(2020-06-19). California "Berning" for Ro Khanna to Chair the State's Delegation to Democratic National. indybay.org Inclusion or charade?>
(2020-06-19). Lesser of Two Evils: Chomsky vs. Greenwald . . . and the Ignored Factor. counterpunch.org 
Noam Chomsky believes that it is so imperative that Trump be defeated that he will vote for Biden, while Glenn Greenwald challenges the political strategy of the lesser-of-two-evils dictum. It is difficult to imagine anyone more intellectually commanding than Chomsky, but Greenwald is no inferior. Chomsky and Greenwald are unbroken, rational warriors who apply contrasting
(2020-06-19). Pelosi ordena retiro de retratos confederados del Capitolio. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP) — La presidenta de la Cámara de Representantes Nancy Pelosi ordenó el retiro del Capitolio de retratos de varios presidentes previos de la legislatura que fueron parte del gobierno de los Estados Confederados del sur. En una carta al secretario de la cámara baja, Pelosi pidió el retiro inmediato de los retratos de …
(2020-06-19). Stir Crazy! Episode #57: Juneteenth!! therealnews.com 
On today's show: Action Now Chicago's Deborah Harris, activist and recording artist Eze Jackson, and Detroit Action's Branden Snyder. Hosted by Kim Brown. If you have questions/comments/suggestions for the show email us at stircrazy@therealnews.com…
(2020-06-19). Biden VP Front Runner Susan Rice Has a History of Criticizing Israel…While Also Letting Its Government Do Whatever It Wants. anti-empire.com 
The Associated Press
(2020-06-19). Juneteenth: A Celebration of Black Liberation & Day to Remember "Horrific System That Was Slavery" democracynow.org 
June 19 is Juneteenth, celebrating the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Black people in the United States learned they had been freed from bondage. As momentum grows to enshrine it as a national holiday, we speak with author and historian Gerald Horne, who says that while the story of Juneteenth is "much more complicated and much more complex than is traditionally presented," increased recognition of the day "provides an opportunity to have a thorough remembrance of this horrific system that was slavery."
(2020-06-19). How DREAMers Defeated Trump: Supreme Court DACA Win Shows "Sustained Pressure of Activism" Works. democracynow.org 
In a 5-4 decision led by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Trump's attempt to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The federal program created by President Obama in 2012 protects from deportation about 700,000 immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. Luis Cortes, one of the lawyers who defended DACA at the Supreme Court, says the key to the victory was being able to share the stories of DACA recipients. "What moved Chief Justice Roberts in our case was the stories," says Cortes, who is a DACA recipient himself. We also speak with Erika Andiola, advo…
(2020-06-19). 99 Years Later, Wounds of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Have "Never Been Remedied" democracynow.org 
President Trump's first campaign rally since the start of the pandemic takes place Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, despite a spike of COVID-19 cases there. Trump rescheduled the rally to Saturday after facing backlash for saying it would happen on Juneteenth — a celebration of African Americans' liberation from slavery — amid a nationwide uprising against racism and police brutality. Tulsa is also the site of one of the deadliest massacres in U.S. history, when a white mob in 1921 killed as many as 300 people in a thriving African American business district known as "Black Wall Street." For more on this…
(2020-06-19). Headlines for June 19, 2020. democracynow.org Supreme Court Blocks Trump from Ending DACA in Victory for Immigrants, Global COVID Death Toll Tops 450,000 as Cases Keep Growing in 77 Nations, Navajo Nation Reinstates Lockdown Due to New COVID Surge, "Trump Death Clock" Heads to Tulsa for Trump Speech, Juneteenth: Longshore Union Shuts Down West Coast Ports; Trump Claims He Made Holiday "Very Famous", Atlanta Officers Involved in Killing of Rayshard Brooks Turn Themselves In, Probe Launched over Use of Military Surveillance Planes to Monitor Protesters, High-Ranking Black State Dept. Official Resigns to Protest Trump's Actions, Klobuchar Removes Herself from V…
(2020-06-19). Loose Cannon Pompeo. No Breakthroughs in US-China Meeting in Hawaii. globalresearch.ca On Wednesday, Pompeo met with China's Yang Jiechi. | He holds several high-level positions in Beijing, including CPC Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission director. | Both officials met in Hawaii, the meeting requested by Pompeo at at a time of dismal …
(2020-06-19). Podcast: How the Democratic Party Unleashed Decades of Racial Injustice and Police Brutality on Communities of Color. mintpressnews.com Margaret Kimberly and Monique Cullars Doty join MintCast to discuss how Democrats attempt to save face by co-opting justice movements, including Black Lives Matter, and the party's roots in White supremacy.
