Monthly Archives: July 2020

2020-07-25: News Headlines

Fight Back (2020-07-25). Coalition to March on the DNC announces shift, to prioritize movement against police crimes. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On August 20, the day that Joe Biden is expected to be in Milwaukee to accept the Democratic nomination, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention is hosting a march and rally within sight and sound of the Wisconsin Center. | People in cities and towns across the country are protesting racist police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Alvin Cole right here in Milwaukee. Protests in Minneapolis ignited a fire that swept across the country, producing the largest civil rights movement in U.S. history. | For the Coalition, a shift in priority is necessary. Rather than maint…

ACLU (2020-07-25). The Portland Police Attack: ACLU Files Lawsuit. Sues Trump and City of Portland. globalresearch.ca PORTLAND, Ore. — Multiple volunteer street medics are suing the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service, and the City of Portland for targeting and attacking them at Portland protests against police brutality. The lawsuit was filed in federal court …

_____ (2020-07-25). Protesters Use 'Midnight Yoga' To Cope With Police Violence. popularresistance.org Saturday night marked another session of "Midnight Yoga" on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C. | The protesters, who have been out in the streets over 50 days after being initially sparked by the failure to arrest the officers who had murdered George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (still), have turned to the peace that yoga provides to manage their pain, both physical and emotional. | Around the same time federal police were turning Portland into a war zone while violently beating and pepper-spraying citizens, D.C. protesters were stretching out their limbs after giving a touching 100 candle-light tribute to l…

_____ (2020-07-25). Federal Prisons Locked Down To Quash Black Lives Matter Protests. popularresistance.org On June 2, for the first time in 25 years, the Bureau of Prisons directed all federal jails and prisons to implement a full lockdown, confining nearly 160,000 people to their cells and severely limiting contact with the outside world. The following day, on the orders of Attorney General William Barr, the Bureau pulled some of its most militarized units out of BOP facilities and deployed them to confront protesters on the streets of Washington, D.C. | Typically, a lockdown occurs in a single facility at the discretion of the warden, usually in response to temporary incidents like fights or, more rarely, longer-ter…

_____ (2020-07-25). Louisville: Black Lives Matter Protesters Arrested After Blocking Street. popularresistance.org Louisville, KY – More than 100 Black Lives Matter protesters were confronted by police after blocking off Market Street in Louisville's Nulu neighborhood on Friday afternoon and setting up an impromptu block party. | Police started arresting dozens of protesters shortly before 5 p.m. after declaring that the gathering was an unlawful assembly. In total, 76 were arrested, according to Louisville Metro Police Department spokesman Lamont Washington. The group arrived around 4 p.m., and in less than a half-hour, protesters put up long tables with meal settings, connect four games, a trampoline, artwork and shade tent…

The Canary (2020-07-25). Portland protests continue after judge rejects bid to restrict federal agents. thecanary.co Thousands of people joined another night of Black Lives Matter protests on the streets of Portland, hours after a US judge denied the state of Oregon's request to restrict federal police in the city.Demonstrators, most wearing masks and many donning helmets, stood near the fountain on Salmon Street Springs. They then marched to the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and the federal agents there.They chanted and clapped along to the sound of thunderous drums, pausing to listen to speakers. Various organised groups took part, including Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the '

yenisafak (2020-07-25). Thousands protest against Kremlin in Russian far east for third weekend. yenisafak.com Thousands of people marched in the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday for the third weekend in a row, protesting at President Vladimir Putin's handling of a regional political crisis that has sparked demonstrations.Residents of Khabarovsk, around 3,800 miles (6,110 km) and seven time zones east of Moscow, are unhappy about the July 9 detention of the wider region's popular regional governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested on murder charges he denies.His detention, which his supporters say was politically motivated, has triggered more than two weeks of street protests, creating a headache for the…

Joyce Chediac (2020-07-25). Trump's federal repression election ploy spurs greater resistance. liberationnews.org Far from being intimidated, Portland residents were outraged when unannounced paramilitary units started grabbing protesters off the street.

Eds. (2020-07-25). Trump orders federal police to more cities. mronline.org The Trump administration is stepping up its unconstitutional moves toward dictatorial rule, tear gassing antipolice violence protesters in Portland, Oregon and announcing the deployment of federal police to three more cities—Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee—in addition to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

_____ (2020-07-25). Weaving Impunity for Dictatorship Crimes in Chile. strategic-culture.org In 1968, the U.S. backed a covert intelligence surveillance campaign in which Latin American right-wing governments conspired to annihilate socialist and communist influence in the region. The plan, known as Operation Condor, was formally implemented in 1975, two years after dictator Augusto Pinochet took power in Chile through a military coup supported by the U.S. Up to 80,000 left wing opponents are estimated to have been killed; 30,000 of them disappeared by right-wing governments in Latin America by 1989, when Operation Condor was officially terminated. Over 400,000 people were detained as political prisoners…

TLCFAMRII (2020-07-25). Israeli Supreme Court rules: Palestinian prisoners have no right to social distancing protection against COVID-19. imemc.org By Adalah The Legal Center For Arab Minority Rights in Israel: 23/07/2020: Israel's top court rejects Adalah petition demanding Israel implement COVID-19 protective guidelines for prisoners at Gilboa prison; 30 prison guards and 7 prisoners are infected while 489 guards and 58 prisoners are in quarantine.

