2019-10-12: News Headlines

East Bay Peace Action (2019-10-12). Speaker Pennie Opal Plant on "Let Us Save the World Together" indybay.org Fred Weaver Resident Center, St. Paul's Tower, second floor, 100 Bay Pl, Oakland, CA 94610 (near 27th and Harrison)…

Michael Harris (2019-10-12). A New Beginning For California Pan African Global Trade and Investment. indybay.org The State of California is poised to join The global competition with India, Europe, China and the rest of the world to expan Trade and Investment with the Pan African Diaspora, over 1.4 billion people globally.

Matt Cagle (2019-10-12). California just blocked police body cam use of face recognition. nationofchange.org Our democracy gives us the power as a society to reject surveillance that is invasive, discriminatory, and wide-reaching. We will continue to use that power to create a society free of face surveillance.

WSWS (2019-10-12). Seattle Democrats endorse Socialist Alternative's Kshama Sawant. wsws.org As the working class moves to the left, Kshama Sawant and Socialist Alternative are even more fully integrating themselves into the Democratic Party.

The Real News Network (2019-10-12). IRS Audits Poor People Far More Often Than the Wealthy. dissidentvoice.org Republicans gutted the IRS with New Democrat support. It ensured that the wealthy can cheat our nation with impunity, says Bill Black.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-10-12). Warren Challenges Facebook's Political Advertising Policy—With Ad That Falsely Claims CEO Zuckerberg Endorsed Trump. commondreams.org Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week targeted Facebook's advertising policy—which allows politicians to circulate lies—with an ad of her own, which falsely claims that the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/elizabeth_warren_gottleib_pfizer_0.jpg

Staff (2019-10-11). California Adopts Broadest U.S. Rules for Seizing Guns. truthdig.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a law that will make the state the first to allow employers, co-workers and teachers to seek gun violence restraining orders against other people. | The bill was vetoed twice by former governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, and goes beyond a measure that he signed allowing only law enforcement officers and immediate family members to ask judges to temporarily take away peoples' guns when they are deemed a danger to themselves or others. | Newsom is also a Democrat and signed a companion bill allowing the gun violence restraining orders to last on…

Staff (2019-10-11). IRS Audits Poor People Far More Often Than the Wealthy. therealnews.com Republicans gutted the IRS with New Democrat support. It ensured that the wealthy can cheat our nation with impunity, says Bill Black.

Rob Urie (2019-10-11). Democrats Impeach Joe Biden, Fiddle as the Planet Burns. counterpunch.org Establishment efforts to isolate 'corruption' narrowly in the persons of Donald Trump and Joe Biden's son, Hunter, rely on a conception of it that makes sense only within political economy that ceased to function for the rest of us some decades ago. Understood outside of Washington and New York is that the exchange of campaign More

Staff (2019-10-11). Will Impeachment Change Anything for the Masses? therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks to patrons at Conscious Heads barbershop about impeachment, the rift between the Democratic and Republican Parties, whether it all just boils down to corporate interests, and if it will change things for anyone who is not a member of the 1 percent.

John Wojcik (2019-10-11). Giuliani's mobster pals arrested on campaign finance violations. peoplesworld.org Two Florida-based mobsters who funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into a Trump PAC and tens of thousands of additional dollars into the coffers of top Republican lawmakers were arrested Wednesday night as they were attempting to flee the country. They were nabbed only hours after having lunch with Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, …

John Wojcik (2019-10-11). Montgomery, Alabama has first Black mayor in its two-century history. peoplesworld.org

Kurt Nimmo (2019-10-11). Tulsi Gabbard and Rigged Elections. globalresearch.ca Tulsi Gabbard, who has at best minimal support by Democrats (around one percent), and zero from the corporate DNC, posted the following video earlier today. | . | . | There are so many of you who I've met in Iowa and …

Rep Tulsi Gabbard (2019-10-11). Tulsi Gabbard: "The DNC and Corporate Media Are Rigging the Election Again" globalresearch.ca Introductory note | Tulsi Gabbard has identified the nature of the electoral fraud committed by the Democratic National Committee in the 2016 primaries. | The 2016 Democratic Primary election was rigged by the DNC and their partners in the corporate media against …

