2020-10-13: News Headlines

Staff (2020-10-13). A Rigged Judiciary Leads to Rigged Elections: Ari Berman on Barrett Hearings & GOP Voter Suppression. democracynow.org Amy Coney Barrett's involvement in the court fight over the 2000 presidential election, when she was a member of George W. Bush's legal team, shows she is willing to bend the law to benefit Republican candidates, says Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman. "That's what's so disturbing about Amy Coney Barrett, because that's exactly what President Trump wants to do right now," says Berman. "He wants a justice who will rule his way on the vote count, no matter what the facts or the law actually says." Berman also looks at challenges voters are facing nationwide as early voting is underway from Georgia to Arizona, where…

Staff (2020-10-13). Headlines for October 13, 2020. democracynow.org Dems Warn of Threat to ACA, Roe v. Wade, as Hearing Begins for Trump SCOTUS Nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Trump Returns to Campaigning as COVID Status Remains Unclear, COVID-19 Cases Soaring in Europe, Russia, as India Becomes Second Country to Hit 7 Million Cases, Johnson & Johnson Halts Vaccine Trials; More Evidence of Reinfection Revealed, GA Early Voters Face Long Lines; CA Officials Warn GOP over Illegal Drop Sites, Pascua Yaqui Tribe Sues in Arizona over Voter Suppression Efforts, WH Moves Forward with Taiwan Weapons Sales as U.S. Officials Tell Taiwan to Ramp Up Defense, Bangladeshi Government Approves Death…

Manuel García, Jr. (2020-10-13). The Demographics of Voting. counterpunch.org Many Americans are confused, conflicted and concerned about how and for whom they should vote by 3 November 2020. I say "by" because we all have the option to vote by mail, even though that option is imperiled in much of the country by campaigns of voter suppression and mail tampering by the crooks, criminals,

Aranxta Calles (2020-10-13). San Diego protesters stand in solidarity with Denver activists against police repression. liberationnews.org On Oct. 10, members of the San Diego branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation organized a rally in solidarity with the anti-racist organizers arrested under false charges in Denver, Colorado. The organizers are facing decades in prison simply for leading the struggle for justice for Elijah McClain. Different organizations also came out to …

Ivan Kilgore (2020-10-13). COVID-19 in California Prisons. globalresearch.ca My name's Ivan Kilgore and I am the founder of the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation. And I'm calling you from Solano State Prison in Northern California. | Click to access original text …

Frances Madeson (2020-10-13). Cameroonian Asylum Seekers Said to be One Day Away From Deportation Back to the Oppression They Fled. counterpunch.org There is a peaceful room in a safe, joyful home in the Washington metro area waiting for Micah, an English-speaking Cameroonian refugee who spent his 20th birthday on hunger strike in Pine Prairie Detention Center. His 19th birthday was also spent in ICE detention. His uncle, who raised him, has been counseling patience while waiting

Fight Back (2020-10-13). Tampa activists rally against anti-protest bill. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On October 10, members of the Tampa Bay Community Action Committee and others rallied at Tampa City Hall to protest Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' proposed anti-protest bill. On September 21, DeSantis released the proposed legislation called "Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act." If the bill is signed into law, it would legalize running over protesters with cars, and would make marching on the street a felony offense. Governor DeSantis' anti-protest bill is a direct response to protests during the George Floyd uprising, the Black Lives Matter movement…

_____ (2020-10-13). Climate Litigation Spreads Across The United States. popularresistance.org With hurricanes in the Gulf South and wildfires in the West, the intensifying impacts of climate change have been inescapable as summer turns to fall. Summer 2020 also brought a wave of new climate lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry, including several firsts: the first suit in the South (Charleston, South Carolina); the first suits to name the American Petroleum Institute—the main US oil and gas industry lobby group—as a defendant (Minnesota, Delaware, and Hoboken, New Jersey); the first cases seeking disgorgement of corporate profits gained through illegal acts (Minnesota and Connecticut).