Steve Topple (2020-07-25). Disabled people being abused for not wearing masks is peak 2020. thecanary.co The abuse by a fellow passenger of a disabled woman and her young sister over face masks may have shocked some people. But in reality, the attacks disabled people have faced during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is peak 2020. Because this embedded discrimination and hate has been over a decade in the making. | 'Disabled my arse': | As the Liverpool Echo

William rivers Pitt (2020-07-25). Trump's Reelection Strategy Involves Terrorizing Us With Secret Stormtroopers. zcomm.org Trump's actions in Portland are terrifying by any standard.

WSWS (2020-07-25). Illinois Democrats embrace Trump's law enforcement "surge" wsws.org Illinois Democratic lawmakers have made public statements aimed at assuaging public fears that the federal forces will crack down on anti-police violence protesters in Chicago, just as they have in Portland.

Lawrence Tribe (2020-07-25). Why Trump's Paramilitary Force Is Unconstitutional. 'A Profoundly Un-American Attack On Civil Society'. globalresearch.ca We are being confronted in city after city with a nationwide paramilitary force, its troops unidentifiable and its vehicles unmarked, directed in deliberately vague terms to protect property and preserve domestic order. | It began in Portland, Oregon where

_____ (2020-07-25). Judge Rejects Oregon's Motion For A Restraining Order Against Federal Police. popularresistance.org A federal judge on Friday afternoon denied a request by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to issue a temporary restraining order against federal officers making arrests of Portland protesters without probable cause. | In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman said Rosenblum had failed to provide sufficient evidence that such arrests were occurring widely in the streets of Portland or were part of a federal policy. (Disclosure: Rosenblum is married to the co-owner of WW's parent company.) | He ruled that because the state of Oregon couldn't establish a pattern or policy, it lacked the legal standi…

_____ (2020-07-25). Federal Agents Use Tear Gas To Clear Portland Protest. popularresistance.org Thousands of protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, into the early hours of Saturday shooting fireworks at the building as plumes of tear gas, dispensed by U.S. agents, lingered above. | The demonstration went on for hours until federal agents entered the crowd around 2: 30 a.m. and marched in a line down the street, clearing remaining protesters with tear gas at close range. They also extinguished a large fire in the street outside the courthouse. | The Federal Protective Service had declared the gathering as "an unlawful assembly" and cited that officers had been injured.

_____ (2020-07-25). Homeland Security Claims Shields And Gas Masks Are Weapons. popularresistance.org Far from restoring order, the arrival of federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Border Patrol in Portland, Oregon has only heightened tensions, with agents attacking and arresting protesters nightly. DHS' Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli took to social media yesterday to share images of items confiscated from demonstrators. | "Here is a shield and a couple of gas masks from a rioter arrested in Portland. Not a sign with a slogan that someone expressing their first amendment rights might carry, but preparations for violence. Peaceful protester? I don't think so," he wrote.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-25). Lebanon health min. to pursue US harassment of Iran airliner. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 25 (MNA) — Hamd Hasan said that the Health Ministry of Lebanon will file a lawsuit in international institutions on behalf of Mahan flight passengers threatened by the US disgraceful attack.

Monterey Peace & Justice Center (2020-07-25). Saturday 7/25: Race, Police, and Prisons: The American Gulag. indybay.org Online webinar…

No Justice Under Capitalism (2020-07-25). Sunday 8/2: San Quentin Prison Protest: No State Execution by COVID-19. indybay.org Larkspur Ferry Terminal Parking Lot, Larkspur, CA…

_____ (2020-07-24). Justice Department Report Finds Systemic Excessive Use Of Force By Prison Guards. popularresistance.org The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday released a report that details why the federal government believes systemic use of excessive force within Alabama's prisons for men violates the Eighth Amendment. | The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama found systemic problems of unreported or underreported excessive use of force incidents, a failure to properly investigate them and attempts by correctional officers and their supervisors to cover them up.

_____ (2020-07-24). Border Patrol Violently Assaults Civil Rights And Liberties. popularresistance.org In the past week, unidentified federal officers in camouflage fatigues, labeled only "police," abducted people off the streets of Portland in unmarked vehicles and threatened the "Wall of Moms" standing up for our Constitution. The administration later confirmed the unidentified officers were Border Patrol agents. | This blatant demonstration of unconstitutional authoritarianism is demonstrating to the entire country the cruel capabilities of the U.S. Border Patrol. For communities that have historically borne the brunt of Border Patrol's abuses — and still do — seeing these agents pose as a "secret f…

