Daily Archives: August 14, 2019

2019-08-14: News Headlines

Brenda Ryan (2019-08-14). Michael Brown remembered. workers.org New York — Exactly five years after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a cop in Ferguson, Mo., Shut It Down NYC called an Aug. 9 demonstration — "Fists Up, Fight Back!" — in his memory. Protesters marched from Grand Central Terminal through midtown Manhattan chanting: "Eric Garner, . . . | Continue reading Michael Brown remembered at Workers.org

Eds. (2019-08-14). Tulsi Gabbard vs Google goliath. mronline.org Tulsi Gabbard was the most-searched person on Google during the first debate—so the giant corporation shut down her account. | Source

RT (2019-08-14). MSM circles the wagons after Sanders jab at WaPo, comparing him with Bad Orange Man. rt.com Mainstream media has stepped up its attacks on Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders after he slammed the Washington Post for biased coverage of his campaign, calling him "dangerous" and likening him to Trump.

Monica Moorehead (2019-08-14). A revolutionary understanding of the national question. workers.org Monica Moorehead at Reclaim Pride demonstration in New York, June 2019. This article is based on a talk given at a July 25 Workers World Party meeting in New York City that addressed the theme "Fighting against Racism and for National Sovereignty." This talk will not give a blow-by-blow account . . . | Continue reading A revolutionary understanding of the national question at Workers.org

RT (2019-08-14). 2020 Democrats double down on diversity — or do they? rt.com Democrats vying to defeat President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election are insisting he's a racist and a bigot, while they represent diversity and the future of America. How is that working out for them?

RT (2019-08-14). Big election business: Democratic candidates, even critical of Facebook, pour millions into platform. rt.com Though many Democrats have decried the role of social media giant Facebook in spreading 'fake news' during the 2016 presidential election, the party's new debate rules are driving candidates to shovel millions into the platform.

Staff (2019-08-14). Hong Kong Protest Withdraws From Airport, but Situation Remains far From Normal. therealnews.com The mostly leaderless movement for Hong Kong's democratization withdrew from the airport, allowing flights to resume, but the situation remains unresolved as long as protesters and government fail to come to an agreement on reforms. We speak to Sean Starrs in Hong Kong…

Staff (2019-08-14). Stacey Abrams Applauded for #FairFight2020 Initiative Against Voter Suppression. truthout.org | | After experiencing firsthand how voter suppression impacts elections in her narrowly unsuccessful Georgia gubernatorial race against Republican Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams on Tuesday launched an initiative aimed at bolstering voter protections nationwide ahead of the 2020 elections. | "There are only two things stopping us in 2020: that people have…

Norman Solomon (2019-08-14). Why Bernie Sanders Is Correct About the Washington Post — and Corporate Media Overall. indybay.org "The most sacred cow of the press is the press itself"

Norman Solomon (2019-08-14). Why Bernie Sanders Is Absolutely Correct About the Washington Post—and Corporate Media Overall. commondreams.org Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) talks to journalists after speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox during the Iowa State Fair August 11, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bernie_sanders_free_press_corporate_media.jpg

Norman Solomon (2019-08-14). Bernie Sanders Sees Right Through The Washington Post. truthdig.com The senator has fought tirelessly to raise wages at Amazon. He has good reason to question the coverage of a paper owned by Jeff Bezos.

teleSUR (2019-08-14). It's Not Anti-Semitic to Criticize Israel: Bernie Sanders. telesurenglish.net To criticize the Israeli government does not make you antisemitic, United States Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Wednesday. | RELATED: | 'United Struggle Against United Oppressors': Pro-Palestine BDS Stands in Solidarity With Kashmir | During the meeting, an audience member commented she felt "really let down by politicians who only represent a Jewish voice that is completely uncrit…

Timothy Malone (2019-08-14). Fetishisizing White Supremacy. dissidentvoice.org "White Supremacy" has captured the nation's attention. On August 3, a white supremacist mass shooter left 22 dead in El Paso. On Wednesday August 7, presidential candidates Joe Biden and Corey Booker made speeches referencing White Supremacy. That same day, Fox host Tucker Carlson announced he is 'going on vacation,' after claiming that White Supremacy …

Gregory Kulacki (2019-08-14). The Next Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nuclear Weapons and US — Japan — China Relations. globalresearch.ca Japan was the first, the last and the only nation to be attacked with nuclear weapons. If it continues along the path set by Prime Minister Abe and the national security bureaucrats of his Liberal Democrat Party (LDP), it may …

WSWS (2019-08-14). Italy: Democrats, Five-Star Movement call for technocratic government. wsws.org On August 20, the Senate will hold a confidence vote on the current government, after far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini broke the governing alliance.

WSWS (2019-08-14). Chicago school district and union officials prepare to sell austerity contract to teachers. wsws.org The Democratic Party "fact-finder" has come down on the side of the district's demands for a virtual wage freeze and further inroads on teachers' health care benefits.

teleSUR (2019-08-14). Ecuador Assembly Deposes Democratically-Elected Council Members. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Assembly voted Wednesday to depose four democratically elected members of the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council in a highly questioned political move as they pledged to investigate President Lenin Moreno's administration. | RELATED: | 'Real Coup': Ecuador Removes Constitutional Court Judges | With 84 votes in favor, 32 against and eight abstentions, lawmakers approved a motion of censure and deposed Jose Tuarez, Rosa Chala, Victoria Desintonio and Walt…

Staff (2019-08-14). Kashmir Could Become the New Palestine. truthdig.com On August 5, India's Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill in the Indian Parliament. The bill divides the Indian State into two parts: the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. | The Legislative Assembly in the state has been suspended. Its elected officials have been placed under house arrest. The press has been gagged, protests have been violently disbanded, and social media has been shut down. | A bill in parliament suggests the normal function of democracy; the actual situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir is undemocratic. | T.K. R…

WSWS (2019-08-14). Portugal's social-democratic government calls out army against truckers' strike. wsws.org The financial aristocracy has made clear that it will not tolerate workers' demands for a dramatic rise in wages and working conditions, proper rest times, and fundamental social change.

Jeff Carter (2019-08-14). Nuclear Weapons, No First Use: "It Makes the World Safer" globalresearch.ca Jeff Carter is Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility. | In a statement released today, he said: | "During the second 2020 presidential debate, Senator Elizabeth Warren reiterated her support for a 'No First Use' policy on nuclear weapons, stating, 'It …

Community member Mtn. View (2019-08-14). Protest Against Hate & For Sensible Gun Legislation in Mtn. View. indybay.org Intersection of El Camino Real & Castro Street, Mountain View, California…

teleSUR (2019-08-14). Cardi B Meets Bernie Sanders, Talks Minimum Wage, Unemployment. telesurenglish.net Singer and rapper Cardi B interviewed the U.S. Senator and 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders about the economy, union, unemployment. | RELATED: | US 2020 Presidential Elections: Buttigieg has 24 Billionaire Donors, Harris 18, Biden 13, Sanders 0 | In a video shared by the singer Tuesday, the two could be seen talki…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-14). 'More Important Than Ever': Stacey Abrams Applauded for #FairFight2020 Initiative Against Voter Suppression. commondreams.org "Creating a government of the people, by the people, and for the people will happen only when we hear every voice from the people." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/stacey_abrams.jpg

Emily Apple (2019-08-14). Clive Lewis nails the one question that everyone opposing a no-deal Brexit has to answer. thecanary.co With the threat of Boris Johnson's no-deal Brexit looming, centrists are looking at ways of turning it into a power grab. The likes of Tom Watson and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, for example, would have us believe that the only option is to form a 'unity government' with them at the forefront. But the reality is very different. | Speaking on Newsnight, Labour's Clive Lewis nailed the one question that every person (but particularly the likes of…

Staff (2019-08-14). "Give Us Your Rich": Immigration Reporter Says Trump Admin Is Changing "Wholesale" Who Gets into U.S. democracynow.org "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Those are the words of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. But this week, acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli attempted to rewrite the poem to make a case for limiting immigration to the United States. He told NPR's Rachel Martin on Tuesday that the Statue of Liberty's message is "Give me your tired and your poor, who can stand on their own two feet and who will…

Staff (2019-08-14). "River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions. democracynow.org The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the…

Staff (2019-08-14). "A Narco State Supported by the United States": How Crime & Corruption in Honduras Fuel Migration. democracynow.org We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sonia Nazario, who has closely detailed why migrants from Central America are fleeing their homes in an attempt to seek asylum in the United States. Earlier this year, Nazario spent a month in Honduras documenting how corruption and gang violence are forcing many people to flee. Her piece, "Pay or Die," ran in The New York Times, where she is a contributing opinion writer.

Staff (2019-08-14). Corporate Media's Embarrassing New Case for Joe Biden. truthdig.com Media insist that criticizing Obama will somehow hand the election over to Trump, but this storyline is just another way to defend Joe Biden.

Julie Hollar (2019-08-13). Media Defend Biden by Attacking Dems for 'Attacking' Obama. fair.org Coming out of the second round of Democratic debates, a curious storyline crystallized in the media: The candidates are attacking Obama, and that's a sure-fire way to hand the election to Trump. It's the latest flavor of "the Democrats are moving too far left" (FAIR.org, 7/2/19)—this time echoing both Trump himself and the right-wing Democratic candidates, including former Obama Vice President Joe Biden. | During the first debate, Rep. John Delaney pitched the story, claiming, "Most of the folks run…

Ilana Novick (2019-08-13). How Wavering Democrats Bought Into Kochs' Free Trade Scheme. truthdig.com When George Soros and Charles Koch announced in July that they are partnering to create a think tank dedicated to ending the United States' forever wars, Steven Kinzer of The Boston Globe called the idea "one of the most remarkable partnerships in modern American political history." | Despite the jarring image of the liberal billionaire joining forces with the radical conservative, the forthcoming Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is not such an anomaly in the history of the Koch family. As Ryan Grim and An…

Ryan Grim (2019-08-13). The Kochs Funded Third Way to Push Free Trade to Democrats, New Book Says. theintercept.com Koch Industries secretly financed a 2007 report by Third Way titled "Why Lou Dobbs is Winning" — to promote the free trade agenda to liberals.