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-13). Reports chronicle continuing violence and discrimination against Rohingya community. peoplesdispatch.org On October 12, Monday, international human rights groups, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, claimed to have gained

Lawrence Wittner (2020-10-12). Memories of Voter Suppression. zcomm.org Back in July 1962, when, according to Donald Trump, America was "great," I was in the Deep South, working to register Black voters. It was a near-hopeless project, given the mass disenfranchisement of the region's Black population that was enforced by Southern law and an occasional dose of white terrorism. It all started in the

teleSUR (2020-10-12). Bolivia: Leftist Parliamentary Candidate Brenda Segovia Arrested. telesurenglish.net The Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) denounced the arbitrary detention of the parliamentary candidate, Brenda Segovia, in Santa Cruz on Monday. | RELATED: | "We repudiate the coup-born regime's political violence. The political movement demands the immediate release of our militant," MAS presidential candidate Luis Arce tweeted. | A week ahead of Bolivia's elections, Arce also urged "an end to the far-right-wing attacks…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-12). Dying Alone: When We Stopped Caring for Palestinian Prisoners. dissidentvoice.org "No one cares about the prisoners." Over the past few years, I have heard this phrase — or some variation of it — uttered many times by freed Palestinian prisoners and their families. Whenever I conduct an interview regarding this crucial and highly sensitive topic, I am told, repeatedly, that 'no one cares.' But is …

MEE correspondent (2020-10-12). Egyptian writer and Sisi critic Amin el-Mahdy dies days after release from jail. middleeasteye.net Egyptian writer and Sisi critic Amin el-Mahdy dies days after release from jail | The publisher was detained last month after calling president Sisi a 'murderer' and a 'thief' in a Facebook post | Mon, 10/12/2020 – 11: 04 | Mahdy was opposed to both Sisi and the Muslim Brotherhood (Facebook) | The Egyptian author Amin el-Mahdy died on Sunday, soon after his release from a brief detentio…

MEE staff (2020-10-12). Turkey asked to halt deportation of Turkmen activist. middleeasteye.net Turkey asked to halt deportation of Turkmen activist | Dursoltan Taganova is at risk of arbitrary detention and torture if deported, human rights campaigners have warned | Mon, 10/12/2020 – 12: 28 | Social media picture of Dursoltan Taganova (Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights) | Human rights organisations have condemned plans by Turkish authorities to deport an activist to Turkmenistan, where they fear she w…

Maya Evans (2020-10-12). Afghanistan: 19 Years of War. dissidentvoice.org Afghan children play in the bombed out rubble of the Darul Aman Palace in Kabul, amidst a photo exhibition marking four decades of Afghans killed in war and oppression (Photo: Maya Evans) The NATO and US backed war on Afghanistan was launched 7th October 2001, just a month after 9/11, in what most thought would …

MEE staff (2020-10-12). Al-Qaeda operative Adel Abdel Bary set for UK return after release from US jail. middleeasteye.net Al-Qaeda operative Adel Abdel Bary set for UK return after release from US jail | Abdel Bary had been sentenced to 25 years in jail for disseminating al-Qaeda's claim of responsibility for bombings targeting US embassies in east Africa | Mon, 10/12/2020 – 22: 15 | Site of bombing of US embassy in Nairobi, 8 August 1998 (AFP/File photo)
| Adel Abdel Bary, a British Egyptian who served as a spokesman for al-…

Robert Koehler (2020-10-12). What Comes Next is Up to Us. counterpunch.org What if we stopped separating the looming national chaos into separate categories —racism, climate change, war, vote suppression, election theft, pandemic, science denial, white supremacy, police brutality, etc. — and tried looking at it all at once? This may be the legacy of Donald Trump, our first corkscrew-in-chief: He has popped the cork on who

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-12). Protesters demand release of political activists in Gilgit-Baltistan. peoplesdispatch.org Protesters said the demonstrations will continue until the authorities release all the political prisoners who are in jail after being charged under the anti-terrorism act for allegedly causing riots in August 2011…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-10-12). Massive Lines in Georgia on First Day of In-Person Voting Exemplify Ongoing 'Voter Suppression,' Say Critics. commondreams.org "We're becoming desensitized to unacceptable burdens on the franchise," one political scientist said. "People died for this right. [It] shouldn't take hours to participate in our democracy." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/atlanta_voting_2020.jpg

Staff (2020-10-11). Assange Faces Extradition for Exposing US War Crimes. truthout.org Three weeks of testimony in Julian Assange's extradition hearing in London underscored WikiLeaks's extraordinary revelation of U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay. But the Trump administration is seeking to extradite Assange to the United States to stand trial for charges under the Espionage Act that could cause him to spend 175 years in prison. | Assange founded WikiLeaks during the Bush administration's "war on terror," which was used as a pretext to start two illegal wars and carry out a wides…

sputniknews (2020-10-11). Labour Peer Apologises for Claiming Migrants Could be 'Concentrated' in Camps. sputniknews.com The United Kingdom has faced rising numbers of refugees crossing the English Channel from France this year. Internal Home Office reports made public last month revealed that the government has considered placing migrants arriving in the UK in offshore detention centers.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-10-10). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.

