Daily Archives: 2020-09-04

2020-09-04: News Headlines

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.

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, . . . |

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 …

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…

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

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

_____ (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.

_____ (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.

Jonathan Cook (2020-09-03). For Years, Journalists Cheered Assange's Abuse. Now They've Paved His Path To a US Gulag. commondreams.org "All indications are that Assange will be extradited to the US to face a rigged grand jury trial meant to ensure he sees out his days in a maximum-security prison, serving a sentence of up to 175 years," writes Cook. (Photo: Hollie Adams/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/free_assange_0_1.jpg

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…

Fight Back (2020-09-03). Philippines: Trade unions call for release of vulnerable prisoners. fightbacknews.org The militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) went to the Supreme Court grounds on Wednesday, September 2, to amplify the call for the release of minor, sick, elderly and other vulnerable detainees. | "We urge the Supreme Court to decisively act on the urgent petition of kin of sick, elderly and other vulnerable detainees. The petition was filed on April 8, and no action has been taken by the Supreme Court since. We ask the Supreme Court this on humanitarian grounds in this time of pandemic," said Eleanor de Guzman, KMU secretary for human rights. | KMU cited the fragile state of prisons as basis for the relea…

Marjorie Cohn (2020-09-03). Federal judge tackles police immunity law. mronline.org The judge wrote, "If the Civil War was the only war in our nation's history dedicated to the proposition that Black lives matter, Reconstruction was dedicated to the proposition that Black futures matter, too."

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

_____ (2020-09-03). Do Any Lives Actually Matter? strategic-culture.org If there is one expression that has defined the political arguments of 2020 it is Black Lives Matter and its many derivatives like All Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter and so on. But why is this the case? There is something in these statements that is very powerful, political and deeply ideological. Something about this reasoning is very effective. So, let's take a look at its internal mechanics. When people scream Black Lives Matter what do they really mean and why this particular wording has dominated recent political discourse? | Image: Just what exactly would lives "mattering" look like? | A Utopian Statement…

Fight Back (2020-09-03). Memorial for all lives lost in Florida prisons. fightbacknews.org Tallahassee, FL – Grey clouds and rain filled the Florida sky as over 50 mourners from across the state of Florida gathered on the lawn in front of the Florida State Capitol, August 22, to pay their final respects to those whose lives have been taken by the inhumane conditions, gross mistreatment and neglect incarcerated persons inside Florida prisons face every day from guards and abusive government officials. | Who remembers and mourns for those killed by state violence when those deaths are hidden and written off as insignificant by the state itself? "Every year during Black August we commemorate the death of…

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:…

Staff (2020-09-03). Decades-Old Gang Laws Are Being Used to Target Black Lives Matter Protesters. truthout.org This story was originally published by On July 9, Madalena McNeil bought several buckets of red paint, a ladder, and paint rollers from a Salt Lake City Home Depot store. Later that night, she accompanied two dozen other people to a demonstration outside the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office, amidst ongoing nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by…

yenisafak (2020-09-03). Thailand reports first domestic coronavirus case in 100 days. yenisafak.com Thailand on Thursday reported its first local coronavirus transmission in more than 100 days, officials said, after a man who was recently imprisoned failed a routine test at a Bangkok jail.The man, 37, tested positive on Wednesday during scheduled weekly testing, the Department of Corrections said in a statement, adding that he had not travelled abroad or been in close contact with a known positive case.The man, a former nightclub DJ, has since been hospitalized and prisoners who came into contact with him have been isolated.All of Thailand's cases in the past three months have been imported and detected in quar…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-03). Report: Only 7% of Inmates' Loved Ones Say Prisoners Have Soap and Other Basic Necessities to Stop the Spread of Covid-19. commondreams.org Among prisoners, the death rate from the potentially fatal virus is three times higher than average. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/prison_6.jpg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-03). Portuguese Youth File 'Unprecedented' Climate Lawsuit Against 33 European Countries. commondreams.org "I am very afraid for my future," said one plaintiff, "with so little time to stop this situation, we have to do everything in our power to compel governments to protect us." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/fire_5.jpg

teleSUR (2020-09-02). Ecuador: Judge Denies Protection To the Victims of an Oil Spill. telesurenglish.net In Ecuador, a provincial court Tuesday denied a protection action requested by social organizations for Indigenous peoples who were victims of an oil spill in the Amazon. | RELATED: | The Criminal Unit Judge Jaime Oña rejected a lawsuit that requested the adoption of precautionary measures to protect the victims, arguing that those affected can resort to administrative procedures. | The judge issued a null ruling…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-09-02). 'A Fiasco Is Clearly Foreseeable': USPS Watchdog Probe Found 1 Million Primary Ballots Likely Delivered Too Late to Count. commondreams.org Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called the findings "more powerful proof that resources and reform are vital right away to prevent serious election mail delays and voting suppression." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/1.6-million-mail-time.jpg