Gary Leupp (2019-08-13). MSNBC and the Next Election: Racism is the Issue. dissidentvoice.org After Donald Trump unexpectedly won the 2016 election, the Democrats and the mainstream media they shape sought to explain the disaster as a result of Russian meddling. Such meddling, which had been alleged for months, was documented in an (unconvincing) intelligence report prepared by the lame-duck Obama administration, made public Jan. 6, 2017; Congress followed …

Bill Blum (2019-08-13). John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression. truthdig.com This piece originally appeared on The Progressive. | When Chief Justice John Roberts steps down from the Supreme Court years from now, how will he be remembered? | Many of his current admirers think (or at least hope) that it will be for defending judicial independence against the Tru…

Bill Blum (2019-08-13). Unequal Justice: John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression. progressive.org Plaintiffs are litigating voting rights cases in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and several other states. Some will succeed, some will fail, but all will be more uncertain and expensive thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

teleSUR (2019-08-13). Danny Glover Opposes Painting Over Slavery Mural. telesurenglish.net Actor Danny Glover opposed painting over a mural at the San Francisco Washington High school Monday. | RELATED: | US: Danny Glover Endorses Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders | The mural, namely, "The Life of Washington" was painted by Victor Arnautoff, one of the famous muralists in San Fransisco during the Depression i.e., the 1920s United States. | The 1…

Julie Hollar (2019-08-13). Media Defend Biden by Attacking Dems for 'Attacking' Obama. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/obama-attack_media.jpg

Eric Zuesse (2019-08-13). Reality-Denial Among America's Democratic Party Faithful. dissidentvoice.org I used to be a Democrat, until the majority of Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted in 2002 for George W. Bush's 2003 catastrophic invasion of Iraq, even though everything that Bush and his Administration were alleging the invasion to be based on were mere lies, by him and his Administration. A Senator or Representative …

teleSUR (2019-08-13). Rights Groups, Cities To Sue Trump's Anti-Poor Migrant Policy. telesurenglish.net United States government's plan to limit access to citizenship and permanent residence for migrants with low economic resources undermines democracy and penalizes parents for seeking help to feed their children, migrant and Latino advocacy groups said Tuesday. | RELATED: | US To Deny Visas to Legal Immigrants for Being Too Poor | "This illegal rule is just another attempt to vilify immigrants," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement. The city of San Francisco a…

Staff (2019-08-13). Trump Keeps Cracking Down on Legal Immigration Because His Base Loves Cruelty. truthout.org | | When Democrats dismissed the Fox News-led fear-mongering about "hordes" of undocumented immigrants "invading" the United States from the south as a manufactured crisis, they were pilloried by Republicans and the mainstream media alike for not taking the issue seriously. Hardly anyone demonstrated an understanding of Democrats' nuanced argument. | Illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border appeared much more substantial precisely because the Trump administration had choked off acces…

WSWS (2019-08-13). The German media and Julian Assange: Silence and slander. wsws.org Over a week after a US federal court threw out a civil case brought by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) against Julian Assange, the German media has been dominated by an embarrassed silence.

commondreams (2019-08-13). Letter Urges Democratic Candidates to Take 'NoKXL Pledge' to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline on Day One If Elected President. commondreams.org ______________________________…

teleSUR (2019-08-13). Colombia's Electoral Court Opens Probe on Santos' 2014 Campaign. telesurenglish.net Colombia's electoral authorities have opened an investigation into whether former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos accepted illegal campaign contributions from Brazilian construction Odebrecht in 2014. | RELATED: | Colombia Gov't Bails out Banks for Dissolved Odebrecht Project | Renato Rafael Contreras from the Democratic Center, Doris Méndez C…

Michael Payne (2019-08-13). Spineless, craven Republicans and Trump sow the seeds of hate that proliferate mass shootings. nationofchange.org Only if the people of America rise en masse and demand that these corrupted politicians put an end to this madness, will this situation come under control.

Thom Hartmann (2019-08-13). The Right-Wing American Love Affair With One of the Most Disturbing Serial Killers. commondreams.org Ayn Rand's philosophy is a central tenet of today's Republican Party and the moral code proudly cited and followed by high-profile billionaires and the president of the United States. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ayn_rand_hickman.jpg

teleSUR (2019-08-13). World Commemorates Fidel Castro's Birthday. telesurenglish.net Governments and social movements around the world have come together to commemorate the birthday of revolutionary icon Fidel Castro, on what would have been his 93rd birthday. | RELATED: | 60 Years of Defending Cuba Against a Barbarous Empire | On Tuesday morning, members of China's Communist Youth attended an event at the Cuban embassy in Beijing to commemorate the Cuban revolutionary hero. Other Cuban embassies also hosted events. In Russia, there was a talk on Fidel along with an…

Steve Phillips (2019-08-13). It's Safe to Impeach Donald Trump. thenation.com It's Safe to Impeach Donald Trump…

John Nichols (2019-08-13). The Once Common Republican Environmentalist Is Virtually Extinct. thenation.com The Once Common Republican Environmentalist Is Virtually Extinct…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-13). "We Won't Back Down": Over 50 Catering Workers Arrested at American Airlines HQ in Protest Against Poverty Wages. commondreams.org "In recent years American Airlines has made billions in profits. It is unconscionable that their workers cannot afford good healthcare or get reliable raises," said Sen. Bernie Sanders | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/american_airlines.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-08-13). Indigenous and Green Groups Fighting Against Pipeline Urge 2020 Democrats to Take 'NoKXL Pledge'. commondreams.org Indigenous, environmental, and landowner groups fighting to block the Keystone XL pipeline sent a letter Tuesday to the two dozen 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidates, urging them to take the "NoKXL pledge" and vow—if elected—to revoke the Trump administration's permit for the tar sands oil project. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/white_house_kxl_0_0.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-08-13). Reproductive Rights Advocates Fight Latest Extreme Abortion Ban as Tennessee GOP Attempts to Criminalize Procedure. commondreams.org Reproductive rights advocates were in Nashville Tuesday to testify against a new anti-choice bill proposed by Republican lawmakers in Tennessee, shifting national attention back to extreme efforts by the GOP to restrict women's right to abortion care. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/stopthebans.jpeg

Staff (2019-08-13). How to Be an Antiracist: Ibram X. Kendi on Why We Need to Fight Racism the Way We Fight Cancer. democracynow.org In his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist," professor Ibram X. Kendi urges readers to break out of the false framework of "racist" and "not racist," instead laying out what it means to be antiracist: viewing racial groups as equals and pushing for policies that create racial equity. Kendi says, "We can't just talk about racism as an original sin. We have to talk about racism as the original cancer, as this original disease that has been killing America."

Staff (2019-08-13). "Today the Lynch Mob Only Needs an Assault Rifle": Ibram X. Kendi on White Supremacist Violence. democracynow.org This week marks two years since white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, where a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd of antiracist protesters, killing 32-year-old activist Heather Heyer. Days later, President Trump claimed there were "very fine people on both sides." Since Charlottesville, white supremacists have committed at least 73 murders, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Just last week, a white supremacist in El Paso, Texas, opened fire in a crowded Walmart and killed 22 people. It's been described as the deadliest attack to target Latinos in modern American history. We speak with D…

Staff (2019-08-13). Ibram X. Kendi: IQ Tests, SAT Scores and Other "Intelligence" Tests Propagate Racism. democracynow.org Author and professor Ibram X. Kendi joins us to discuss his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist." He talks about the racist development of intelligence tests that blatantly discriminate against people of color under a veneer of scientific objectivity. "Even when we talk about antiracism, when most people think of who needs to be an antiracist, they think of Southerners. They think of people who voted for Trump," says Kendi. "They don't think of people who are advocating for the maintenance of these tests, which are denying access to some of the best schools in New York City to black and Latino kids."

Staff (2019-08-13). Headlines for August 13, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Announces New Rule to Limit and Penalize Low-Income Immigrants, Trump Slashes Endangered Species Act, Hong Kong Protesters Shut Down Airport for Second Day, Flooding, Landslides Kill Hundreds Across South and Southeast Asia, Ebola No Longer "Incurable" After Success of Experimental Treatments, Reports: Director of Mexican Migrant Shelter Kidnapped, Racist Border Patrol Agent Who Intentionally Ran Over Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty, Friend of Dayton Shooter Says He Bought and Stored Gun Parts and Ammunition Used in Massacre, WaPo Editor Responds to Sanders Claim That Paper Writes Negative Stories Because of A…

susan_p (2019-08-13). Indian left condemns dismantling of Jammu and Kashmir. greenleft.org.au The following joint statement was issued by Indian left parties on August 5, condemning the dismantling of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the assault on India's Constitution, democracy and federalism. | *** | The Modi government has dealt a severe blow to our constitutional order by unilaterally scrapping Article 370 and other provisions of the Constitution and dividing the state of Jammu and Kashmir. | The special provisions guaranteed by the Indian Constitution to the state of Jammu and Kashmir were the result of the princely state signing the instrument of accession to the Indian union in the face of Pakis…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-13). Showing Size and Diversity of Sanders' Grassroots Army, #MyBernieStory Goes Viral on Social Media. commondreams.org "Our campaign motto is Not Me, Us, and that is directly reflected in this incredible show of support from working people across America. It's these grassroots volunteers who will ensure Bernie Sanders wins the primary and defeats Donald Trump." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_2.png

Aída Chávez (2019-08-12). Former Beto O'Rourke Organizers Rally Behind New Texas Senate Candidate. theintercept.com In April, Becky Bond and Zack Malitz left Beto O'Rourke's staff, less than a month after they'd helped the former Senate candidate rake in $6 million in the first day of his presidential campaign. It was seen, at the time, as a strategic shift for O'Rourke — away from the "big organizing" vision that drove his unexpectedly impactful 2018 Senate run. Now, Social Practice, the firm created by Bond and Malitz, who also worked on Sen. Bernie Sanders's 2016 campaign for president, is turning its "big organizing" vis…

Max Blumenthal (2019-08-12). Cómo los planes de privatización de Joe Biden condenaron a Latinoamérica y desataron la crisis migratoria. thegrayzone.com En su campaña, Joe Biden se ha jactado de su papel en la transformación de Colombia y Centroamérica a través…

Ryan Driskell Tate (2019-08-12). How Climate Activists Can Benefit from Solidarity with Kentucky Coal Miners. progressive.org As fossil-fuel workers lose their jobs today, the urgency of what climate activists call the "just transition" becomes all the more apparent.

