops grow is also destroying offshore ecosystems.
mronline.org/2020/08/14/dead-zones-indus…

Congress adjourns for month-long vacation without action on US unemployment crisis
wsws.org | 2020-08-14
The capitalist politicians will be holding their presidential nominating conventions while millions of workers have been cut off from federal benefits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/14/cong…

Why 5G is the First Stage of a Tech War Between the U.S. and China
Prabir Purkayastha | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
The U.S. tech war on China continues, banning Chinese equipment from its network, and asking its Five Eyes partners and NATO allies to follow suit. It is a market and a technology denial regime that seeks to win back manufacturing that the U.S. and European countries have lost to China. International trade assumed that goods…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/why-5g-is-th…

Will Biden be Less Belligerent Than Trump?
Brian Cloughley | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
The only Democrat nominee in the presidential contest is former vice-president Joe Biden, and he has chosen a non-white running-mate who Trump calls “extraordinarily nasty”, so it looks like we’ll be in for four years of the man known to Trump as “Sleepy Joe.” In a bizarre series of allegations on August 7, William Evanina, the director of the…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/will-biden-b…

It’s a Sick Country
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Working is a risky business these days. I’m not a coal miner, a heavy equipment operator or a logger. I don’t work in a steel mill where molten iron is poured into molds. Hell, I don’t even work in a kitchen where hot oil spatters and ovens bake at 400 degrees. I work at a…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/its-a-sick-c…

What Trump and the Republican Party Teach Us
Joseph Natoli | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
“Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out. Contagion to this world; now could I drink hot blood, And do such bitter business as the day.” — Hamlet Both teach us or should have taught us by now many, many things but foremost for a Biden administration to consider is that…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/what-trump-a…

Lights! Camera! Kill! Hollywood, the Pentagon and Imperial Ambitions
Matthew Hoh | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
There’s a sickness that comes with the certainty of those who view the world in so black and white, so good and bad, so us versus them terms, that killing is often a morally defensible act. More so, such killing often goes beyond just simple self defense, to a level of retributive necessity, a preventive…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/lights-camer…

Biden Wins, Then What?
Andrew Bacevich | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Assume Joe Biden wins the presidency. Assume as well that he genuinely intends to repair the damage our country has sustained since we declared ourselves history’s “Indispensable Nation,” compounded by the traumatic events of 2020 that demolished whatever remnants of that claim survived. Assume, that is, that this aging career politician and creature of the…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/biden-wins-t…

What Are the Truly Verifiable Facts Surrounding COVID-19?
David Skripac | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” | Those words, uttered by two-time Nobel Prize-winning chemist and physicist Marie Curie, are …
globalresearch.ca/what-truly-verifiable-…

Palestinians condemn Israel-UAE deal as betrayal
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-14
The United Arab Emirates and Israel signed an agreement to normalize relations. The agreement was mediated by the United States and makes UAE the first Gulf country to normalize ties with Israel…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/14/palestini…

Mounting opposition against school openings in Germany
wsws.org | 2020-08-14
While many teachers, parents and students are opposed to opening schools under unsafe conditions, administrators and politicians are arrogantly ignoring their concerns.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/14/germ…

Thinking beyond representation: progressives weigh Harris’ past
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-08-14
Oakland native and Berkley professor Brandi Thompson Summers tackles the contradictions wrapped up in Harris’ nomination.
therealnews.com/stories/thinking-beyond-…

New Orleans trans community wins $256 name change fee decrease
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-08-14
New Orleans, LA – On August 13, the Real Name Campaign NOLA celebrated a $256 filing fee reduction for name changes. The Orleans Parish Civil District Court dropped the fee from an outrageous $506 to $250 after a year of community pressure. | This marks an important victory for trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people in New Orleans. Incorrect names on IDs out TGNC people, exposing them to discrimination in employment, healthcare, housing and many other aspects of life. | Naming yourself is a fundamental right, so the courts deny our humanity by denying our names. | But trans communities are beautiful, resi…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/8/14/new-orle…

Dead Zones: Industrial agriculture versus ocean life
Ian Angus | mronline.org | 2020-08-14
Worldwide, there are now over a thousand coastal areas where fish can’t breathe. The nitrogen that makes crops grow is also destroying offshore ecosystems.
mronline.org/2020/08/14/dead-zones-indus…

Israel-UAE Agreement Does Not End Threat of Israeli Annexation
CJPME | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
In light of today’s normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) warns that the threat of Israeli annexation remains as urgent as ever. A widely reported statement published …
globalresearch.ca/israel-uae-agreement-d…

France holds joint military exercises with Greece, threatening Turkey
wsws.org | 2020-08-14
Mounting tensions between NATO powers threaten to blow up the alliance as the pandemic intensifies pre-existing conflicts over oil and strategic advantage.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/14/turk…

“We paint because we believe in the people”
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-14
‘We paint because screaming is not enough and | neither crying nor rage is enough. | We paint because we believe in the people and | because we will conquer defeat’ | (adapted from the poem, ‘Why we sing’, by Mario Benedetti) | | When they really, urgently, desperately need to say something, the people don’t wait for designers. They get on with it, producing posters and handbills as best they can — sometimes with spectacular results. In the process, they too become designers, organic to their movements, communities, and contexts.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/14/we-paint-…

August 12-22, 1945: Washington Starts the Korean and Vietnam Wars
H. Bruce Franklin | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
August 14, 1945. The day Japan surrendered. I was eleven year old. I was crammed in the back of a pickup packed with other boys and girls, all yelling our hearts out as loud as we could to be heard over the cacophony of honking horns and howling air raid sirens. We were part of…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/august-12-22…

Imperialists Run The Same Tired Old Script Day After Fucking Day
Caitlin Johnstone | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-14
tweeted the following: | “Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can’t explain. Can you?” | I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable (except for the extremely dubious claim that anyone ever reaches out to Michael McFaul). I am highlighting it because it is completely unremarkable. | New on MoA: | Belarus — A U.S. Sponsored Color Revolution Is Underway t.co/aQMnrMmMPc pic.twitter.com/HJkFv…
thealtworld.com/caitlin_johnston/imperia…

Oshkosh, WI: Coalition to March on the DNC and local partners plan to protest Trump’s visit
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-08-14
Oshkosh, WI – The people of Wisconsin learned only days ago that President Donald Trump would be making his third visit to the state since the start of 2020, this time to the city of Oshkosh. Each previous time Trump came, to Milwaukee and then to Green Bay/Marinette, he was met by protests. This visit will be no different. | The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention led the charge for both of those protests and is doing the same again. Several other organizations and allies have joined in the effort, including rank-and-file trade unionists and United Action Oshkosh (UAO). | UAO is a local orga…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/8/14/oshkosh-…

