Daily Archives: 2020-09-27

2020-09-27: News Headlines

RT (2020-09-27). Return of CHAZ? Protesters erect barricades, set fires & loot store amid showdown with police in Seattle (VIDEOS, PHOTOS). rt.com Protesters wreaked havoc in downtown Seattle, erecting barricades and setting them on fire to block police from moving in. Violence erupted in the heart of the former 'autonomous zone' created by Black Lives Matter protesters. | At least seven people were arrested after a Black Lives Matter protest in Seattle turned violent on Saturday night, and saw activists storming a boarded store and vandalizing businesses and Seattle City Hall with graffiti. | Footage emerged showing masked protesters spray painting "Kill Pigs" and "Kill SPD [Seattle Police Department]" on the walls of the building that hosts the mayor's…

Alan MacLeod (2020-09-26). Julian Assange: Press Shows Little Interest in Media 'Trial of Century'. commondreams.org Protestors wear "#FREEASSANGE" face masks outside Belmarsh prison prior to Julian Assange's extradition hearing on February 24, 2020 in London. (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trial-of-century-ignored-media.jpg

RT (2020-09-26). 'Shorty‚Äå ‚Äåwanna‚Äå ‚Äåbe‚Äå ‚Äåa‚Äå ‚Äåthug'?‚Äå ‚ÄåKamala‚Äå ‚ÄåHarris‚Äå ‚Äåslated‚Äå ‚Äåfor‚Äå ‚Äåsaying‚Äå ‚Äå2Pac‚Äå ‚Äåis‚Äå ‚Äåthe‚Äå ‚Äå'best‚Äå ‚Äårapper‚Äå ‚ÄåALIVE'‚Äå. rt.com Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has named Tupac Shakur as the "best rapper alive." With 2Pac dead since 1996, either Harris knows something the rest of us don't or she's pandering again. | Speaking at the NAACP's virtual convention on Friday, Harris was asked who she thought was "the best rapper alive." Without missing a beat, Harris answered "2Pac." Reminded that the 'Picture Me Rollin" rapper is in fact dead, Harris did some damage control: | Kamala Harris asked, who's the best rapper alive? | She answers Then says "Not alive, I know…

Penny M. Venetis (2020-09-26). Ginsburg's Legal Victories for Women Led to Landmark Anti-Discrimination Rulings for the LGBTQ Community, Too. commondreams.org An RBG flag is flown in front of the U.S. Supreme Court for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg September 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Justice Ginsburg died Sept. 18 from complications of pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/rbg-women-lgbtq.jpg

WSWS (2020-09-26). White House nears antitrust lawsuit against Google while advancing new censorship rules for social media. wsws.org Any antitrust action against Google by the US government, whether focused on the search or advertising aspects of the tech firm's business, has nothing to do with stopping anti-competitive practices or protecting the rights of consumers.

_____ (2020-09-26). Tribes Sue Over Border Wall. popularresistance.org Washington – A group of federally recognized tribes sued the Trump Administration on Wednesday over construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, saying the controversial barrier impinges on tribal members' ability to practice their religious beliefs and cultural traditions. | A group of five Kumeyaay Nation tribes filed the lawsuit in federal D.C. court against three government agencies — the Department of Homeland Security, U.S Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — and their top executives.

Daniel Fernando, Terrance Gardet (2020-09-26). [Correspondence] The recent interest of medical science in Black lives. thelancet.com We read with great interest the important Editorial1 about racism in medicine and medical science. Despite an eagerness to agree that Black lives must matter more, particularly given the historical disrespect for Black lives,2,3 and the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks on June 12, 2020, during demonstrations against the cruel murder of George Floyd, we argue that Black lives matter like any other lives matter; neither more nor less, because anything else will lead to the same conundrum that we are trying to overcome.

Ricardo Ayala, Bernardo Alarcon (2020-09-26). [Correspondence] The social contract and health care in Chile. thelancet.com Francisca Crispi and colleagues' plea for public health in Chile to be rebuilt,1 although thought-provoking, sets the private against the public. As much as we agree that inequalities in Chile have increased since the neoliberal turn, the social contract2 is far from dismantling. In fact, the concept is based on a liberal doctrine that seeks to protect individual freedom and private property.3 Crispi and colleagues' plea is therefore contradictory. Banning discrimination is the one basic condition for the tacit contract between citizens and the state.