_____ (2020-09-02). Documentary — The War On Journalism: The Case Of Julian Assange. popularresistance.org Journalists are under attack globally for doing their jobs. Julian Assange is facing a 175 year sentence for publishing if extradited to the United States. The Trump administration has gone from denigrating journalists as 'enemies of the people' to now criminalizing common practices in journalism that have long served the public interest. | Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder and editor Assange's extradition is being sought by the Trump administration, in a hearing to begin Sept. 7, for publishing U.S. government documents, which exposed war crimes and human rights abuses.

Vijay Prashad (2020-09-02). The U.S. is Determined to Make Julian Assange Pay for Exposing the Cruelty of Its War on Iraq. counterpunch.org On September 7, 2020, Julian Assange will leave his cell in Belmarsh Prison in London and attend a hearing that will determine his fate. After a long period of isolation, he was finally able to meet his partner—Stella Moris—and see their two sons—Gabriel (age three) and Max (age one)—on August 25. After the visit, Moris said that he

Editor (2020-09-02). EDITORIAL — Manifestantes de BLM protestan asesinato de Jacob Blake. workers.org La reciente convención republicana, encabezada por el supremacista blanco en jefe, actual presidente de Estados Unidos y enemigo del pueblo, reunió a sus tropas con tácticas racistas de miedo sobre los "disturbios civiles" de manifestantes de Black Lives Matter y activistas de izquierda. La convención demócrata ofreció una alternativa, pero . . . |

Judy Greenspan (2020-09-02). COVID and wildfires fuel call for mass prisoner releases. workers.org Demonstrators speak out at house of CDC Secretary Diaz on Aug. 30. Sacramento — Spiking COVID-19 levels in California state prisons, coupled with raging wildfires and dangerously poor air quality, have fueled a statewide movement demanding the mass release of prisoners. On Aug. 30, a boisterous and angry coalition of . . . |

RT (2020-09-02). 'Inconsistent' with city's values? DC mayor seeks to remove, relocate & rename dozens of memorials, including WASHINGTON Monument. rt.com DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered a reevaluation of public spaces and monuments to ensure their names and 'legacies' are consistent with modern values, sharing the results soon after warning the US is headed for a "race war." | The list of properties for consideration was posted to Bowser's Twitter on Tuesday, all named after major US historical figures. The reevaluation was intended to determine whether any of the namesakes "in some way encouraged the oppression of African Americans and other communities of color or contributed to our long history of systemic racism." | This July, I tasked the DCFACES Workin…

Staff (2020-09-02). Markey beats back Kennedy while Trump spins conspiracy theories about Black Lives Matter and Antifa. therealnews.com Progressives protect a key Senate seat despite a Pelosi-backed challenge as Trump visits Kenosha despite being asked to stay away one week after a teenage supporter shot dead two protestors…

Irene Kai (2020-09-02). Systemic Change Starts with Us. counterpunch.org The first World Peace Flame in North America was installed in the lobby of the Civil Rights Museum, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee in 2002. The World Peace Flame is eternal as the ideals and inspiration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are universal and timeless. In the current times, his words are

Center For Biological Diversity (2020-09-02). Pesticides' Devastating Impacts on Endangered Species. globalresearch.ca The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal At the request of the

teleSUR (2020-09-02). Brazil: Court Annuls One Corruption Case Against Lula Da Silva. telesurenglish.net A Federal court Tuesday annulled one of the nine criminal cases against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to continue the process. | RELATED: | The lawsuit refers to initial accusations of corruption, influence peddling, money laundering, and illicit association made against Lula under the unproven presumption that he favored illicit busine…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-02). Chilean security forces attack Mapuche political prisoners and their family members. peoplesdispatch.org The Mapuche political prisoners, who have been on a hunger strike for months, were violently beaten, forced to end the strike and transferred to a hospital by the Chilean Gendarmerie officials…

teleSUR (2020-09-02). Chile: The Senate Passes a Remarriage Law in Favor of Women. telesurenglish.net Chile Lower Chamber on Tuesday passed a bill that revokes a mandatory waiting term for divorced women to remarry. | RELATED: | "Good news for women and a big step in building a fairer Chile: Second Marriage is Law, will allow men and women to have the freedom to rebuild our lives without discrimination. We must end all anachronistic rules that affect women," Minister of Woman and Gender Equity Monica Zalaquett said. | The mo…