Russia to Start the Production of Its COVID-19 Vaccine in Cuba
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
Russia’s Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Chief Executive Officer Kiril Dmitriev announced that Cuba could begin producing the COVID-19 vaccine, the Sputnik V, in November. | “Cuba has a large capacity to produce medicines and vaccines with highly qualified staff. We could | …
globalresearch.ca/russia-start-productio…

Trump doesn’t even need Israel-UAE peace deal to actually succeed — just keep it viable till election to mark up as a victory
Scott Ritter | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-14
Trump announced that the US, Israel and the UAE have agreed to a plan that would trade …
thealtworld.com/scott_ritter/trump-doesn…

Brazil’s national government has undermined COVID-19 containment measures
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-14
Matheus Falcà£o of Brazilian Center for Health Studies and the Peoples Health Movement Brazil talks the COVID-19 situation in Brazil and how the government’s decisions got the country to where it is today.
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/14/brazils-n…

The QAnon cult is growing and the media is helping
Mathew Ingram | zcomm.org | 2020-08-14
Stocks and bonds may be weak, but we’re still in a raging bull market for one commodity, and that is disinformation…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-qanon-cult-is-…

Predatory Capitalism and the Nuclear Threat in the Age of Trump
Richard Falk — Daniel Falcone | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Daniel Falcone: You recently stated that it has never been more urgent that we repudiate nuclearism in all forms. What rationales do proponents of this put forth? Richard Falk: It is important to view with some skepticism the justifications offered by the governments of nuclear weapons states for retaining the weaponry, and to articulate the…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/predatory-ca…

Congress, Trump-appointed CEO battle it out over latest purge at federally-funded network
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-08-14
Having fired and suspended top leadership at USAGM , CEO Pack is one step closer to turning VOA and other federally-funded broadcast networks into Trump propaganda machines.
therealnews.com/columns/congress-trump-a…

The Reign of Error
Daniel Beaumont | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
He’s flailing, more desperate. More lost in a welter of words that no longer answer any question but only generate more questions. I have not even mentioned his name and my readers know of whom I speak. Trump has finally achieved the sort of fame he has always longed for. But like many if not…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/the-reign-of…

Silencing marginalized voices is not ‘good trouble’
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-08-14
In a time when it feels like many of the civil rights gains that activists fought for with their blood and bones and spirits have been lost, where do we go from here?
therealnews.com/columns/silencing-margin…

The Criminology of Global Warming
Thomas Klikauer — Nadine Campbell | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
Some — like Exxon since 1957 — have been aware that the world is facing global warming that has all the signs to render earth uninhabitable. At least with United Nations’ IPPC and NASA reporting on global warming, others have realised that we also face an unprecedented threat. Potentially, all of this is an issue…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/the-criminol…

Watching the Watchers: Canadian War Technologies in the Surveillance of US Anti-Racism Protests
Richard Sanders | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
As Canadians look back over the 75 years since the mass murders in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we should reflect on how this country has long punched above its weight when fighting to serve and protect imperialism. This is perhaps especially …
globalresearch.ca/canadian-war-technolog…

Lebanese parliament approves continuation of emergency, army granted special powers
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-14
The emergency was imposed by the government on August 5, a day after a deadly chemical explosion killed over 170 people and left more than 6,500 injured in Beirut. It has been extended by the parliament till August 21…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/14/lebanese-…

UN chief welcomes Israel-UAE agreement
news.un.org | 2020-08-14
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed a joint statement by the leaders of the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which suspends Israeli annexation plans over parts of the occupied West Bank, something the UN has consistently called for.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/08/1…

Trump’s Fake News
Richard C. Gross | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
The chief flim-flam man in the White House is putting one over on the American people again, signing an executive order bypassing Congress with his big, fat black pen — that dreaded instrument — that will do nearly nothing to help the 30 million unemployed but create chaos. The four-part order President Donald Trump signed…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/trumps-fake-…

Oil workers in Nigeria strike over withheld salaries
Pavan Kulkarni | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-14
Oil workers in Nigeria’s public sector began a three day strike action on Wednesday, August 12. They are protesting against the non-payment of salaries for the last three months. The striking workers, who are members of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), held a demonstration outside the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources. | The government has withheld their salaries because of their refusal to enroll on the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). IPPIS was introduced as a centralized automated platform to monitor and manage payments t…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/14/oil-worke…

Best COVID-19 vaccine ‘may not be the first’
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-08-14
In a week in which Russia approved its ‘Sputnik V’ coronavirus vaccine, a leading Imperial expert sounds a note of caution on the need for data.
imperial.ac.uk/news/202033/best-covid-19-vaccine-first

Best COVID-19 vaccine ‘may not be the first’
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-08-14
In a week in which Russia approved it’s ‘Sputnik V’ coronavirus vaccine, a leading Imperial expert sounds a note of caution on the need for data.
imperial.ac.uk/news/202033/best-covid-19-vaccine-first

Imperial researchers receive Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-08-14
Two researchers working on advanced biomedical imaging and developing new lubricants have been awarded new fellowships.
imperial.ac.uk/news/201894/imperial-researchers-receive-royal-academy-engineering

LKCMedicine announces Joseph Sung as its next Dean
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-08-14
Professor Joseph Sung, an eminent gastroenterologist and academic leader, has been announced as as the next Dean of LKCMedicine in Singapore.
imperial.ac.uk/news/201853/lkcmedicine-announces-joseph-sung-next-dean

Top climate economists make case for US to recommit to Paris Agreement
imperial.ac.uk | 2020-08-14
Recommitting to the Paris agreement would reap significant economic benefits for the US, say leading climate economists and policy experts.
imperial.ac.uk/news/201933/top-climate-economists-make-case-us

Twitter against Trump: It’s all about truth
Florian Rotzer & Thomas Schuster | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Trump’s track record in the summer of the 2020 pandemic is disastrous, 1K deaths every day with a total of around 150K. More than 30 million Americans are receiving unemployment benefits. Trump is trying to turn Biden into the destroyer of America. Trump is deliberatively working on the image of a dystopia that he claims only he can prevent.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/14/1883592…

Stimulus spending to promote clean energy as a vehicle for environmental justice
Olivia Baaten | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Issues of environmental justice have been highlited in recent events, and it is high time that the nation take action. Minorities are disproportionately affected by Coronavirus, an issue which is exacerbated by environmental injustice. Low interest rates make the current hour opportune for clean energy stimulus spending, which would serve the state where fossil fuels have failed.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883589…

