2020-07-14: News Headlines

B. Nimri Aziz (2020-07-14). Soft Power: Americans in Its Grip at Home Must Face the Mischief It Wields by BNimri Aziz July 11/2020. counterpunch.org I suspect most Americans would approve of what they understand to be this nation's global cultural reach as expressed through its 'soft power'. A term coined by an American political scientist, soft power "involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction". Contrasted with coercive measures, it's achieved largely through cultural means, although nevertheless

Fight Back (2020-07-14). Cop tells man he's about to kill, 'You're about to die, my friend'. fightbacknews.org Salt Lake City, UT – ers gathered in front of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill's office, July 8, to demand justice for Bryan Valencia and Chad Breinholt and all victims of police violence. ers chanted, "Justice for Chad Breinholt!" and "Justice for Bryan Valencia," as posters with the same demands were hung on the DA's office building. | Utah Against Police Brutality (UAPB) called the rally to bring attention to these two local cases that have not had the same spotlight as some other local and national police killings. | Breinholt was killed by West Valley City police inside of West Valle…

Jo-Shing Yang (2020-07-14). The New "Water Barons": Wall Street Mega-Banks are Buying up the World's Water. globalresearch.ca Mega-banks and investing powerhouses such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, UBS, Deutsche Bank, the Blackstone Group, Allianz, and HSBC Bank, among others, are consolidating their control over water.

MDAEFGS (2020-07-14). Monday 7/13: Demanding Women: A Conversation About Gun Violence w/ Karen Bass (Moms Demand Action). indybay.org Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/Everytown/live/

William rivers Pitt (2020-07-14). Trump Elevates a Game Show Host's Views on COVID While Stifling Fauci. zcomm.org Source: Truthout "The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19," read the Monday morning retweet on Donald Trump's Twitter page. "Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most that we are told to trust. I think it's all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back,

yenisafak (2020-07-14). Turkish parliament to mark anniversary of defeated coup. yenisafak.com Turkey's parliament on Wednesday will mark the fourth anniversary of the 2016 defeated coup by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).The commemorative ceremony will launch with Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop's visit to the July 15 Democracy Martyrdom Monument at 10.00 a.m. (0700GMT) in Ankara.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also attend a commemorative ceremony in parliament at 12.00 noon (0900GMT).Honoring the thousands of members of the public who took to the streets four years ago against the coup bid, athletes coming from all 81 of Turkey's provinces will keep a "Democracy Watch" in front of the Ju…

Staff (2020-07-13). Attempted Lynching in Indiana. No Arrests? Meet the Survivor: Human Rights Commissioner Vauhxx Booker. democracynow.org We go to Bloomington, Indiana, to speak with the African American human rights commissioner for Monroe County, Vauhxx Booker, who says he survived an attempted lynching when a group of white men pinned him against a tree over the Fourth of July weekend. "You have to be aware of George Floyd and how many other Black folks in our history have heard their executions spoken before them in real time," Booker recalls. "I felt myself want to cry out 'I can't breathe' with these men on top of me, and I just couldn't say the words." Police were called, but no arrests were made. "These men remain loose in my community," sa…

Staff (2020-07-13). Disability Rights s Take On Twin Pandemics of Racist Police Brutality & COVID-19. democracynow.org Two months after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked an international uprising, we look at the underreported but devastating impact police violence has on people with disabilities, especially Black disabled people. According to at least one study, up to one-half of people killed by law enforcement in the U.S. have a disability. "People with disabilities have always been attacked by police. And people with disabilities and poor people have our own answers," says Leroy Moore, a Black disabled and artist, POOR Magazine co-founder and founder of the Krip-Hop Nation. "Our own answer is t…

Staff (2020-07-13). As COVID Infections Soar, Trump Attacks Dr. Fauci, CDC & Pushes Schools to Reopen at All Costs. democracynow.org As the world and the United States shatter the daily records of COVID-19 infections, President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continue to push for public schools to reopen in the fall without a plan to adhere to CDC guidelines. "We need to be doing this safely," responds emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen. "We've already seen what happens when we use shortcuts." Meanwhile, the White House continues to attack the nation's top infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Wen says, "I fear that at this point we are not even seeing the peak of this epidemic."

