2020-09-07: News Headlines

The Canary (2020-09-07). Assange supporters gather outside Old Bailey ahead of extradition hearing. thecanary.co Dozens of Julian Assange supporters have gathered outside the Old Bailey, where the WikiLeaks founder is set to continue his fight against extradition to the US.The 49-year-old, who has been in high-security Belmarsh Prison for 16 months, is wanted over the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.He is expected to appear in court in person on Monday for the first time in months, facing 18 charges — including plotting to hack computers and conspiring to obtain and disclose national defence information.Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's father, John Shipton, arrives at the…

Peter Oborne (2020-09-07). Julian Assange: Future Generations of Journalists Will Not Forgive Us if We Do Not Fight Extradition. globalresearch.ca Let's imagine a foreign dissident was being held in London's Belmarsh Prison charged with supposed espionage offences by the Chinese authorities. | And that his real offence was revealing crimes committed by the Chinese Communist Party — including publishing video footage …

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-09-07). 'This is Not Normal': Human Rights, Press Freedom Advocates Denied Remote Access to Assange Hearing. commondreams.org The WikiLeaks founder, who exposed U.S. war crimes, faces up to 175 years in prison if the U.K. agrees to extradite Assange. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-assange_protestors.jpg

Max Blumenthal (2020-09-07). 'Green' billionaires behind professional activist network that led suppression of 'Planet of the Humans' documentary. thegrayzone.com The Michael Moore-produced 'Planet of the Humans' faced a coordinated suppression campaign led by professional climate activists backed by the same 'green' billionaires, Wall Street investors, industry insiders and family foundations skewered in the film. By Max Blumenthal "We must take control of our environmental movement and our future from billionaires and their permanent war …

Staff (2020-09-07). Cornel West & Ben Jealous on Whether Progressives Can Push Joe Biden Leftward If He Defeats Trump. democracynow.org In a Democracy Now! special, Harvard professor Cornel West and Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way and former president of the NAACP, discuss the 2020 DNC, Joe Biden's vow to fight systemic racism and "overcome this season of darkness in America," the historic nomination of Kamala Harris as his partner on the ticket, and how the convention was a showcase for a broad anti-Trump coalition, including prominent Republican figures given plum speaking slots, but few voices from the party's insurgent left wing. "At this moment, with the decline and fall of the American empire, it looks as if the system…

Susie Day (2020-09-07). Shut Up, History: Paul Coates and Eddie Conway Are Talking. counterpunch.org Awhile back, a friend and I were talking about History and rebellions, and I lamented how the 1871 Paris Commune had failed. My friend, a self-avowed psychic, said, "Yes, history records very few total victories over oppression. That's because, on this worldly plane, most things are not supposed to work out. It's all about the

WSWS (2020-09-07). DSA member in Spokane, Washington detained by unidentified officers before police violence protest. wsws.org Jeremy Logan was snatched by five plainclothes police officers, and held in jail for over a day, where federal agents attempted to interrogate him, before being released.

Ken Hanly (2020-09-07). Owners of Oil Tankers Seized by the US File Lawsuits. globalresearch.ca The US unilaterally imposes its own sanctions universally as much as it can becoming the self-appointed global policeman. Many countries obey because of the financial and military power of the US. | *** | US must prove oil is from Iran and …

_____ (2020-09-07). For Some, Homes And Neighborhoods Are Now Digital Prisons. popularresistance.org Eddie Conway: Welcome to this episode of Rattling The Bars. I'm Eddie Conway, your host, coming to you from Baltimore. Recently, there has been a new book out by two authors that has done extensive work in the prison system. The book is, Prisons By Any Other Name, and it was written by Maya Schenwar and Vicky Law. They're going to join me today to kind of explain what's in the book. Basically they're challenging the idea that alternative to incarceration is better and represents some kind of reform.