(2020-06-19). Containing the Black Lives Matter Movement: Democrats and Republicans Play Good Cop/Bad Cop. counterpunch.org A long smoldering and now massive popular response to injustice has been catalyzed by the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th. Even Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson concedes, "this was without precedent in the modern era." A broad consensus critical of the coercive police function of the US state is building.
(2020-06-19). July 31 cutoff looms for unemployed. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – In six weeks, tens of millions of unemployed people face the end of the additional $600 a week in unemployment insurance benefits. This additional benefit that helps low income workers the most is set to expire due to its being opposed by the Republican-controlled Senate. These same workers were hardest hit by the pandemic recession, and many face the prospect of their jobs not coming back. This is just another example of how the economic relief has helped large corporations, which can aided by the Federal Reserve, while low-income workers are subject to punishment by republicans who see the aid as…
(2020-06-19). March set for RNC in Jacksonville: 'We can't breathe'. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL — The Coalition to March on the RNC applied for permits from the city of Jacksonville, June 17, to hold a rally and march opposed to Donald Trump and the Republican National Convention. | The main slogan of the event will be "We Can't Breathe — Defeat Donald Trump." The Coalition to March on the RNC will seek to emphasize the Black-led struggle against police brutality under the past four years of Trump in office. The Coalition also stands for a people's agenda — money for living-wage jobs, education, universal healthcare, peace and equality. | The Coalition to March on the RNC…
(2020-06-19). Dark Clouds of Military Tension Over the Korean Peninsula, North Korea Waited, Disappointed and Now Angry. globalresearch.ca In 2012, a young man educated in the West took over the power in Pyongyang; he has decided to transform North Korea into an ordinary country where people can live decent life. | His name is Kim Jong-un. He has …
(2020-06-19). New Alliance Against China: D-10 Countries Threatened By China Unite Against It. popularresistance.org In late May, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom floated the idea of creating a new international platform—D10, or Democracy 10 alliance. The D10 is to comprise the Group of Seven (G7) states and three others; it will be discussed formally at the G7 meeting in June. The proposed members of the alliance are the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.), along with Australia, India and South Korea. The purpose of this alliance is not entirely for mutual benefit. The agenda, Boris Johnson suggests, is to attack China. | Many of the states in the D10 have been hi…
(2020-06-19). City Bar Calls For Investigation Following Arrests Of Legal Observers. popularresistance.org The New York City Bar Association on Wednesday called on Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York Police Department to "immediately investigate" the alleged targeting of nine legal observers earlier this month during a protest against police brutality in the Bronx. | In a statement, the City Bar said it was "gravely concerned" by what it called "concerted efforts" in New York, and across the country, to interfere with the work of observers at mass demonstrations protesting systemic racism and police killings of black Americans. | The City Bar specifically cited reports that legal observers associated with the Nation…
(2020-06-18). Warren, Harris, Rice? Which Horrible Woman Will Be Empire's Helmsman If Democrats Win? anti-empire.com 
Joe Biden's search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting for a dwindling list of potential vice presidential nominees, with several black women in strong contention. | Democrats with knowledge of the process said Biden's search committee has narrowed the choices to as few as six serious contenders after initial interviews. Among the group still in contention: Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, as well as Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama's national security adviser. | Those with knowledge declined to name other contenders and said the process…
(2020-06-18). 'Independent' Facebook fact-checker exposed as partisan smear factory packed with CNN alumni. rt.com 
Facebook fact-checker Lead Stories is a biased outfit bristling with ex-CNN staffers that presents itself as neutral, despite most of its employees having donated to the Democratic Party, a conservative outlet has revealed. | The National Pulse (TNP), whose story about supposed financial links between Black Lives Matter, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and fundraiser ActBlue was flagged as "partly false" by Lead Stories on Facebook, did some
(2020-06-18). California "Berning" for Ro Khanna to Chair the State's Delegation to DNC. zcomm.org Sanders defeated Biden by a margin of 8 percent in the California primary. But hidebound tradition as well as raw political power are arrayed against the Bernie delegates pushing for Khanna to chair the delegation…