Karen Rothmyer (2020-09-26). One Black Lives Matter Protest in Rural New York Opens the Door to Change. thenation.com One Black Lives Matter Protest in Rural New York Opens the Door to Change…

_____ (2020-09-25). Report, Thursday, September 24: Julian Assange. popularresistance.org During the hearing of medical evidence the last three days, the British government has been caught twice directly telling important lies about events in Belmarsh prison, each lie proven by documentary evidence. The common factor has been the medical records kept by Dr Daly, head of the jail's medical services. There has also been, to put it at its very lightest, one apparent misrepresentation by Dr Daly. Personally, I am wary of the kind of person who impresses Ross Kemp. This is Mr Kemp's description of the medical wing at Belmarsh: "Security is on another level here with six times more staff per inmate than the…

Ben Norton (2020-09-25). Nicaraguan 'political prisoner' freed under US pressure later caught with explosives planning terrorist attack. thegrayzone.com A right-wing extremist arrested during a 2018 coup attempt in Nicaragua, who was listed by NGOs as a "political prisoner" and was freed under heavy US pressure, was later found with explosives, guns, and drugs, plotting a terror attack. By Ben Norton Puedes leer este informe en español aquí. MANAGUA, NICARAGUA — A Nicaraguan right-wing extremist who was dubbed a "political prisoner" by a US government-funded NGO and subsequently freed under pressure by Washington has once again been arrested. The …

Staff (2020-09-25). Headlines for September 25, 2020. democracynow.org Sen. Bernie Sanders Warns of an Election "Between Donald Trump and Democracy", FBI Director Sees No Evidence of Widespread Voter Fraud, 24 Arrested as Louisville Protesters Defy Curfew to Demand Justice for Breonna Taylor, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul Says Goal of Black Lives Matter Is "Terrorism", Drivers Attack Peaceful Black Lives Matter Protesters in Los Angeles, Family of Tucson Man Who Died in Police Custody Demands Charges for Officers, Virginia Officials Warn of "Severe Public Health Threat" If Trump Rally Allowed to Proceed, Iowa Slaughterhouse Fined $957 After COVID-19 Outbreak Infected Hundreds of Workers,…

teleSUR (2020-09-25). Guatemala: Murderer of Indigenous Woman Sentenced To 62 Years. telesurenglish.net Guatemala's Justice System Thursday sentenced Evangelical Pastor Jacinto Brito to 62 years in prison for the Indigenous leader Juana Raymundo's murder, which was committed in 2018. | RELATED: | "Brito kidnapped, raped, and murdered the Maya nurse before throwing her body into a river," the Committee for Farmers Development (CODECA) denounced. | The theory was validated by a local court, which determined that Raymundo was beaten on the head with a sharp obje…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-09-25). 'Intentional Cruelty': House Investigation Finds Deadly Medical Neglect in Immigrant Detention Facilities. commondreams.org Despite knowledge of "systemic health and safety issues at immigration detention facilities operated by for-profit contractors," the Trump administration has rewarded these companies with "lucrative contracts." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/immigrant_detention.jpg

Mumia Abu-Jamal (2020-09-25). The 'populism' of pandemics. workers.org Taken from an Sept. 9 audio column from prisonradio.org. For months now, the nation has been battered by the ravages of COVID-19 — the coronavirus. With millions of people infected and over 190,000 people now dead, it now turns out that from the very start, the U.S. president knew a . . . |

Liberation Staff (2020-09-25). Denver anti-racist organizers released from jail! Drop the charges now! liberationnews.org Eliza Lucero, Joel Northam and Lillian House have been released from jail after having been incarcerated for a full week in hazardous and degrading conditions.