Staff (2020-07-13). Headlines for July 13, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. & World Mark Record Number of New COVID-19 Cases, Trump Accuses CDC of Lying & Attacks Dr. Anthony Fauci , COVID-19 Death Toll at San Quentin State Prison Reaches Nine, JBS Meat Processing Workers Stage Wildcat Strike, 300 Workers Infected, 4 Die at Los Angeles Apparel Factory, Mexico's COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 35,000, Surpassing Italy as World's Fourth Highest, India, Hong Kong, Colombia Reimpose Lockdowns Amid New Surges, Trump & DeVos Threaten to Cut Funding If Schools Stay Closed During Pandemic, Trump Commutes Sentence of Friend & Adviser Roger Stone, Washington Rdskns to Change Name; Will the Chiefs Be…

Mitch Jones (2020-07-13). Better-Than-Before Climate Plans Still Aren't Good Enough. commondreams.org Sunrise Movement campaigners call on Democratic House members to back a Green New Deal. (Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/covid-crisis-gnd_0.jpg

Fight Back (2020-07-13). On the growing economic crisis, unemployment and Marxist political economy. fightbacknews.org Fight Back! interviews Masao Suzuki, professor of economics and a leading member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. | Fight Back!: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham once said that extending the extra $600 a week in unemployment insurance would happen "over my dead body." Why are Republicans so opposed to helping out the millions of workers who lost their jobs during the current crisis? | Masao Suzuki: A common view is that the Republican party leadership is cruel and uncaring – and of course this is true. But underlying this inhumanity is the logic of capitalism, which needs what Marx called a "reserve a…

Gerald Sussman (2020-07-13). The Russiagate Spectacle: Season 2? counterpunch.org If it's an election year, there must be a Russiagate story. The Clintons and their neoliberal progeny, including the current standard bearer for corporate liberalism, have turned the Democratic Party into a branch office of the Deep State Inc., whose propaganda drones, the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and MSNBC act like hired guns for the Office of War Information.

W. T. Whitney (2020-07-13). Oil Comes First in Peru, Not Coronavirus Danger, Not Indigenous Rights. counterpunch.org As of July 7, 10,772 people had died of COVID 19 infection in Peru, which is the 8th most severely affected country in the world. The actual toll is probably far greater, especially in Peru's Amazonian region. Indigenous inhabitants there, isolated from medical care, suffer from the pandemic and from an environment poisoned by oil extraction. Canadian oil company Frontera

RT (2020-07-13). Donald Trump Jr is lambasted on Twitter for his book cover — and it's not the title, 'Liberal Privilege,' that did it, but a TYPO. rt.com The US president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, has triggered Democrats once again. But not, as you might think, with the title of his new book, 'Liberal Privilege,' but over what looks to be a glaring typo on its cover. | "Joe Biden and the Democrat's Defense of the Indefensible," reads the subtitle of the book, an image of which the author shared online over the weekend. | Unless Trump Jr is using "Democrat" to refer solely to Biden, or the political party as a category, the apostrophe should come at the end of the word, as a possessive plural — as legions of detractors on social media were quick to poi…

RT (2020-07-13). NYC mayor calls for unity after viral VIDEO shows man putting Bronx cop in headlock — as crowd cheers. rt.com In response to a viral video of a Bronx man putting an officer in a headlock, which outraged police unions, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said there is "a lot to do to heal the relationship between police and the community."