Staff (2020-07-24). Robert E. Lee High School in Virginia Renamed to Honor John Lewis. truthout.org A school in Fairfax County, Virginia, will remove Robert E. Lee from its name and change it to honor the life and legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis. | The Fairfax County School Board "Rep. Lewis was a champion of the Civil Rights movement, and our Board strongly believes this is an appropriate tribute to an individual who is a true Americ…

commondreams (2020-07-24). ACLU, Immigrants' Rights Groups Sue Trump Administration Over New Census Order. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Anna Jessurun (2020-07-24). Permission Required to Change Your Tampon. aclu.org After three grueling years of law school, aspiring attorneys have one last hurdle to overcome in order to practice law: the bar exam. In normal times, the bar exam is daunting, as the multi-day test determines the professional fates of lawyers-to-be. This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging, the bar exam has gone from being unnecessarily burdensome to unnecessarily deadly. , , Some states have granted bar admission to graduates of accredited law schools — a policy known as "diploma privilege." But others are plowing ahead with exams — in-person or remote, on time or delayed. The policies and pr…

ACLU (2020-07-24). Should We Abolish the Police? aclu.org Since the protests decrying the murder of George Floyd began in May, the institution of American policing has taken center stage. Activists are calling for change, and the phrase "defund the police" can be heard in cities across the country. As the concept of slashing police budgets and reinvesting those resources into Black and Brown communities goes increasingly mainstream, a more radical call is also gaining attention: Abolish the Police., , On At Liberty this week, attorney, author, researcher, and organizer Andrea Ritchie and senior staff attorney for the ACLU's Trone Center for Justice, Carl…

WBBPKFBLFTFP (2020-07-24). Welcome back baseball! Players kneel for Black Lives; Fauci tosses first pitch. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON (AP)—In a joint demonstration of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, players, managers and coaches of the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals knelt in unison before the opening game of the 2020 baseball season, then stood for the national anthem Thursday night. "We wanted to do something united, something together," Yankees slugger …

Workers World Party (2020-07-24). Portland's movement is fighting back! Defend Portland, Ore.! Defend People's Resistance! No Police State! workers.org Workers World Party Statement Despite the brutal attempt of the White House to crush the heroic Black Lives Matter movement by sending camouflaged federal agents — secret police — to Portland, Ore., Chicago and other U.S. cities, the movement and all who support it have been fighting back. The initial . . . |

Gene Glickman (2020-07-24). "There'll Be Some Changes Made": Current and Future American Policing. counterpunch.org Introduction Let's establish some First Principles. 1) The slogan "Black Lives Matter" arose after repeated, unpunished killings of unarmed Black people by police. If the standards are "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," life comes first. Without life, a person cannot achieve liberty or pursue happiness. As a pure expression, "Black Lives Matter" is

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-24). Whole Foods workers sue: Amazon fired us for supporting Black Lives Matter. peoplesworld.org BOSTON—An old Republican politician said 50 years ago, "Watch what we do, not what we say." Well, 14 workers at the Amazon-owned Whole Foods grocery chain watched what their employer did—fired them for wearing Black Lives Matter apparel on the job—and marched into federal court in Boston to try to reverse that illegal action. In …

RT (2020-07-24). Appeasing the crowds? Chicago pulls down embattled Columbus statue days after mayor agrees to let feds in. rt.com Shortly after Mayor Lori Lightfoot conceded to allow the federal government to deploy their agents to Chicago, the city has removed the bronze Columbus statue which has been vandalized amid massive Black Lives Matter rallies. | The removal operation started at Chicago's Grant Park in the middle of the night on Friday. Workers used two heavy-duty cranes to attach metal ropes to the Christopher Columbus monument, which was wrapped tight in white tarpaulin. | The statue of the Italian explorer, erected in the 1930s with funding and blessing from Chicago's Italian-American community, was then brought down in front…

Sit. Walk. Listen organizing team (2020-07-24). Sunday 8/2: Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter. indybay.org "The Pergola at Lake Merritt" (599 El Embarcadero) | Oakland, California…

Alan Macleod (2020-07-24). Homeland Security Justifies Invasion of Portland by Claiming Shields and Gas Masks are Weapons. mintpressnews.com DHS' Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli claimed that defensive tools like Shields and Gas Masks were evidence that protesters were making "preparations for violence."

CounterSpin (2020-07-24). Marjorie Cohn on Portland Secret Police. fair.org Media…

John Wojcik (2020-07-24). AOC: 'Rep. Yoho called me, and I quote, a "fucking bitch"'. peoplesworld.org On the Holocaust Memorial in Washington, D.C., there is a list of a dozen easily recognized features of a society headed toward fascism. High on that list is the oppression and denigration of women—in short, sexism. Yesterday, New York's Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the leading socialist in the U.S. Congress, rose to the floor and changed …

Mumia Abu-Jamal (2020-07-24). Mumia Abu-Jamal commentary: A crack in the wall. workers.org This column, posted initially on prisonradio.org, first appeared on workers.org on Jan. 4, 2017. For Dylann Roof, the next few days and weeks of his young life will prove his most memorable. That's saying something, considering his slaughter of nine sweet souls in a Black Charleston church. Mumia Abu-Jamal For, . . . |

David Rosen (2020-07-24). Uprising: Mass Protests Rock the Nation. counterpunch.org In an act of political desperation, President Donald Trump ordered a contingent of federal law-enforcement officers to impose order in Portland, OR. Under the direction of Attorney General Bill Barr, agents from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bureau of Prisons were deployed to protect

Eds. (2020-07-24). From Portland to the World. mronline.org Since the end of May, demonstrators opposing police violence and white supremacy have thronged the streets of Portland, Oregon, clashing with law enforcement officers. Last week, aspiring autocrat Donald Trump escalated the situation by announcing that he would be sending federal agents around the country to assert his authority through acts of violence against protesters.

