2020-06-22: News Headlines

Mark Gruenberg (2020-06-22). Voter suppression looms over the 2020 election. peoplesworld.org ATLANTA—You've heard or read about a wide range of ways the right wing is suppressing the votes of people it hates, but this takes the cake: Postage stamps, or lack of them, for absentee voters in the entire state of Georgia. It's as bad as having one polling place for a county with 767,000 people …

sputniknews (2020-06-22). Spokesperson Refutes Story That Bolton Will Vote For Democrat Biden Over Trump. sputniknews.com The former Trump appointee is set to release a memoir on Tuesday detailing his days as the national security adviser for US President Donald Trump. Excerpts of the book have already sparked a wave of criticism against his former boss.

Alan Minsky (2020-06-22). If You Want Joe Biden to Govern More Like FDR Than Jamie Dimon, Vote for Bernie Sanders on Tuesday in New York and Kentucky. commondreams.org Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) holds hands with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) during his speech at a campaign rally in Queensbridge Park on October 19, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bernie-sanders-ocasio-cortez-queens-rally-endorsement-saturday.jpg

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-22). Algerian court sentences prominent Hirak activist to one year imprisonment. peoplesdispatch.org Amira Bouraoui, who has been convicted for her Facebook post, is part of the popular ongoing Hirak movement which calls for large-scale democratic reforms in Algeria…

Lital Khaikin (2020-06-22). The Rhetoric of Democracy-building in Ukraine. NATO and the Militarization of Eastern Europe. globalresearch.ca Buying Freedom on the Free Market | Obscured by the mythology of pursuing economic and political autonomy, Ukraine plays the latest role in a long, unfolding process of western corporate, political and military interests establishing the "territorial integrity" not of independent …

_____ (2020-06-22). New Colorado Law Ends Immunity For Police. popularresistance.org Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Friday signed into law a bill to remove the shield of legal immunity that has long protected police officers from civil suits for on-the-job misconduct, a measure civil libertarians hailed as landmark legislation. | The Colorado state legislature passed the sweeping police accountability bill last week in the wake of nationwide protests over unfair treatment of racial minorities by law enforcement, sparked by the death of an unarmed Black man under the knee of a white Minneapolis policeman last month. | Polis, a first-term Democrat, took the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, celebr…

yenisafak (2020-06-22). Turkey sends 6 truckloads of aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com Two Turkish charities on Monday sent six 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, including flour, clothing and dry food, by Adana Dosteller and Eskisehir Gunisigi charities, entered Idlib through the Yayladagi border crossing of Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among families living in tents in Idlib.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 h…

yenisafak (2020-06-22). UN dispatches 36 trucks carrying aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Monday dispatched a total of 36 trucks carrying humanitarian aid for needy people in Idlib city of northwestern Syria.Truckloads of supplies entered the Syrian city 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 de-escalation zone forged under an agreement…

WSWS Repost (2020-06-22). Amy Klobuchar ends bid to become Biden's running mate in favor of a "woman of color" indybay.org Who will be Biden's running mate now that Amy Klobuchar is out of contention? The political record and background of the leading candidates reveals that nearly every one of them is a "law and order" Democrat with a record of defending the police.

Staff (2020-06-22). Trump Fires Top U.S. Prosecutor as William Barr Moves to Expand "Imperial Presidency" democracynow.org After a dramatic weekend showdown, the Trump administration has ousted Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan who led multiple prosecutions and investigations into allies of the president. We look at the extraordinary measures U.S. Attorney General William Barr took to protect Trump, with New York Times Magazine writer Emily Bazelon, who has profiled Barr. "He believes in a very strong executive presidency, a kind of imperial presidency in which a huge amount of power resides in the president," she says of the attorney general.