RT (2020-07-13). 'Everyone is lying': Outrage after Trump retweets TV host who said there's a Covid-19 conspiracy to make him lose election. rt.com TV personality Chuck Woolery ignited uproar after claiming there was a conspiracy afoot to distort the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to make Donald Trump lose November's election, a tweet the president then reposted. | "The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19," the game-show host tweeted on Sunday, adding that "everyone is lying" about the pandemic. | According to Woolery, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Democratic Party, the media and "most" doctors are all in on the anti-Trump conspiracy. By exaggerating the direness of the pandemic, they are trying to "keep…

RT (2020-07-13). Trump calls on police to 'take a stronger stand' with 'Radical Left' Democratic city governments…meaning what, exactly? rt.com US President Donald Trump has urged police officers across the country to fight back against the "disrespect" coming from the "Radical" Democrats running major cities. What exactly he meant was open to interpretation, as usual. | "Never in history have Police been treated so badly as they are in Democrat run cities," Trump lamented on Monday via Twitter, calling on cops to "take a stronger stand with the Radical Left politicians that are treating them so badly, and so disrespectfully!!!" | Never in history have Police been treated so badly as they are in Democrat run cities – and these cities are a mess. Polic…

RT (2020-07-13). EU 'preparing measures' against China over Hong Kong, but diplomats say economic sanctions 'unlikely'. rt.com The European Union is preparing countermeasures in response to Beijing's new security law on Hong Kong, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said on Monday. However, diplomats indicated that the likely steps will not amount to economic sanctions. | They have noted "broad support" for action among EU member states, they said, but believed tough measures were not being discussed in any detail, Reuters reported. The cited problem is resistance from China's closest trade partners in Europe, such as Hungary and Greece. | "We have agreed … to develop a coordinated EU response to show support for Hong Kong…

RT (2020-07-13). 'You should be ashamed': Obama's ex-adviser slammed for celebrating NYC triumph over Covid 'from the epicenter to zero deaths!'. rt.com A former adviser to Barack Obama is being slammed for a "ghoulish" tweet celebrating the "short term sacrifices" New York City made to go from the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic to having a day with no new recorded deaths. | "From the epicenter to zero deaths. Short term sacrifice saves lives!!!" Valerie Jarrett tweeted on Saturday evening, in reaction to a story declaring the fact that the previous day included no new coronavirus deaths in New York City. | From the epicenter to zero deaths. Short term sacrifice saves lives!!!

RT (2020-07-13). American Airlines 'investigating' after Ted Cruz photographed maskless on flight. rt.com A photo of Republican Senator Ted Cruz sitting on an American Airlines flight without a mask has the internet up in arms, with 'witnesses' claiming he was barefaced the whole flight while his staff say he only removed it to drink.

RT (2020-07-13). WHO team probing origins of coronavirus to work with Chinese scientists in Wuhan. rt.com A two-member advance team of the World Health Organization (WHO) dispatched to Wuhan to probe the origins of the Covid-19 outbreak will undertake preliminary work with local scientists, the agency's emergencies chief has said. | The team is currently under mandatory quarantine, the WHO's Mike Ryan said at a press briefing on Monday. After their isolation period ends, the investigators will begin their work alongside their Chinese colleagues. The WHO has previously said its team will focus only on uncovering the "zoonotic source" of the disease. | The decision to send a special team to Wuhan, believed to be the…

WSWS (2020-07-13). Far-right Vox party to launch fascist trade union in Spain. wsws.org Vox intends to exploit the reactionary role played by Spain's main unions, which support the austerity policies of the ruling Podemos and Socialist parties.

Sam Pizzigati (2020-07-13). Will the Biden-Sanders Economic Task Force Report Rattle the Rich? zcomm.org Wish-lists of progressive public policies never change the world. But they sometimes do excite the people who can…

Sam Pizzigati (2020-07-13). Will the Biden-Sanders Economic Task Force Rattle the Rich? counterpunch.org How much more unequal has the United States become in the Trump years? We don't exactly know. We have some juicy anecdotal data — billionaires, for instance, have increased their net worth by $600 billion or so just since mid-March — but broader national stats won't be available until well into 2021. The more pressing

Leonardo Flores (2020-07-13). VenezolanosConBiden and MAGAzuela: Two sides of the same coin. mronline.org The Biden campaign recently held an event outlining the presidential hopeful's "vision for Venezuela." Spoiler alert: it barely differs from President Trump's.