Doug Lummis (2019-10-11). Everything Going Wrong in Okinawa. counterpunch.org On 23 February 2016 Admiral Harry Harris, then Commander US Forces Pacific, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, was asked how the construction of the Futenma Replacement Facility was progressing. This refers to the super airbase the Japanese Defense Ministry is building at Henoko in northern Okinawa to house the units of the First More

Roger D. Harris (2019-10-11). Why Trump Is Facing Impeachment. dissidentvoice.org The United States has spent EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded. Millions of people have died on the other side. GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE….. — Tweet, Donald J. Trump, October 9, 2019. Granted …

Roger Harris (2019-10-11). Why Trump is Facing Impeachment. counterpunch.org "The United States has spent EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS fighting and policing in the Middle East. Thousands of our Great Soldiers have died or been badly wounded. Millions of people have died on the other side. GOING INTO THE MIDDLE EAST IS THE WORST DECISION EVER MADE….." Tweet, Donald J. Trump, October 9, 2019. Granted Trump More

South Front (2019-10-11). Video: Syrian Forces Deployed against Turkish Invasion, US backed SDF Forces Seek Cooperation with Damascus Against Turkey. globalresearch.ca The withdrawal of US troops from the Turkish border has caused a kind of panic among the leadership of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which mostly consist of Kurdish militias. | On October 7, the group already speculated that the Syrian …

Bill Van Auken (2019-10-11). Trump Admits US Killed Millions in War Based on Lies . "We went to war under a false & now disproven premise, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION" globalresearch.ca Amid the storm of denunciations—extending from right-wing Republicans to the Democratic Party, the New York Times and the pseudo-left Jacobinmagazine—of his decision to pull US troops out of Syria, President Donald Trump issued an extraordinary tweet on Wednesday in defense …

WSWS (2019-10-11). Crisis mounts over Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria. wsws.org Trump's green light for the Turkish invasion has prompted heated condemnations from his Republican allies as well as within the US military.

Ross Barkan (2019-10-11). The Bronx May Send a Homophobic Democrat to Congress. thenation.com The Bronx May Send a Homophobic Democrat to Congress…

Mike Konczal (2019-10-11). This One Weird Trick Makes Economies More Fair! thenation.com This One Weird Trick Makes Economies More Fair!

RT (2019-10-11). Four hours of virtue-signaling: Democratic candidates sweet-talk through soft ball questions in 'equality' town hall. rt.com A sunny and friendly atmosphere oozed from CNN screens as Democratic candidates explained at a televised event how they would fight for LGBTQ rights, taking unchallenging questions from the audience, transgender kids included. | Nine Democratic candidates went toe-to-toe at CNN's LGBTQ town hall event, held in Minnesota, a traditionally Blue state that is arguably the most 'woke' in America. The questions asked to each candidate were approximately the same, covering a range of topics including advancing equality through legislation, the price of drugs for HIV treatment, how to deal with religious objections to…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-10-11). Applause at Global Summit as Ocasio-Cortez Calls Climate Crisis 'Consequence of Our Unsustainable Way of Life'. commondreams.org Freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez advocated for a Global Green New Deal to combat the climate crisis that humanity has created with an "unsustainable way of life" during a speech that closed out the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen on Friday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/aoc_4.jpg

Staff (2019-10-11). The Stanford Sexual Assault Case Made Her "Emily Doe." In New Memoir, Chanel Miller Tells Her Story. democracynow.org We spend the hour with author Chanel Miller speaking about her recently published remarkable memoir, "Know My Name." The book chronicles how Miller reclaimed her name, her story and her life after being sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, a member of the Stanford University swim team, in 2015. At the time, she was known as "Emily Doe." The case gained national prominence when a California judge sentence Turner to just six months in a county jail after he was convicted of three counts of felony sexual assault. He ended up spending only three months locked up. The sentencing sparked outrage. Voters in California la…