Fired UCSC Grad Students Win Their Jobs Back
Direct Action | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
The COLA movement shows that when we fight we win! Our wildcat strike has made concrete gains for grad student-workers, including a $2,500 annual housing stipend and 5 years of guaranteed TAships or other funding. | Let this win motivate us in our fight for justice in higher education!
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/12/1883589…

Thursday 8/13: Sacramento Caravan: #SayTheirNames & Bring Our Loved Ones Home
Families United to End LWOP, FUEL | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
California State Capitol | 1315 10th St | Sacramento, CA 95814…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/12/1883589…

Europe needs an effective guarantee of youth solidarity
Johann Bacher, Dennis Tamesberger&awblog.at. | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
The Youth Guarantee could create an entry-level job market in the public or non-profit sector – in other words, jobs that serve the common good. It is the austerity policy in the wake of the finnacial and economic crisis that has delayed the socio- and ecological transformation in European countries and opened up gaps in services which now need to be closed.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883590…

Leaking Fossil Fuel Wells: An Economic, Health, and Climate Crisis
Sarah Heins | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Leaking oil and gas wells in California are a health, economic, and climate crisis. The government needs to hold fossil fuel companies responsible to protect their citizens.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/14/1883591…

Saturday 8/15: SF Chinatown Walkway Weekends
Eva Lee | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Chinatown, Grant Avenue from California to Washington Streets…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883590…

California Judicial Council vote to end ban on evictions is a ticking time bomb
Lynda Carson | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Frances Hailman, Eleanor Walden & Lynda Carson Are Organizers At Tenant’s Rally To Help Save The Section 8 Program In Berkeley Years Ago:…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883590…

Friday 8/28: “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” Film Screening & Discussion
Mechanics’ Institute Library of San Francisco | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883590…

Fisher KIPP Malcom X Academy Room & Land Grab To Bust Up Public School
Labor Video Project | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
The KIPP charter run by Doris Fisher and her family who own the GAP corporation are suing the San Francisco Unified School District to grab more rooms from the Malcom X Academy in Hunters Point/Bay View for their KIPP privately run school. These white corporate billionaires and millionaires on the KIPP board want to destroy the Malcom X Academy public School.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883590…

Friday 8/21: San Francisco: March for the Dead, Fight for the Living
Vigil for Democracy | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
San Francisco: meet at Crissy Field Warming Hut, 983 Marine Drive, San Francisco, CA 94129; | then march across Golden Gate Bridge…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883591…

Tuesday 8/18: City Hall Action: Cut SCPD Budget
Faisal Fazilat — DSA | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Starts at Santa Cruz City Hall 809 Center St | Details and exact times TBA…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/12/1883589…

Wednesday 8/19: How to Change the World in One Generation – DxE Intro Workshop
Direct Action Everywhere | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Online…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883589…

Saturday 8/22: “No Fascist USA!”: A New Book Talk w/ Authors Hilary Moore & James Tracy
Powell’s Books & City Lights Books | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/14/1883592…

Friday 8/14: Orions Awesome Hamond B3 Organ Trio Live Not Jive Jazz,Latin Jazz&Blueszz
Orion the elder | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Lower Washington Park /Dog and Tenis Park 8th street Alameda…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/14/1883591…

Police Off Campus: Defund Police & End Police & ICE Presence at UCSC
John Malkin | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
Interview with University of California at Santa Cruz professors on Defunding Police and Ending Police / ICE Presence on Campus…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/12/1883588…

ENLACES de Red Latina sin fronteras 13.08.2020
Red Latina sin fronteras | indybay.org | 2020-08-14
ENLACES de Red Latina sin fronteras 13.08.2020 | comunicaciones e información para la liberación…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/13/1883589…

Oregon State Police withdraw from Portland as DA declines to prosecute rioters & looters arrested during protests
rt.com | 2020-08-14
Oregon state troopers have pulled out of Portland, leaving local police to handle ongoing protests in the city soon after the county district attorney said he would not prosecute most of those apprehended amid the unrest. | The move was confirmed late on Thursday by Oregon State Police (OSP) spokesman Tim Fox, who said the department had left Portland after its two-week commitment to defend a federal courthouse in the city ended on Wednesday night. | “At this time we are inclined to move… resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority. [Wednesday] night was our last nigh…
rt.com/usa/497982-oregon-police-withdraw…

CNN finally ‘pressured’ into covering story of Cannon Hinnant, five-year-old ‘executed’ by black neighbor
rt.com | 2020-08-14
The death of Cannon Hinnant, a white 5-year-old allegedly killed by a black man, was finally given brief coverage by CNN — after nearly a week of accusations that mainstream media was burying the story to fit a narrative. | Hinnant’s death has been a hot topic on Twitter for almost a week, with thousands drawing attention to his story, but attracting little to no mainstream media coverage. | Darius Sessoms, 25, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after allegedly killing the five-year old who was playing in the front yard of his North Carolina home on Sunday. The incident was witnessed by Hi…
rt.com/usa/498059-cannon-hinnant-murder-…

‘Stop 2020 from becoming 1984’: Fortnite developer sues Apple & Google after game YANKED from stores in in-app payment row
rt.com | 2020-08-14
The company behind Fortnite has all but declared war on big tech after the game was pulled from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, thanks to a recent update that skirted mandatory fees for in-app payments. | The popular title was scrubbed from the App Store following a major update on Thursday, which allowed players to make direct payments to Fortnite developer Epic Games, circumventing a 30 percent fee required on the platform. In response, Epic has sued Apple, accusing the company of “anti-competitive restrain…
rt.com/usa/497983-epic-games-sues-apple-…

FBI lawyer pleads GUILTY to altering email evidence in Trump spying scandal
rt.com | 2020-08-14
Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, an important player in the ‘Russiagate’ investigation into President Donald Trump, is the first person to plead guilty in US attorney John Durham’s probe of what’s been dubbed ‘Spygate.’ | Clinesmith was a member of the FBI General Counsel’s Office (GCO) assigned to work on the Crossfire Hurricane probe — the name given to the investigation of claims into Trump’s ties with Russia during the 2016 election. His attorney, Justin Shur, told the AP news agency on Friday that Clinesmith intends to plead guilty to one count of making a false statement. | An FBI lawyer pled gul…
rt.com/usa/498070-clinesmith-fbi-guilty-…

Trump says he HOPES Russian Sputnik V vaccine works, but US will soon roll out one too
rt.com | 2020-08-14
President Donald Trump has expressed the hope that the world’s first registered Covid-19 vaccine from Russia will work, but he says the US could have its own ready very soon, after a lengthier trial process. | Production of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine has already begun, and 500 million doses are expected to have been made within the next 12 months. The jab, dubbed ‘Sputnik V’, is supposed to offer protection from the coronavirus for up to two years. | Asked about the rapidly developed vaccine at a Friday press conference, Trump said he hoped the vaccine would be effective, but claimed the US may soon have good n…
rt.com/usa/498067-trump-russia-covid-vac…