Staff (2020-06-22). "Robert E. Lee Was a Brutal Slave Master": Activist's Call to Rename Louisiana School Goes Viral. democracynow.org We play a video that has now gone viral from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where community activist Gary Chambers Jr. calls out members of the Lee High School school board for their racism during a June 18 meeting to discuss a resolution to rename the school, which is named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Chambers urged members to choose a name in honor of people who fought slavery and racism, not someone who defended it, and addressed board member Connie Bernard, who had defended Robert E. Lee and was seen shopping on her computer during the meeting.

Staff (2020-06-22). Trump's Reelection Playbook: Racist Tropes & Downplaying COVID Pandemic by Slowing Down Testing. democracynow.org As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 nears 120,000 and mass protests against police brutality and racism continue, President Trump faces condemnation for his remarks at his poorly attended campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he repeated racist terms like "kung flu" and lashed out at protesters. "You just see this tremendous impulse to divide," says Emily Bazelon, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. "This is what has worked for Trump in the past. He is not going to change now."

Staff (2020-06-22). Five Black & Brown Men Have Been Recently Found Hanged in Public. Were Some of Them Lynched? democracynow.org As mass protests against racism and police brutality continue, at least five men — four Black and one Latinx — have been found hanging in public across the U.S. in recent weeks. We speak with Jacqueline Olive, director of "Always in Season," a documentary that examines the history of lynchings through the story of Lennon Lacy, an African American teenager who was found hanged from a swingset in 2014. "They deserve a full investigation," Olive says of the recent hangings, "and given the context of this history … that we look at them more than three days, and then that they are looked at as a whole."

Staff (2020-06-22). Headlines for June 22, 2020. democracynow.org AG Barr Under Fire as Dems Launch Investigation into Firing of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, Coronavirus Cases Surging in U.S. and Around the World, Antiracism Uprising Continues as Demonstrators Celebrate Juneteenth, Dept. of Homeland Security Spied on Protesters in 15+ U.S. Cities, More Confederate and Racist Statues Fall Across the Country, Protesters Call for Justice After Fatal Shooting of 18-Year-Old Andres Guardado in Gardena, CA, Louisville Police Chief Moves to Fire Officer Who Shot and Killed Breonna Taylor, 19-Year-Old Killed in Shooting in Seattle's Autonomous "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" Zone, No…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-06-22). House Dems Introduce Bill to Prevent Big Pharma Price-Gouging During Covid-19 Pandemic. commondreams.org On the heels of polling that showed 88% of Americans worry Big Pharma will exploit the ongoing pandemic to hike drug prices, House Democrats on Monday introduced two bipartisan bills to prevent price-gouging for Covid-19 treatments and vaccines and to strengthen oversight of federal spending on coronavirus research and development. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12137062381_1.jpg

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-06-22). Corporate Interests Nervous as Progressive Democrats Surge Ahead of NY and Kentucky Primaries. commondreams.org "They were always going to have more money on their side. But we have the better candidate, with better ideas, and a better campaign." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1220622079.jpg

RT (2020-06-22). Seoul says military option on the table over Pyongyang's plans to drop leaflets prompted by its people's 'unquenchable anger'. rt.com South Korea has warned it's ready for an armed response against the North's plans to drop leaflets if it violates the two states' military agreement. Equipment is reportedly being set up to spread the leaflets "deep inside South." | South Korean defense authorities said on Monday they are closely watching Pyongyang's leafleting methods and are leaving a military response option on the table. Kim Jun-rak, the spokesperson of the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff, stressed that Seoul was prepared to take military action if any aerial vehicle is flown over the Demilitarized Zone, which would violate the 2018 inter-Ko…

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2020-06-22). Sins of "The Father" Torn Down, A New Way Forward At Hand. indybay.org Be ye not afraid, "the nakedness and drunkenness of our fathers" can no longer be tolerated as a bastardized translation of a moral compass of divinity.

David Duhalde (2020-06-22). How to Defeat Trump Without Campaigning for Biden. zcomm.org Socialists and other Bernie Sanders supporters can play a critical role in defeating right-wing populism while building a left-wing alternative for the long term—by going down-ballot.