Staff (2020-07-24). Leaked FBI Documents Reveal Secret Program To Criminalize Social Media. therealnews.com Simply posting about your presence at a police brutality protest can be used to incriminate you and lead to your arrest. We speak to Portland residents on the ground about the influx of unmarked federal agents.

RT (2020-07-24). 'Two down, six to go': Mainstream media begins to pay price for agenda push as Covington kid Sandmann wins WaPo, CNN settlements. rt.com Kentucky's Nicholas Sandmann celebrated his 18th birthday on Friday by notching his second victory against the mainstream media for defaming him, providing pushback in a world where false reporting seems to always go unpunished. | The former Covington Catholic High School student announced a settlement in his $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post on Twitter. As in the January settlement of a similar defamation suit against CNN, the terms weren't disclosed, and Sandmann said he has more work to do. | "The fight isn't over… two down, six to go," he tweeted, referring to lawsuits against six other me…

RT (2020-07-24). EU privacy watchdog orders data transfers to US under 'Privacy Shield' protocol to stop immediately after Facebook lawsuit. rt.com The European Union's Data Protection Board has ordered data transfers between the EU and the US under the 'Privacy Shield' protocol to cease immediately after the instrument was found incompatible with EU law by a court. | In a landmark ruling last week, the EU Court of Justice ruled that an EU-US data flow agreement named 'Privacy Shield' is not private enough to pass muster with European law. The case was taken against Facebook by an Austrian activist after National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the US government was sifting through people's online communications and data, including…

RT (2020-07-24). Black protester ATTACKED while trying to stop mob taking down Portland courthouse fence (VIDEO). rt.com Protesters returned to the Justice Center in Portland for another night of orchestrated chaos on Thursday. Eyewitness footage from the scene captured the moment apparent Antifa members attacked a black protester calling for calm. | After repeated criticism of heavy-handed tactics, reportedly no police or federal agents were posted on the streets at the beginning of Thursday evening, instead remaining inside the courthouse and issuing repeated orders that protesters not target the exterior fence. | Despite this, several agitators in the crowd threw trash over and set it on fire at the fence, which quickly desce…

RT (2020-07-24). Oregon judge bans feds from arresting or using force against 'journalists & legal observers' at Portland protests. rt.com A judge has issued a temporary restraining order on federal agents deployed in Portland, ruling that they may not arrest, disperse or otherwise use force against reporters and legal observers covering ongoing protests there. | US District Court Judge Michael Simon

RT (2020-07-24). WATCH Portland protesters battling federal police to sound of Star Wars' Imperial March. rt.com Chaotic scenes outside Portland's federal courthouse were given a snarky soundtrack by a demonstrator who showed up to the fracas armed with a stereo. The city has seen nightly clashes between police and protesters. | Footage taken by New York Times correspondent Mike Baker shows activists and federal agents fighting over control of a fence guarding the building in downtown Portland, which has been under siege by demonstrators for nearly two months. | Protesters used projectiles and laser pointers against federal law enforcement tasked with protecting the courthouse, who in turn deployed tear gas to keep the m…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-24). Why Palestinian-Israeli Prisoners Exchange Deal Could Happen Soon? counterpunch.org For the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is signaling its willingness to engage in negotiations regarding the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to be held by resistance groups in Gaza. But will another prisoner exchange similar to that

Tom Coburg (2020-07-24). Tories want new law that could punish journalists and whistleblowers with 14 years in jail. thecanary.co Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is recommending Boris Johnson's government brings forward its proposed Espionage Act. The new laws will likely end up not much different from the sort of The legislation would make it much harder for whistleblowe…

Ali Salam (2020-07-24). Israeli Military Detained a Number of Palestinians, Including Former Prisoners. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Friday, detained four Palestinians, including a Fatah activist, from Jerusalem and Tubas districts, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. The sources confirmed that Israeli soldiers detained a Fatah activist, identified as, Sami Abu Ghalieh, after ransacking his home in al-Eizariya town, southeast of occupied Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Israeli forces …

Eric Stoner (2020-07-24). Defund the Bloated U.S. Military. progressive.org To reduce our reliance on policing and prisons, racial justice leaders are urging that resources devoted to law enforcement be used instead to address the root causes of violence.

Derek Royden (2020-07-24). The COIN doctrine comes to Portland? nationofchange.org The president has also promised to deploy similar militarized police to other cities, claiming that those run by Democrats are somehow in the thrall of the 'radical left', despite the latter being among the most strident critics of the former.