WATCH: CA police officer saves wheelchair user stuck on train tracks from certain death with seconds to spare
rt.com | 2020-08-14
A Lodi California police officer is being hailed as a hero after she saved a wheelchair user, who became trapped on railroad tracks, from an oncoming Union Pacific train with mere seconds to spare. | The heart-wrenching incident took place shortly before 9am local time on Wednesday. As Officer Erika Urrea of the Lodi Police Department was on patrol, she noticed a 66-year-old man in a wheelchair in some distress as the crossing barriers were coming down. | Without a second thought, the quick-thinking cop sprinted to free the man, making it from the steering wheel of her car to the man’s wheelchair in under 15 s…
rt.com/usa/497991-cop-saves-wheelchair-o…

More than a third of Americans would not want a Covid-19 vaccine if offered — poll
rt.com | 2020-08-14
According to a new poll, 35 percent of Americans will choose not to get vaccinated for the novel coronavirus when the option becomes available — and that number turns out to be similar along all major demographics. | Only 60 percent of US citizens want to get the vaccine, a Friday NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found, with 5 percent still unsure. | The numbers don’t seem to shift dramatically when breaking the statistics down by political af…
rt.com/usa/498023-third-americans-not-wa…

The Irony: MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch repents for saying ‘yellow man’…in the middle of rant calling Trump supporters racist
rt.com | 2020-08-14
While branding one third of Americans “racists” for supporting Donald Trump, MSNBC host Donny Deutsch used the term “yellow.” Deutsch later apologized for the racial slur, but not to the millions he accused of racism, however. | Liberal author Deutsch made his apology on Friday not long after using the term “yellow man,” typically used by racists to refer to Chinese people, on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe.’ | “Earlier, I was very passionate. I was talking about racism in this country, about how that’s the only reason I can at this point believe people vote for Donald Trump,” he said. “I was saying white people are afr…
rt.com/usa/498076-donny-deutsch-yellow-m…

First they came for WikiLeaks: ‘BlueLeaks’ activists pursued as ‘criminal hacker group’ by DHS despite not hacking
rt.com | 2020-08-14
Distributed Denial of Secrets, the group that published the “BlueLeaks” trove of hacked police documents in June, is being persecuted as a “criminal hacker group” by the US Department of Homeland Security — just like WikiLeaks. | The transparency activists “conducted a hack-and-leak operation targeting federal, state, and local law enforcement databases,” according to a document circulated by the DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis among law enforcement fusion centers in late June, recently obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and published by the Verge on Thursday. | There was just…
rt.com/usa/497965-ddos-hacktivists-crimi…

Megachurch sues California, challenging state over ban on large religious services while allowing massive protests
rt.com | 2020-08-14
A California church has sued the state, arguing it was hypocritical to restrict religious services because of the Covid-19 pandemic while allowing political gatherings, such as Black Lives Matters protests, to rumble on. | Grace Community Church in suburban Los Angeles filed the suit on Thursday, saying Governor Gavin Newsom and other state and city officials have violated California’s constitution by applying pandemic regulations unequally. | “It is time for California to explain how it can justify banning worship to prevent the spread of a disease (with an overall mortality rate of 0.02 percent) while it is…
rt.com/usa/497978-california-church-covi…

Infowars reporter Millie Weaver ‘arrested’ mid-premiere of her whistleblowing investigation into ‘shadow government’
rt.com | 2020-08-14
Investigative reporter Millie Weaver and her husband have reportedly been arrested at the same time her documentary on the US “shadow government” was being screened on YouTube, sending Conservative Twitter into theory overdrive. | Weaver’s “arrest” at the couple’s home — which has yet to be confirmed by authorities — was initially reported by Infowars on Friday, shortly after the YouTube premiere of her documentary film “ShadowGate.” The film purports to expose the secrets of the massive ‘Deep State’ intelligence apparatus manipulating politics within the US and beyond its borders, based on the repor…
rt.com/usa/498072-millie-weaver-document…

President Cuomo? 2024 primary polls show NY governor, AOC, Pence, and Trump Jr as favorites for the Oval Office
rt.com | 2020-08-14
While the 2020 US presidential election remains undecided, voters are already looking ahead to 2024, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and current Vice President Mike Pence emerging as favorites in a very early poll. | Republican Pence and Democrat Cuomo have the support of 31 and 21 percent of their parties’ electorate respectively, according to a Friday poll by Leger, a reputable Canadian outfit. | Trump’s vice-president is comfortably ahead of the closest rival for the 2024 GOP nomination — the cu…
rt.com/usa/498061-president-cuomo-2024-p…

‘Not treated fairly’? Trump appears to soften on ‘Snowden a traitor’ stance, as supporters renew calls for pardon
rt.com | 2020-08-14
Despite having called National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden a “traitor” numerous times in the past, President Donald Trump now acknowledges that the former CIA contractor may have been “treated unfairly.” | “There are a lot of people that think that he is not being treated fairly. I mean, I hear that,” Trump told The New York Post, in an interview about Snowden, the former Central Intelligence Agency subcontractor best known as the whistleblower who exposed…
rt.com/usa/498069-trump-edward-snowden-p…

‘Health risks far too great’: Iconic ‘Tribute in Light’ display to honor 9/11 victims ‘put out’ over CORONAVIRUS fears
rt.com | 2020-08-14
Towering beams of light representing the Twin Towers will not be part of this year’s 9/11 commemoration, with event organizers saying that a highlight of the anniversary is now canceled due to coronavirus concerns. | The memorial said that it had made “an incredibly hard decision” to cancel the spectacle, but since “a large crew” is required to make it happen, the event entails “far too great” of a risk amidst the coronavirus pandemic. | Instead of the annual display that first pierced the skies over New York City in 2002 — visible all the way to Northern New Jersey and Long Island — the museum said…
rt.com/usa/497984-9-11-tribute-cancelled…

Iran brands UAE-Israel deal a stab in the back to ‘all Muslims’
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-08-14
Iran has strongly condemned a historic deal establishing full diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. It’s called the move a stab in the back to all Muslims. | A statement from the country’s foreign ministry, reported by state TV on Friday 14 August, called the normalising of ties between the two countries a dangerous, “shameful” measure. Moreover, It warned the UAE against Israel interfering in the “political equations” of the Persian Gulf region. The statement said: The UAE government and other accompanying governments must accept responsibility for all the consequences of this ac…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2020/08/1…