Aaron Maté (2019-08-12). Trump starves Venezuela, Democrats are silent. thegrayzone.com The Trump administration is intensifying its economic warfare on the people of Venezuela with a crippling embargo — and facing…

Benjamin Ryan (2019-08-12). Paid Family Leave Is a Game Changer for New Parents' Health, Not Just Their Economic Security. thenation.com Paid Family Leave Is a Game Changer for New Parents' Health, Not Just Their Economic Security…

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2019-08-12). 50 years on and the Battle of the Bogside could teach us about the dangers of a Tory no-deal Brexit. thecanary.co On 12 August 1969, a battle between Irish republicans on one side and British police and loyalist gangs on the other raged for two days in Derry city. The battle of the Bogside, as it became known, ensured the conflict in Ireland would continue for anothe…

Staff (2019-08-12). Hong Kong Grounds Flights as Mass Sit-in Shuts Down Airport After Weekend of Protests. democracynow.org All departing flights were grounded as chaos engulfed the Hong Kong International Airport Monday, after thousands of pro-democracy protesters filled the travel hub to protest police brutality. Many eventually left the airport, fearing threats of more police action, but hundreds of activists remain. The latest escalation follows a weekend of bloody clashes between the police and protesters. Confrontations turned especially violent on Sunday night as riot police fired tear gas inside a subway station and were filmed beating protesters with batons. Meanwhile, Beijing has escalated its rhetoric against the protesters…

Staff (2019-08-12). "The Next Step Is the Kremlin": Why Moscow Protests Have Putin's Government Worried. democracynow.org Up to 60,000 protesters gathered Saturday in Moscow in the largest demonstration Russia has witnessed in years. Although the protest was officially authorized, dozens of protesters were arrested in the capital, and dozens more were also arrested in demonstrations across the country. Saturday's protest was organized to denounce the recent barring of opposition candidates from running in an upcoming election for Moscow City Council. We speak with Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School. She is the co-author of "In Putin's Footsteps: Searching for the Soul of an Empire Across Russia's…

Staff (2019-08-11). Student Debt Reform, or Student Debt Forgiveness? What The Candidates' Plans Mean. therealnews.com Students leaving college with their hard-earned degrees also have a significant and growing amount of debt. Which Democratic candidate's plan is the most effective at addressing this growing problem?

Bryan Ellis, Traducido por Ana Yarí (2019-08-10). Manifestantes en Bradenton defienden los derechos de los inmigrantes y los refugiados. liberationnews.org Los esfuerzos locales para fortalecer la comunidad y empoderar a los inmigrantes y refugiados continúan en Sarasota y Bradenton.

Ryan Devereaux (2019-08-10). The Unraveling of the Conspiracy Case Against No More Deaths Volunteer Scott Warren. theintercept.com The federal courthouse in Tucson, Arizona, has always been a place where the borderlands and the American justice system collide. Described by its engineers as "a gateway to the desert and the mountains beyond," it was completed in 2000, the year that the Pima County medical examiner's office began tracking an explosion of deaths in that same desert. | Each afternoon, Monday through Thursday, dozens of chained migrants who survived the journey across the border but found themselves in Border Patrol custody are marched up from the building's bowels for mass hearings. They come in groups of up to 70 at a time. You…

Staff (2019-08-09). Mass ICE Raids in Mississippi After Workers Fought for Better Conditions Leave Kids Without Parents. democracynow.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swept through seven poultry processing plants in Mississippi this week and arrested 680 people. It was the largest single-state raid in U.S. history.The mass arrests also came on the first day of the school year, and some children walked home from school only to find their doors locked and their family members missing. Wednesday's raids targeted chicken processing plants operated by Koch Foods, one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. Last year, the company paid out $3.75 million to settle an Equal Employment Opportunities Commission class-action suit charging th…

Staff (2019-08-09). Supersizing Climate Change: U.N. Says Meat Production Destroys Land & Diminishes Key Water Sources. democracynow.org The United Nations' top panel of climate scientists warns that humans are consuming land and water resources at an unprecedented rate, with the destructive effects of the climate crisis increasingly threatening the planet's biodiversity and the food security of hundreds of millions of people. In its latest climate change and land special report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that without dramatic action, extreme weather and rising temperatures will turn even more fertile land into desert, shrinking the global food supply, even as the world's population rises to more than 7.5 billion people.

Staff (2019-08-09). Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young. democracynow.org Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a "fusion center" to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called "The Monsanto Years." Monsanto monitored Young's Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album. The fusion center also surveilled journalist Carey Gillam, who has done extensive research and writing about Monsanto and its popular pesticide Roundup, which has been linked to cancer. The corporation also targeted the nonpro…

Staff (2019-08-09). Headlines for August 9, 2019. democracynow.org Mitch McConnell Says Senate Will Take Up Gun Bills, But Not Until September, President and First Lady Pose with Infant Orphaned in El Paso Massacre, Man with Guns and Body Armor Sparks Panic at Missouri Walmart, Home of Interracial Couple in Ohio Torched in Apparent Hate Crime, Over 100 Immigrant Hunger Strikers Tear-Gassed Inside ICE Jail, ICE Releases Some of the 680 Immigrants Swept Up in Massive Mississippi Raid, Mentally Ill Michigan Man with Diabetes Dies After Deportation to Iraq, ICE Agents, Lacking Warrant, Denied Entry to Brooklyn Homeless Shelter, Hundreds of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Occupy A…

peter_b (2019-08-09). Timorese hail Witness K and Bernard Collaery as 'heroes'. greenleft.org.au The Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (MKOTT), a Timorese activist group based in Dili, condemned the Australian government on August 9 for its ongoing prosecution of Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery, over the exposure of Australian secret service bugging of Timorese government offices, labelling it as an "attack on freedom of expression and democracy". | Timor-Leste is preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the referendum in 1999, when the Timorese people voted overwhelmingly to be independent of Indonesian occupation. On the same day (August 30), the governments of Timor-Leste an…

susan_p (2019-08-09). Nicaraguans grow divided under Ortega but reject US meddling. greenleft.org.au Nicaraguans commemorated the 40th anniversary of their country's revolution on July 19 in a variety of ways, reflecting counterposed views on the present government. | While President Daniel Ortega and his partner, Vice President Rosario Murillo addressed thousands of Sandinista party faithful at Lake Managua, others, including many former Sandinistas, quietly commemorated this historic day without Ortega. | Nicaragua's revolution on July 19, 1979, overthrew US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza after 44 years of the Somoza family dynasty. The Sandinista-led revolution ushered in radical social and political change…

Ali A. Taj (2019-08-08). Obama, Biden, Mattis and Clapper Expressed Skepticism on Syria, so Why Is Gabbard Singled Out? mintpressnews.com Why must Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard be smeared and attacked for questioning the mainstream narrative on Syria when even Barack Obama has done the same?

Ryan Grim (2019-08-08). Denver's City Council, Led by Democratic Socialist, Stuns For-Profit Prison Operators by Nuking Contracts. theintercept.com It wasn't about pulling money from the halfway houses but from "organizations that put kids in cages, run concentration camps," said one council member.

Reese Erlich (2019-08-08). Foreign Correspondent: The U.S. Trade War with China is Not Going So Well. progressive.org For the past year, the U.S. has escalated economic warfare with grudging acceptance by high-level Democrats and Republicans.

Ryan Gallagher (2019-08-08). A New App Allows Readers in China to Bypass Censorship of The Intercept. theintercept.com Since June, people in China have been unable to read The Intercept, after the country's government apparently banned our website, along with those of several other media organizations. Today, we are happy to announce a workaround that will allow people in China to circumvent the restrictions, access our full site, and continue to read our award-winning journalism. | In partnership with Psiphon, an anti-censorship organization based in Canada, we are launching…

Staff (2019-08-08). Emergency Doctor to Trump: You Are Wrong, Mental Illness Is Not to Blame for Gun Violence Epidemic. democracynow.org President Trump went to Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, where he was met by hundreds of protesters condemning his presence after the mass shootings over the weekend, which killed at least 32 people. Prior to his visits, Trump hinted at the need to strengthen background checks for gun purchases, and doubled down on what some healthcare professionals say is dangerous rhetoric linking illness to mass shootings. Numerous other political figures have pointed to mental illness as a contributing factor in mass shootings. From Montreal, we speak with Dr. Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medi…

Staff (2019-08-08). Kashmir Under Siege: India Moves to Annex Territory, Heightening Tensions with Nuclear Rival Pakistan. democracynow.org Tensions are escalating over the disputed region of Kashmir following India's revocation earlier this week of its special status, which granted the area some autonomy. Kashmir remains on lockdown, with internet and other communications blocked and leaders placed under house arrest. The Modi government has also deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Kashmir. Pakistan announced Wednesday it would expel India's ambassador and stop its newly appointed envoy from assuming his position in New Delhi. It also announced it was cutting off all bilateral trade with India. We speak with three guests: Sanjay Kak,…

Staff (2019-08-08). Headlines for August 8, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Scientists Warn Rapid Global Warming Threatens Food Supply, 680 Mississippi Poultry Workers Arrested in Massive Immigration Raid, ICE Raids Targeted Company Whose Workers Won Discrimination Lawsuit, Trump Visits Dayton and El Paso, Sites of Weekend Mass Shootings, El Paso Protesters Link Trump's Racist Rhetoric to Gunman's Manifesto, Trump Supporter with Loaded Pistol, Knife Arrested Outside El Paso Immigrant Center, Trump Suggests Antifa Shares Equal Blame for Deadly Violence, Democratic Presidential Candidates Say Trump Enables White Supremacists, SPLC: State Department Employee Secretly Worked as White Na…

Ryan Devereaux (2019-08-07). From El Paso to the War on Terror, the Dangers of Historical Amnesia. theintercept.com When Monica Muñoz Martínez thinks about El Paso, Texas, she also thinks about Ciudad Juárez. It's the same process that happens when she thinks about Brownsville and Matamoros, or Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras. They are clusters of human civilization that spill into one another, sharing space across a border drawn not that long ago, which has come to mean a lot in recent years. A historian, professor, and a native Texan, Muñoz Martínez knows the story well. She is the co-founder of Refusing to Forget, a collective project aimed at educating the public on a largely lost…

Mehdi Hasan (2019-08-07). These 7 Prominent Conservatives Have Nothing in Common With White Supremacists, Nothing at All. theintercept.com A man wears a MAGA hat during the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on July 12, 2019. | cool kid's philosopher" — took to Twitter to berate those who dare draw any kind of line between President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and U.S. conservatives on the one hand and white nationalist terrorists on the other. | So, we now have two separate NYT columnists arguing that all conservatives are basically violent white supremacists, but slightly more subtle. Let me put this gently: f*** yourselves.