(2020-06-18). 'No room' for embodiment of 'violent bigotry': Pelosi demands removal of 4 portraits of House Speakers who joined Confederacy. rt.com 
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has demanded that four portraits of her predecessors who served in the Confederacy be taken down as a measure to "combat bigotry" as America continues to reel from massive anti-racism protests. | Pelosi penned a
(2020-06-18). About face: Northam is speaker for Virginia Dems even though they called for his resignation over blackface photo. rt.com 
Governor Ralph Northam is speaking for Virginia Democrats at an upcoming convention, a decision being blasted, because the same group had previously called for his resignation over a controversial blackface photo. | "We're honored to have @GovernorVA speaking at our virtual state convention coming up in just a few days!" the Democrat Party of Virginia wrote on Thursday, in a tweet that left many scratching their heads. | We're honored to have
(2020-06-18). Kim Jong Un's Well-Timed 'Surprise' Portends Another Nuke Crisis. anti-empire.com 
If there is one thing I have learned about making a career out of studying North Korea it is this: the Kim regime loves to tell those who pay attention to its unique propaganda many times what it is going to do before it does it—sometimes even telegraphing for us in clear language the next crisis it intends to start. | If that holds constant now, then Pyongyang seems once again hellbent on sparking
(2020-06-18). "Movements Work": As Activists Occupy Seattle's Capitol Hill, City Bans Tear Gas, Expels Police Union. democracynow.org 
In Seattle, the fight to demilitarize and defund the police continues as the King County Labor Council voted to expel the Seattle police union Wednesday, following weeks of protest. Seattle police sparked outrage for responding to massive protests against police brutality by using pepper spray, tear gas and flashbangs on demonstrators and reporters. Activists then formed an autonomous zone in response to the police department's abandonment of a precinct building. On Wednesday, President Trump threatened to send troops into Seattle to dismantle the community-run Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, which extends over se…
(2020-06-18). Murder Charge for Atlanta Cop Who Shot & Killed Rayshard Brooks Shows the "Power of a Movement" democracynow.org 
Prosecutors have charged the Atlanta police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks with felony murder, and accuse Garrett Rolfe of twice shooting Brooks in the back and then kicking him as he lay dying. A second officer, Devin Brosnan, faces four charges, including assault. We talk to Rashad Robinson of Color of Change about the charges in Atlanta and growing calls to defund the police. "For the last 20 years in this country, violent crime has basically steadily went down," Robinson says. "At the same time, police budgets have continued to rise, continued to expand. We've militarized police."
(2020-06-18). Rashad Robinson on Recent Spike in Hanging Deaths, the Cancellation of "Cops" & Boycotting Facebook. democracynow.org 
For more than a decade, the racial justice organization Color of Change led a push to cancel the long-running TV show "Cops," which glorifies police aggression. Now the show has been cancelled, along with A&E's "Live PD." "The thing about these shows is that they call themselves reality programming, but they are only from the vision of the police officers," says Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change. "These shows have served as a PR arm for law enforcement." He is now calling on Netflix to cancel "Border Security: America's Front Line."
(2020-06-18). "Tear Gas Is a Weapon": Amnesty Report Reveals Police Use of Tear Gas Fuels Rights Abuses Worldwide. democracynow.org 
As police officers in nearly 100 U.S. cities and towns have fired tear gas on protesters in recent weeks and left many with severe injuries, a new Amnesty International report finds the use of tear gas continues to grow each year, and fuels police human rights violations against peaceful protesters on a global scale. "Everywhere we look, police are just very quick to use tear gas, which is not a safe product and can cause real injuries," says Brian Castner, senior crisis adviser on arms and military operations for Amnesty International.
(2020-06-18). US Supreme Court rules against Trump bid to end 'Dreamers' immigrant program. yenisafak.com The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a President Donald Trump a major setback on his hardline immigration policies, ruling against his bid to end a program that protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants, dubbed "Dreamers," who entered the United States illegally as children.The justices upheld lower court rulings that found that Trump's 2017 move to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created in 2012 by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, was unlawful.