Melanie Gin (2020-09-07). Monday 9/7: Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter. indybay.org Frank H. Ogawa Plaza (14th Street/Broadway) in Oakland, CA…

Sierra Club (2020-09-07). Friday 9/11: Green Friday: Ken Brower on "The Sierra Club and Point Reyes National Seashore" indybay.org virtual | To register go to: | act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q0000020SiDAAU&mapLinkHref=

Staff (2020-09-07). Labor Must Make Defense of Black Lives Its Own Imperative. truthout.org Black trade unionists across the U.S. are calling on the labor movement to defend Black Lives Matter protesters and to fight racism in their own ranks. The attacks by police and increasingly violent armed racist militias evoke the memory of many such violent incidents against Black people in earlier periods, from slavery to segregation to the civil rights era. | For Labor Day 2020, Truthout reached out to Christopher Silvera, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 808 in Long Island City, NY; Elise Bryant, exec…

Staff (2020-09-07). Corporations Must Reckon With Their Spin of Black Lives Matter. truthout.org In a virtual town hall in June, Coca-Cola's Chairman and CEO James Quincy said: "Diversity and inclusion are among our greatest strengths … We must put our resources and energy toward helping end the cycle of systemic racism." Dow Chemical's Chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling similarly committed to being an "ally" helping overcome "systemic oppression." And Johnson & Johnson's Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky stated, "unequivocally that racism in any form is unacceptable." These three proclamations echo others penned by Fortune…

yenisafak (2020-09-07). Papua New Guinea: Cop falls asleep, prisoners flee home. yenisafak.com At least 31 prisoners escaped jail in Papua New Guinea last week, according to local reports on Monday.Senior police official Peter Guinness said the officer on guard had allegedly fallen asleep while intoxicated, allowing detainees remanded in custody to flee Lae Central police station last Wednesday, The National daily reported.The guard was suspended after the prisoners reportedly took his keys while he was unconscious."As a young policeman serving [before] in Lae, I have never experienced such," Guinness said. Guinness added that after the guard was tried in court, authorities would submit a recommendation fo…

yenisafak (2020-09-07). S.Africa announces gender based violence law. yenisafak.com South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday the country will tighten laws on gender based violence and sexual offences which have been widespread in the rainbow nation.Writing in his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa said people were angry that many perpetrators of gender based violence and sexual offences are exploiting legal loopholes to avoid imprisonment.He said citizens are frustrated that sentencing is often not proportionate to the crimes committed against women and children."The three amendment Bills are designed to fill the gaps that allow some perpetrators of these crimes to evade justice and to give…

teleSUR, ce-JF (2020-09-07). Same-sex Partnerships Now Legal in the Cayman Islands. telesurenglish.net Same-sex partnerships in the Cayman Islands are legal as of Friday after Governor Martyn Roper approved the law for the British Overseas territory. | RELATED: | "Today we will end the discrimination being suffered by Caymanians and others on our islands whilst protecting the institution of marriage," said Roper. | In his statement, the governor said that the move was in line with instructions from the U.K. government ministers to use his re…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-07). 'Despicable and Shameless': Outrage Over Duterte Pardon of US Marine who Murdered Trans Woman in Philippines. commondreams.org Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton was found guilty of homicide and sentenced in December 2015 to 10 years in prison for strangling and drowning 26-year-old Jennifer Laude to death in an Olangapo hotel. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/laude.jpg

Tanya Wallace-Gobern (2020-09-07). This Labor Day, 'Black Lives Matter' Means Justice for Black Workers. commondreams.org In 2012, members of the Chicago Teachers Union rocked the city with their historic strike. (Credit: flickr/cc/Sarah-Ji) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cunninghamcook_ctpf_wall_street_850_593_1.jpg

Tanya Wallace-Gobern (2020-09-06). This Labor Day, 'Black Lives Matter' Means Justice for Black Workers. progressive.org The economy was failing Black workers before the pandemic—and now, even as many are deemed essential, they're being treated as disposable.