Robert Mackey (2019-08-07). What a Protest in Hong Kong Looks Like When Pro-Democracy Marchers Lose Their Fear of the Police. theintercept.com A video report from Hong Kong, where protests are planned for every weekend in August and calls to "liberate Hong Kong" have appeared on the city's walls.

Aída Chávez (2019-08-07). Democrats Are Resurfacing a Gun Control Bill That Contains an Anti-Immigrant Amendment. theintercept.com This weekend, there were back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. The accused shooter in El Paso, who appears to have published an anti-immigrant manifesto on 8chan declaring the attack a response to a "Hispanic invasion," killed at least 22 people and injured dozens more at a Walmart in what seems to be the worst anti-Latino attack in the country's history. On Monday, in light of these massacres, House Democrats called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to take up their gun control bill. Tucked into the bill, however, is an anti-immigrant amendment promoting deportation that Republ…

Staff (2019-08-07). "Toni Morrison Will Always Be with Us": Angela Davis, Nikki Giovanni & Sonia Sanchez Pay Tribute. democracynow.org Toni Morrison, one of the nation's most influential writers, died this week at the age of 88 from complications of pneumonia. In 1993, Morrison became the first African-American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. She also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her classic work "Beloved." Much of Morrison's writing focused on the Black female experience in America, and her writing style honored the rhythms of Black oral tradition. Her work was deeply concerned with race and history, especially the sin of transatlantic slavery and the potentially restorative power of community. In 2012, President Obama awar…

Staff (2019-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2019. democracynow.org Dems and Grieving Communities Voice Resistance to Trump Visits to El Paso and Dayton, FBI Investigating Gilroy Mass Shooting as Domestic Terror, Dems Call on Congressional Leaders to Pass Bills Addressing White Supremacy, Civil Rights Groups Rally Against Gun Violence and White Supremacy at White House, Walmart Workers Plan Walkout to Protest Gun Sales, Toni Morrison, Visionary Author and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 88, Nigerian Journalist and Political Activist Omoyele Sowore Arrested After Calling for Revolution, U.S Warns Turkey Against Syria Attacking Kurdish Forces in Syria, 25% of World's Population Under "Extr…

Staff (2019-08-06). Puerto Rico in Political Crisis: Senate Sues over Appointment of New Governor Pierluisi. democracynow.org The political crisis in Puerto Rico continues as its Senate has sued against the appointment of Pedro Pierluisi as the new governor following Ricardo Rosselló's resignation last week. Pierluisi was sworn in despite not having been confirmed by the Puerto Rican Senate. But he argues that he is in the line of succession for governor after being nominated as secretary of state by Rosselló last week. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz also sued after his swearing-in. We speak with Democracy Now! co-host Juan González for his analysis of the current political climate.

Staff (2019-08-06). "Fascism Will Not Go Away by Itself": George Ciccariello-Maher on Confronting White Supremacy. democracynow.org Just before the mass shooting at a crowded El Paso Walmart this weekend, the gunman wrote in a lengthy manifesto saying that the massacre was in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." He also prompted a white supremacist conspiracy theory known as "great replacement" that has been cited by other mass shooters. From Mexico City, we speak with George Ciccariello-Maher, visiting scholar at NYU's Hemispheric Institute. In December 2017, Ciccariello-Maher resigned from Drexel University after a year of harassment and death threats from right-wing white supremacists. The threats stemmed from a…

Staff (2019-08-06). Parents of Parkland Victim Planned to Unveil a Mural in El Paso. Then Another Mass Shooting Happened. democracynow.org During this weekend's deadly gun violence in El Paso, Texas, Manuel and Patricia Oliver were in the vicinity because they were planning on commemorating what would have been the 19th birthday of their son, Joaquin Oliver. Joaquin was one of the 17 people gunned down during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day last year. Manuel and Patricia had traveled to Ciudad Juárez, across the U.S. border into Mexico, to visit an immigrant shelter in honor of their deceased son, saying no child should ever be separated from their parents by either gunfire or immigration ag…

Staff (2019-08-06). "We Can't Wait for McConnell": Advocates Call for Bold Action to Curb Gun Violence Epidemic. democracynow.org The death toll in Saturday's anti-immigrant shooting rampage at a Walmart in El Paso has risen to 22, after two more injured victims died Monday. Just before the shooting, the gunman published a manifesto claiming his actions were being done in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." Most of the dead in El Paso were Latino, including eight Mexican nationals. Thirteen hours after the massacre in El Paso, a gunman in Dayton, Ohio, killed nine people, including his own sister, after opening fire outside a bar. We speak with Kris Brown, president of Brady, formerly the Brady Campaign to Preve…

Staff (2019-08-06). Headlines for August 6, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Condemns White Supremacy After El Paso Massacre Despite His Own Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, Trump Supporter Who Sent Pipe Bombs to CNN and Democrats Sentenced to 20 Years, Tensions Mount over Kashmir as Pakistan Reacts to Revocation of Special Status, Puerto Rican Senate, San Juan Mayor Sue over Pierluisi's Appointment as Governor, China Weakens Currency, Halts U.S. Crop Imports as Trade War Ratchets Up, U.S. Imposes Economic Embargo Against Venezuela, Drone Attack Kills 42 People in Libya, R. Kelly Charged with Prostitution and Solicitation of a Minor, Galveston Police Apologize for Shocking Photo Showing Mou…

Bill Lueders (2019-08-05). Take Away My Employer-Based Health Insurance. Please. progressive.org Centrist Democrats like Joe Biden still aim to gin up mass fear over the prospect of leaving behind predatory insurers and the dizzying array of deductibles, co-pays, exclusions, humiliations, and rationing of care that characterizes our current syst…

unitedEditor (2019-08-05). US mass shootings, Democratic debates, America vs China. uwidata.com Mass shootings in the US Three mass shootings took place in the US in three different states — Texas, Ohio and Illinois. 29 people were killed in the attacks, while almost 50 were injured. On Saturday afternoon in El Paso, Texas, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius opened fire at a supermarket. In the wake of the tragedies, …

Staff (2019-08-05). Ex-FBI Agent Speaks Out: Federal Authorities Have Downplayed White Supremacist Violence for Too Long. democracynow.org According to The New York Times, white extremist shooters have now killed at least 63 people in the United States over the past 18 months. Late last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that crime driven by racism and white supremacy was on the rise compared to the past nine months. But former FBI agents say there is reluctance within the agency to tackle white nationalist violence in part due to President Trump's rhetoric. We speak with Mike German, fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law. From 1988 to 2004, German served as an FBI agent…

Staff (2019-08-05). After Dayton Shooting, Gun Violence Reporter Says Misogyny "Clear Link" Between Many Mass Shootings. democracynow.org Over the span of 13 hours, the country was shaken by two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, where a total of 29 people were killed. Shortly before the attack, the El Paso gunman posted an anti-immigrant manifesto on the far-right message board 8chan, while there is still no clear motive for the Dayton shooting. Senator Bernie Sanders and other Democratic leaders are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold a special session of the Senate to vote on two gun safety bills recently passed in the House. This all comes as the National Rifle Association is imploding. We speak with Alex…

splcenter (2019-08-03). Weekend Read: The SPLC fights an internal threat to our democracy. splcenter.org In his recent testimony before Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller pointedly warned the nation about Russia's ongoing attempts to meddle in our nation's elections.

Julie Hollar (2019-08-02). CNN's Industry Spin Shows Need for Independent Debates. fair.org CNN painfully demonstrated this week why we need independently run presidential debates. With its ESPN-like introductions to the candidates, and its insistence on questions that pit candidates against each other, CNN took an approach to the debates more befitting a football game than an exercise in democracy. | The CNN hosts moderated as if they weren't even listening to what candidates were saying, inflexibly cutting them off after the inevitably too-short 30-to-60-second time limit—in order to offer another, often seemingly randomly selected, candida…

Janine Jackson (2019-08-02). 'Democracy Has Become a Joke on the Island' – CounterSpin interview with Ed Morales on Puerto Rican protest. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed Ed Morales about the Puerto Rican protest movement for the July 26, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…

Peter Greene (2019-08-02). Four Truths About For-Profit Charter Schools. progressive.org 2020 Democratic candidates taking a stand against for-profit charters is like bravely standing up in opposition to yeti attacks.

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-08-01). Propagandists Are Freaking Out Over Tulsi Gabbard's Destruction of Kamala Harris. theantimedia.com Tulsi Gabbard took on Kamala Harris over her record on criminal justice reform, the death penalty, and the war on drugs.