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2020-07-13). John Bolton's belief that Trump isn't 'a Conservative or a Republican' could play into Democrat hands. thecanary.co John Bolton's Meanwhile,…

WSWS (2020-07-13). Demands mount for racial quotas at elite US universities. wsws.org There is nothing democratic or progressive about the mandating of quotas of different races at schools or workplaces.

James Zogby (2020-07-13). Is AIPAC Losing Its Grip on Democrats? commondreams.org While there are a number of principled souls serving in Congress, for too many Members raising money and getting reelected become ends in themselves. (Photo: AIPAC/Screengrab) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/aipac_2.jpg

WSWS (2020-07-13). Trump commutes prison term for political crony Roger Stone. wsws.org Stone's convictions on perjury and other federal charges stemmed from the bogus anti-Russia campaign launched by the Democratic Party and sections of the military-intelligence establishment.

Robert Mackey (2020-07-13). Trump Manages to Wear a Mask and Undercut Mask-Wearing at the Same Time. zcomm.org In many states run by Democratic governors, Trump supporters, including anti-vaccine s, have staged angry s against mask orders.

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Democratic Republic Of Congo: WHO Reports A New Ebola Outbreak. telesurenglish.net The World Health Organization emergencies expert Dr. Mike Ryan reported a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday. | RELATED: | "As for the 12 of July, we have 48 confirmed cases and three probable cases reported from Equateur province in DRC. We have 17 deaths from confirmed cases and three from probable cases and 11 survivors," Dr. Ryan briefed. | In late June, WHO decreed the se…

commondreams (2020-07-13). Actions Across The Globe Call For A Just Recovery Ahead of G20 meeting. commondreams.org ______________________________…

WSWS (2020-07-13). Georgia Tech faculty, students and parents express opposition to school reopening. wsws.org The university reopening plans in Georgia come in the context of the Trump administration's reactionary push for the reopening of industries and businesses…

John Buell (2020-07-13). Unless We Take Urgent Action, Covid-19 Won't Be the Last Virus That Jumps From Animals to Humans. commondreams.org With tens of billions of nonhuman animals either hunted or farmed in the world's current world system of food production, future pandemics are all but certain. (Photo: Tim Geers/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/5378570040_e5f811f068_b-2_0.jpg

S. Brian Willson (2020-07-13). The Inevitable, Fatal End of Globalization — Centuries of Obscene Entitlement Morphing into Unavoidable, Horrendous Consequences; New Beginnings? globalresearch.ca As the world is understandably distracted by the threat of the pathogenic actions of an entity 10,000 times smaller than a grain of salt, we spend a huge amount of time arguing over its origins and nature, or whether it …

teleSUR (2020-07-13). Pelosi Criticizes Trump Over Calls For School Reopening. telesurenglish.net The U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi Monday accused President Donald Trump of putting children's health at risk by sending them to school in fall. | RELATED: | Pelosi called for mandatory federal guidelines on reopening schools amid the coronavirus outbreak, at a time when contagion is increasing across the country. | "Going back to school presents the biggest risk for the spread of the virus. If there are guidelines est…

Badri Raina (2020-07-13). Republican Values, Or Things That Students Need Not Learn. zcomm.org The CBSE's syllabus diktat seems to announce a clampdown on learning that may raise questions of macro-historical distress and discrimination that continue to plague the republic…

K. Sabeel Rahman, Dorian T. Warren (2020-07-13). From Uprising to Reconstruction. thenation.com K. Sabeel Rahman, Dorian T. Warren From Uprising to Reconstruction…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-13). Iran to adopt 'smart response' toward Natanz incident. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 13 (MNA) — In reaction to the Natanz incident, the Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that the strategic and inviolable policy of the Establishment is giving a smart and ingenious response.

Justin Valenzuela (2020-07-13). Operation Twilight Lockdown: Occupying Mayor Lily Mei's House (Fremont, CA). indybay.org We, the people of Fremont, took direct action by occupying space on July 6th, from 8pm till past midnight at the Mayor Lily Mei's neighborhood. Drawing attention to #blacklivesmatter, #landback, and demanding to #defundfremontpd.