Staff (2019-10-11). Headlines for October 11, 2019. democracynow.org Civilians Killed & Forced to Flee Turkish Military Offensive in Northern Syria, Two Associates of Trump's Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Arrested at Dulles Airport, Prince Estate Slams Trump for Using "Purple Rain" at Minneapolis Rally, "Trans Lives Matter": Activists Interrupt CNN Democratic Town Hall, Ethiopian Prime Minister Wins 100th Nobel Peace Prize, Olga Tokarczuk & Peter Handke Win Nobel Prize for Literature, Iranian Oil Tanker Struck in Red Sea, Ecuador: Five Killed Amid Anti-Austerity Protests, News Outlet Splinter Shutting Down, Asylum Seekers Protest "Remain in Mexico" Policy on Brownsville Bridge, Gymnast Sim…

RT (2019-10-10). Child's play: Reporter's breaking news broadcast interrupted by small screen debut of her toddler (VIDEO). rt.com A TV news correspondent's breaking news segment about the Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led militias in northeastern Syria was suddenly interrupted live on air by an unexpected studio guest, her own young son. | NBC's Courtney Kube was reporting on Turkey's strikes when her flow was broken by four-year-old Ryan making an uninvited appearance, right by her side. Temporarily distracted, the anchor apologizes, saying "Sorry, my kids are here – live television!" | She quickly gets right back to the story as the screen cuts away to a map of Syria, presumably giving producers enough time to remove the young int…

Staff (2019-10-10). As Dems Focus on Impeachment, Trump Heads to "Imperial Governance" therealnews.com The Trump administration is undermining our nation from immigration to the environment, while his tweets and impeachment distract us. Add it all up, says our guest, we can see how he threatens what remains of U.S. democracy.

RT (2019-10-10). Republican donors involved in Trump impeachment inquiry arrested on campaign finance charges. rt.com Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two wealthy Soviet-born Floridians who allegedly passed information between the government in Kiev and President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, have been arrested for campaign finance violations. | Parnas and Fruman were arrested on Wednesday, reportedly while attempting to leave the US from Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC. | Along with two other men, they were charged with funnelling illegal foreign contributions to Republican PACs in the runup t…

RT (2019-10-10). 'I'm not perfect': South Carolina sheriff candidate opens campaign with ad admitting to past 'blackface' incident. rt.com Determined not to be the next casualty of a blackface scandal, a candidate for sheriff in South Carolina released a campaign video admitting his past indiscretion up front, getting ahead of opposition research. | Craig Stivender, a Republican running for sheriff in Colleton County, shows a photograph of himself wearing blackface "about 10 years ago." | "I'll be the first to tell you I'm not perfect," Stivender says in the four-minute-long video. "I've made mistakes, and I wish I could change a thing or two." | He goes on to explain that the picture is from a law enforcement Halloween party during which he w…

Ryan Grim (2019-10-10). The Actual Laws Trump Has Broken, Just With the Ukraine and China Affairs, Could Land Him 10 Years in Prison. theintercept.com Take 18 U.S. Code ß 872: "Extortion by officers or employees of the United States." Or 18 U.S. Code ß 610: "Coercion of political activity."

United Nations (2019-10-10). Ebola on the run in DR Congo, 'now we have to kill the virus': UN health agency. un.org Efforts to eradicate the deadly Ebola epidemic in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are proving successful but "now we have to kill the virus", the UN health agency said on Thursday.

William Hawes (2019-10-10). Translating Neoliberal-Speak: Your 2020 Democratic Candidates. dissidentvoice.org Presented here is a short list of some of the most ridiculous statements, absolute gems really, from some of the hopefuls for the 2020 Democratic nomination for President. These are all either verbatim quotes from speeches, interviews, or official Twitter posts from the candidates. After I was initially rendered catatonic by examining the collective ignorance, …

Joan Walsh (2019-10-10). Elizabeth Warren Shows Us How to Fight a Smear. thenation.com But Democrats shouldn't have to keep refuting garbage stories, especially sexist ones.