Extreme Moderation in the Spittoon: Kamala Harris for VP
Binoy Kampmark | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-08-14
The Vice Presidency has always gotten a degree of bad press in the US political system. Its ineffectuality is sometimes lost on the occupant, though not on John N. Garner, who considered it “not worth a bucket of warm spit.” (R. G. Tugwell in The Brains Trust suggests that the measure “quart” was used.) Two …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/08/extreme-moder…

Centro CSO Condemns LAPD S.W.AT. Swarming BLM Leader’s Home
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-08-14
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO). | The morning of August 12, 2020 the private residence of Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles co-founder Dr. Melina Abdullah was swarmed by an LAPD SWAT team. With their semi-automatic rifles pointed at her home, the team stood surrounding her home in tactical gear. | “We looked out the front window, and two officers stood and put their assault rifles and pointed them directly at us,” Abdullah said at a Cal State L.A. press conference. “And I realized they came for me. And they called out my addre…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/8/13/centro-c…

Critical Assessment of Kamala Harris for Vice President
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
The Vice Presidency has always gotten a degree of bad press in the US political system. Its ineffectuality is sometimes lost on the occupant, though not on John N. Garner, who considered it “not worth a bucket of warm spit.” …
globalresearch.ca/kamala-harris-vp/57210…

Turks in Greece still being denied their rights
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
For decades, the Turkish minority in Greece has faced government-imposed hurdles to exercising its fundamental rights on education, religious affairs, and the recognition of its ethnic identity. | Greece’s Western Thrace region — in the country’s northeast, near the Turkish border — is home to a substantial, long-established Muslim Turkish minority numbering around 150,000. | Several recent developments have cast a harsh spotlight on the problems of Turks in Greece, including a decree restricting the autonomy of the mufti Muslim clerics, land belonging to a Muslim religious foundation being sold off t…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turks-in-greece-st…

Syed Ali Geelani: Adamant fighter for Kashmiri rights
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
In recognition of his lifelong struggle for Kashmiris, Pakistan on its 74th Independence Day on Friday, awarded veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani Nishan-e-Pakistan — country’s highest civilian honor.Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Queen Elizabeth II, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also among the recipients of the prestigious award.In late June, the 90-year-old leader stepped down from the leadership of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a forum of more than two dozen Kashmir-based pro-freedom parties.The Nishan-e-Pakistan award, on behalf of Geelani, was received by APHC leaders from Pa…
yenisafak.com/en/news/syed-ali-geelani-a…

Iran reports 169 more virus deaths, over 2,500 cases
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
At least 169 more coronavirus-related fatalities have raised the death toll in Iran to 19,331, the Health Ministry said Friday.Some 2,501 more people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, pushing the overall count up to 338,825, according to ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari.She said more than 293,811 patients have recovered so far, while 3,956 are hospitalized in critical condition. Over 2.81 million tests have been conducted in Iran to date.Iran is struggling to contain the pandemic since February, when the first cases were confirmed in the holy city of Qom.The coronavirus pandemic has claimed…
yenisafak.com/en/world/iran-reports-169-…

US declined Russia’s help offer on vaccine: Report
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
The US allegedly declined Russia’s help offer over the coronavirus vaccine, Russian officials told CNN. | The officials, who spoke anonymously, said Thursday that they proposed “unprecedented cooperation” with the US’ Operation Warp Speed, a governmental program that aims to begin delivering millions of doses of an effective virus vaccine by the end of 2020. However, they claimed the US “is not currently open” for cooperation. | The remarks came days after Russia announced Tuesday it had developed a coronavirus vaccine. | They added that Russia maintains its will to share information about the vaccine and allow t…
yenisafak.com/en/world/us-declined-russi…

‘Turkey will respond to any harassment in Eastern Med’
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
Turkey will respond to any Greek harassment of its energy exploration ship Oruc Reis in the Eastern Mediterranean, the country’s foreign minister warned Friday.”Greece should avoid maximalist policies in the region,” Mevlàºt àáavu≈üoƒülu told a joint press conference with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis in Bern.The warning came on the same day as an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting by video link at Athens’ request on the Eastern Mediterranean issue.On France declaring it would boost its military presence in the region,àáavu≈üoƒülu said: “France s…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-will-respon…

North Korea’s Kim says no to foreign flood aid
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
Addressing Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim said: “The situation, in which the spread of the worldwide malignant [COVID-19] virus has become worse, requires us not to allow any outside aid for the flood damage but shut the border tighter and carry out strict anti-epidemic work,” state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.At least 39,296 hectares of land was marooned due to the ongoing rainy season and Kangwon, North and South Hwanghae provinces and Kaesong City were hit badly.At least 16,680 houses and over 630 public buildings were destroyed or inundated beside…
yenisafak.com/en/news/north-koreas-kim-s…

Muslim scholars slam UAE-Israel deal as ‘high treason’
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) deal to normalize ties with Israel is tantamount to “high treason,” a leading group of Muslim scholars said on Friday.In a statement, the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) urged the Muslim world to take a “decisive position against such concessions … and to exert efforts to preserve the full rights of the Palestinian people.” | The group also rejected UAE’s claim that the deal will halt Israel’s annexation of more Palestinian territory, citing the Israeli premier’s comments that he “achieved this agreement and others without any concession.” | The deal to normalize U…
yenisafak.com/en/news/muslim-scholars-sl…

Erdogan: Turkey may suspend ties with UAE over Israel deal
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-14
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its accord to normalise ties with Israel.Erdogan was speaking to reporters in Istanbul after the Turkish Foreign Ministry said history will never forgive the “hypocritical behaviour” of the UAE in agreeing such a deal.
yenisafak.com/en/world/erdogan-turkey-ma…

Hundreds of thousands of A-Level results downgraded by UK government
wsws.org | 2020-08-14
The A-levels scandal has exposed the dirty secret of the British education system: that it is social class, not merit, that is really being graded.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/14/alev…

How the Guardian Betrayed Not Only Corbyn But the Last Vestiges of British Democracy
Jonathan Cook | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
It is simply astonishing that the first attempt by the Guardian — the only major British newspaper styling itself as on the liberal-left — to properly examine the contents of a devastating internal Labour party report leaked in April is taking place nearly four months after the 860-page report first came to light. If you are a Labour party…
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/how-the-guar…

Yanis Varoufakis in Conversation with Daniel Denvir
CP Editor | counterpunch.org | 2020-08-14
counterpunch.org/2020/08/14/yanis-varouf…