_____ (2020-07-13). In the Face of Mass Unemployment, We Need a 21st Century WPA. popularresistance.org In the Great Depression of the 1930s the Works Progress Administration was one of the main New Deal agencies that put millions of unemployed back to work on public infrastructure projects. The WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps together employed over 10 million total over the course of their existence. | The WPA also put some of America's greatest artists, writers, and musicians to the task of telling a more democratic history of the country, painting murals in public spaces, teaching art and music to young people, and documenting and uncovering untold histories, including those of slavery. | The WPA, the larges…

_____ (2020-07-13). One Of The Wealthiest States Might Pass An Opportunity To Tackle Housing Segregation. popularresistance.org Despite its liberal reputation — and Democrats controlling the legislature for the last 23 years and the governor's mansion for nine — Connecticut is one of the most segregated places in the country. And with thousands of residents pouring into the streets this month to racism, housing advocates and progressive Democrats saw an opportunity to change that, calling for an overhaul of the state's exclusionary housing laws. | That opportunity, however, appears to be fading. | At the state Capitol, Gov. Ned Lamont and legislative leaders have shelved a raft of proposals that could spur more afforda…

yenisafak (2020-07-13). Turkey's coup museum draws half a million visitors. yenisafak.com Since it opened in Turkey last year, some half a million people have visited a museum detailing the July 15, 2016 defeated coup attempt by the terrorist group FETO.On the third anniversary of the defeated coup, the July 15 Memorial Museum honoring the sacrifices paid to uphold democracy in Turkey opened in the heart of Istanbul.FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Turkey accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military…

Feminist Majority Foundation & others (2020-07-12). Thursday 7/16: "Capturing The Flag" Voter Suppression Film & Town Hall w/ Starring Voting Rights . indybay.org Online…

Yanis Iqbal (2020-07-12). The Ravages of Lithium Extraction in Chile. dissidentvoice.org In Chile, the Covid-19 pandemic is raging with an unprecedented speed. There are more than 300,000 confirmed cases with one of the highest per capita infection rates of 13,000 cases for every 1 million people. The economy is severely experiencing the repercussions of Coronavirus-caused restrictions and the historically high national unemployment rate of 11.2% is …

RT (2020-07-12). Why is crime spiking in NYC? 'People can't pay their rent' and need to shoplift to feed their children, says AOC. rt.com Comments from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her theory about crime spiking in New York City have gone viral and are being slammed relentlessly, as the congresswoman believes it all boils down to people being broke and hungry. | Asked about the increase in crime in her city during a recent virtual town hall, Ocasio-Cortez connected the stats to a bad economy putting people in desperate situations. | "Do we think this has to do with the fact that there's record unemployment in the United States right now? The fact that people are at a level of economic desperation that we have not seen since the Great Recession?"

RT (2020-07-12). 'Very distressed': Pope Francis laments conversion of Hagia Sophia into mosque. rt.com Pope Francis has added his voice to those objecting to the museum status of Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia having been revoked. Originally a Byzantine Christian church, the Turkish government has turned it back into a mosque. | "My thoughts go to Istanbul. I'm thinking about Hagia Sophia. I am very distressed," the pontiff said, in the Vatican's first reaction to the decision taken by the Turkish authorities. The brief remark made during a Sunday prayer marking the International Day of the Sea saw the Pope add his voice to the growing chorus from other Christian churches worldwide that have expressed concern o…

_____ (2020-07-12). The Fall of Plahotniuc and a New Hope for Moldova. strategic-culture.org In June 2019, the small landlocked nation of Moldova found itself in a life or death struggle between two opposing futures: Oligarchs like the notorious Vladimir Plahotniuc had worked diligently for years to bring this nation into the hull of the collapsing NATO-EU Titanic while nationalists sought to re-align Moldova's future with the new emerging Multipolar Alliance led by China and Russia. | The greatest moment of decision (until now) occurred in June 2019 when elections resulted in a three-way split between a pro-Russian Socialist Party, the pro-EU ACUM and another pro-western Democratic Party run by the arch…