2019-08-14: Social Media Postees

Stacey Abrams Applauded for #FairFight2020 Initiative Against Voter Suppression
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-14
| After experiencing firsthand how voter suppression impacts elections in her narrowly unsuccessful Georgia gubernatorial race against Republican Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams on Tuesday launched an initiative aimed at bolstering voter protections nationwide ahead of the 2020 elections. | "There are only two things stopping us in 2020: that people have…
truthout.org/articles/stacey-abrams-applauded-for-fairfight2020-initiative-against-voter-suppression/

Bernie Sanders Sees Right Through The Washington Post
Norman Solomon | truthdig.com | 2019-08-14
The senator has fought tirelessly to raise wages at Amazon. He has good reason to question the coverage of a paper owned by Jeff Bezos.
truthdig.com/articles/bernie-sanders-sees-right-through-the-washington-post/

Why Bernie Sanders Is Correct About the Washington Post — and Corporate Media Overall
Norman Solomon | indybay.org | 2019-08-14
"The most sacred cow of the press is the press itself"
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/14/18825471.php

Why Bernie Sanders Is Absolutely Correct About the Washington Post—and Corporate Media Overall
Norman Solomon | commondreams.org | 2019-08-14
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) talks to journalists after speaking at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox during the Iowa State Fair August 11, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bernie_sanders_free_press_corporate_media.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/14/why-bernie-sanders-absolutely-correct-about-washington-post-and-corporate-media?cd-origin=rss

It's Not Anti-Semitic to Criticize Israel: Bernie Sanders
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-14
To criticize the Israeli government does not make you antisemitic, United States Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Wednesday. | RELATED: | 'United Struggle Against United Oppressors': Pro-Palestine BDS Stands in Solidarity With Kashmir | During the meeting, an audience member commented she felt "really let down by politicians who only represent a Jewish voice that is completely uncrit…
telesurenglish.net/news/Not-AntiSemitic-to-Criticize-Israel-Bernie-Sanders-20190814-0018.html

MSM circles the wagons after Sanders jab at WaPo, comparing him with Bad Orange Man
rt.com | 2019-08-14
Mainstream media has stepped up its attacks on Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders after he slammed the Washington Post for biased coverage of his campaign, calling him "dangerous" and likening him to Trump. | …
rt.com/usa/466437-bernie-wapo-dangerous-trump-attack/

Tulsi Gabbard vs Google goliath
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-08-14
Tulsi Gabbard was the most-searched person on Google during the first debate–so the giant corporation shut down her account. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/14/democratic-presidential-candidate-tulsi-gabbard-sues-google-for-suspending-her-ad-account/

Fetishisizing White Supremacy
Timothy Malone | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-14
"White Supremacy" has captured the nation's attention. On August 3, a white supremacist mass shooter left 22 dead in El Paso. On Wednesday August 7, presidential candidates Joe Biden and Corey Booker made speeches referencing White Supremacy. That same day, Fox host Tucker Carlson announced he is 'going on vacation,' after claiming that White Supremacy …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/fetishisizing-white-supremacy/

Corporate Media's Embarrassing New Case for Joe Biden
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-14
Media insist that criticizing Obama will somehow hand the election over to Trump, but this storyline is just another way to defend Joe Biden.
truthdig.com/articles/the-latest-flavor-of-the-democrats-are-moving-too-far-left/

Michael Brown remembered
Brenda Ryan | workers.org | 2019-08-14
New York — Exactly five years after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a cop in Ferguson, Mo., Shut It Down NYC called an Aug. 9 demonstration — "Fists Up, Fight Back!" — in his memory. Protesters marched from Grand Central Terminal through midtown Manhattan chanting: "Eric Garner, . . . | Continue reading Michael Brown remembered at Workers.org
workers.org/2019/08/14/michael-brown-remembered/

Ecuador Assembly Deposes Democratically-Elected Council Members
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-14
Ecuador's National Assembly voted Wednesday to depose four democratically elected members of the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council in a highly questioned political move as they pledged to investigate President Lenin Moreno's administration. | RELATED: | 'Real Coup': Ecuador Removes Constitutional Court Judges | With 84 votes in favor, 32 against and eight abstentions, lawmakers approved a motion of censure and deposed Jose Tuarez, Rosa Chala, Victoria Desintonio and Walt…
telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuador-Assembly-Deposes-Democratically-Elected-Council-Members-20190814-0024.html

Hong Kong Protest Withdraws From Airport, but Situation Remains far From Normal
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-14
The mostly leaderless movement for Hong Kong's democratization withdrew from the airport, allowing flights to resume, but the situation remains unresolved as long as protesters and government fail to come to an agreement on reforms. We speak to Sean Starrs in Hong Kong…
therealnews.com/stories/hong-kong-protest-withdraws-from-airport-but-situation-remains-far-from-normal

Chicago school district and union officials prepare to sell austerity contract to teachers
wsws.org | 2019-08-14
The Democratic Party "fact-finder" has come down on the side of the district's demands for a virtual wage freeze and further inroads on teachers' health care benefits.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/14/chic-a14.html

2020 Democrats double down on diversity — or do they?
rt.com | 2019-08-14
Democrats vying to defeat President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election are insisting he's a racist and a bigot, while they represent diversity and the future of America. How is that working out for them? | …
rt.com/usa/466508-democrats-2020-diversity-polls/

The Next Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nuclear Weapons and US — Japan — China Relations
Gregory Kulacki | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-14
Japan was the first, the last and the only nation to be attacked with nuclear weapons. If it continues along the path set by Prime Minister Abe and the national security bureaucrats of his Liberal Democrat Party (LDP), it may …
globalresearch.ca/next-hiroshima-nagasaki/5686380

Kashmir Could Become the New Palestine
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-14
On August 5, India's Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill in the Indian Parliament. The bill divides the Indian State into two parts: the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. | The Legislative Assembly in the state has been suspended. Its elected officials have been placed under house arrest. The press has been gagged, protests have been violently disbanded, and social media has been shut down. | A bill in parliament suggests the normal function of democracy; the actual situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir is undemocratic. | T.K. R…
truthdig.com/articles/kashmir-could-become-the-new-palestine/

Portugal's social-democratic government calls out army against truckers' strike
wsws.org | 2019-08-14
The financial aristocracy has made clear that it will not tolerate workers' demands for a dramatic rise in wages and working conditions, proper rest times, and fundamental social change.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/14/port-a14.html

Italy: Democrats, Five-Star Movement call for technocratic government
wsws.org | 2019-08-14
On August 20, the Senate will hold a confidence vote on the current government, after far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini broke the governing alliance.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/14/ital-a14.html

Big election business: Democratic candidates, even critical of Facebook, pour millions into platform
rt.com | 2019-08-14
Though many Democrats have decried the role of social media giant Facebook in spreading 'fake news' during the 2016 presidential election, the party's new debate rules are driving candidates to shovel millions into the platform. | …
rt.com/usa/466505-democratic-candidates-millions-facebook/

Nuclear Weapons, No First Use: "It Makes the World Safer"
Jeff Carter | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-14
Jeff Carter is Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility. | In a statement released today, he said: | "During the second 2020 presidential debate, Senator Elizabeth Warren reiterated her support for a 'No First Use' policy on nuclear weapons, stating, 'It | …
globalresearch.ca/nuclear-weapons-no-first-use-it-makes-world-safer/5686363

Protest Against Hate & For Sensible Gun Legislation in Mtn. View
Community member Mtn. View | indybay.org | 2019-08-14
Intersection of El Camino Real & Castro Street, Mountain View, California…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/13/18825453.php

Cardi B Meets Bernie Sanders, Talks Minimum Wage, Unemployment
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-14
Singer and rapper Cardi B interviewed the U.S. Senator and 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders about the economy, union, unemployment. | RELATED: | US 2020 Presidential Elections: Buttigieg has 24 Billionaire Donors, Harris 18, Biden 13, Sanders 0 | In a video shared by the singer Tuesday, the two could be seen talki…
telesurenglish.net/news/Cardi-B-Meets-Bernie-Sanders-Talks-Minimum-Wage-Unemployment-20190814-0002.html

'More Important Than Ever': Stacey Abrams Applauded for #FairFight2020 Initiative Against Voter Suppression
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-14
"Creating a government of the people, by the people, and for the people will happen only when we hear every voice from the people." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/stacey_abrams.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/14/more-important-ever-stacey-abrams-applauded-fairfight2020-initiative-against-voter?cd-origin=rss

Clive Lewis nails the one question that everyone opposing a no-deal Brexit has to answer
Emily Apple | thecanary.co | 2019-08-14
With the threat of Boris Johnson's no-deal Brexit looming, centrists are looking at ways of turning it into a power grab. The likes of Tom Watson and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, for example, would have us believe that the only option is to form a 'unity government' with them at the forefront. But the reality is very different. | Speaking on Newsnight, Labour's Clive Lewis nailed the one question that every person (but particularly the likes of…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/08/14/clive-lewis-nails-the-one-question-that-everyone-opposing-a-no-deal-brexit-has-to-answer/

"River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-14
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/14/sister_helen_prejean_federal_death_penalty

"Give Us Your Rich": Immigration Reporter Says Trump Admin Is Changing "Wholesale" Who Gets into U.S
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-14
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Those are the words of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. But this week, acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli attempted to rewrite the poem to make a case for limiting immigration to the United States. He told NPR's Rachel Martin on Tuesday that the Statue of Liberty's message is "Give me your tired and your poor, who can stand on their own two feet and who will…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/14/ken_cuccinelli_immigration_emma_lazarus

"A Narco State Supported by the United States": How Crime & Corruption in Honduras Fuel Migration
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-14
We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sonia Nazario, who has closely detailed why migrants from Central America are fleeing their homes in an attempt to seek asylum in the United States. Earlier this year, Nazario spent a month in Honduras documenting how corruption and gang violence are forcing many people to flee. Her piece, "Pay or Die," ran in The New York Times, where she is a contributing opinion writer.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/14/sonia_nazario_honduras_crime_corruption_migration

John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression
Bill Blum | truthdig.com | 2019-08-13
This piece originally appeared on The Progressive. | When Chief Justice John Roberts steps down from the Supreme Court years from now, how will he be remembered? | Many of his current admirers think (or at least hope) that it will be for defending judicial independence against the Tru…
truthdig.com/articles/john-roberts-dark-legacy-of-voter-suppression/

Unequal Justice: John Roberts' Dark Legacy of Voter Suppression
Bill Blum | progressive.org | 2019-08-13
Plaintiffs are litigating voting rights cases in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, and several other states. Some will succeed, some will fail, but all will be more uncertain and expensive thanks to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
progressive.org/dispatches/unequal-justice-john-roberts-dark-legacy-of-voter-suppression-blum-190812/

Danny Glover Opposes Painting Over Slavery Mural
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-13
Actor Danny Glover opposed painting over a mural at the San Francisco Washington High school Monday. | RELATED: | US: Danny Glover Endorses Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders | The mural, namely, "The Life of Washington" was painted by Victor Arnautoff, one of the famous muralists in San Fransisco during the Depression i.e., the 1920s United States. | The 1…
telesurenglish.net/news/united-states-danny-glover-opposes-painting-over-washington-mural-20190813-0014.html

Media Defend Biden by Attacking Dems for 'Attacking' Obama
Julie Hollar | commondreams.org | 2019-08-13
commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/obama-attack_media.jpg