(2020-06-18). Headlines for June 18, 2020. democracynow.org Former Atlanta Police Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks Charged with Murder, Rayshard Brooks Described Struggles with Criminal Justice System in Video Recorded Before His Killing, Trump Calls Protesters "Anarchists, Terrorists and Looters" as Vigilantes Attack Peaceful Marches, George Floyd's Brother Calls on United Nations to Probe U.S. Racism and Police Brutality, Coronavirus Infection Rate Hits Record in States That Eased Social Distancing, Florida COVID-19 Cases Surge as Gov. DeSantis Promises to Keep Restaurants Open, Tulsa Mayor "Not Positive That Everything Is Safe" as 19,000 Plan to Attend Trump Rally, Bra…
(2020-06-18). The Plot to Make Trump a One-Term President? Why Do They Want him Out? Will a Biden Presidency Make a Positive Difference? globalresearch.ca Why would perhaps a majority of the US ruling class want Trump defeated in November? | Even though he's far from a prototypical Western leader — a businessman/reality TV personality turned politician — he aided and abetted the greatest wealth transfer …
(2020-06-18). Ballots, Bullets and the African American Struggle in Georgia. globalresearch.ca Continuing problems with voter suppression and the brutal execution of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta highlights racism and national oppression in the contemporary South | *** | "This is why I say it's the ballot or the bullet. It's liberty or it's death. …
(2020-06-18). Jane McAlevey's Vision for the Future of American Labor. zcomm.org Systematic grassroots organizing is the key to repairing today's ravaged democracy…
(2020-06-18). New signs of New York City police revolt, as Democratic mayor and governor announce "reforms" wsws.org The NYPD abruptly announced the withdrawal this week of police officers who had been assigned to the offices of the district attorneys in four New York boroughs.
(2020-06-18). Brazil: Minister of Education announces his departure from Bolsonaro government. peoplesdispatch.org Brazil's Minister of Education, Abraham Weintraub, announced on the afternoon of Thursday June 18 that he is stepping down from the government of Jair Bolsonaro. He made the announcement through His fall comes after the minister participated in a series of anti democracy rallies principally against the Supreme Federal Court (STF). According to sources from the Planalto Palace, his…
(2020-06-18). The COVID Coup: The BlackRock Takeover Of American Interests. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (6/18/20). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
(2020-06-18). Armed Extremist Groups Aren't Lone Wolves — They Were Galvanized by the GOP. truthout.org Protesters are being menaced and shot by heavily-armed right-wing militias over the removal of racist statues across the country. Where does this eruption of violence stem from? | The answer lies in the rise of far right groups that are armed to the teeth — this is the U.S. after all, where we love our guns more than we love our children, so of course they are. These groups seem increasingly prepared to take their fight against liberal democracy (small "l," small "d," in the classic sense)…
(2020-06-17). Bipartisan Deadlock: Working People and Youth Must Call for President Trump's Resignation Now! Joe Biden is Not An Alternative. globalresearch.ca The deep and insolvable differences among the wealthy elite indicate that the next U.S. President will be in the office by use of force, not through election and votes. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are preparing the American people …
(2020-06-17). The Global Reset — Unplugged. "The Deep State" globalresearch.ca Imagine, you are living in a world that you are told is a democracy — and you may even believe it — but in fact your life and fate is in the hands of a few ultra-rich, ultra-powerful and ultra-inhuman oligarchs. They may be called Deep State, or simply the Beast, …
(2020-06-17). Meet Jamaal Bowman, the Bronx Principal Challenging One of the Most Powerful Dems in Congress. democracynow.org 
In the Bronx, the second most economically unequal district in New York state, the insurgent primary campaign of former middle school principal Jamaal Bowman threatens to unseat 16-term Democratic congressmember and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel. Bowman supports defunding the police, Medicare for All and a Green New Deal. He has also gotten high-profile endorsements from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The New York Times editorial board. "I've worked in this district for the last 10 years as a middle school principal," Bowman says. "Ove…
(2020-06-17). How An Internet 'Persona' Helped Birth Russiagate. popularresistance.org Four years ago today, on June 15, 2016, a shadowy Internet persona calling itself "Guccifer 2.0" appeared out of nowhere to claim credit for hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee on behalf of WikiLeaks and implicate Russia by dropping "telltale" but synthetically produced Russian "breadcrumbs" in his metadata. | Thanks largely to the corporate media, the highly damaging story actually found in those DNC emails — namely, that the DNC had stacked the cards against Bernie Sanders in the party's 2016 primary— was successfully obscured. | The media was the message; and the message was that…
(2020-06-17). America's Own Color Revolution. globalresearch.ca Color Revolution is the term used to describe a series of effective CIA-led regime change operations using techniques developed by the RAND Corporation, "democracy" NGOs and other groups since the 1980's. They were used in crude form to bring down the Polish communist regime in the late 1980s.