John Nichols (2019-10-10). Bernie Sanders Spoke Today About His Heart Attack—and His Purpose. thenation.com Bernie Sanders Spoke Today About His Heart Attack—and His Purpose…

The Nation (2019-10-10). Join 'The Nation' for Live Coverage of the Democratic Debate. thenation.com Join " for Live Coverage of the Democratic Debate…

Staff (2019-10-10). After Trump Abandoned Kurds, Turkish Invasion Raises Fear of Kurdish Genocide & ISIS Resurgence. democracynow.org Turkey has launched an aerial and ground assault on northern Syria targeting Kurdish-controlled areas. The offensive began Wednesday, just days after President Trump ordered U.S. troops to fall back from their positions on the Turkish-Syrian border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 16 Kurds have been killed so far. Turkey is claiming the death toll is far higher. The Trump administration has faced widespread criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers for abandoning the stateless Kurds who had helped the U.S. fight ISIS. Turkey is claiming the assault is needed to establish a "

Ed Sykes (2019-10-10). Anti-austerity protesters force Ecuador's president to flee the capital. thecanary.co Thousands of anti-austerity protesters have converged on Ecuador's capital Quito, forcing the country's controversial president to flee the city.The protests have persisted since last week, when President Lenín Moreno's decision to end subsidies led to a sharp increase in fuel prices. They have spread from transport workers to students and then to indigenous demonstrators. And the governme…

Staff (2019-10-10). Justice for Kaysera: Native Teen's Mysterious Death Highlights Epidemic of Murdered Indigenous Women. democracynow.org The family of Native American teenager Kaysera Stops Pretty Places is demanding justice after she was found dead in Hardin, Montana, in late August, just two weeks after her 18th birthday. Kaysera was a member of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne tribal communities in Montana. She lived with her grandmother. According to her family, Kaysera was reported missing after she never came home on the night of August 24. On August 29, the body of a young woman was found in the town of Hardin. It wasn't until two weeks later that local law enforcement confirmed it was Kaysera. The circumstances surrounding her death and disa…

Staff (2019-10-10). Turkey Moves to Crush Rojava, the Kurds' Radical Experiment Based on Democracy, Feminism & Ecology. democracynow.org As Turkey launches an aerial and ground assault on northern Syria targeting Kurdish-controlled areas, we look at how the offensive threatens the Kurdish region of Rojava with Debbie Bookchin, co-founder of the Emergency Committee for Rojava. She is a journalist and author who co-edited a book of essays by her father, Murray Bookchin, "The Next Revolution: Popular Assemblies and the Promise of Direct Democracy." We also speak with Elif Sarican, a Kurdish Women's Movement activist and anthropologist at the London School of Economics, and Ertuƒürul Kàºrkàßàº, honorary chair of the pro-Kurdi…

Staff (2019-10-10). Headlines for October 10, 2019. democracynow.org Turkey Launches Ground Offensive in Northern Syria, WH Budget Office Refuses to Comply with Subpoena for Impeachment Probe, Biden Joins Majority of 2020 Field in Calling for Trump's Impeachment, Trump Faces Dozens of New Allegations of Sexual Misconduct, Matt Lauer Denies Raping NBC Producer Brooke Nevils in 2014, Germany: 2 Killed in Anti-Semitic Attack Outside Temple on Yom Kippur, U.N.: U.S. Military Killed 30+ Afghan Civilians in Airstrikes in May, Amnesty: Death Toll in Anti-Government Protests in Iraq Surpasses 150, Protests Erupt in Algeria over Corruption & Army's Role in Politics, Egyptian Dissident Alaa…

susan_p (2019-10-10). Trump impeachment inquiry reveals deep ruling class divisions. greenleft.org.au US politics Barry SheppardIssue 1240 United States Donald Trump impeachmentOctober 10, 2019The House of Representatives impeachment inquiry into United States President Donald Trump was launched by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 24 an…

Ryan Grim (2019-10-09). Joe Biden's Family Has Been Cashing in on His Career for Decades. Democrats Need to Acknowledge That. theintercept.com Democrats have sidestepped the question of Hunter Biden's ethics, and how much responsibility Joe Biden deserves. Republicans, though, have no such qualms.

Rachel M. Cohen (2019-10-09). Ohio Progressive Morgan Harper Raised $323,000 in First Quarter of House Race. theintercept.com "What candidates like Morgan Harper and Jessica Cisneros are saying is that any Democrat representing a safe Democratic district should be put on watch."

United Nations (2019-10-09). Support 'winds of change' in DR Congo to consolidate positive developments, urges UN mission chief. un.org Recent positive trends could help transform the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into a stable country, the head of the UN operation there told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Akela Lacy (2019-10-09). Mark Zuckerberg Buckles and Will Testify to Congress on Facebook's Cryptocurrency. theintercept.com The hearing comes after Chair Maxine Waters and committee Democrats sent a letter to Facebook calling on the company to suspend plans to launch the cryptocurrency, Libra.