Gloria Rubac (2020-10-10). Amid claims of racism, another federal execution set. workers.org The federal government has just set its eighth execution for 2020. U.S. Attorney General William Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the execution of Orlando Cordia Hall for Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind. If carried out, this would place federal executions ahead of those by the . . . |

RT (2020-10-10). Belarus' Lukashenko meets JAILED opposition activists, talks constitutional reform. rt.com Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has paid an unexpected visit to a detention center in Minsk, meeting incarcerated members of the so-called 'Coordination council of the opposition'. | The unusual move was reported by local media on Saturday, with a short video from the meeting emerging on social media later in the day. | Members of the opposition 'council' were detained over calls to overthrow the government amid the unrest that followed the contested August 9 presidential election. The activists are currently being held at the pre-trial detention center of the Belarus State Security Committee (KGB) i…

Tim Anderson (2020-10-10). The Great VIRAL Debate: Dr Anderson's Opening Statement. thealtworld.com Dr Piers Robinson is our Chair. Off-Guardian is your host. The proposition to be debated is: : SARS-COV-2 merits suppression measures in order to combat the virus rather than the herd/community immunity approach | Dr Anderson responds in support of the proposition: : | Iask readers to reflect a little on health systems and the ideas behind them, and not just react to particular measures. To simply react to the crisis as 'lockdown vs no lockdown', and complain how it affects individual liberties, misses that. | The 2020 pandemic has shown us massive failures in western neoliberal health systems [mdash…

teleSUR (2020-10-10). Colombian Judge Rules to Free Former President Alvaro Uribe. telesurenglish.net Bogota's Guarantee Control judge Saturday conceded the immediate freedom of Colombia's former president Alvaro Uribe because there are "no charges against him." | RELATED: | After several months in detention at his farm El Uberrimo, in Cordoba, the former president can regain his freedom through the process of bribing witnesses and procedural fraud against him. | "It is neither possible nor constitutionally permissibl…

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (2020-10-10). Republicans Know They Can't Win If Everyone Casts a Ballot. zcomm.org The Republican Party's voter suppression efforts ahead of the November election, aimed primarily at Black and Brown voters, amount to "surgical racism with surgical precision."

_____ (2020-10-10). Blacks In LA Nearly Four Times As Likely To Be Cited By Police. popularresistance.org The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) gave 63% of its citations for "loitering while standing" to Black residents in recent years, despite African Americans making up just 7% of the city's population, a new analysis of public records has revealed. | A report released by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights analyzed low-level infractions in California between 2017 and 2019 and found that LAPD and police agencies across the state disproportionately target Black residents.

Amiad Horowitz (2020-10-09). Right wing fuses anti-Semitism with anti-communism in its conspiracy theories. peoplesworld.org It's hard for anyone reading any reactionary publication to avoid the name George Soros. Many right-wingers claim that Soros, a billionaire Jewish businessman, is funding radical leftists. They claim that Soros pays Black Lives Matter protesters, and some say he helps coordinate leftist activities around the world. Of course, anyone who does the slightest bit …

ACLU (2020-10-09). Learn About the Charleston County Sheriff Candidates. aclu.org The election for Charleston County Sheriff on Nov. 3 can help shape the county's policies on the role of policing in our community, immigrants' rights, and law enforcement accountability. The Charleston County sheriff can adopt policies that will make our community safer and more just for all. | CAST AN INFORMED VOTE | Make sure you know the candidates' positions on key civil liberties and civil rights issues. The ACLU does not endorse or oppose candidates but urges you to cast an informed vote. | IssueKristin GrazianoAl Cannon (Inc) | Commits to end 287(g), a program working with the Trump administration t…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-09). Black Lives Should Always Matter: Delinking Social Justice from Seasonal US Politics. counterpunch.org After viewing the first US Presidential debate on September 29, one is left with no doubt about the degenerating political discourse among America's ruling elites. Following the debate between US President, Donald Trump, and Democratic Presidential nominee, Joe Biden, most analyses focused mainly on the personal insults and name-calling, which, deservedly, earned the event the