Robert Kuttner (2020-07-12). Biden's New Economic Nationalism. zcomm.org Better Than You May Think. And some of it seems to have been inspired by Elizabeth Warren…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-12). Tens of thousands of Greeks agitate against law curbing s. peoplesdispatch.org Over the past few weeks, s have been held across Greece against a law introduced by the New Democracy government that will impose strict restrictions on demonstrations. The Communist Party of Greece and leftist trade unions have been in the forefront of these s.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-12). Govt. ready to coop. with Parl. for country's development. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that his administration is ready to establish fair cooperation and interaction with the Parliament for the development and progress of the country.

Stephan Kaufmann and Susanne Hahn (2020-07-12). Financial Markets and National Socialism. indybay.org Joseph Goebbels was appointed "Reich Minister for National Enlightenment and Propaganda " on March 15, 1933. "The people should begin to think and react in a unified way […]" He wanted them to stand behind the actions of the government with full sympathy and support.

Women's March Action (2020-07-12). Tuesday 7/14: Women Voters: Intersection of Gender, Race & Voting in the 2020 Election. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

_____ (2020-07-12). Bolivia's Struggle To Restore Democracy After OAS Instigated Coup. popularresistance.org Today, Bolivia stands at a crossroads. In June 2020, popular calls were mounting for new elections and the restoration of democracy, despite the ongoing repression. In response to this pressure, on June 22, àÅñez signed off on legislation to hold new elections in September. Former president Carlos Mesa (2003-2005) of the right-wing Citizens Community Party would face off against the MAS candidate, former Minister of Finance (2006-2019), Luis Arce. àÅñez's decision drew the ire of Minister of Government, Arturo Murillo, who characterizes the most popular political party in the country as narco-terroris…

_____ (2020-07-12). Symbolism And African (Black) Men (Mostly) With Guns. popularresistance.org The video was circulating endlessly this past weekend. Seemingly dozens of primarily African men (with a sprinkling of women) carrying semi-automatic weapons, marching, and chanting, in formation. Apparently, headed for the Ku Klux Klan headquarters in rural Georgia, U.S. It wasn't clear what happened once or if they reached their destination, but its safe to say that the centuries old vision of African people putting the Klan out of their misery once and for all didn't take place. | For the most part, the reaction, primarily from colonized people, particularly African women, was support for this action. And, for…

sputniknews (2020-07-12). Trump Jr Slams Biden's Economic Plan for America as 'Asinine'. sputniknews.com President Trump's oldest son also lashed out at the media as, according to him, they continue to take digs at his father to make him look bad while at the same time ignoring Biden's history.

sputniknews (2020-07-12). Trump Defends Playing Golf Over the Weekend, Says It Is His 'Tiny Bit of Exercise'. sputniknews.com The president pointed out that the media has given too much coverage to his golf outing, noting that former Democratic president Barack Obama's golf plays did not make headlines, whereas whenever he travels to a golf club, newspapers rush to write about it.

Staff (2020-07-12). Trump Commutes 40-Month Sentence of Longtime Ally Roger Stone. truthout.org Government ethics watchdogs and congressional Democrats were among those outraged late Friday after President Donald Trump announced his commutation of his longtime associate Roger Stone's Trump

yenisafak (2020-07-12). Over 500,000 Hong Kongers cast " vote against new security laws. yenisafak.com Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens queued to cast ballots over the weekend in what the Chinese-ruled city's opposition camp says is a symbolic vote against tough national security laws directly imposed by Beijing.The unofficial poll will decide the strongest pro-democracy candidates to contest Legislative Council elections in September, when they aim to ride a wave of anti-China sentiment stirred by the law to seize control for the first time from pro-Beijing rivals.While the primaries are only for the opposition camp, observers are watching closely as they say the turnout will serve as a test of…

yenisafak (2020-07-12). Trump's push to reopen schools part of bid to boost suburban standing. yenisafak.com President Donald Trump's demand for U.S. schools to fully reopen this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic is central to an emerging re-election strategy that seeks to resuscitate his flagging support in the nation's critical suburbs.Trump in recent weeks has taken stances on hot-button issues his campaign hopes will appeal to suburban voters, particularly women, who have soured on the Republican president since his 2016 election and continue to move away as the virus rages across the country and the economy sputters.Along with aggressively pushing for students to return to classrooms – "Schools must be open in the…