Staff (2019-10-09). Divided Supreme Court Hears Landmark LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination Case. democracynow.org The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in three cases that will determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Among the court's conservative justices, only Neil Gorsuch appeared open to prohibiting such workplace discrimination. One of the cases centers on a transgender woman from Michigan named Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job at a funeral home in 2013. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in the three cases by early next summer. We speak to James Esseks, director of the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, who attended Tu…

Staff (2019-10-09). Julián Castro Slams Trump's "Deranged" Immigration Policies After Escorting Asylum Seekers to Border. democracynow.org On Monday, 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro escorted a dozen asylum seekers to the U.S. port of entry at Brownsville, Texas, in a challenge to President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy. The group included a disabled Salvadoran woman and her relatives, as well as nine LGBTQ people from Cuba, Guatemala and Honduras. Many of them report they've been threatened and assaulted while they've been forced to wait in the Mexican border city of Matamoros. The asylum seekers were refused entry into the United States. Castro speaks with us from San Antonio, where he served as mayor from 2009 to 2014.

Staff (2019-10-09). Headlines for October 9, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Won't Cooperate with Impeachment Probe, Prompting Constitutional Crisis, Turkish Attack on Kurds in Syria Imminent After U.S. Steps Aside, Afghanistan Claims al-Qaeda Leader Died in U.S.-Led Attack That Killed 40 Civilians, Trump Admin Planning Withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty, Wife of U.S. Diplomat Claims Immunity After Crash That Killed Motorcyclist, Supreme Court Hears Arguments in LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination Cases, 800,000 Californians Face Blackouts as PG&E Cuts Power Amid Wildfire Fears, Steven Reed Elected First Black Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, NBC Producer Says Matt Lauer Raped Her in 2014, U…

Staff (2019-10-09). Julián Castro Backs Impeachment Effort & Condemns Trump's "Betrayal" of Kurds in Northern Syria. democracynow.org Turkey's government says its troops are prepared for an imminent assault on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, after President Trump ordered U.S. troops to fall back from their positions on the Turkish-Syrian border. Kurdish fighters said they're bracing for a "humanitarian catastrophe." This follows warnings that former Kurdish allies of the U.S. who feel betrayed by President Trump will abandon thousands of prisoners captured during the U.S.-backed war against ISIS over the past two years. We speak to former housing secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro, who says Trump's move is a…

Staff (2019-10-09). Indigenous-Led Anti-Austerity Protests Shut Down Quito Forcing Ecuadorian Government to Move Capital. democracynow.org Tens of thousands of people, led by indigenous leaders, are expected to again bring Ecuador to a standstill today in massive ongoing anti-government protests. Demonstrators flooded the streets of Quito Tuesday to decry government-imposed austerity measures and a steep hike in fuel prices, despite a severe police crackdown. Civil unrest has been growing since President Lenín Moreno ended a decades-old fuel subsidy program last week as part of a so-called reform plan imposed by the International Monetary Fund after Ecuador took a $4.2 billion loan from the IMF earlier this year. Hundreds of people have been arreste…

Staff (2019-10-08). Laura Flanders Show: How Can Municipal Government Promote Economic Democracy? therealnews.com New York, NY…its a city with close to 100 billion dollar budget every year and 1 deputy mayor with some pretty creative plans for how to spend it. What can one city do? And what's it gonna take to create a non-racist democracy? J Phillip Thompson, NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives is my…

Staff (2019-10-08). Will Chicago Teachers Be Next to Strike? Union Head Speaks Out as Walkout Date Approaches. democracynow.org In Chicago, union leaders and the nation's third-largest school district are racing to reach an agreement to avert a teachers' strike authorized to begin later this month. In late September, 25,000 educators voted overwhelmingly to authorize a work stoppage, demanding more staffing and lower class sizes. On Monday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot accused the union of not coming to the bargaining table with a proposal to counter the offers the district has made in recent weeks. This comes as about 7,000 school support staffers with the Service Employees International Union have also made preparations for a strike, as…

Staff (2019-10-08). Striking UAW Member: We'll Strike "As Long as It Takes" to Demand Fair Salaries and Benefits. democracynow.org About 48,000 workers at General Motors have entered their fourth week on strike. It is the longest national strike at GM by the United Auto Workers in nearly 50 years. Workers are seeking higher pay, protection of their healthcare benefits, greater job security and a commitment from GM to build more cars and parts in the United States. On Sunday, UAW officials announced they had rejected the company's latest offer, saying negotiations had "taken a turn for the worse." We speak with Steve Frisque, a striking GM worker and former president of UAW Local 722.