Media Defend Biden by Attacking Dems for 'Attacking' Obama
Julie Hollar | fair.org | 2019-08-13
Coming out of the second round of Democratic debates, a curious storyline crystallized in the media: The candidates are attacking Obama, and that's a sure-fire way to hand the election to Trump. It's the latest flavor of "the Democrats are moving too far left" (FAIR.org, 7/2/19)–this time echoing both Trump himself and the right-wing Democratic candidates, including former Obama Vice President Joe Biden. | During the first debate, Rep. John Delaney pitched the story, claiming, "Most of the folks run…
fair.org/home/media-defend-biden-by-attacking-dems-for-attacking-obama/

How Wavering Democrats Bought Into Kochs' Free Trade Scheme
Ilana Novick | truthdig.com | 2019-08-13
When George Soros and Charles Koch announced in July that they are partnering to create a think tank dedicated to ending the United States' forever wars, Steven Kinzer of The Boston Globe called the idea "one of the most remarkable partnerships in modern American political history." | Despite the jarring image of the liberal billionaire joining forces with the radical conservative, the forthcoming Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is not such an anomaly in the history of the Koch family. As Ryan Grim and An…
truthdig.com/articles/third-way-democrats-are-bought-and-sold-by-the-kochs/

The Kochs Funded Third Way to Push Free Trade to Democrats, New Book Says
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-08-13
Koch Industries secretly financed a 2007 report by Third Way titled "Why Lou Dobbs is Winning" — to promote the free trade agenda to liberals.
theintercept.com/2019/08/13/koch-brothers-third-way/

Letter Urges Democratic Candidates to Take 'NoKXL Pledge' to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline on Day One If Elected President
commondreams.org | 2019-08-13
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/13/letter-urges-democratic-candidates-take-nokxl-pledge-stop-keystone-xl-pipeline?cd-origin=rss

The German media and Julian Assange: Silence and slander
wsws.org | 2019-08-13
Over a week after a US federal court threw out a civil case brought by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) against Julian Assange, the German media has been dominated by an embarrassed silence.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/13/assa-a13.html

Trump Keeps Cracking Down on Legal Immigration Because His Base Loves Cruelty
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-13
| When Democrats dismissed the Fox News-led fear-mongering about "hordes" of undocumented immigrants "invading" the United States from the south as a manufactured crisis, they were pilloried by Republicans and the mainstream media alike for not taking the issue seriously. Hardly anyone demonstrated an understanding of Democrats' nuanced argument. | Illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border appeared much more substantial precisely because the Trump administration had choked off acces…
truthout.org/articles/trump-keeps-cracking-down-on-legal-immigration-because-his-base-loves-cruelty/

Rights Groups, Cities To Sue Trump's Anti-Poor Migrant Policy
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-13
United States government's plan to limit access to citizenship and permanent residence for migrants with low economic resources undermines democracy and penalizes parents for seeking help to feed their children, migrant and Latino advocacy groups said Tuesday. | RELATED: | US To Deny Visas to Legal Immigrants for Being Too Poor | "This illegal rule is just another attempt to vilify immigrants," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement. The city of San Francisco a…
telesurenglish.net/news/Rights-Groups-Cities-To-Sue-Trump-Anti-Poor-Migrant-Policy-20190813-0019.html

Reality-Denial Among America's Democratic Party Faithful
Eric Zuesse | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-13
I used to be a Democrat, until the majority of Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted in 2002 for George W. Bush's 2003 catastrophic invasion of Iraq, even though everything that Bush and his Administration were alleging the invasion to be based on were mere lies, by him and his Administration. A Senator or Representative …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/reality-denial-among-americas-democratic-party-faithful/

MSNBC and the Next Election: Racism is the Issue
Gary Leupp | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-13
After Donald Trump unexpectedly won the 2016 election, the Democrats and the mainstream media they shape sought to explain the disaster as a result of Russian meddling. Such meddling, which had been alleged for months, was documented in an (unconvincing) intelligence report prepared by the lame-duck Obama administration, made public Jan. 6, 2017; Congress followed …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/msnbc-and-the-next-election-racism-is-the-issue/

Colombia's Electoral Court Opens Probe on Santos' 2014 Campaign
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-13
Colombia's electoral authorities have opened an investigation into whether former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos accepted illegal campaign contributions from Brazilian construction Odebrecht in 2014. | RELATED: | Colombia Gov't Bails out Banks for Dissolved Odebrecht Project | Renato Rafael Contreras from the Democratic Center, Doris Méndez C…
telesurenglish.net/news/Colombias-Electoral-Court-Opens-Probe-on-Santos-2014-Campaign-20190813-0018.html

Spineless, craven Republicans and Trump sow the seeds of hate that proliferate mass shootings
Michael Payne | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-13
Only if the people of America rise en masse and demand that these corrupted politicians put an end to this madness, will this situation come under control.
nationofchange.org/2019/08/13/spineless-craven-republicans-and-trump-sow-the-seeds-of-hate-that-proliferate-mass-shootings/

The Right-Wing American Love Affair With One of the Most Disturbing Serial Killers
Thom Hartmann | commondreams.org | 2019-08-13
Ayn Rand's philosophy is a central tenet of today's Republican Party and the moral code proudly cited and followed by high-profile billionaires and the president of the United States. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ayn_rand_hickman.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/13/right-wing-american-love-affair-one-most-disturbing-serial-killers?cd-origin=rss

World Commemorates Fidel Castro's Birthday
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-13
Governments and social movements around the world have come together to commemorate the birthday of revolutionary icon Fidel Castro, on what would have been his 93rd birthday. | RELATED: | 60 Years of Defending Cuba Against a Barbarous Empire | On Tuesday morning, members of China's Communist Youth attended an event at the Cuban embassy in Beijing to commemorate the Cuban revolutionary hero. Other Cuban embassies also hosted events. In Russia, there was a talk on Fidel along with an…
telesurenglish.net/news/World-Commemorates-Fidel-Castros-Birthday-20190813-0017.html

It's Safe to Impeach Donald Trump
Steve Phillips | thenation.com | 2019-08-13
It's Safe to Impeach Donald Trump…
thenation.com/article/democrats-impeach-donald-trump/

The Once Common Republican Environmentalist Is Virtually Extinct
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-08-13
The Once Common Republican Environmentalist Is Virtually Extinct…
thenation.com/article/republican-environmentalist-virtually-extinct/

"We Won't Back Down": Over 50 Catering Workers Arrested at American Airlines HQ in Protest Against Poverty Wages
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-13
"In recent years American Airlines has made billions in profits. It is unconscionable that their workers cannot afford good healthcare or get reliable raises," said Sen. Bernie Sanders | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/american_airlines.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/13/we-wont-back-down-over-50-catering-workers-arrested-american-airlines-hq-protest?cd-origin=rss

Showing Size and Diversity of Sanders' Grassroots Army, #MyBernieStory Goes Viral on Social Media
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-13
"Our campaign motto is Not Me, Us, and that is directly reflected in this incredible show of support from working people across America. It's these grassroots volunteers who will ensure Bernie Sanders wins the primary and defeats Donald Trump." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_2.png
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/13/showing-size-and-diversity-sanders-grassroots-army-myberniestory-goes-viral-social?cd-origin=rss

Indigenous and Green Groups Fighting Against Pipeline Urge 2020 Democrats to Take 'NoKXL Pledge'
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-13
Indigenous, environmental, and landowner groups fighting to block the Keystone XL pipeline sent a letter Tuesday to the two dozen 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidates, urging them to take the "NoKXL pledge" and vow—if elected—to revoke the Trump administration's permit for the tar sands oil project. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/white_house_kxl_0_0.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/13/indigenous-and-green-groups-fighting-against-pipeline-urge-2020-democrats-take-nokxl?cd-origin=rss

Reproductive Rights Advocates Fight Latest Extreme Abortion Ban as Tennessee GOP Attempts to Criminalize Procedure
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-13
Reproductive rights advocates were in Nashville Tuesday to testify against a new anti-choice bill proposed by Republican lawmakers in Tennessee, shifting national attention back to extreme efforts by the GOP to restrict women's right to abortion care. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/stopthebans.jpeg
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/13/reproductive-rights-advocates-fight-latest-extreme-abortion-ban-tennessee-gop?cd-origin=rss

Ibram X. Kendi: IQ Tests, SAT Scores and Other "Intelligence" Tests Propagate Racism
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-13
Author and professor Ibram X. Kendi joins us to discuss his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist." He talks about the racist development of intelligence tests that blatantly discriminate against people of color under a veneer of scientific objectivity. "Even when we talk about antiracism, when most people think of who needs to be an antiracist, they think of Southerners. They think of people who voted for Trump," says Kendi. "They don't think of people who are advocating for the maintenance of these tests, which are denying access to some of the best schools in New York City to black and Latino kids."
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/13/ibram_x_kendi_intelligence_tests_education

"Today the Lynch Mob Only Needs an Assault Rifle": Ibram X. Kendi on White Supremacist Violence
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-13
This week marks two years since white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, where a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd of antiracist protesters, killing 32-year-old activist Heather Heyer. Days later, President Trump claimed there were "very fine people on both sides." Since Charlottesville, white supremacists have committed at least 73 murders, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Just last week, a white supremacist in El Paso, Texas, opened fire in a crowded Walmart and killed 22 people. It's been described as the deadliest attack to target Latinos in modern American history. We speak with D…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/13/ibram_x_kendi_guns_in_america

How to Be an Antiracist: Ibram X. Kendi on Why We Need to Fight Racism the Way We Fight Cancer
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-13
In his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist," professor Ibram X. Kendi urges readers to break out of the false framework of "racist" and "not racist," instead laying out what it means to be antiracist: viewing racial groups as equals and pushing for policies that create racial equity. Kendi says, "We can't just talk about racism as an original sin. We have to talk about racism as the original cancer, as this original disease that has been killing America."
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/13/ibram_x_kendi_class_race_capitalism

Indian left condemns dismantling of Jammu and Kashmir
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-13
The following joint statement was issued by Indian left parties on August 5, condemning the dismantling of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the assault on India's Constitution, democracy and federalism. | *** | The Modi government has dealt a severe blow to our constitutional order by unilaterally scrapping Article 370 and other provisions of the Constitution and dividing the state of Jammu and Kashmir. | The special provisions guaranteed by the Indian Constitution to the state of Jammu and Kashmir were the result of the princely state signing the instrument of accession to the Indian union in the face of Pakis…
greenleft.org.au/content/indian-left-condemns-dismantling-jammu-and-kashmir