2020-07-24: News Headlines

Gene Glickman (2020-07-24). "There'll Be Some Changes Made": Current and Future American Policing. counterpunch.org Introduction Let's establish some First Principles. 1) The slogan "Black Lives Matter" arose after repeated, unpunished killings of unarmed Black people by police. If the standards are "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," life comes first. Without life, a person cannot achieve liberty or pursue happiness. As a pure expression, "Black Lives Matter" is

Workers World Party (2020-07-24). Portland's movement is fighting back! Defend Portland, Ore.! Defend People's Resistance! No Police State! workers.org Workers World Party Statement Despite the brutal attempt of the White House to crush the heroic Black Lives Matter movement by sending camouflaged federal agents — secret police — to Portland, Ore., Chicago and other U.S. cities, the movement and all who support it have been fighting back. The initial . . . |

RT (2020-07-24). Appeasing the crowds? Chicago pulls down embattled Columbus statue days after mayor agrees to let feds in. rt.com Shortly after Mayor Lori Lightfoot conceded to allow the federal government to deploy their agents to Chicago, the city has removed the bronze Columbus statue which has been vandalized amid massive Black Lives Matter rallies. | The removal operation started at Chicago's Grant Park in the middle of the night on Friday. Workers used two heavy-duty cranes to attach metal ropes to the Christopher Columbus monument, which was wrapped tight in white tarpaulin. | The statue of the Italian explorer, erected in the 1930s with funding and blessing from Chicago's Italian-American community, was then brought down in front…

Sit. Walk. Listen organizing team (2020-07-24). Sunday 8/2: Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter. indybay.org "The Pergola at Lake Merritt" (599 El Embarcadero) | Oakland, California…

Mumia Abu-Jamal (2020-07-24). Mumia Abu-Jamal commentary: A crack in the wall. workers.org This column, posted initially on prisonradio.org, first appeared on workers.org on Jan. 4, 2017. For Dylann Roof, the next few days and weeks of his young life will prove his most memorable. That's saying something, considering his slaughter of nine sweet souls in a Black Charleston church. Mumia Abu-Jamal For, . . . |

Eds. (2020-07-24). From Portland to the World. mronline.org Since the end of May, demonstrators opposing police violence and white supremacy have thronged the streets of Portland, Oregon, clashing with law enforcement officers. Last week, aspiring autocrat Donald Trump escalated the situation by announcing that he would be sending federal agents around the country to assert his authority through acts of violence against protesters.

RT (2020-07-24). WATCH Portland protesters battling federal police to sound of Star Wars' Imperial March. rt.com Chaotic scenes outside Portland's federal courthouse were given a snarky soundtrack by a demonstrator who showed up to the fracas armed with a stereo. The city has seen nightly clashes between police and protesters. | Footage taken by New York Times correspondent Mike Baker shows activists and federal agents fighting over control of a fence guarding the building in downtown Portland, which has been under siege by demonstrators for nearly two months. | Protesters used projectiles and laser pointers against federal law enforcement tasked with protecting the courthouse, who in turn deployed tear gas to keep the m…

RT (2020-07-24). Oregon judge bans feds from arresting or using force against 'journalists & legal observers' at Portland protests. rt.com A judge has issued a temporary restraining order on federal agents deployed in Portland, ruling that they may not arrest, disperse or otherwise use force against reporters and legal observers covering ongoing protests there. | US District Court Judge Michael Simon

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-24). Why Palestinian-Israeli Prisoners Exchange Deal Could Happen Soon? counterpunch.org For the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is signaling its willingness to engage in negotiations regarding the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to be held by resistance groups in Gaza. But will another prisoner exchange similar to that

David Rosen (2020-07-24). Uprising: Mass Protests Rock the Nation. counterpunch.org In an act of political desperation, President Donald Trump ordered a contingent of federal law-enforcement officers to impose order in Portland, OR. Under the direction of Attorney General Bill Barr, agents from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bureau of Prisons were deployed to protect

WSWS (2020-07-24). Trump orders federal police to more cities. wsws.org The Trump administration is stepping up its unconstitutional moves toward dictatorial rule, tear gassing the mayor of Portland, Oregon and announcing the deployment of federal police to additional cities.

Kathleen Wallace (2020-07-24). 2020 Vision Will Show You What is True, if You Can Keep Your Sanity. counterpunch.org We've all been making jokes about how terrible 2020 has played out, but I think even those of us with a bit of an imagination for the absurd and ominous missed the mark as far as this ultimate level of governmental degeneracy we've been able to achieve. Dads backing up moms in Portland with leaf

Monterey Peace & Justice Center (2020-07-24). Saturday 7/25: Race, Police, and Prisons: The American Gulag. indybay.org Online webinar | Register in advance to get the Zoom details: | http: //tinyurl.com/Sharat-G-Lin-7-25-20…