Lucas Koerner (2020-06-22). Biden Bashes Trump's Willingness to Meet with Venezuela's Maduro. venezuelanalysis.com The White House insisted that Trump "has not lost confidence" in opposition leader Guaido.

John Wojcik (2020-06-22). Poor turnout, hate speech, COVID infections mark Trump's Tulsa rally. peoplesworld.org TULSA, Okla.—President Donald Trump addressed his flop of a rally Saturday in a speech that tried to convince his supporters that literally everywhere they turn there are "left-wing radicals" waiting for Joe Biden to be elected so that they can make their move and destroy the American way of life. He praised Confederate statues and …

_____ (2020-06-22). Biden And His Ventriloquists Keep Out-Hawking Trump. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | In response to Trump "Trump talks…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-06-22). 115+ Groups Urge Biden (and Trump) to Support 'Fair and Just Foreign Policy Regarding Israel and Palestinian Rights'. commondreams.org More than 115 organizations on Monday urged Joe Biden and President Donald Trump to adopt a U.S. policy toward the Israeli government and Palestinian people that is "based on the principles of equality and justice for all." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/palestinians_kushner_0.jpg

Lavinia Steinfort (2020-06-21). Democratizing Energy to Counter the Climate Catastrophe. zcomm.org The economic recovery as well as a Green New Deal will only be meaningful if we take our country-wide energy systems out of the market and into democratic public ownership…

RT (2020-06-21). Murders, violence on the rise in NYC as footage shows man killed washing his car, 92yo woman randomly assaulted (VIDEOS). rt.com New York City has reported a major increase in murders and shootings. The news comes as a man was killed in the city while washing his car, and a 92-year-old woman was assaulted in a seemingly random attack. | "Earlier today, police officers from the 75th Precinct responded to a call of a male shot in front of 334 Milford Street. When they arrived, they discovered a 35-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the neck," the NYPD's Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison

RT (2020-06-21). Trump's Tulsa rally has low turnout, but Biden has none at all — and aids to both candidates stumble to explain it. rt.com Fox News' Chris Wallace has confronted advisers of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, grilling them on their presidential campaigns' failures. Neither of them seem to produce a good explanation besides campaign speeches. | Fox News Sunday turned out to be quite eventful, as its host faced campaign advisers for both of the presidential candidates. Wallace spoke with Trump's 2020 campaign spokeswoman, Mercedes Schlapp, about poor attendance of Saturday's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where whole sections of the arena were seen empty. | The spokeswoman blamed the poor turnout on Black Lives Matter protesters, who were…

Kevin Ryan (2020-06-20). Is the Coronavirus Scare a Psychological Operation? globalresearch.ca First published June 3, 2020 | Governments have used psychological warfare throughout history to manipulate public opinion, gain political advantage, and generate profits. Western governments have engaged in such tactics in the war on terrorism as well as in its predecessor, …

Lawrence Goldstone (2020-06-20). How the Supreme Court undermined the Black vote. nationofchange.org Black Americans braved police violence at Selma and galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act. Fifty years later, the Supreme Court's Shelby decision ushered in a new era of racially targeted voter suppression.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-06-20). 'I Have Not Resigned,' Says Federal Attorney After AG Barr Tries to Oust Him. commondreams.org "This late Friday night dismissal reeks of potential corruption of the legal process," said Sen. Chuck Schumer. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/geoffrey-berman-refuses-ouster-barr_0.jpg

WSWS (2020-06-20). Socialist Equality Party challenges undemocratic ballot access laws in Michigan. wsws.org The lawsuit is part of the SEP's fight against an undemocratic electoral system that is designed to prevent any opposition to the two parties of the ruling class, the Democrats and Republicans.