Kamran Siddiqi (2020-09-25). Chicago counter-protest disrupts pro-police rally. liberationnews.org Throughout the pro-police rally, counterprotesters chanted slogans such as "Black lives matter" and "16 shots and a coverup," referring to the killing of the teenager Laquan McDonald by former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-25). Justice not served in Breonna Taylor murder case. peoplesdispatch.org A Kentucky jury charged only one of the three officers accused in Breonna Taylor's murder with minor felonies, which carry a maximum sentence of five years each. The wrongful death lawsuit against the other two accused was rejected…

Staff (2020-09-25). Representative for whistleblower in ICE detention centers sterilization case talks. therealnews.com Transcript: | Dawn Wooten: I became a whistleblower. Now I'm a target. But I'll take a target any day to do what's right and just, than sit and be a part of what's inhumane. | Eddie Conway: Nurse Dawn Wooten has emerged as a whistleblower in the state of Georgia after she reported in the ICE detention centers, some of them are privately owned. They had been sterilizing women for any reason whatsoever. | Speaker 3: You talk about, in the complaint, hearing from women who are detained there talking about a specific doctor performing hysterectomies, referring to him as a "uterus collector." Tell us about how y…

Christian Noakes (2020-09-25). In Ireland / Palestinian and Irish prisoners go on hunger strike. workers.org Issam Hijjawi-Bassalat, a Palestinian doctor and dedicated ant-imperialist, was arrested on Aug. 24 along with nine members of the Irish Republican Party Saoradh, as a result of entrapment by the British police agency MI5. These arrests are part of the ongoing repression of the Irish Republican movement* by British military . . . |

Helen Christophi (2020-09-25). The State of Idaho Is Still Targeting People for Sodomy. progressive.org Seventeen years after the U.S. Supreme Court held that laws banning same-sex activity were unconstitutional, the ACLU is fighting Idaho's anti-LGBTQ+ sodomy law.

_____ (2020-09-25). Movement For Black Lives' Statement On Killing Of Breonna Taylor. popularresistance.org "The Movement for Black Lives and our millions of supporters around the globe stand with the family and community of Breonna Taylor in light of today's toothless and gravely insufficient indictment brought against one of the officers who killed her. Alongside her community, we are outraged and prepared to activate our base to continue to organize for meaningful action for Breonna. | "Even though three officers have Breonna's blood on their hands, only one was charged, and with three counts of first degree wanton endangerment, a class D felony implying a low-level of responsibility for the death or injury.

Aryeh Neier (2020-09-25). How Ruth Bader Ginsburg Got Her Start at the ACLU. aclu.org Half a century ago, in October 1970, I became the executive director of the ACLU. I had a wish list, and foremost on the list was the establishment of a Women's Rights Project., , I had been involved in a few women's rights cases in my previous post as director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. My wife, who was a young corporate executive at a time when not many women held such posts, encountered discrimination against women on a regular basis. Most importantly, a feminist movement had been reborn in the late 1960s, and I wanted the ACLU to be part of it and to contribute expertise in litigation. T…

Fight Back (2020-09-25). Thousands march for Breonna Taylor in NYC. fightbacknews.org New York, NY — On September 23, the Louisville, Kentucky court system passed down the decision that none of the three cops involved with the murder of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman and emergency medical technician, would be indicted for her killing. Rather, they charged one officer with wanton endangerment for his bullets potentially putting her neighbors in danger. | The extreme miscarriage of justice prompted thousands to take the streets demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, the people of Louisville, and Black lives all over the country. There were two events announced in New York, both starting at 7 p.

Jake Whitney (2020-09-25). Crime is a Symptom of Injustice. progressive.org New book shows that, to prove once and for all that Black lives matter, Americans must stop ignoring the violence devastating Black communities.

Fight Back (2020-09-25). Twin Cities march for Breonna Taylor shuts down major freeway. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – 1000 people rallied and marched to protest the announcement that no one would be charged for the murder of Breonna Taylor. Organized by Black Lives Matter Minnesota, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro and others, the group rallied at the state capitol on September 23, and then marched about four miles, including taking over Interstate 94. Three protesters were arrested but released the later that night.

_____ (2020-09-25). Denver: Anti-Racist Organizers Released After A Week In Jail. popularresistance.org Three organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) — Lillian House, Eliza Lucero and Joel Northam — who were arrested on trumped up charges in connection with anti-racist protests in the US State of Colorado were released on Thursday, September 24. They were arrested last Thursday in Denver and spent a week in jail in unsafe and inhumane conditions and were denied their right to due process. One of their fellow organizers, Russel Ruch, was released earlier. | On Thursday, the judiciary in Colorado set the bonds of the three activists which once paid means that they can no longer be hel…

_____ (2020-09-25). This Is America: Prisoners In The Crosshairs, Mutual Aid Fire Relief. popularresistance.org On this episode, we have a special report from Perilous Chronicle, about how prisoners are directly impacted by the climate change fueled wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. This audio report is based on an article on the unfolding situation, which can be read here. | Next up, we have an interview with the Portland chapter of Symbiosis, an autonomous anti-capitalist group organizing dual power programs and initiatives in the Pacific Northwest. In the wake of the spreading wildfires, the group began to organize mutual aid fire relief efforts along with a network for many other organizations.