Former Beto O'Rourke Organizers Rally Behind New Texas Senate Candidate
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-08-12
In April, Becky Bond and Zack Malitz left Beto O'Rourke's staff, less than a month after they'd helped the former Senate candidate rake in $6 million in the first day of his presidential campaign. It was seen, at the time, as a strategic shift for O'Rourke — away from the "big organizing" vision that drove his unexpectedly impactful 2018 Senate run. Now, Social Practice, the firm created by Bond and Malitz, who also worked on Sen. Bernie Sanders's 2016 campaign for president, is turning its "big organizing" vis…
theintercept.com/2019/08/12/texas-progressive-senate-candidate/

Cómo los planes de privatización de Joe Biden condenaron a Latinoamérica y desataron la crisis migratoria
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-12
En su campaña, Joe Biden se ha jactado de su papel en la transformación de Colombia y Centroamérica a través…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/12/privatizacion-joe-biden-latinoamerica-crisis-migratoria/

How Climate Activists Can Benefit from Solidarity with Kentucky Coal Miners
Ryan Driskell Tate | progressive.org | 2019-08-12
As fossil-fuel workers lose their jobs today, the urgency of what climate activists call the "just transition" becomes all the more apparent.
progressive.org/dispatches/climate-activists-benefit-from-solidarity-with-coal-miners-tate-190812/

Trump starves Venezuela, Democrats are silent
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-12
The Trump administration is intensifying its economic warfare on the people of Venezuela with a crippling embargo — and facing…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/12/trump-starves-venezuela-democrats-are-silent/

Paid Family Leave Is a Game Changer for New Parents' Health, Not Just Their Economic Security
Benjamin Ryan | thenation.com | 2019-08-12
Paid Family Leave Is a Game Changer for New Parents' Health, Not Just Their Economic Security…
thenation.com/article/paid-family-leave-public-health-postpartum-depression/

50 years on and the Battle of the Bogside could teach us about the dangers of a Tory no-deal Brexit
Peadar O'Cearnaigh | thecanary.co | 2019-08-12
On 12 August 1969, a battle between Irish republicans on one side and British police and loyalist gangs on the other raged for two days in Derry city. The battle of the Bogside, as it became known, ensured the conflict in Ireland would continue for anothe…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/12/50-years-on-and-the-battle-of-the-bogside-could-teach-us-about-the-dangers-of-a-tory-no-deal-brexit/

Hong Kong Grounds Flights as Mass Sit-in Shuts Down Airport After Weekend of Protests
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-12
All departing flights were grounded as chaos engulfed the Hong Kong International Airport Monday, after thousands of pro-democracy protesters filled the travel hub to protest police brutality. Many eventually left the airport, fearing threats of more police action, but hundreds of activists remain. The latest escalation follows a weekend of bloody clashes between the police and protesters. Confrontations turned especially violent on Sunday night as riot police fired tear gas inside a subway station and were filmed beating protesters with batons. Meanwhile, Beijing has escalated its rhetoric against the protesters…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/12/hong_kong_grounds_flights_as_mass

"The Next Step Is the Kremlin": Why Moscow Protests Have Putin's Government Worried
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-12
Up to 60,000 protesters gathered Saturday in Moscow in the largest demonstration Russia has witnessed in years. Although the protest was officially authorized, dozens of protesters were arrested in the capital, and dozens more were also arrested in demonstrations across the country. Saturday's protest was organized to denounce the recent barring of opposition candidates from running in an upcoming election for Moscow City Council. We speak with Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School. She is the co-author of "In Putin's Footsteps: Searching for the Soul of an Empire Across Russia's…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/12/the_next_step_is_the_kremlin

Student Debt Reform, or Student Debt Forgiveness? What The Candidates' Plans Mean
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-11
Students leaving college with their hard-earned degrees also have a significant and growing amount of debt. Which Democratic candidate's plan is the most effective at addressing this growing problem?
therealnews.com/stories/student-debt-reform-or-student-debt-forgiveness-what-the-candidates-plans-mean

The Unraveling of the Conspiracy Case Against No More Deaths Volunteer Scott Warren
Ryan Devereaux | theintercept.com | 2019-08-10
The federal courthouse in Tucson, Arizona, has always been a place where the borderlands and the American justice system collide. Described by its engineers as "a gateway to the desert and the mountains beyond," it was completed in 2000, the year that the Pima County medical examiner's office began tracking an explosion of deaths in that same desert. | Each afternoon, Monday through Thursday, dozens of chained migrants who survived the journey across the border but found themselves in Border Patrol custody are marched up from the building's bowels for mass hearings. They come in groups of up to 70 at a time. You…
theintercept.com/2019/08/10/scott-warren-trial/

Manifestantes en Bradenton defienden los derechos de los inmigrantes y los refugiados
Bryan Ellis, Traducido por Ana Yarí | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-10
Los esfuerzos locales para fortalecer la comunidad y empoderar a los inmigrantes y refugiados continúan en Sarasota y Bradenton.
liberationnews.org/manifestantes-en-bradenton-defienden-los-derechos-de-los-inmigrantes-y-los-refugiados/

Supersizing Climate Change: U.N. Says Meat Production Destroys Land & Diminishes Key Water Sources
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-09
The United Nations' top panel of climate scientists warns that humans are consuming land and water resources at an unprecedented rate, with the destructive effects of the climate crisis increasingly threatening the planet's biodiversity and the food security of hundreds of millions of people. In its latest climate change and land special report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that without dramatic action, extreme weather and rising temperatures will turn even more fertile land into desert, shrinking the global food supply, even as the world's population rises to more than 7.5 billion people.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/9/ipcc_report_climate_change_and_land

Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-09
Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a "fusion center" to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called "The Monsanto Years." Monsanto monitored Young's Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album. The fusion center also surveilled journalist Carey Gillam, who has done extensive research and writing about Monsanto and its popular pesticide Roundup, which has been linked to cancer. The corporation also targeted the nonpro…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/9/monsanto_fusion_center_surveillance_of_critics

Mass ICE Raids in Mississippi After Workers Fought for Better Conditions Leave Kids Without Parents
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-09
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swept through seven poultry processing plants in Mississippi this week and arrested 680 people. It was the largest single-state raid in U.S. history.The mass arrests also came on the first day of the school year, and some children walked home from school only to find their doors locked and their family members missing. Wednesday's raids targeted chicken processing plants operated by Koch Foods, one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. Last year, the company paid out $3.75 million to settle an Equal Employment Opportunities Commission class-action suit charging th…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/9/mississippi_ice_raids_poultry_plant_arrests

Timorese hail Witness K and Bernard Collaery as 'heroes'
peter_b | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
The Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (MKOTT), a Timorese activist group based in Dili, condemned the Australian government on August 9 for its ongoing prosecution of Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery, over the exposure of Australian secret service bugging of Timorese government offices, labelling it as an "attack on freedom of expression and democracy". | Timor-Leste is preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the referendum in 1999, when the Timorese people voted overwhelmingly to be independent of Indonesian occupation. On the same day (August 30), the governments of Timor-Leste an…
greenleft.org.au/content/timorese-hail-witness-k-and-bernard-collaery-heroes

Obama, Biden, Mattis and Clapper Expressed Skepticism on Syria, so Why Is Gabbard Singled Out?
Ali A. Taj | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-08
Why must Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard be smeared and attacked for questioning the mainstream narrative on Syria when even Barack Obama has done the same?
mintpressnews.com/skepticism-syria-why-tulsi-gabbard-singled-out/261257/

Denver's City Council, Led by Democratic Socialist, Stuns For-Profit Prison Operators by Nuking Contracts
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-08-08
It wasn't about pulling money from the halfway houses but from "organizations that put kids in cages, run concentration camps," said one council member.
theintercept.com/2019/08/08/private-prisons-contract-denver/

Foreign Correspondent: The U.S. Trade War with China is Not Going So Well
Reese Erlich | progressive.org | 2019-08-08
For the past year, the U.S. has escalated economic warfare with grudging acceptance by high-level Democrats and Republicans.
progressive.org/dispatches/foreign-correspondent-u-s-trade-war-with-china-erlich-190808/

A New App Allows Readers in China to Bypass Censorship of The Intercept
Ryan Gallagher | theintercept.com | 2019-08-08
Since June, people in China have been unable to read The Intercept, after the country's government apparently banned our website, along with those of several other media organizations. Today, we are happy to announce a workaround that will allow people in China to circumvent the restrictions, access our full site, and continue to read our award-winning journalism. | In partnership with Psiphon, an anti-censorship organization based in Canada, we are launching…
theintercept.com/2019/08/08/china-censorship-bypass-app/

Emergency Doctor to Trump: You Are Wrong, Mental Illness Is Not to Blame for Gun Violence Epidemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-08
President Trump went to Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, where he was met by hundreds of protesters condemning his presence after the mass shootings over the weekend, which killed at least 32 people. Prior to his visits, Trump hinted at the need to strengthen background checks for gun purchases, and doubled down on what some healthcare professionals say is dangerous rhetoric linking illness to mass shootings. Numerous other political figures have pointed to mental illness as a contributing factor in mass shootings. From Montreal, we speak with Dr. Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medi…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/8/mental_illness_gun_violence_suicide_risk

Kashmir Under Siege: India Moves to Annex Territory, Heightening Tensions with Nuclear Rival Pakistan
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-08
Tensions are escalating over the disputed region of Kashmir following India's revocation earlier this week of its special status, which granted the area some autonomy. Kashmir remains on lockdown, with internet and other communications blocked and leaders placed under house arrest. The Modi government has also deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Kashmir. Pakistan announced Wednesday it would expel India's ambassador and stop its newly appointed envoy from assuming his position in New Delhi. It also announced it was cutting off all bilateral trade with India. We speak with three guests: Sanjay Kak,…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/8/kashmir