William rivers Pitt (2020-06-20). Armed Extremist Groups Were Galvanized by GOP. zcomm.org These people did not spring up from the ground like mushrooms. They are products of a long-standing cultivation project undertaken by the Republican Party and its media allies to agitate and radicalize its political base…

Staff (2020-06-20). Trump Wants to Create Election Chaos by Killing the Post Office. truthout.org President Trump and his Republican advisers appear to be laying the groundwork for presidential election chaos on November 3. | Part of the plan seems to be to allow the coronavirus-slammed U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to run out of money in September, throwing the mail service into crisis, possibly disenfranchising everyone who votes by mail.

Jamaal Bowman (2020-06-20). Challenging One of the Most Powerful Democrats in Congress. zcomm.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 Eliot Engel…

WSWS (2020-06-20). Quebec film distributors censor Roman Polanski's J'accuse. wsws.org Yielding to the anti-democratic #MeToo campaign, distributors in Quebec refused to buy the rights to Polanski's remarkable film about the Dreyfus Affair.

WSWS (2020-06-20). Millions across the US mark twenty-fifth day of mass demonstrations against police violence. wsws.org Ongoing demonstrations against police violence merged with celebrations of Juneteenth across the country on Friday as the Democratic Party attempts to adapt itself to the movement and inject racial identity politics.

Gordon Duff (2020-06-20). Trump Crashing at the Polls, Dropping through the Hopeless 30's. thealtworld.com The president's team had been relieved that he wasn't slipping below 40 percent in the polls. Well. Now he is. | VT recognizes Trump's "base," a failure of the Democratic party to stay true to the American people and the marriage with the GOP and the cartels, the Mossad and the Kosher Nostra. | This is the simple truth of it. | Daily Beast: As Donald Trump

_____ (2020-06-20). US Lawmakers, Top Official Clash On China's Involvement In COVID-19 Vaccine. popularresistance.org US lawmakers and a top official leading the White House's efforts to produce a coronavirus vaccine clashed on Thursday over whether American health authorities should be working with China to speed up the process. | At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to confirm General Gustave Perna to co-lead "Operation Warp Speed", the Trump administration's initiative to develop a coronavirus vaccine and therapeutics, several lawmakers asked whether the United States is committed to working with China on research. | Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat representing Connecticut, raised the concerns "that the adminis…

RT (2020-06-20). US conservatives pull no punches after Susan Rice says Trump & his allies belong on 'trash heap of history'. rt.com US conservatives have blasted former National Security Advisor Susan Rice for saying Trump's allies must end up in the "trash heap of history." Her tirade ignited a fresh online war of words between the right and the left. | Rice, a former US envoy to the UN and the White House national security advisor during Barack Obama's presidency, went on a fiery tirade against current American leader Donald Trump on MSNBC. She slammed the Trump administration as "racist to its core." | The ex-diplomat also expressed hope that the Democratic Party contender in the 2020 presidential race, former Vice President Joe Biden,…

sputniknews (2020-06-20). Senate's Top Democrat Demands DOJ Probe Into Attempt to Oust Attorney Investigating Trump Lawyer. sputniknews.com On Friday, Geoffrey Berman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), said he does not intend to resign, contradicting an announcement by Attorney General William Barr earlier in the day that Berman would be stepping down.

RT (2020-06-20). Vote by hypocritical UN Human Rights Council on race and policing in US is 'new low' — Pompeo. rt.com The US has slammed the UN Human Rights Council for holding a vote on a resolution that criticized America's record of police brutality and racism, saying the vote demonstrated "hypocrisy" and showed why the US quit the body. | The UN rights body "has long been and remains a haven for dictators and democracies that indulge them," Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement. | "If the Council were honest, it would recognize the strengths of American democracy and urge authoritarian regimes around the world to model American democracy and to hold their nations to the same high standards of accountabilit…