_____ (2020-07-23). New Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against Federal Law Enforcement. popularresistance.org The Western States Center, the First Unitarian Church of Portland, two state representatives and an ACLU legal observer are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which alleges the federal government has violated protesters' 10th Amendment rights. It was filed Tuesday in federal court. | The 10th Amendment delineates the separation of powers between federal and state governments. | "The power to engage in ordinary law enforcement is one of the long-recognized powers that belong to the states and to their municipalities," said Cliff Davidson, an attorney with Snell & Wilmer, the firm filing the lawsuit. | The W…

Posted By Lynda Carson (2020-07-23). NAACP Mourns the Death of Civil Rights Icon, Congressman John Lewis. indybay.org

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-23). ACLU Sues to Stop US State-Sponsored Violence, Chicago to be Occupied by Federal Agents. globalresearch.ca The nation I grew up in no longer exists, replaced by endless state-sponsored war on humanity at home and abroad — along with the transformation of America to resemble tinpot dictatorships. | Full-blown tyranny may be one more major state-sponsored homeland …

Editor (2020-07-23). Defend Portland! Defend People's Resistance! No Police State! workers.org Despite the brutal attempt of the White House to crush the heroic Black Lives Matter movement by sending camouflaged federal agents ‚àí secret police ‚àí to Portland, Chicago and other U.S. cities, the movement and all who support it have been fighting back. The initial response to the threat of . . . |

Paul Wilcox (2020-07-23). Labor coalition strikes for Black lives. liberationnews.org Protests in as many as 100 cities that day rang out with a strong message that Black Lives Matter is a labor issue, an issue that affects the entire labor movement, and affects every individual worker.

Karen Conner (2020-07-23). The Black-White Disability Gap Increases with Age. cepr.net With the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) happening this weekend as Black Lives Matter protests continue, it's a good time to look at the intersection between race and disability in the United States. The figure below compares disability rates by age, sex, and race for non-Latinx adults. The data in the …

Marlee Kokotovic (2020-07-23). U.S. Navy veteran speaks out about being attacked by Trump's secret police in Portland this past weekend. nationofchange.org It isn't about me getting beat up. It's about focusing back on the original intention of all of these protests, which is Black Lives Matter.

RT (2020-07-23). Oakland mayor slams 'terror tactics' & votes down further police budget cuts after protesters vandalize her home with BLM graffiti. rt.com Protesters have vandalized the home of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, splattering it with red paint and graffiti while pelting the house with fireworks. The mayor's office said the attack was meant to "terrorize" and "intimidate." | Along with large splotches of paint thrown across Schaaf's garage door and a nearby retaining wall, the vandals left countless graffiti messages condemning the mayor and apparently voicing support for the Black Lives Matter movement. According to police, fireworks were also set off in the street during the incident — some fired at the mayor's house — which is believed to hav…

RT (2020-07-23). Inoperable pistol seized from St. Louis couple was fixed to make sure it was 'ready for lethal use' to charge McCloskeys — report. rt.com The gun Patricia McCloskey aimed at BLM protesters on a private street was inoperable when seized by police, but a St. Louis prosecutor reportedly had it fixed, deeming it ready for "lethal use," before charging the couple. | Patricia McCloskey and her husband Mark were charged on felony firearms offenses earlier this week after appearing in a controversial video in June pointing weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters who stormed their gated community. After the couple's weapons arrived in police custody, however, it was determined one of the guns — the pistol held by Patricia in the video — was in…

Sit. Walk. Listen organizing team (2020-07-23). Sunday 8/2: Sunday August 2, Sit. Walk. Listen. Because Black Lives Matter. indybay.org "The Pergola at Lake Merritt" (599 El Embarcadero) | Oakland, California…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-07-23). As McConnell Tees Up Next Aid Package With Corporate Liability as 'Red Line,' Polluters Pushing to Secure Shield Against Covid-19 Lawsuits. commondreams.org "Corporate liability waivers are just the next phase of a Trump polluter bailout." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/lobbying-liability-polluting.jpg

Staff (2020-07-23). Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner on Mumia Abu-Jamal, Police Corruption & Reexamining Old Cases. democracynow.org Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has made addressing police corruption a cornerstone of his time in office, and he says it affects many criminal cases, including that of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, who has always maintained his innocence for the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer for which he has spent four decades behind bars. Within weeks of the end of the trial, a third of the police involved in his case were jailed for systematically tampering with evidence to obtain convictions in cases across the city, and at least one police officer in the case, James Forbes, lied on the stand…

Staff (2020-07-23). Paramilitary-Style Tactics in Portland Mirror Decades of U.S. Violence on the Border & Abroad. democracynow.org The harrowing scenes of paramilitary-style units in the streets of American cities like Portland has shocked mainstream America, but award-winning independent journalist Todd Miller, who has reported on border security and immigration for over a decade, says it's a reflection of how the U.S. has operated around the world. We also speak with Cecilia Menjívar, UCLA sociology professor, who says the image of unmarked vans snatching people from the streets "brings back memories to Latin Americans who lived through disappearances of families and friends and co-workers."