Alex MacDonald (2020-10-09). Turkish prosecutors seek 'aggravated' life sentence for philanthropist Osman Kavala. middleeasteye.net Turkish prosecutors seek 'aggravated' life sentence for philanthropist Osman Kavala | New indictment also targets American academic Henri Barkey as conspirator in 2016 coup attempt | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 07: 30 | A journalist stands in front of a poster featuring jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala during a press conference of his lawyers (AFP) | Turkish prosecutors are seeking an "a…

Mohammad Ersan (2020-10-09). Under US pressure, Jordan hit by furore over Palestinian ex-prisoner's deportation. middleeasteye.net Under US pressure, Jordan hit by furore over Palestinian ex-prisoner's deportation | Hamas member's attempt to appeal to King Abdullah for her husband creates controversy when her line is cut on the radio | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 14: 37 | Ahlam Tamimi speaks to reporters upon her arrival at Queen Alia international airport in Amman on 18 October 2011 (AFP) | The Jordanian government and a popular rad…

_____ (2020-10-09). Systemic Racism At Wells Fargo & Microsoft. strategic-culture.org Rod DREHER | Here's a letter the US Labor Department sent to Wells Fargo recently. (I had to screenshot it in parts, which is why it's broken up here): | The Labor Department sent a similar letter to Microsoft: | There is no chance at all that a Biden administration Labor Department would investigate major corporations for anti-white discrimination. Keep that in mind. Naturally, there has been negative press coverage.

RT (2020-10-09). DOJ slaps Yale with lawsuit over 'at least 50 years' of discrimination, claiming it put WHITE & Asian applicants at disadvantage. rt.com The US Department of Justice has sued Yale University for racial discrimination in its admissions process, arguing the school deliberately put Asian and white applicants at a disadvantage for decades. | Filed in the US District Court in Connecticut on Thursday, the

teleSUR (2020-10-09). Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia and Azerbaijan Agree To a Ceasefire. telesurenglish.net On Friday, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the conflict of the bordering Nagorno-Karabakh region. | RELATED: | The ceasefire "will allow the exchange of prisoners of war, other people, and the bodies of the dead according to the criteria of the Committee of the International Red Cross (ICRC)," the official explained. | From Saturday, the hostilities…

Sarah Hinger (2020-10-09). The Trump Administration is Banning Talk about Race and Gender. aclu.org In the latest attempt to silence conversations about race and gender equity deemed "anti-American," President Trump issued an

ACLU (2020-10-09). Why Are Police the Wrong Response to Mental Health Crises? aclu.org Over the last months on our podcast, At Liberty, we've explored different conversations on the subject of policing: abolition, violence and accountability, protest, and activism. This week, we dug into a topic that has gained more attention in the wake of Daniel Prude's death in March at the hands of the Rochester Police Department: the startling connection between mental health-related 911 calls and police brutality. , , Studies show that nearly 50 percent of victims of police brutality are living with a disability, predominantly a mental health disability. In many ways, 911 has become the only option for peo…

Denise Maes (2020-10-09). The Right to Abortion is on the Ballot in Colorado This November. aclu.org When Justice Ginsburg embarked on her legal career at the ACLU, there were hundreds of laws on the books that discriminated on the

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-09). Prominent Hirak protester Yacine Mebarki sentenced to 10 years in jail in Algeria. peoplesdispatch.org Yacine Mebarki is the latest in a long line of Hirak protesters and supporters, and journalists to face the wrath of the Algerian establishment. He has been charged with inciting atheism and undermining national unity…

KPFA Radio 94.1 FM (2020-10-09). Tuesday 10/27: Gretchen Sorin: Driving While Black: African-American Travel & Civil Rights. indybay.org Online webinar…

sputniknews (2020-10-09). Baku, Yerevan Agree to Ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh After Negotiations in Moscow. sputniknews.com Amid the ongoing conflict in the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were invited to Moscow to hold negotiations regarding a ceasefire and exchange of prisoners and the bodies of those killed.