(2020-06-17). Selected Articles: America's Own Color Revolution. globalresearch.ca 
By Color Revolution is the term used to describe a series of remarkably effective CIA-led regime change operations using techniques developed by the RAND Corporation, "democracy" NGOs and other …
(2020-06-17). Get Rid of the Presidency. counterpunch.org 
For some time now, but maybe since the Kennedy administration (which ended in a hail of voter-suppressed gunfire), I have been thinking that one of the biggest problems with American democracy is the presidency itself, the idea that the chief magistrate of the country should be one person elected every four years by a few swing voters in Ohio, North Carolina, or Florida.
(2020-06-17). The Murders of Floyd and Halak Exposed the US and Israel as Settler-Colonial Enterprises. mintpressnews.com 
The systemic oppression faced by blacks and Palestinians in the United States and Israel is indicative of a deeply rooted racism rarely found in true democracies.
(2020-06-17). Reimagining Public Safety In One Of America's Deadliest Cities. therealnews.com 
Mayoral Democratic primary winner Brandon Scott discusses calls to cut the Baltimore police budget to fund social programs, his approach to the drug war, and economic development in a city that's long subsidized corporations at the expense of taxpayers.
(2020-06-17). #WalkAway founder removed from flight for refusal to wear mask, as US airline trade group threatens to blacklist violators. rt.com 
Political activist Brandon Straka was removed from an American Airlines flight for refusing to wear a mask the day trade group Airlines for America announced that passengers who refuse to mask up can be blacklisted from flying. | Straka, a former Democratic Party member who very publicly left the party and started the #WalkAway movement, revealed he was removed from an American Airlines plane at Dallas Airport for refusing to wear a mask on Wednesday, noting on Twitter that it was the "1st time this has happened" to him, and complaining the mask requirement was "not a federal law." Flight attendants apparently…
(2020-06-17). North Korea Blows Up Joint Liaison Office Building With South Korea After Announcing End of Interest in US Relations. anti-empire.com 
Andrei Lankov: "Pyongyang has long resented Seoul's failure to live up to its grandiose promises. The North scoffs at mere symbolic exchange, but the South risks angering the U.S. by pursuing anything more substantial." |
| North Korea blew up a liaison office building it operates with South Korea, officials in Seoul said Tuesday, as
(2020-06-17). No Oversight of $1.5 Billion Electric Project Raises Alarm over Privatization of Puerto Rico's Power. democracynow.org 
As hurricane season begins, we look at moves to privatize Puerto Rico's electric grid and a new investigation that reveals the island's government failed to follow proper oversight or examine the environmental impact when it issued a $1.5 billion contract to a company for the first large power generation project since Hurricane Maria, that will continue its reliance on fossil fuels. Former Puerto Rico Chief of Staff Ingrid Vila Biaggi co-authored the report and calls it "an ill-conceived project full of fiscally irresponsible practices."
(2020-06-17). "Disruptor on Road to Reconciliation": Trump Doubles Down on Rally in Tulsa, Site of 1921 Massacre. democracynow.org 
President Donald Trump says he will push ahead with a massive campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, even as COVID cases are surging there as the state reopens. Trump delayed the rally by one day after it was originally scheduled for June 19, Juneteenth, a celebration marking the emancipation of enslaved people. Tulsa is also the site of one of the deadliest massacres in U.S. history, when a white mob in 1921 killed as many as 300 people in a thriving African American business district. "The rally is troubling to a lot of people because of both the venue, Tulsa, and because of the timing," says Hannibal…
(2020-06-17). With LGBT Ruling, Supreme Court Hands Liberals a Surprise Victory. zcomm.org Two of the court's Republican appointees joined the court's Democratic appointees to deliver an unexpected 6-3 triumph for LGBT advocates…
(2020-06-17). US Rejects Venezuela Legislative Elections as TSJ Intervenes in Two Opposition Parties. venezuelanalysis.com The new leadership of Democratic Action and Justice First confirmed that their parties will contest the National Assembly later this year.