Fight Back (2020-09-06). Tallahassee protesters jailed after demonstration against grand jury decision that lets killer cops off hook. fightbacknews.org Tallahassee, FL — The Tallahassee Community Action Committee (TCAC) took to the streets, September 5, in response to a grand jury decision, released the day before, that exonerated Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) officers in three murders of Black men thus far in 2020. The grand jury found that TPD's use of force was 'justified' in the shooting deaths of Mychael Johnson in March and Wilbon Woodard and Tony McDade in separate incidents in May. | The protest included a march and car caravan through downtown Tallahassee, ending at the Historic Florida State Capitol, demanding legal action against the offic…

Tanya Wallace-Gobern (2020-09-06). This Labor Day, 'Black Lives Matter' Must Mean Justice for Black Workers. progressive.org The economy was failing Black workers before the pandemic—and now, even as many are deemed essential, they're being treated as disposable.

El Cerrito Progressives (2020-09-06). Tuesday 9/8: Caravan for Black Lives Matter – El Cerrito. indybay.org El Cerrito Plaza BART n/e Parking lot at the corner of Richmond St. and Central Ave.

Staff (2020-09-06). Incarcerated People Are Challenging Deadly Pandemic Conditions in Prisons. truthout.org On April 10, Esther Arias made a video call to her son and asked him to Arias wanted the larger public to know about how the federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, was handling COVID. One woman, she said, had tested positive three times — but remained in the housing unit. Four other women had been placed in quarantine, then onto her housing unit, she said. | In March, Attorne…

_____ (2020-09-05). Washington State Police Target Black March Organizers With Arrests. popularresistance.org On Friday morning the Washington State Patrol (WSP) arrested nine people on suspicion of disorderly conduct during a protest that shut down the southbound lanes of I-5, congested Seattle streets, and backed up traffic to Bellevue. | Marchers say they block traffic to disrupt people living their day-to-day lives, and to bring the Black Lives Matter protest to where those people are. | Last week Morning Marchers shut down the Ballard Bridge. Yesterday, they shut down the southbound lanes on State Route Highway 99.

news.un (2020-09-05). End secret detention of rights defender, independent experts urge Pakistani authorities. news.un.org Independent UN rights experts have called on the Government of Pakistan to end the secret detention of a human rights defender, who has not been heard from in more than nine months.

_____ (2020-09-05). Report: Georgia Wrongfully Purged 200,000 Voters. popularresistance.org A seven-year investigation of voter suppression in Georgia has found that the state likely removed 200,000 voters from its rolls who were, in fact, eligible to vote. The voters whose registrations were removed were also overwhelmingly concentrated in the counties comprising the Atlanta Metro area, according to initial findings released on Wednesday. | Conducted by the Palast Investigative Fund, which specializes in data journalism, and released by the ACLU of Georgia, the report reviewed more than 300,000 registered voters whom the state had purged from its rolls.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-05). Palestinian prisoner Daud Al-Khatib dies after 18 years in Israeli jail. peoplesdispatch.org Daud Al-Khatib died a few months ahead of his release. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society alleged that al-Khatib was not given proper medical care by the prison authorities…

Raphael Satter (2020-09-05). U.S. court: Mass surveillance program exposed by Snowden was illegal. zcomm.org "Today's ruling is a victory for our privacy rights," the ACLU said in a statement, saying it "makes plain that the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records violated the Constitution."

El Cerrito Progressives (2020-09-05). Tuesday 9/8: Caravan for Black LIves Matter- El Cerrito. indybay.org El Cerrito Plaza BART n/e Parking lot at the corner of Richmond St. and Central Ave.

sputniknews (2020-09-05). New York Blue Lives Matter Founder Claims Mayor And Governor 'Pit Officers Against The Community'. sputniknews.com New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to cut $1 billion from the budget of the city's police department amid Black Lives Matter protests, while New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo wants 4,000 cops to police social distancing in restaurants.