RT (2020-06-20). 'THEY AIN'T NOTHING BUT DEVILS': Muhammad Ali's son says father would have HATED 'racist' BLM movement. rt.com Muhammad Ali's only biological son says his father would have despised the "racist" Black Lives Matter movement and endorsed all races, never singling "anyone out." | "My father would have said, 'They ain't nothing but devils.' My father said, 'all lives matter,'" Muhammad Ali Jr. told the New York Post. | The 47-year-old son of the legendary boxer, who is often noted as a cultural trailblazer for black Americans, did not stop at connecting his father to the "all lives matter" position. He also said Ali would have supported President Donald Trump — the late athlete endorsed both Democrat Jimmy Carter…

Norman Solomon (2020-06-20). California "Berning" for Ro Khanna to Chair the State's Delegation to Democratic National. indybay.org Inclusion or charade?>

sputniknews (2020-06-20). 'Improper Motives' Behind Berman's Firing, AG Barr 'Must Be Held Accountable', Speaker Pelosi Says. sputniknews.com Her statement comes after Geoffrey Berman, ex-US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that he stepped down from his position to "respect the normal operation of law".

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-06-20). 'Most Corrupt President in Our Lifetimes': At Barr's Request, Trump Fires US Attorney Geoffrey Berman. commondreams.org "Make no mistake," said Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) in reaction to the news, "Bill Barr will go down in history as having aided and abetted the most corrupt president this country has ever seen." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_coronavirus_2_1_0.jpg

_____ (2020-06-20). Learning From Warren Harding. strategic-culture.org President Donald Trump's determination to launch a new series of campaign rallies across the American Heartland runs the enormous risk of further reviving COVID-19 and spreading it like wildfire in his core support areas. Such blow-black would prove fatal for his hopes of a reelection victory in November. | Trump has been both an ultra-conservative and nationalist president and an activist one: Until the COVID-19 virus hit, he was actually doing far better than his supercilious elitist critics on both Right and Left ever gave him credit for. But the onslaught of the pandemic has upended all his previous calculati…

Robert Fantina (2020-06-20). Trump vs Biden: Lose/Lose for Palestine. globalresearch.ca With the Netanyahu regime of Israel on the cusp of violating international law once again, this time by annexing large parts of Palestine, the United States is not only not opposing, but actually encouraging this crime. Of course, the U.S. …

Ryan Cristián (2020-06-19). BlackRock Is Heavily Invested In 3M (Masks) & The Rockefeller-Funded COVID Predictive Tracking Ring. 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 (6/19/20). 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 …

Roger Harris (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.

Fight Back (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…

Fight Back (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…

RT (2020-06-19). Trump retweets his critic Max Blumenthal, who changes handle to slogans like 'US sanctions kill kids' for Trump audience to read. rt.com On Thursday, followers of Donald Trump's Twitter feed were able to read scathing criticisms of the US president, thanks to a careless retweet of a post by journalist Max Blumenthal, who seized the chance to weaponize his name. | The trolling session of the US troll-in-chief started with Blumenthal attacking former US National Security Advisor John Bolton and the left-wing figures lionizing him for writing a book that makes his former boss look bad. | John Bolton, a notoriously mendacious enemy of all living beings on the planet, is discovering what every other great Republican hope of the Resistance has: liber…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-06-19). If Defeated by Booker in Democratic Primary, McGrath Urged to Hand Over Surplus Millions to Topple McConnell. commondreams.org Progressive advocacy groups on Friday called on Amy McGrath, who is running in the Democratic primary for Sen. Mitch McConnell's seat in Kentucky, to commit to dedicating millions of dollars in unspent campaign cash to defeating the longtime Republican leader in the general election, should she lose the primary. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-06-19_at_4.22.09_pm.jpg

WSWS (2020-06-19). Socialist Alternative's Kshama Sawant promotes local police reform, Democratic Party politics. wsws.org Insisting that the police can be drastically reformed within the framework of capitalism, Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant conceals the fundamental character of the police as an arm of the capitalist state.