Staff (2020-07-23). The Real News Network Joins Lawsuit Against Maryland Police Department. therealnews.com TRNN, the NAACP Prince George's County Branch, and the National Action Network filed a joint motion asking a judge to unseal a report that contains details of discrimination and racial bias within the Prince George's County Police Department.

calvin deutschbein (2020-07-23). Anti-racist protests accelerate across North Carolina. workers.org Durham, N.C. July 20 — Throughout North Carolina, from urban to rural areas, the anti-racist uprising continues, most prominently with concurrent anti-jail demonstrations in four counties — Forsyth, Durham, Wake, Mecklenburg — on Friday, July 17. #DefundAvlPD banner dropped in Asheville the week of July 13. Last week the anti-police . . . |

Staff (2020-07-23). Who's Responsible For The Rise In COVID-19 Cases In Prison? therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks to activists from Michigan and California—two hot spots for COVID-19 cases in prisons. In both states, mistakes by prison officials led to a rise in cases.

Marilyn Bechtel (2020-07-23). Cities challenge Trump's dispatch of federal law enforcement officers. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif. — Outrage is growing throughout the country over Donald Trump's use of federal law enforcement against protesters in Portland, Oregon, and his threats to dispatch federal officers to other U.S. cities. On July 20, Trump told reporters he might send federal "law enforcement" to cities he claimed were experiencing heightened violence, naming cities …

Eds. (2020-07-23). As Trump threatens secret police deployment nationwide, Democrats debate expanding surveillance powers and new money for DHS. mronline.org The rogue deployment of secret federal police forces in Portland, Oregon, has added a new complication to negotiations over reauthorizing the Trump administration's vast surveillance powers and appropriating new money for the Department of Homeland Security.

RT (2020-07-23). Kids' news site coughs up cash after JK Rowling threatens to sue over article suggesting boycott for 'transphobia' comments. rt.com A kids' news website has publicly apologized to Harry Potter author JK Rowling and volunteered cash for charity after she threatened a lawsuit over a piece claiming her "transphobic" comments hurt people and merited a boycott. | The Day, a UK news service aimed at British teens, issued a public apology on Wednesday over its June article headlined: "Potterheads cancel Rowling after trans tweet." The publication admitted the article "implied that what JK Rowling had tweeted was objectionable" and that she had "attacked and harmed trans people." | "The article was critical of JK Rowling personally and suggested t…

RT (2020-07-23). Judge says Michael Cohen's jailing 'retaliation' for book about Trump & orders lawyer released. rt.com A federal judge has ordered ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen released from prison by Friday, ruling his return to lockup was retaliation. Cohen had refused to agree not to publish a book about the president while under house arrest. | Cohen was returned to prison earlier this month, after being furloughed in May amid concerns over the Covid-19 outbreak. Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled on Thursday that the decision was "retaliatory." The day before he was sent back to prison, Cohen refused to agree to not publish a book about President Donald Trump while serving the remainder of his three-year sentence at home, the…

RT (2020-07-23). Questioning status of Russian territory (Crimea, for example) could now be punished with jail time, according to proposed law. rt.com Russian politicians have passed an amendment to anti-extremism laws, designating those who violate the country's "territorial integrity" as extremists, with offenders facing the possibility of a jail term. | The approved legislation follows hot on the heels of the recently signed constitutional amendments, which made it illegal for the country to give any Russian land away to another nation. | Some Western experts have speculated that the change to the constitution was aimed at protecting Crimea, re-absorbed by Russia following a referendum in 2014, and the Kuril Islands, long-claimed by both Moscow and Tokyo.

RT (2020-07-23). MSNBC's Joe Scarborough calls Portland protests 'peaceful'… despite footage of escalating violence. rt.com Joe Scarborough has called protests in Portland "peaceful for the most part," less than a day after the mayor was tear-gassed in the face amid escalating violence following more than two months of demonstrations. | On his Morning Joe show Thursday, Scarborough railed against the deployment of federal agents to the city of Portland, saying they have launched "deeply disturbing attacks" against "peaceful protests, for the most part." | The MSNBC host has no doubt seen footage of federal agents arresting protesters and proceeding to throw them into unmarked vans — but perhaps he missed the videos of demonstr…

RT (2020-07-23). Portland mayor cheers protesters & joins them to face tear gas, gets calls to resign anyway (VIDEOS). rt.com Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler failed to win over a crowd of angry anti-police protesters despite rooting for their cause. But rather than seeing him as an ally against federal agents, some said he's part of the problem and has to go.