(2020-06-17). Headlines for June 17, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Surpass World War I Toll; Nine States Report New Highs for COVID Cases, Trump to Hold Rally in Tulsa as COVID Cases Reach New High in Oklahoma, Prison COVID Cases Double in U.S.; Nursing Home Deaths Top 50,000, U.S. Exports Record Amount of Pork as Meatpackers Risk Lives to Keep Factories Running, WHO Hails New Study Showing Widely Used Steroid Could Reduce COVID-19 Deaths, Daily Coronavirus Deaths Reach New Highs in India & Pakistan; Beijing Locks Down Again, Honduran President Tests Positive for Coronavirus, U.S. Extends Border Closures with Mexico & Canada, Study: 450,000 Coronavirus Ca…
(2020-06-17). New twist in preparations for Ghana's election. peoplesdispatch.org Ghana's Electoral Commission has come under intense fire from 100 professors from more than 50 universities in the country for its decision to compile a new voters' register. The professors insist that with only six months to the elections, the compilations of a new voters' register would lead to the disenfranchisement of many qualified voters. | The largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Peoples National Convention (PNC) have already accused the Electoral Commission of trying to rig the December 7 elections in favor of the sitting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. | In an o…
(2020-06-17). The Rich Are 'Defunding' Our Democracy. zcomm.org On matters both petty and profound, America's deepest pockets are quietly getting their way…
(2020-06-17). In India, Left leads fightback against govt.'s inhumane policies. peoplesdispatch.org Brinda Karat, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Maxist), talks about the all-India protest day organized by the party on June 16. She analyses the multiple failures of the government during the lockdown, as well as its anti-worker and anti-democratic policies. She also talks about the resistance emerging from the ground against these policies.
(2020-06-17). Emperor Trump Now Stands Partially Naked. counterpunch.org A child exposing the nakedness of the emperor by speaking truth to power? Not these days. More than half of the United States — not just liberals and the left but also the mainstream media and some Republicans — has been shouting at Emperor Trump for months on end that he has no clothes. These
(2020-06-17). North Korea blows up liaison office to send message to Trump. wsws.org While nominally directed at Seoul, Pyongyang's action expressed its deep frustration with the failure of the Trump administration to conduct any meaningful negotiations.
(2020-06-17). Solidarity And The Absent State In Puerto Rico. popularresistance.org Puerto Rican artists, entertainers, and athletes have been conspicuous in calling for protests against the government, which the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP) firmly controls. Indeed, January 2020 was uncannily similar to last July, when El Residente, Bad Bunny, Ilde, Daddy Yankee, Ricky Martin, and other artists roused scores of thousands of their fans to rise in opposition to Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Seven months later, as the government failed to take any decisive action toward a relief effort, anger was building against Rosselló's hapless successor. Even more damaging for the practice of democra…
(2020-06-17). UN sends 49 truckloads of aid to Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com The UN on Wednesday sent 49 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Idlib, northwestern Syria, where millions of people are in need of assistance due to internal conflict in the country.Truckloads of supplies entered Idlib through the Cilvegozu border crossing of Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a…
(2020-06-17). Pelosi Pushes Rule Requiring Masks at Congressional Hearings. truthout.org Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is hoping to establish firm rules on wearing facial coverings in committee hearings, and giving the sergeant-at-arms the authority to remove from the chamber lawmakers who do not abide by the standards. | Late on Tuesday,
(2020-06-16). Ocasio-Cortez Hits Milestone: 1000 Constituent Cases. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-06-16). Climate Crisis: Trump's Regulatory Attack, DNC On Climate, California Fires, And Brazil COVID Chaos. therealnews.com 
Under the cover of COVID-19 and protests, Trump hacks away at bedrock environmental law. Plus, a Democratic Party committee lays out its climate platform, wildfires erupt in California, and climate chaos engulfs Brazil and the Amazon Rainforest.