Beached Japanese cargo ship causes ecological disaster for Mauritius
wsws.org | 2020-08-14
The MV Wakashio began leaking thousands of metric tons of fuel after it collided with a coral reef barrier near the southern coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/14/maur…

The November Election Is About Race
Paul Craig Roberts | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-14
Everyone knows it, but few will admit it, that the election is about race. The Democrat Party and the presstitutes have set it up that way. White Americans are the target. | Years of propaganda against “white racism” have succeeded in teaching black Americans that they are victims of “white privilege.” The same propaganda has instilled in white liberals and the young a strong sense of race guilt. The sense of guilt is so strong that the majority of the violent protests and threatening marches through white neighborhoods are carried out by white people under Antifa and Black Lives Matter banners. | The Democrat ma…
thealtworld.com/paul_craig_roberts/the-n…

Has COVID-19 Paved the Way for an Independent Scotland?
Johanna Ross | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-14
It has been one of the worst periods in our global history. But for Scottish Nationalists, the pandemic was the crisis needed to escalate the independence cause. In the latest poll on Scottish independence, now 53% support it, with 47% …
globalresearch.ca/has-covid-19-paved-way…

Forget the Nasty Insults. Trump Plans to Sabotage the Election
Sasha Abramsky | thenation.com | 2020-08-14
Forget the Nasty Insults. Trump Plans to Sabotage the Election.
thenation.com/article/politics/forget-th…

How Men’s Rights Groups Helped Rewrite Regulations on Campus Rape
Hélène Barthélemy | thenation.com | 2020-08-14
How Men’s Rights Groups Helped Rewrite Regulations on Campus Rape…
thenation.com/article/politics/betsy-dev…

Kamala Harris’s Presence on the Ticket Could Help Usher in a Third Reconstruction
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Dr. Sharrelle Barber, Rebekah Barber | thenation.com | 2020-08-14
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Dr. Sharrelle Barber, Rebekah Barber Kamala Harris’s Presence on the Ticket Could Help Usher in a Third Reconstruction…
thenation.com/article/politics/kamala-ha…

Trump suggests he’s withholding post office funds to stop ‘universal mail-in voting’
rt.com | 2020-08-13
Donald Trump is being accused of “trying to steal” the election after claiming talks with Democrats on Covid-19 economic relief was stalled when the president refused post office funding for “universal mail-in voting.” | Asked by Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo what led to the standstill between the White House and Democrats on a coronavirus stimulus package, the president said one of the main points the left will not budge on is extra funding for the US postal service to handle universal mail-in voting, something he is staunchly against. | “They want three-and-a-half billion dollars for the mail-in votes. Unive…
rt.com/usa/497962-donald-trump-mail-in-v…

PDF of Aug. 13 issue
A. Majumdar | workers.org | 2020-08-13
Download the 12-page PDF. Political strike shuts down Bolivia UNIONS PUSH BACK: No school reopening; On the picket line; Unions say: ‘Cops out!’ Student-athletes organize; Honoring Negro National Leagues; A profitable disaster; Editorial Anti-racist vote for class unity; Terror against im/migrants; Mumia: A matter of history. Editorial: Anti-racist vote for . . . | Continue reading PDF of Aug. 13 issue at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/08/50559/?utm_source=rs…

Bolivian movements and trade unions propose to hold elections on October 11
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-13
On August 12, Bolivian social movements and trade unions, which have been mobilizing against postponement of general elections for the past ten days, issued an official statement and proposed to hold elections on October 11. | The main organizers of the national strike and the nationwide road blockades, the Bolivian Workers’ Center (COB) and the Pact of Unity (a national alliance of social movements and grassroots organizations), demanded that the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) sets O…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/13/bolivian-…

Bolivia’s Perfect Storm: Pandemic, Economic Crisis, Repressive Coup Regime
Richard Fidler | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
Introduction | The rising toll of diseased and deceased from the COVID-19 pandemic has hit Bolivia particularly hard, in a continent that is now in the lead in global contagion rates. As of August 8, more than 100,000 cases were officially …
globalresearch.ca/bolivia-perfect-storm-…

Bolivian movements and trade unions propose to hold elections on October 11
Peoples Dispatch | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-13
On August 12, Bolivian social movements and trade unions, which have been mobilizing against postponement of general elections for the past ten days, issued an official statement and proposed to hold elections on October 11. | The main organizers of the national strike and the nationwide road blockades, the Bolivian Workers’ Center (COB) and the Pact of Unity (a national alliance of social movements and grassroots organizations), said that they are ready to lift blockades and end the…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/13/bolivian-…

Bolivia’s perfect storm: Pandemic, economic crisis, repressive coup regime
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-08-13
The rising toll of diseased and deceased from the COVID-19 pandemic has hit Bolivia particularly hard, in a continent that is now in the lead in global contagion rates.
mronline.org/2020/08/13/bolivias-perfect…

General Strike & Blockade in Bolivia Enter Day 11 as Protesters Condemn Delayed Vote by Coup Gov’t
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-08-13
We go to Bolivia, where opponents of the coup government have entered day 11 of a general strike and nationwide highway blockade to protest the repeated postponement of Bolivia’s first presidential election since last year’s ouster of Evo Morales by the right-wing coup government of Jeanine àÅñez, which was followed by an economic collapse and oppression. “Almost all of the key highways have roadblocks … bringing the country to a standstill,” says Ollie Vargas, Cochabamba-based reporter with Kawsachun News. “People feel impoverished. They feel persecuted. There’s a climate of authoritarianism in the count…
www.democracynow.org/2020/8/13/bolivia_g…

Bolivia: Political Strike Shuts Down Country
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-08-13
Once again, a scenario of multiple crises that began with the November coup defines Bolivia’s future. De facto President Jeanine àÅñez’s main achievement was to unleash a shameless wave of racist repression against Morales’ Movement for Socialism (MAS) and the Aymara and Quechua Indigenous peoples. | àÅñez kept none of the promises she made to pacify the people after the November coup, nor did she offer any assistance to the poor during the twin crises of COVID-19 and the ensuing economic collapse.
popularresistance.org/bolivia-political-…

Haitian teachers protest school reopening
Haitian Popular News Agency | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-08-13
Several dozen teachers and activists organized a rally on Monday August 10 outside of the Haitian Ministry of National Education and Professional Training. They were protesting against the decision taken unilaterally by the Minister Pierre Josué Agénor Cadet to reopen schools, which was done without consulting other actors that are crucial to the proper functioning of the Haitian education system. They also demanded better working conditions for teachers in Haiti. | “We do not have a problem with reopening schools, it is normal that it happen, but it would be necessary for it to be planned in complete collaborati…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/08/13/haitian-t…