Staff (2020-09-02). 200,000 in Georgia Wrongly Purged From Voting Rolls, Investigation Finds. truthout.org An independent investigation looking into the removal of citizen names from voter registration rolls in Georgia last year found that the vast majority of those names were wrongfully purged. | The ACLU of Georgia, working with the Palast Investigative Fund,

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-02). The Sentencing of Brenton Tarrant: Jailing the Man, not the Great Replacement. counterpunch.org Brenton Tarrant was sentenced last week. The Australian national who butchered, with relish, 51 individuals in Christchurch at Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre, found himself facing something unique in New Zealand: jail for life without parole. He pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one of

commondreams (2020-09-02). Hoboken, N.J. Files Lawsuit to Hold API, ExxonMobil and Other Oil Cos. Accountable for Fraud, Climate Damages. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Elie Mystal (2020-09-02). The Authorities Are Still Gunning for Breonna Taylor. thenation.com The Authorities Are Still Gunning for Breonna Taylor…

WSWS (2020-09-01). Immigration Nation reveals the suffering of migrants at the hands of the US detention and deportation machine. wsws.org The Trump administration tried to stop or delay the release of this important documentary.

Staff (2020-09-01). Terror in trailer jail: every single prisoner infected with COVID-19. therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks with reporter Katie Kull in Missouri about poor conditions and the no-mask mandate that led to over 100 prisoners contracting Covid-19.

Jamal Rich (2020-09-01). Black National Convention targets police violence, builds unity for Black liberation. peoplesworld.org The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and the Electoral Justice Project joined forces to bring together Black organizers and activists from across the country this past Friday, Aug. 29, for the 2020 Black National Convention (BNC), a "multi-hour broadcast filled with energy, celebration, education, electoral justice, and a vision for Black lives before the biggest …

Philip Giraldi (2020-09-01). Facebook Hires an Israeli Censor. thealtworld.com Israel's defenders both in the political realm and in the media have long used every weapon available to stifle any criticism of Israeli racism and its oppression of the Palestinians. In particular, the use of "anti-Semitism" as something like a tactical discussion stopper in deliberations about the Middle East has long been a staple of both American and European politics. It is freely employed to end all dispute while also condemning those accused of the crime to being somehow outside the pale, monsters who are consigned forever to derision and obscurity. But the Israelis and, to be sure, many diaspora Jews know…

WSWS (2020-09-01). Hong Kong authorities arrest opposition legislators in further crackdown. wsws.org Behind the string of detentions, the real fear motivating the authorities is a united movement of the entire Chinese working class.

WSWS (2020-09-01). Human rights lawsuits used by Chilean "left" to mask preparations for authoritarian rule. wsws.org Amid a growing threat of police-state dictatorship, it once again falls on the Chilean parliamentary "left" and its satellite organisations to conceal the class nature of the capitalist state.

Fight Back (2020-09-01). Thousands in East LA protest for 50th Chicano Moratorium anniversary. fightbacknews.org East Los Angeles, CA – Thousands took to the streets in East Los Angeles on August 29 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium. The 1970 Chicano Moratorium was against the Vietnam War and racist conditions Chicanos lived with. From a caravan which started early in the morning to a double rally and march, Chicanos from all over the country once again attended the historic events on what is now recognized as National Chicano Liberation Day. Banners and posters called for the jailing of killer cops, community control of police, an end to racism, sexism, U.S. wars, and denounced Trump. | A large coaliti…

Mathew Ingram (2020-09-01). Trump turns up the protest heat. zcomm.org Trump's rhetoric on the Black Lives Matter protests, not just in Oregon but in other states as well, has been ramping up as the election draws closer, painting what he clearly hopes will be a frightening picture…