From El Paso to the War on Terror, the Dangers of Historical Amnesia
Ryan Devereaux | theintercept.com | 2019-08-07
When Monica Muñoz Martínez thinks about El Paso, Texas, she also thinks about Ciudad Juárez. It's the same process that happens when she thinks about Brownsville and Matamoros, or Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras. They are clusters of human civilization that spill into one another, sharing space across a border drawn not that long ago, which has come to mean a lot in recent years. A historian, professor, and a native Texan, Muñoz Martínez knows the story well. She is the co-founder of Refusing to Forget, a collective project aimed at educating the public on a largely lost…
theintercept.com/2019/08/07/el-paso-border-war-terror/

What a Protest in Hong Kong Looks Like When Pro-Democracy Marchers Lose Their Fear of the Police
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-08-07
A video report from Hong Kong, where protests are planned for every weekend in August and calls to "liberate Hong Kong" have appeared on the city's walls.
theintercept.com/2019/08/07/protest-hong-kong-looks-like-pro-democracy-marchers-lose-fear-police/

Democrats Are Resurfacing a Gun Control Bill That Contains an Anti-Immigrant Amendment
Aída Chávez | theintercept.com | 2019-08-07
This weekend, there were back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. The accused shooter in El Paso, who appears to have published an anti-immigrant manifesto on 8chan declaring the attack a response to a "Hispanic invasion," killed at least 22 people and injured dozens more at a Walmart in what seems to be the worst anti-Latino attack in the country's history. On Monday, in light of these massacres, House Democrats called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to take up their gun control bill. Tucked into the bill, however, is an anti-immigrant amendment promoting deportation that Republ…
theintercept.com/2019/08/07/gun-control-bill-anti-immigrant/

These 7 Prominent Conservatives Have Nothing in Common With White Supremacists, Nothing at All
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-08-07
A man wears a MAGA hat during the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on July 12, 2019. | cool kid's philosopher" — took to Twitter to berate those who dare draw any kind of line between President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and U.S. conservatives on the one hand and white nationalist terrorists on the other. | So, we now have two separate NYT columnists arguing that all conservatives are basically violent white supremacists, but slightly more subtle. Let me put this gently: f*** yourselves.
theintercept.com/2019/08/07/el-paso-white-supremacy/

"Toni Morrison Will Always Be with Us": Angela Davis, Nikki Giovanni & Sonia Sanchez Pay Tribute
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-07
Toni Morrison, one of the nation's most influential writers, died this week at the age of 88 from complications of pneumonia. In 1993, Morrison became the first African-American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. She also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her classic work "Beloved." Much of Morrison's writing focused on the Black female experience in America, and her writing style honored the rhythms of Black oral tradition. Her work was deeply concerned with race and history, especially the sin of transatlantic slavery and the potentially restorative power of community. In 2012, President Obama awar…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/7/remembering_toni_morrison

Parents of Parkland Victim Planned to Unveil a Mural in El Paso. Then Another Mass Shooting Happened
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-06
During this weekend's deadly gun violence in El Paso, Texas, Manuel and Patricia Oliver were in the vicinity because they were planning on commemorating what would have been the 19th birthday of their son, Joaquin Oliver. Joaquin was one of the 17 people gunned down during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day last year. Manuel and Patricia had traveled to Ciudad Juárez, across the U.S. border into Mexico, to visit an immigrant shelter in honor of their deceased son, saying no child should ever be separated from their parents by either gunfire or immigration ag…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/6/joaquin_oliver_parents_parkland_el_paso

"We Can't Wait for McConnell": Advocates Call for Bold Action to Curb Gun Violence Epidemic
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-06
The death toll in Saturday's anti-immigrant shooting rampage at a Walmart in El Paso has risen to 22, after two more injured victims died Monday. Just before the shooting, the gunman published a manifesto claiming his actions were being done in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." Most of the dead in El Paso were Latino, including eight Mexican nationals. Thirteen hours after the massacre in El Paso, a gunman in Dayton, Ohio, killed nine people, including his own sister, after opening fire outside a bar. We speak with Kris Brown, president of Brady, formerly the Brady Campaign to Preve…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/6/mass_shootings_epidemic_gun_control_proposals

"Fascism Will Not Go Away by Itself": George Ciccariello-Maher on Confronting White Supremacy
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-06
Just before the mass shooting at a crowded El Paso Walmart this weekend, the gunman wrote in a lengthy manifesto saying that the massacre was in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." He also prompted a white supremacist conspiracy theory known as "great replacement" that has been cited by other mass shooters. From Mexico City, we speak with George Ciccariello-Maher, visiting scholar at NYU's Hemispheric Institute. In December 2017, Ciccariello-Maher resigned from Drexel University after a year of harassment and death threats from right-wing white supremacists. The threats stemmed from a…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/6/george_ciccariello_maher_white_supremacy

Puerto Rico in Political Crisis: Senate Sues over Appointment of New Governor Pierluisi
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-06
The political crisis in Puerto Rico continues as its Senate has sued against the appointment of Pedro Pierluisi as the new governor following Ricardo Rosselló's resignation last week. Pierluisi was sworn in despite not having been confirmed by the Puerto Rican Senate. But he argues that he is in the line of succession for governor after being nominated as secretary of state by Rosselló last week. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz also sued after his swearing-in. We speak with Democracy Now! co-host Juan González for his analysis of the current political climate.
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/6/juan_gonzalez_puerto_rico_pedro_pierluisi

Take Away My Employer-Based Health Insurance. Please
Bill Lueders | progressive.org | 2019-08-05
Centrist Democrats like Joe Biden still aim to gin up mass fear over the prospect of leaving behind predatory insurers and the dizzying array of deductibles, co-pays, exclusions, humiliations, and rationing of care that characterizes our current syst…
progressive.org/dispatches/take-away-my-employer-based-health-insurance-please-lueders-190805/

US mass shootings, Democratic debates, America vs China
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-08-05
Mass shootings in the US Three mass shootings took place in the US in three different states — Texas, Ohio and Illinois. 29 people were killed in the attacks, while almost 50 were injured. On Saturday afternoon in El Paso, Texas, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius opened fire at a supermarket. In the wake of the tragedies, …
uwidata.com/4757-us-mass-shootings-democratic-debates-america-vs-china/

El Paso Shooting Probed as Domestic Terrorism After Anti-Immigrant Gunman Kills 22 People
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-05
Over the span of 13 hours, the United States was shaken by two mass shootings. Saturday morning, a heavily armed gunman opened fire inside a crowded Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 people, including a number of Mexican nationals. Federal authorities are treating the El Paso attack as an act of domestic terrorism. The suspected gunman has been identified as a 21-year-old white man named Patrick Crusius, who lived 600 miles away in a suburb of Dallas. Shortly before the attack in El Paso, the gunman posted an anti-immigrant manifesto on the far-right message board 8chan. Some of the language in the manifesto…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/5/el_paso_mass_shooting_white_supremacy

Ex-FBI Agent Speaks Out: Federal Authorities Have Downplayed White Supremacist Violence for Too Long
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-05
According to The New York Times, white extremist shooters have now killed at least 63 people in the United States over the past 18 months. Late last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that crime driven by racism and white supremacy was on the rise compared to the past nine months. But former FBI agents say there is reluctance within the agency to tackle white nationalist violence in part due to President Trump's rhetoric. We speak with Mike German, fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law. From 1988 to 2004, German served as an FBI agent…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/5/white_nationalist_terrorism

After Dayton Shooting, Gun Violence Reporter Says Misogyny "Clear Link" Between Many Mass Shootings
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-05
Over the span of 13 hours, the country was shaken by two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, where a total of 29 people were killed. Shortly before the attack, the El Paso gunman posted an anti-immigrant manifesto on the far-right message board 8chan, while there is still no clear motive for the Dayton shooting. Senator Bernie Sanders and other Democratic leaders are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold a special session of the Senate to vote on two gun safety bills recently passed in the House. This all comes as the National Rifle Association is imploding. We speak with Alex…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/5/el_paso_dayton_gun_violence_america

Weekend Read: The SPLC fights an internal threat to our democracy
splcenter.org | 2019-08-03
In his recent testimony before Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller pointedly warned the nation about Russia's ongoing attempts to meddle in our nation's elections.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/03/weekend-read-splc-fights-internal-threat-our-democracy

'Democracy Has Become a Joke on the Island' – CounterSpin interview with Ed Morales on Puerto Rican protest
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2019-08-02
Janine Jackson interviewed Ed Morales about the Puerto Rican protest movement for the July 26, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/democracy-has-become-a-joke-on-the-island/

Four Truths About For-Profit Charter Schools
Peter Greene | progressive.org | 2019-08-02
2020 Democratic candidates taking a stand against for-profit charters is like bravely standing up in opposition to yeti attacks.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/four-truths-about-for-profit-charter-schools-Greene-190802/

CNN's Industry Spin Shows Need for Independent Debates
Julie Hollar | fair.org | 2019-08-02
CNN painfully demonstrated this week why we need independently run presidential debates. With its ESPN-like introductions to the candidates, and its insistence on questions that pit candidates against each other, CNN took an approach to the debates more befitting a football game than an exercise in democracy. | The CNN hosts moderated as if they weren't even listening to what candidates were saying, inflexibly cutting them off after the inevitably too-short 30-to-60-second time limit–in order to offer another, often seemingly randomly selected, candida…
fair.org/home/cnns-industry-spin-shows-need-for-independent-debates/

Propagandists Are Freaking Out Over Tulsi Gabbard's Destruction of Kamala Harris
Caitlin Johnstone | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-01
Tulsi Gabbard took on Kamala Harris over her record on criminal justice reform, the death penalty, and the war on drugs.

Propagandists Are Freaking Out Over Tulsi Gabbard’s Destruction of Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris Team Accused of "Inventing Conspiracies" About Tulsi Gabbard
Eoin Higgins | theantimedia.com | 2019-08-01
The Kamala Harris' campaign jumped to tie Gabbard and her campaign to a nebulously defined and unclear Russian conspiracy.

Kamala Harris Team Accused of "Inventing Conspiracies" About Tulsi Gabbard

The Triumph of Their Will
Melissa Ryan | progressive.org | 2019-08-01
White nationalists are building political power from within the Republican Party.
progressive.org/magazine/the-triumph-of-their-will-ryan-190801/

Militias Capitalizing on GOP Rhetoric Heading Into Election Season
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-07-31
A militia network's enthusiasm to lend paramilitary support to Oregon's Republican senators last month could be a bellwether for the 2020 campaign season.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/07/31/militias-capitalizing-gop-rhetoric-heading-election-season