Growing wave of protests across the US against school openings
wsws.org | 2020-08-13
Across the US, thousands of teachers, education workers, parents and students are mobilizing to oppose the unsafe reopening of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/13/scho…

Racism revoked: Georgia shop apologizes for saying it would charge only white customers $20 to book appointments
rt.com | 2020-08-13
A vintage clothing store in Savannah, Georgia has backed down from a plan to charge only white customers a $20 fee to book appointments to shop, saying it had been slammed with both negative feedback and threats of lawsuits. | Civvies on Broughton announced the new fee on Monday, as it was reopening by appointment only, after being shut down because of Covid-19. The refundable whites-only $20 deposit was introduced because the shop’s mostly white staff and owners didn’t feel comfortable “upholding a digital financial barrier which could prohibit BIPOC [black, indigenous and other people of color] from shopping…
rt.com/usa/497971-georgia-shop-white-dis…

US Military Presence: Special Forces Active in 22 African Countries
Alan MacLeod | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
A new report published in South African newspaper The Mail and Guardian has shed light on the opaque world of the American military presence in Africa. Last year, elite U.S. Special Operations forces were active in 22 African countries. This …
globalresearch.ca/new-report-reveals-us-…

Amazon workers speak out against inadequate safety measures
wsws.org | 2020-08-13
As the company makes money hand over fist from the pandemic’s boost to online retail sales, hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers labor for long hours in unsafe conditions at Amazon’s fulfillment centers.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/13/amaz…

Hong Kong Elections Postponed: And where aren’t they?
Andre Vltchek | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-08-13
Today, the Western press went absolutely mental again, radically schizophrenic. Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, declared that the September 6 elections in SAR would be postponed by one year. Right away, she offered a rational explanation: “We have 3 million voters going out in one day across Hong Kong, such flow of people would cause …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/08/hong-kong-ele…

UN Chief: Pandemic Must Be Met With Commitment to Peace
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-08-13
“Covid-19 is a human tragedy, but we can mitigate the impacts by the choices we make.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/08/13/un-chie…

Tennessee GOP Targets Racial Justice Movement by Turning Encampment Protests Into Felonies Punishable by Prison Term
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-08-13
“Bonus penalty for exercising your protest rights in an unapproved manner: you lose your voting rights.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/08/13/tenness…

Lukashenko Has No One To Blame But Himself For Belarus’ Color Revolution Unrest
Andrew Korybko | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-13
It was entirely predictable that the Color Revolution unrest that Lukashenko himself earlier kindled by partially laying the blame for this regime change attempt on Russia, which he did in a misguided attempt to co-opt this movement and use it as a post-election pretext for accelerating his pro-Western pivot, would ultimately end up backfiring after the rioters’ real Western patrons thought that they could intensify their pressure upon him in order to squeeze more concessions out of the geopolitically confused Belarusian leader. | Maidan In Minsk: | Belarusian President Lukashenko is being portrayed in po…
thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/lukashenk…

The Ongoing Torture and Medical Neglect of Julian Assange
William Hogan | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
Published by The Lancet on June 25, 2020. | **** | On Feb 17, 2020, Doctors for Assange demanded an end to the torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange.1 Yet no responsible authority has acted. Nils Melzer, the UN …
globalresearch.ca/ongoing-torture-medica…

How the US helped push Lebanon to the brink of collapse, and now threatens more sanctions
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2020-08-13
While the media blames the crisis in Lebanon solely on corruption, the US government unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign to…
thegrayzone.com/2020/08/13/us-lebanon-sa…

Was Kamala Harris a Progressive Prosecutor? A Look at Her Time as a DA & California Attorney General
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-08-13
As Senator Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman of color on a major party ticket, we host a debate on her record as California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, when she proudly billed herself as “top cop” and called for more cops on the street. San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Niki Solis says Harris was the state’s most progressive DA and advocated for “so many policies and so many alternatives to incarceration.” Law professor Lara Bazelon says Harris was on the wrong side of history for often opposing criminal justice reform, though her record did change as a senator. “Her o…
www.democracynow.org/2020/8/13/kamala_ha…

The Case Against Trump Is “Open and Shut”: Kamala Harris Slams President’s Handling of Pandemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-08-13
As Kamala Harris, the first woman of color on a major presidential ticket, hits the campaign trail with Joe Biden for the first time, we play an extended excerpt of her address, in which she blasts President Trump’s handling of the economy, immigration, racial justice and the coronavirus pandemic. “The case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut,” Harris says.
www.democracynow.org/2020/8/13/kamala_ha…

Photo: IDF Airstrikes, Tanks Target Hamas Sites Across Gaza in Third Day of Bombardment
sputniknews.com | 2020-08-13
Several explosions were reported across the Gaza Strip on Friday local time for the third consecutive night, as multiple Hamas sites were targeted.
sputniknews.com/middleeast/2020081310801…

Ilhan Omar defeats Corporate Democrat, Israel Lobbies in Overwhelming Primary Victory
Juan Cole | zcomm.org | 2020-08-13
Although the Israel lobbies put a lot of money into defeating Omar, the issues on which she won, of progressive policing and health care, were largely disconnected from the geopolitical ones where her straight talk had attracted so much vitriol to her…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/ilhan-omar-defeats…

Progressives’ problems with Kamala Harris
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-08-13
Liberals praised Harris, Republicans attacked her as a “radical leftist,” but progressives say the selection underscores the need for sustained grassroots pressure.
therealnews.com/stories/progressives-pro…

Freedom Rider: TikTok and the War on China
Margaret Kimberley | mronline.org | 2020-08-13
Every charge that Trump and his minions make against Chinese companies is true for US corporations, which have been spying on Americans and the rest of the world for decades.
mronline.org/2020/08/13/freedom-rider-ti…

The organic intellectual: Remembering Samir Amin two years on
Samir Amin | mronline.org | 2020-08-13
‘In our era, when we consider the destructive (ecological and military) might at the disposal of the powers-that-be, the risk, denounced by Marx in his time, that war will end up destroying all the opposing camps, is real. The alternate path demands the lucid and organized intervention of the internationalist front of workers and peoples.’…
mronline.org/2020/08/13/the-organic-inte…

Wednesday 8/12: Action: Demand Congress Include All Immigrants in the Next COVID Stimulus Bill
United We Dream | indybay.org | 2020-08-13
Online action…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/12/1883588…

“Real politics is constant activism”
Noam Chomsky | zcomm.org | 2020-08-13
Interview on the pandemic, the election, the word Bernie Sanders needs to stop using, the Harper’s letter, the 1619 Project, patriotism, and the greatest social movement in U.S. history…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/real-politics-is-c…