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-23). Why Palestinian-Israeli Prisoners Exchange Deal Could Happen Soon. dissidentvoice.org For the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is signaling its willingness to engage in negotiations regarding the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to be held by resistance groups in Gaza. But will another prisoner exchange similar to that …

WSWS Repost (2020-07-23). California judge rules against Socialist Equality Party candidates. indybay.org Federal District Court Judge Dolly M. Gee handed down a ruling on Tuesday against the lawsuit filed by the SEP, which argues that California's ballot access laws are "effectively impossible" to satisfy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rocco Galati (2020-07-23). Lawsuit against Trudeau Government: Constitutional Lawyer Rocco Galati and the Lies and Crimes of the COVID Operation. globalresearch.ca Celebrated Canadian Constitutional lawyer Rocco Galati characterizes the COVID Operation as "the biggest example of misinformation and lies on a global scale that we've seen." | The Constitutional challenge that he is filing with the Ontario Superior Court seeks to pull …

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-07-23). Racial Politics in Georgia and the Presidential Elections. globalresearch.ca A contested gubernatorial election in 2018 involving Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp and former Georgia State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams highlighted problems related to voter suppression based upon the national oppression of the African American people. | Hundreds of …

Fight Back (2020-07-23). Oscar Lopez Rivera wishes Happy Birthday and Freedom to Simon Trinidad. fightbacknews.org In response to the call for birthday greetings for political prisoner Simon Trinidad, The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera received a video message from freed Puerto Rican political prisoner, Oscar Lopez Rivera. Lopez Rivera unjustly spent 35 years in U.S. prison for fighting for the independence of his homeland. Below is the transcription of the video message: | "I want to take this moment to wish a Happy Birthday to comrade Simón Trinidad. He is one of the heroes of our countries. He is one of the heroes who is imprisoned because he wants to fight for the independence and sovereignty of Colombia and f…

William Boardman (2020-07-23). Defund the Police State, Before It's Too Late. globalresearch.ca The American police state is currently making its boldest test run to date in Portland, Oregon, escalating violence and lawlessness against the peaceful population of an American city. The people of Portland have responded with increased resistance, but support from …

Black Alliance for Peace (2020-07-23). Trump Administration Deploys Federal Forces into Major U.S. Cities. globalresearch.ca The repressive U.S. state's chickens have come home to roost with President Donald Trump announcing federal troops will be deployed to several U.S. cities. This comes after federal agents reportedly disappeared protesters last week off the streets of Portland, Oregon….

Ken Klippenstein (2020-07-23). The Federal Response to Protests Extends Far Beyond Portland. thenation.com The Federal Response to Protests Extends Far Beyond Portland…

Fight Back (2020-07-23). Stand with the resistance in Portland! fightbacknews.org Protesters grabbed off the streets by federal agents who refuse to identify themselves, placed unmarked vehicles, and taken to undisclosed locations. These same agents nearly killed a young man holding part of a sound system at a demonstration. This is the outrageous reality in Portland today, were Trump has deployed a paramilitary police force to carry out a wave of repression. The good news is that the resistance in Portland has been nothing short of heroic, as thousands have taken to the streets in a powerful display of opposition. | The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that it is deploying federal a…

Max Elbaum (2020-07-23). Guns? Yes. Masks? No. And Gestapo in Portland. zcomm.org The toxic mix of valuing gun ownership over protecting public health, conspiracism, and reactionary movements glued together by white supremacy and national chauvinism are too deeply rooted to be ended any time soon…

_____ (2020-07-23). New Tech Labor Movement Unites Office And Gig Workers. popularresistance.org The recent wave of employee activism and organizing efforts represents a widening rift between the industry's rank-and-file employees and its executives. For the first time, developers and product managers with higher pay and closer ties to management are siding with their lower-paid colleagues in warehouses, cafeterias, and contract gigs. | A global pandemic and sweeping protests against systemic racism have brought workers across pay scales, job types, geographies, and companies together in an unprecedented show of solidarity. They've protested unsafe and toxic workplaces, racial and gender discrimination, and…

_____ (2020-07-23). Federal Agents Retreat To Portland Base As Protesters Control Streets. popularresistance.org The DHS officers dispatched by the president to put down the demonstrations have instead become prisoners of the building they are ostensibly there to defend. | "The feds don't have control of the streets," said a woman holding a sign "100% not a terrorist", who gave her name only as Shannon. "I think they're more scared than us. They're hiding in there. They don't know what they're doing." If the intent was to intimidate the protesters into abandoning the few square blocks of downtown Portland under their control, it backfired spectacularly. | Residents of a city with a long history of radical street protest wer…

_____ (2020-07-23). Portland's Mayor Tear-Gassed By Militarized US Police. popularresistance.org The mayor of Portland, Oregon was tear-gassed by U.S. government agents as he stood outside a federal courthouse during another night of protests against the presence of federal police sent by President Donald Trump to quell the city's ongoing unrest. | Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, appeared slightly dazed and coughed and said Wednesday night it was the first time he'd been tear-gassed. | He put on a pair of goggles someone handed him and drank water but did not leave his spot at the front of the protest and continued to take tear gas as the demonstration raged — with protesters lighting a large fire betwe…

_____ (2020-07-23). What Are Trump And His Goons Up To? popularresistance.org First and foremost, it is a political stunt to capture the law and order crowd and press on divides between the coastal cities and inland voters. But it's also more sinister than that. The use of federal forces is designed to weaken local accountability by freezing out local government that constituents can reach. Portland's mayor might not even have opposed some "help" from the feds, but he wasn't asked. In other words, this wasn't mutual aid. This was indeed an invasion. An alphabet soup of federal agencies have been employed to crack down on police brutality protests, including the National Guard, the US Marsh…