(2020-06-16). Why This is Not an Emmett Till Moment. dissidentvoice.org 
Why is this not an Emmett Till moment? The quick, simple response is because the Democratic Party is where social movements go to die and this will be absorbed into their own conservative narrative. The open casket for Emmett shocked the nation, the white nation that is. It was neither shocking nor surprising for the …
(2020-06-16). Defund The Police Movement Gains Momentum As Police Killings Continue. therealnews.com 
"What have the police been good for?" Samantha Master of Organize Black said. "They have not prevented crime." | Organizing Black, the group she works with, had just shut down a street in downtown Baltimore, blocking it off with cars so that others could paint 'Defund the Police' in giant letters in front of Baltimore's City Hall. It was June 12, and inside of City Hall, the city council was considering cuts to the police budget, interrogating Commissioner Michael Harrison and other members of command about the Baltimore Police Department's budget of more than half a billion dollars a year. | "What we know is tha…
(2020-06-16). Stir Crazy! Episode #54: Freedom is a Constant Struggle. therealnews.com 
On today's show: Director of K-12 policy for the Center for American Progress Dr. Khalilah Harris and author and organizer Jesse Myerson. Hosted by Kim Brown. If you have questions/comments/suggestions for the show email us at stircrazy@therealnews.com…
(2020-06-16). Protests good, playgrounds bad? NYC mayor chews out locals reopening kids' parks after cheering on George Floyd marchers. rt.com 
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio had harsh words for parents and neighborhood groups "taking the law into their own hands" by cutting locks on city playgrounds, but has continued to defend the protesters who crowd city streets. | The mayor scolded New Yorkers for busting open padlocked playgrounds, during a press conference on Tuesday at which he reminded reporters that the sites are set to remain closed until "Phase 2" of post-coronavirus reopening. | "We're not going to allow people to take the law into their own hands."
(2020-06-16). WATCH Orthodox Jewish activists use BOLT CUTTERS to reopen New York park closed under Covid-19 lockdown. rt.com 
Growing restless under New York City's ongoing coronavirus lockdown, a group of Orthodox Jews have taken matters into their own hands, using a pair of bolt cutters to forcefully reopen a park shuttered as part of the restrictions. | Led by activist Heshy Tischler and a number of state assemblymen, the group was seen in videos shared to social media on Monday breaking the lock off a gate barring the entrance to a park in Williamsburg, allowing a crowd gathered outside to enter, to cheers of "Heshy!" | Based Orthodox Jews reject de Blasio's hypocritical orders to close the park (for social distancing) and cut th…
(2020-06-16). NYPD finds 'no criminality' by Shake Shack employees after three cops hospitalized due to alleged bleach poisoning. rt.com 
An investigation by the NYPD's chief of detectives has cleared Shake Shack employees of suspected poisoning, after three officers claimed their beverages from the burger joint contained bleach. | Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison announced on Tuesday that there had been "no criminality" by Shake Shack employees following a "thorough investigation" into the matter. | Three officers who patronized the Fulton Street Shake Shack in Manhattan on Monday evening said that they had discovered a "toxic substance, believed to be bleach" in their milkshakes, according to a statement released by their union, the New Yor…
(2020-06-16). Shake Shack 'NYPD poisoning' bites ex-POTUS candidate Yang due to poorly timed Twitter thread. rt.com 
Former US presidential candidate Andrew Yang inadvertently put his foot in it when he started a seemingly innocuous Twitter thread comparing US burger joints — just as news broke of NYPD officers being poisoned. | The former entrepreneur and candidate-turned-commentator asked his 1.5 million followers to help settle a debate he was having with his sons, and to choose between the Five Guys and Shake Shack fast-food outlets. | My boys think Shake Shack is better than Five Guys. Right or wrong?— Andrew Yangüߢüá∫üá∏ (@AndrewYang)…
(2020-06-16). Goodbye, Columbus: Bree Newsome Bass on the Movement to Topple Racist Statues Across the Globe. democracynow.org 
As protesters worldwide continue to topple monuments to racists, colonizers and Confederates as part of the wave of demonstrations against racism and state violence, we speak to Bree Newsome Bass, artist and antiracist activist based in North Carolina, who five years ago was arrested at the state Capitol in South Carolina after scaling a 30-foot flagpole to remove the Confederate flag. She says the current backlash against racist symbols reflects "impatience with the pace of incremental progress" both in the United States and elsewhere. "People are tired of centuries of colonialism and white supremacist ideology.