Staff (2020-09-05). Trump Admin Faces Injunction for Trying to End 2020 Census Counting Prematurely. truthout.org Civil rights organizations and local governments in California late Friday filed a request in a San Jose federal court for an emergency nationwide injunction against the Trump administration's effort to end 2020 Census counting prematurely—a move critics warn is a blatant effort by the president and his Republican allies to "sabotage" the once-in-a-decade count for long-term political advantage. | "Trump seeks to sabotage the #2020Census by TERMINATING critical door knocking operatio…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-09-05). Civil Rights Groups Request Emergency Injuction to Stop Trump 'Sabotage' of 2020 Census. commondreams.org "Fighting a pandemic is already a high hurdle to clear in obtaining an accurate count. It's outrageous that we must also fight against an administration seeking to skew our population numbers." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/was2968494_0_0.jpg

WSWS (2020-09-04). German court sentences members of leftist Turkish party to prison. wsws.org The verdict sends the message that anyone who is left-wing and/or opposes a regime allied with Germany can be imprisoned for years.

Paul Street (2020-09-04). Trump Knows What He's Doing — He Needs to Go Now. counterpunch.org This is an actual statement from the President of the United States in a recent interview with his fellow far-right white nationalist Laura Ingraham of Fatherland (FOX) News: "Black Lives Matter is a Marxist organization…The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, I said, 'That's a terrible name.' It's so discriminatory. It's bad for Black people. It's bad for everybody."

Staff (2020-09-04). 108 inmates test positive for COVID-19 in 'trailer jail'. therealnews.com The jail was only reporting 78 active cases, but this number doesn't include people who were already released or those who's test results have not come in yet, so the real number is likely much higher.

Saul Foster (2020-09-04). Killing in Kenosha: 'Blue Lives' terror comes of age. mronline.org The killing of two Black Lives Matter protesters by a vigilante represents a new departure for violent reaction, argues Wisconsin activists Michael Billeaux.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-09-04). Biden's platform for workers: Labor law-breakers to jail. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON —A $15 federal minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, no trade pacts like the job-losing old NAFTA, support for public schools and teachers, repeal of so-called "Right To Work" laws. And enacting the Protect the Right to Organize Act with a twist: Real tough penalties for labor law-breakers, including "criminal penalties" for repeat …

Ted Kelly (2020-09-04). Prison-industrial complex: Harvard students demand divestment. workers.org A student-led organization called the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign is fighting to dismantle the prison-industrial complex, starting with their own school's administration. Research has exposed that portions of Harvard University's $39 billion endowment are invested in the notorious prison profiteers GEO Group and Core Civic. The website of the campaign, . . . |

RT (2020-09-04). Dutch appeals court finds Geert Wilders guilty of insulting Moroccans but acquits him of inciting discrimination. rt.com A Dutch appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling that found right-wing politician Geert Wilders guilty of inciting discrimination against 400,000 Moroccans in the Netherlands, but found him guilty of insulting them. | The judge in the town of Schiphol near Amsterdam also rejected the prosecution's application for Wilders to be fined €5,000. | He said that the man has "already paid a high price for years for expressing his opinion." Wilders has been living under constant police protection for over a decade now, due to death threats provoked mainly by his criticism of Islam. | However, the court up…

Tracey L. Rogers (2020-09-04). The Weathering of Black America. counterpunch.org After Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968, his autopsy report revealed that at the young age of 39, he had "the heart of a 60-year old." Doctors concluded that King's heart had aged due to the stress and pressure endured throughout his 13-year civil rights career. A 13-year tribulation sounds more fitting. Along

Frank Joyce (2020-09-04). Property Values Matter. Bigly. counterpunch.org White supremacy isn't just rooted in white people owning Black people. It's about white people owning the Native people's land too. There they went. Again. The opening night prime time proceedings of the Republican Convention prominently featured Mark and Patrice McCloskey. They are the couple who brandished guns at Black Lives Matter protestors in their

_____ (2020-09-04). Black-Led Resistance Movements Are Paving The Way For Reparations. popularresistance.org Months after the police killing of George Floyd sparked racial justice protests around the world, Black Lives Matter activists are once again flooding the streets — this time in response to the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Among the demands that continue to ring out is the call for reparations, or payment to people of African descent. Several African countries — including Namibia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — have also joined the call, demanding reparations from European countries for the perpetration of genocide under colonialism.