Palestine recalls ambassador from UAE after it establishes diplomatic ties with Israel
rt.com | 2020-08-13
The Palestinian ambassador to the UAE is being recalled over Abu Dhabi’s decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called “treason.” | The ambassador was recalled from Abu Dhabi on Thursday in response to the deal between Israel and the UAE, which became the first Gulf Arab state to officially establish diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. | Abbas has called on the UAE to reverse Thursday’s decision, which formalizes years of sub rosa rapprochement between Israel and the oil-rich state, and urged other Arab nations not to follow its example “at the expense…
rt.com/news/497968-palestine-recalls-uae…

Palestinian Rights Advocates Refuse to Applaud Israel-Trump-UAE Deal That Upholds ‘Ongoing, Devastating Apartheid’
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-08-13
“The Trump administration hit upon the Nobel Peace Prize-winning idea that you can supposedly solve the Israel-Palestine conflict by pretending Palestinians don’t exist.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2020/08/13/palesti…

Belarus: A Color Revolution of a Different Shade?
Peter Koenig | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-08-13
Belarus is in turmoil, after an election where the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko — 25 years already in power (in office since 1994) — has won with 80% of the popular vote. That’s what the official stats and media say. True or false? Does it matter? The margin is large enough that it cannot be …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/08/belarus-a-col…

Belarus — A Color Revolution of a Different Shade?
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
Belarus in turmoil, after an election where the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko — 25 years already in power (in office since 1994) — has won with 80% of the popular vote. That’s what the official stats and media say. True …
globalresearch.ca/belarus-color-revoluti…

Making Excuses for Trump: Where Does the Buck Stop?
Philip Giraldi | thealtworld.com | 2020-08-13
The bloom is off the rose after four years of blundering, but it is still surprising to hear an occasional voice defending Trump’s foreign policy. | One might make the case that Donald Trump was elected president on the antiwar vote. Running against Hillary the Hawk it was, of course, relatively easy to position oneself as a critic of the endless wars started and sustained under the Bush and Obama administrations. Even though we Americans had heard similar noises from those very same gentlemen when they were running for office, many socially conservative voters like myself were nevertheless attracted by yet anoth…
thealtworld.com/philip_giraldi/making-ex…

Making Excuses for Trump: Where Does the Buck Stop?
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
One might make the case that Donald Trump was elected president on the antiwar vote. Running against Hillary the Hawk it was, of course, relatively easy to position oneself as a critic of the endless wars started and sustained under …
globalresearch.ca/making-excuses-trump/5…

The Politics of War: What is Israel’s Endgame in Lebanon and Syria?
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-08-13
On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued an ominous warning to Lebanon. “We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers. I suggest to all of them, including Hezbollah, to consider this,” Netanyahu said during an official tour of a military facility …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/08/the-politics-…

Testing and medical insurance: a profitable disaster
Sara Flounders | workers.org | 2020-08-13
Drive-through COVID-19 testing in Bergen County, N.J. These tests were a “partnership” of state government with Quest Diagnostics and Walmart stores hosting the sites. In the midst of a capitalist crash and an out-of-control health crisis, two mega-industries that bear a heavy burden of responsibility for the health disaster are . . . | Continue reading Testing and medical insurance: a profitable disaster at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/08/50577/?utm_source=rs…

Why Cuba is winning the fight against COVID-19
Nathaniel Chase | workers.org | 2020-08-13
Nathaniel Chase This article is a lightly edited version of a talk given Aug. 6 during the Workers World webinar entitled, “War on the Working Class: a Socialist Response.” I’d like to talk about another country’s response to the new coronavirus. The steps it has taken to protect its workers’ . . . | Continue reading Why Cuba is winning the fight against COVID-19 at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/08/50561/?utm_source=rs…

A voice from New Orleans schools: ‘Are we gonna be alive?’
| workers.org | 2020-08-13
Big-E By Big E New Orleans This slightly edited talk was given at the Aug. 6 Workers World Party webinar, “War on the Working Class: the Socialist Response,” which featured education workers. Big E is an activist with New Orleans Workers Group. Thank you, everybody out there, and much love . . . | Continue reading A voice from New Orleans schools: ‘Are we gonna be alive?’ at Workers.org…
workers.org/2020/08/50582/?utm_source=rs…

What if the Beirut Explosion Was an Attack?
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
On August 11, 3 Israeli battle tanks crossed a technical fence on the Israeli-Lebanese contact line, the official Lebanese News Agency reported. | According to the Lebanese side, Israeli forces broke through the technical fence in the town of Mays al-Jabal …
globalresearch.ca/what-beirut-explosion-…

Video: Ukraine Is Hovering Between New War and Economic Collapse
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
On July 27, a next “complete and all-encompassing ceasefire” between Kiev troops and self-defense forces of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) started in eastern Ukraine. This is the most recent in a series of attempts to …
globalresearch.ca/video-ukraine-hovering…

Is Joe Biden Cognitively Impaired? President Kamala Harris?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2020-08-13
If elected president in November, Joe Biden will be age-78 when entering office in January. | His political career since 1972 as US senator, vice president, and presidential aspirant elevated him to national prominence with high public name recognition. | He’s only …
globalresearch.ca/joe-biden-cognitively-…

US Supreme Court rules ballot access petitioning must proceed during coronavirus pandemic
wsws.org | 2020-08-13
In a one paragraph order with no legal explanation provided, the US Supreme Court overturned a decision by a trial judge in Oregon relaxing ballot access requirements in consideration of the restrictions imposed on public interaction during the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/08/13/cour…

Supreme Court Rejects Gop Effort To Force Rhode Islanders To Risk Their Health To Vote During Covid-19 Pandemic
commondreams.org | 2020-08-13
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/08/13/sup…

Supreme Court Protects Absentee Voters from Unnecessary Witness Requirement
commondreams.org | 2020-08-13
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/08/13/sup…

Landmine blast kills 5 from single family in Afghanistan
yenisafak.com | 2020-08-13
A landmine blast in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province on Thursday killed at least five civilians and injured six others, all members of a single family, officials confirmed.Jamal Nasir, spokesman for the local police command, told Anadolu Agency the incident took place in the province’s Panjwai district. He said women and children are among the dead and wounded.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, apparently aimed at the family members of a local police commander.Condemning the attack, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani urged the Taliban to respond positively to calls for peace and to stop pl…
yenisafak.com/en/world/landmine-blast-ki…

Venezuelan Oil Output Remains at Historic Lows as Sanctions Continue to Bite
Ricardo Vaz | venezuelanalysis.com | 2020-08-13
US sanctions have caused the Caribbean nation to lose three oil supertankers.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14967