(2020-06-16). Hundreds march to defend DACA for immigrant youth, support movement against police terror. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – With the Supreme Court set to rule on their future, almost 1000 immigrant youth and their supporters marched on June 12 to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that shields 800,000 young immigrants from deportation. | Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the march started outside of Senator Amy Klobuchar's office on Washington Avenue and marched to the Hennepin County Jail in downtown Minneapolis. | The march was very spirited, and speakers and chants made repeated connections between the fight against deportation and the fight of Blac…
(2020-06-16). Headlines for June 16, 2020. democracynow.org In Long-Awaited Victory, SCOTUS Rules LGBTQ Workers Protected by the Civil Rights Act, Atlanta Mayor Orders New Police Rules After Killing of Rayshard Brooks, 911 Dispatcher Raised Concerns About Police Treatment of George Floyd During His Arrest and Killing, Protester Shot in Albuquerque While Toppling Racist Statue; Right-Wing Militia Members Arrested, 19-Year-Old BLM Protester Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau Found Dead One Week After Disappearance, Mourners Demand Justice for Killing of Black Teenager Na'Kia Crawford in Ohio, FBI, DOJ to Review Probes into Two Black California Men Found Hanging from Trees, U.N. Human…
(2020-06-16). Brazilian Democracy Hangs by a Thread. dissidentvoice.org It's hard to admit how far off Brazil has strayed. Less than forty years ago, the country was coming out of a military dictatorship, and for more than three decades stood on a steady, and shiny, path to development. Now again, there's a military president ruling the country, with a military as his Vice, several …
(2020-06-16). We may have lost parliament. But support and solidarity can unite the left. | Chris Williamson. thecanary.co On both sides of the Atlantic, the prospects for electoral socialism have dimmed. Fossilised old guard political party establishments — in Labour and the US Democrats — have stood in the way of the transformation that millions of people know we need. Both the Corbyn and Sanders movements were struck down by reactionary forces. We warned then, that if they prevented our inevitable revolution, we would have to take to the streets. | The cold-blooded
(2020-06-16). After Rayshard Brooks murder by Atlanta police, NAARPR demands community control of the police. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Frank Chapman, Executive Director of the recently formed National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, today, June 15, called for immediate passage of legislation establishing democratic community control of the police in every city and town across the nation. | Chapman stated, "This is really the only way the people will have the power to make the changes that everyone is demanding in the wake of countless murders by police. This is the only way to stop the killings, torture and brutality — a virtual war against Black and brown communities." | "What is it going to take? How many…
(2020-06-16). Tampa protesters claim partial victory, vow to continue struggle. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On Monday, June 15, State Attorney Andrew Warren announced he would be dropping criminal cases against 67 protesters arrested in downtown Tampa on June 2. | On the previous day, June 14, over 200 protesters gathered at Joe Chillura Courthouse Square in downtown Tampa and demanded State Attorney Warren drop the charges against protesters arrested at Justice for George Floyd rallies in recent weeks. The protest also joined with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repressions call for a day of action against police crimes. The protest raised demands for community control of the police, def…
(2020-06-16). 'We Must Act Now': 180 House Democrats Urge Pelosi to Save Clean Energy Industry 'Decimated' by Pandemic. commondreams.org As Congress continues to debate whether and how to keep helping workers and businesses impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, over three-quarters of House Democrats sent a letter Monday urging the lower chamber's party leaders to ensure the delivery of further relief to the "crucial" clean energy industry, which has been "decimated" by the public health crisis and resulting economic fallout. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-464555404_0.jpg …
(2020-06-15). A close look at the global context for Hong Kong's struggle. greenleft.org.au 
Unfree Speech: The threat to Global Democracy & Why We Must Act, Now
| By Joshua Wong & Jason Y Ng
| Penguin Books, 2020
| 268p…