Fight Back (2020-09-04). Black Lives Matter mourns and denounces another killing by LA sheriffs. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles called for justice for Dijon Kizzee at their weekly "DA Jackie Lacey Must Go" protest, September 2. Many families, victims of LAPD and LA sheriff killings and brutality, as well as organizations like Centro CSO, gathered outside of the offices of Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey. | Dijon Kizzee was shot over 20 times in South LA on the evening of August 31, over an unspecified vehicle code violation while riding a bicycle with a bundle of clothes. In the police version, Kizzee dropped a handgun when the altercation turned viole…

_____ (2020-09-04). Portland Protest Killing Suspect Acted In Self Defense, Murdered During Arrest. popularresistance.org Ever since a member of the right-wing "Patriot Prayer" group was shot and killed during a violent rally in downtown Portland August 29, the police investigation has reportedly focused on 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl, an Army veteran and father of two who has provided what he called "security" at Black Lives Matter protests. | The Wall Steet Journal reported earlier that Reinoehl was a person of interest in the killing of Aaron "Jay" Danielson, who was taking part in a massive pro-Trump caravan that began in Clackamas earlier in the day.

Staff (2020-09-03). Headlines for September 3, 2020. democracynow.org CDC Urges States to Be Ready by Late October to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine, Iowa Sen. Ernst Spreads COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories as Cases Soar in State, U.S. Pulls $62 Million in Funding for World Health Organization, U.S. Sanctions Top ICC Prosecutors for Investigating U.S. War Crimes, Trump Campaign Aide Justifies Vigilante's Killing of Black Lives Matter Protesters, Trump Moves to Cut Billions in Federal Aid to Cities, Citing "Anarchist Jurisdictions", The Killing of Daniel Prude: Naked Black Man Suffocated After Police Put Hood Over His Head, California Police Officer Charged with Shooting Dead Black Man in…

Sean Murphy (2020-09-03). Lawsuit seeks redress for 1921 Tulsa massacre. peoplesworld.org Attorneys for victims and their descendants affected by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre filed a lawsuit in state court on Tuesday against the City of Tulsa and other defendants seeking reparations for the destruction of the city's once thriving Black district. The group, led by Tulsa attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, contends Tulsa's long history of racial …

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-09-03). For Black Immigrants, Police and ICE Are Two Sides of the Same Coin. aclu.org More than 20 years ago, 23-year-old Amadou Diallo was gunned down in front of his apartment in the Bronx by the NYPD. Diallo had been walking home when four officers mistook him for a suspect in a rape investigation, firing a total of 41 shots at him and hitting him 19 times after mistaking his wallet for a gun. All four officers were later acquitted of charges related to his death., , Diallo's death sparked a massive protest movement in New York City, with echoes of this summer's demonstrations over the murder of George Floyd. Furious calls for police reform were dismissed by then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who…

Peter Crowley (2020-09-03). The Leprechaun Anti-BLM Meme: Irish Americans, Drop This Inanity and Support BLM. counterpunch.org Fear not, white people. Black people won't eat you. If they were to not be disproportionately killed by police and locked up in prison for things that you'd get a slap on the wrist for, it wouldn't hurt you. The resistance to black justice is clearly widespread, with even some terrorist acts against protesters in

ACLU (2020-09-03). Why Evicting Millions During a Pandemic is Bad For Our Democracy. aclu.org As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, people across the country face the economic devastation left in its wake. Along with staggering unemployment numbers, millions of renters now

Lynda Carson (2020-09-03). Trump regime is in lockstep with the KKK and fascist armed militias. indybay.org Black Lives Matter Protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin:…