Nora Barrows-friedman (2020-09-25). YouTube, Zoom and Facebook censor Leila Khaled for Israel. zcomm.org "They are bothered by the ways in which we are focusing on questions of Black liberation, Palestinian liberation and prison abolition, and the connections between these movements"

Detention Watcyh Network (2020-09-25). Thursday 9/24: Take Action: Defund ICE & CBP And Stop Reproductive Violence. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-25). Seven Iranian prisoners in Armenia repatriated to Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 25 (MNA) — At the continuous efforts and numerous follow-ups of the Iranian Embassy to Yerevan, seven Iranian prisoners in Armenia were released and returned to the Islamic Republic of Iran on Fri.

WSWS (2020-09-25). Australian government seeks to ban phones in immigration detention. wsws.org The proposed new laws will allow warrantless searches and the use of sniffer dogs.

Eliza Egret (2020-09-25). Yet another Kurdish woman is jailed for insulting the megalomaniac Turkish president. thecanary.co Can you imagine being sentenced to prison for insulting Boris Johnson? Seems ludicrous, doesn't it? | But It's usually Kurdish people who are targeted by the Turkish state, who are imprisoned for being critical of the megalomaniac leader, or who are convicted of belonging to a terrorist organisation just for opposing…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-09-25). Civil Rights Groups Claim Victory, Vow to Fight On After Federal Judge Blocks Trump From Ending Census Early. commondreams.org Civil rights advocates celebrated a victory Thursday night in their effort to ensure a fair and complete census count—but warned that the fight is not over—after a federal judge barred President Donald Trump's administration from ending the count on September 30, a month ahead of schedule. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1276516233_1.jpg

_____ (2020-09-24). The US Is Using The Guardian To Justify Jailing Assange For Life. popularresistance.org Julian Assange is not on trial simply for his liberty and his life. He is fighting for the right of every journalist to do hard-hitting investigative journalism without fear of arrest and extradition to the United States. Assange faces 175 years in a US super-max prison on the basis of claims by Donald Trump's administration that his exposure of US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan amounts to "espionage". | The charges against Assange rewrite the meaning of "espionage" in unmistakably dangerous ways. Publishing evidence of state crimes, as Assange's Wikileaks organisation has done, is covered by both free speech…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-24). Assange's Twelfth Day at the Old Bailey: Autism, Suicide and Prisons. dissidentvoice.org September 23. Central Criminal Court, London. Following the script sheet of the previous day, the non sequitur, pop medical view of the prosecution was again in sharp evidence at the Old Bailey. In an effort to make the road for Julian Assange's extradition to the United States for 17 charges under the US Espionage Act …

sputniknews (2020-09-24). #FreeAssange Campaign Targeted by Concerted Spambot Attack During Extradition Hearing. sputniknews.com WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison for his role in obtaining and publishing classified US diplomatic cables, is now at the centre of a series of extradition hearings at London's Central Criminal Court.

Staff (2020-09-24). An Indictment of the System: Protests Erupt as Cops Cleared for Killing Breonna Taylor in Her Home. democracynow.org We go to Louisville, where protests erupted after police officers who shot Breonna Taylor in her own home were not charged for her death. A grand jury indicted a third officer for "wanton endangerment" for shooting into an adjacent apartment during the fatal raid that killed Breonna Taylor in March. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across the country demanding justice for Taylor and defunding of police departments. "The lack of indictments in the grand jury process is an indictment on the system itself," says Sadiqa Reynolds, president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League. "They have cr…

Jonathan Cook (2020-09-24). The US is Using the Guardian to Justify Jailing Assange for Life. Why is the Paper So Silent? counterpunch.org Julian Assange is not on trial simply for his liberty and his life. He is fighting for the right of every journalist to do hard-hitting investigative journalism without fear of arrest and extradition to the United States. Assange faces 175 years in a US super-max prison on the basis of claims by Donald Trump's administration that his exposure of US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan amounts to "espionage".