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-06-19). George Floyd Was Not Killed By Police. thealtworld.com George Floyd was not killed by police. According to the toxicology report, Floyd died from a concentration of Fentanyl in his blood three times the fatal dose. Fentanyl is a dangerous opioid 50 times more potent than heroin. You can read the analysis here— | Think about this for a minute. What becomes of a society in which facts do not matter? The US media, Democrat Party, white liberals, and the sorry exc…

Mnar Muhawesh (2020-06-19). Podcast: How the Democratic Party Unleashed Decades of Racial Injustice and Police Brutality on Communities of Color. thealtworld.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. | Welcome to In this episode, we are joined by Margaret Kimberly and…

_____ (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…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-06-19). "She's a Cop": Advocates Scoff at Former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings as Potential Biden Running Mate Amid Racial Injustice Uprising. commondreams.org Progressives and racial justice advocates are pushing back against speculation that Rep. Val Demings is a likely contender for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate, saying it is not "the right moment" to choose a former police chief as a vice presidential candidate. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/25513711217_be553afec0_o_1.jpg

Staff (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…

Staff (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."

Staff (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…

Staff (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…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-06-19). Poor People's Campaign to Host Weekend Digital Gathering to 'Challenge Poverty and Revive Democracy'. commondreams.org Low-income people and economic justice advocates from across the United States will unite on Saturday and Sunday "to challenge poverty and revive democracy amidst recession, pandemic, and protests" with a historic digital assembly and march sponsored by the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ppc_0.jpg

Stephen Lendman (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 …

Prof. Joseph H. Chung (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 …

Matthew Daly (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 …

Staff (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

Cat Davis, Dorian Warren (2020-06-19). Walmart Exploits Black Lives While Paying Lip Service to Black Lives Matter. commondreams.org A worker delivers groceries to a customer's vehicle outside a Walmart store in Amsterdam, N.Y., on May 15. (Photo: Angus Mordant / Bloomberg via Getty Images file) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/200615-african-american-walmart-worker-ew-254p_9e5257cfbaaf719574bf70569dbcb2f8.fit-2000w.jpg

_____ (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…

Ralph Nader (2020-06-19). From the Covid-19 Battle Can Come Unstoppable Citizen Power to Propel "Full Medicare for All" Through Congress. counterpunch.org Frontline healthcare, transit, and grocery clerk workers are too busy risking their lives helping and saving people exposed to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic to see themselves emerging as the force that can overcome decades of commercial obstruction to full Medicare for All. These heroic, courageous, and selfless people are getting the job done, often without

Amanda Mills (2020-06-19). Sen Bernie Sanders calls out GOP for inadequately addressing police violence in new bill. nationofchange.org "Now is not the time to think small or respond with superficial, bureaucratic proposals."

Bruce E. Levine (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

Miachael Arria (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

Ryan Cristián (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 …

Eleni Schirmer (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…

teleSUR (2020-06-18). Burundi Swears In A New President. telesurenglish.net Evariste Ndayishimiye took charge Thursday as Burundi ¥s president at the Ingoma stadium in the administrative capital, Gitega. | RELATED: | The country ¥s former president Pierre Nkurunziza, died suddenly on June 9 of a cardiac arrest, after 15 years in power. He was due to step down in August. | Ndayishimiye, as the candidate of the ruling party, National Council for the Defense of Democracy — Forces fo…

RT (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

Ralph Nader (2020-06-18). Out of the Ashes of Covid-19 Should Rise Our Unstoppable Medicare for All Movement. commondreams.org "The Covid-19 pandemic and its bungling by Trump and Trumpsters leading to the loss of loved ones, the loss of patients, and the horrific experiences of frontline workers would pave the way to this long-overdue change," writes Nader. "The humane laser-beamed arrival of workers, who have witnessed the tragedies caused by the pandemic will push Congress to provide Americans universal care and relief, from economic anxiety, dread, and fear." (Photo: Molly Adams / flickr / cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/medicare_for_all_march.jpg