Staff (2019-10-08). This Is Not a Drill: 700+ Arrested as Extinction Rebellion Fights Climate Crisis with Direct Action. democracynow.org More than 700 people have been arrested in civil disobedience actions as the group Extinction Rebellion kicked off two weeks of protests in 60 cities worldwide, demanding urgent government action on the climate crisis. Its members have superglued themselves to government buildings, occupied public landmarks, shut down roads and taken to the streets to sound the alarm about the impending catastrophe of global warming. Extinction Rebellion, a nonpolitical movement, launched last year in the U.K. and rose to prominence in April, when it disrupted traffic in Central London for 11 days. For more about the significance…

Staff (2019-10-08). Headlines for October 8, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Touts "Great and Unmatched Wisdom" as U.S. Abandons Kurdish Allies, State Dept. Orders Ambassador Gordon Sondland Not to Testify to Impeachment Inquiry, Federal Judge Rejects Trump's "Repugnant" Argument Against Turning Over Tax Records, Ecuador's President Moves Government From Capital as Anti-Austerity Protests Grow, Bolivia Rains Quell Fires After 10 Million Amazon Acres Burn, 700+ Arrested as Extinction Rebellion Protests Demand Climate Action, Swedish Climate Activist Greta Thunberg to Visit Standing Rock Reservation, Supreme Court Opens New Term with Justice Clarence Thomas Absent, Asylum Seekers Esco…

Staff (2019-10-07). "We Have to Mass Mobilize": Laverne Cox & Chase Strangio Sound the Alarm on Major LGBTQ SCOTUS Cases. democracynow.org At the start of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in three cases to determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, as well as race, color, national origin and religion, but the Trump administration claims the law does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The cases mark the first time the Supreme Court will rule on LGBTQ rights since conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh re…

Staff (2019-10-07). "A Backlash Against Our Existence": Laverne Cox Speaks Out on Violence Against Trans Women of Color. democracynow.org At least 19 transgender people have been killed in the United States in 2019 — most of them trans women of color. Last year, there were at least 26 killings of transgender people. The American Medical Association has declared the wave of violence an "epidemic." Laverne Cox, the award-winning transgender actress and longtime trans rights activist, says such violence has long been part of the lives of trans people. "For my entire life as a trans woman, for 21 years, I have been hearing about, witnessing, going to memorials [and] going to Trans Days of Remembrance," she says. Cox says the violence reflects a s…

Staff (2019-10-07). "A Shakespearean Act of Betrayal": Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area. democracynow.org U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in that operation, and the United States forces, having…

Staff (2019-10-07). Headlines for October 7, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Orders U.S. Troops to Step Aside for Turkish Assault on Kurdish Forces, 109 Killed and 6,000 Wounded as Anti-Government Protests Rage in Iraq, Second Whistleblower Has Firsthand Knowledge of Trump-Ukraine Scandal, Secretary of State Pompeo Calls Impeachment Inquiry "Silly Gotcha Game", Trump Calls GOP Senator Mitt Romney "Pompous" over Ukraine Rebuke, North Korea Calls Off Denuclearization Talks with the U.S., U.S. Meets with Taliban for First Time Since Trump Canceled Afghan Peace Talks, Israeli Forces Fire on Gaza Protesters, Killing One and Injuring Dozens, Protesters Call for Kavanaugh's Removal One Yea…