Staff (2020-09-24). "Two Systems of Justice": Jacob Blake's Father on Son's Case, Breonna Taylor & Black Lives Matter. democracynow.org As outrage mounts over the grand jury ruling in the police killing of Breonna Taylor, we look at the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where an investigation is in its final stages. The case sparked renewed national protests in August after viral video showed Kenosha police shooting the Black father in the back seven times, paralyzing him. We speak with Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr. He says police shootings and killings of Black people reveal there are "two systems of justice" in the United States, and asks, "Why are our children scared to death of people that are supposed to protect and serve them…

news.un (2020-09-24). Venezuelan President Maduro proposes new UN fund to support countries facing discrimination. news.un.org Venezuela has proposed creation of a "revolving public purchasing fund" within the United Nations system to guarantee access to food and health products, financed with public resources, to facilitate countries suffering "discrimination and economic blockade" acquire necessary goods and services.

WSWS (2020-09-24). Senate confirmation hearing for Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf reveals bipartisan support. wsws.org Democratic as well as Republican senators thanked Wolf for his "service," neglecting to question him on unconstitutional kidnappings, the mass incarceration of immigrants, and the state assassination of a Portland protester.

Staff (2020-09-24). California prison firefighters still face exploitation despite new career path law. therealnews.com California's new legislation carves a path for prison firefighters to expunge their records and find jobs post-incarceration. The exploitative nature of the program remains, though, as do questions about the real impact of the law.

Liberation Staff (2020-09-24). Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (South Africa): Release U.S. political prisoners jailed for fighting in the anti-racist struggle! liberationnews.org Political repression in the USA continues against those leading the massive anti-racist protest movement, as seen in the recent arrests of four leaders of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and the ongoing criminalization of the protest movement as a whole.

Umar A Farooq (2020-09-24). US congressman calls for 'UAE 94' prisoner's release. middleeasteye.net US congressman calls for 'UAE 94' prisoner's release | Abdulsalam Mohamed Darwish al-Marzooqi was handed 10-year sentence in 2013 after being accused of planning to overthrow Emirati government | Thu, 09/24/2020 – 17: 16 | While in prison, Marzooqi has been reportedly been subject to abuse, including solitary confinement and beatings (AFP/File photo) | A US congressman has called for the release of…

MEE staff (2020-09-24). Three UK Labour MPs demoted over opposition to torture prosecution bill. middleeasteye.net Three UK Labour MPs demoted over opposition to torture prosecution bill | Nadia Whittome, Beth Winter and Olivia Blake defied a Labour Party whip to oppose Overseas Operations Bill against 'vexatious' lawsuits

| Thu, 09/24/2020 – 14: 31 | Kuwaiti and British soldiers take part in exercises about 40km north of Kuwait City (AFP) | Three Labour MPs have lost their roles in the United Kingdom shadow cabine…

teleSUR (2020-09-24). Supreme Court Orders Capture of Ecuador's Ex-President Correa. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Court of Justice (CNJ) Wednesday ordered the capture of former President Rafael Correa, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for his alleged participation in a bribery case. | RELATED: | This arrest warrant also affects former Vice President Jorge Glas and other former senior officials such as Alexis Mera, Maria de Los Angeles Duarte, and Viviana Bonilla. | After ratifying that the legal process…

WSWS (2020-09-24). Further revelations about sterilizations and medical malpractice at ICE detention facility in Georgia. wsws.org The latest revelations, including the naming of the doctor who performed them, strengthens the account given in a recent whistleblower complaint, while giving lie to the US government's dismissals.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-24). Anti-racist organizers in Denver released after a week in jail. peoplesdispatch.org A week after their arrest, the anti-racist organizers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation in Denver were finally given a bond hearing and released from jail…

Duncan Hosie (2020-09-24). When will DeSantis listen to his own voters on ex-felons' voting rights? aclu.org On Sept. 11, Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Republican leaders won their legal battle to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of people with prior felony convictions. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit embraced Republican politicians' specious arguments that ex-felons should be required to pay all fines and fees before voting., , This decision dealt a blow to Floridians who care about racial justice and basic principles of democracy. The ruling also spited an unlikely and less discussed constituency: Republican voters., , This story starts in 2018, when DeSantis and Republican politicians camp…