Staff (2019-10-04). From Trump to Nixon: "Watergate" Film Explains "How We Learned to Stop an Out of Control President" democracynow.org President Donald Trump called openly Thursday for the leaders of Ukraine and China to investigate Trump's campaign rival Joe Biden and Biden's son Hunter for corruption. Trump's explicit remarks during a press conference came as leaders of the Democratic-led House pushed ahead rapidly with their impeachment investigation. President Trump is just the fourth U.S. president to face a formal impeachment inquiry, joining Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. We spend the hour looking at back at the Watergate scandal, which led to Nixon's resignation in 1974 and is the focus of a documentary titled "Watergate…

Staff (2019-10-04). Headlines for October 4, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Publicly Calls on Ukraine and China to Investigate the Bidens, Trump Discussed Campaign Rivals in June Call with China's Xi Jinping, FEC Chair: Illegal for Candidates to Solicit Foreign Help in U.S. Elections, Messages Detail How U.S. Officials Pressured Ukraine on Trump's Behalf, IRS Whistleblower: Treasury Official Tried to Interfere with Trump or Pence Tax Audit, Trump Administration to Collect DNA of All Immigrants Jailed in U.S., Iraq Death Toll at 44 as Violent Repression of Protests Continues, Honduran President Denies Narcotrafficking Ties as His Brother Faces U.S. Trial, Protests Rock Ecuador as IM…

Staff (2019-10-03). Headlines for October 3, 2019. democracynow.org House Democrats Prepare White House Subpoena in Impeachment Probe, Trump Rages Against Impeachment Probe with Profanity and Insults, Bernie Sanders Has Surgery to Clear Blocked Artery, Deaths and Injuries Mount as Iraqi Police and Soldiers Fire on Protesters, EU Officials Wary as British PM Boris Johnson Unveils Brexit Plan , Hong Kong Teen Shot During Protests Charged with Assaulting Officer, Record-Breaking Hurricane Lorenzo Lashes Azores, Heads for Ireland, London Climate Protesters Spray British Treasury with Fake Blood, Cameroonian Asylum Seeker Dies in For-Profit Immigration Jail, Plácido Domingo Quits L.A.

Staff (2019-10-03). As Man Dies in ICE Custody, California Moves to Ban For-Profit Prisons, Including Immigrant Jails. democracynow.org A Cameroonian immigrant died this week in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California. The man, identified as 37-year-old Nebane Abienwi, died on Tuesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. This comes as California lawmakers passed a bill last month that would ban private prisons statewide, a major blow to the for-profit prison industry in the U.S. that is deeply entangled in immigration detention. The legislation also orders the closure of four ICE prisons that can jail up to 4,500 immigrants. The bill is currently awaiting the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom, who said in his January…

Staff (2019-10-03). Trump vs. California: In Blow to Climate, U.S. Revokes State's Stricter Auto Emissions Standards. democracynow.org California is in a legal battle with the Trump administration over tailpipe emissions, air quality and climate change. California recently joined nearly two dozen other states to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it revoked the state's air pollution standards for cars and light trucks, in its latest regulatory rollback of laws aimed at slowing the climate crisis. Auto emissions are California's single largest source of greenhouse gases. From Los Angeles, we're joined by Mary Nichols, the longtime chair of the California Air Resources Board. She has led the board in crafting California's intern…

Staff (2019-10-03). "Nothing Ends Homelessness Like a Home": Advocates Slam Trump's Attack on SF & Homeless People. democracynow.org President Trump is continuing an all-out attack on San Francisco's homeless population and political leaders. On Wednesday, the Trump administration filed an environmental notice of violation against San Francisco, falsely claiming that the city's homelessness crisis has caused water pollution. City officials have repeatedly rejected Trump's unfounded claims that homelessness is connected to water quality. California is home to 12% of the country's population but half of the country's unsheltered homeless people. President Trump has been pushing for a crackdown on the crisis for weeks and threatened to destroy ho…

Ryan Gebhardt (2019-09-30). Lancaster, PA march demands right to healthcare in the face of hospital closure, corporate profiteering. liberationnews.org Community members in Lancaster, Pennsylvania came into the streets on September 21 to march in the heat for the right to quality healthcare.

Eoin Higgins, Common Dreams (2019-09-08). New Season of Amazon's Jack Ryan Focused on Venezuela Denounced as 'Over-the-Top and Ridiculous' US Propaganda. venezuelanalysis.com The upcoming season of Amazon's Jack Ryan could have been scripted by John Bolton.