Joe Emersberger (2020-07-11). Remembering the Venezuelan National Assembly vote lost by Guaidó in January 2019. zcomm.org The view of the US government and the pro-Guaidó faction of the opposition was summed up by a New York Times headline and subhead that on January 5 that said Venezuela's Maduro Claims Control of National Assembly, Tightening Grip on Power It was the last political institution in opposition hands. Now President Nicolás Maduro's has

Glen Ford (2020-07-11). Don't let the Democratic Party bury the movement. mronline.org The Black movement will be asphyxiated by the ubiquitous fingers of the Democratic Party if it does not build independent nexuses of people's power.

RT (2020-07-11). Mail-in voter fur-raud? CAT who DIED 12 years ago receives voter registration application in Atlanta. rt.com An Atlanta family was surprised to receive a voter registration application in the mail for their long-dead pet cat — and the state government is wondering what other kind of fraud "out-of-town s" are up to in Georgia. | Cody Tims, a beloved pet cat who was a venerable 18 years old when he died 12 years ago, received an application to register for mail-in voting earlier this week, according to his owners, Ron and Carol Tims — providing serious ammunition to opponents of mail-in voting for November's presidential election. | There's a big push to get people to register to vote, but cats? One…

RT (2020-07-11). Not the same thing, Nancy: Pelosi calls for law restricting presidential pardons after Trump commutes sentence of Roger Stone. rt.com Nancy Pelosi has been accused of harboring misinformed and constitutionally dubious opinions, after arguing that Donald Trump's commutation of Roger Stone is proof that presidential pardon powers need to be reined in. | Stone, a former aide to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, faced more than three years behind bars for obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and making false statements to Congress. The political operative's sentence was commuted by the president just as he was preparing to report to prison. | Unsurprisingly, the Democratic House speaker used the occasion to rehash the long-debunked consp…

RT (2020-07-11). Anti-Trump camp in meltdown over VIDEO of dancing Roger Stone after his prison term's commuted. rt.com Political huckster Roger Stone celebrated the commutation of his prison sentence in typically flamboyant style: by gyrating to music in a video that went viral and hit a raw nerve with his opponents and those of President Trump. | Ensnared by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 'Russiagate' probe, Stone was sentenced in February to three years in prison for interfering with the investigation and tampering with witnesses — charges the long-time Republican maintained were baseless. Trump commuted his sentence on Friday — a move that doesn't overturn his conviction, but spares him a stint behind bars. | Fa…

_____ (2020-07-11). As Long as Mass Media Propaganda Exists, Democracy Is a Sham. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | "A majority of Americans believe that Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan last year amid negotiations to end the war, and more than half want to respond with new economic sanctions against Moscow, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday," "Overall, 60% of Americans said they found reports of Russian bounties on American soldiers to be 'very' or 'somewhat' believable, while 21% said they were not credible and the rest were unsure,"

WSWS (2020-07-11). Sanders-Biden task forces and the debacle of Sanders' "political revolution" wsws.org The Biden-Sanders collaboration has produced a total repudiation of all of the central pillars of Sanders' campaign, in the midst of an unprecedented social and political crisis of world capitalism.

WSWS (2020-07-11). Biden promotes economic nationalism and anti-China militarism. wsws.org Biden offered no opposition to Trump's "back-to-work" drive, mass job destruction during the pandemic or the looming unemployment benefit cutoff.

Tim Koechlin (2020-07-11). Trump, the Pandemic, and the End of the Trumpian Tragedy. commondreams.org For a long time, the GOP has pursued a political and policy agenda that makes the world worse for most of us. Donald Trump, of course, has done this with particular vigor and cruelty. The Democrats, alas, have too often been complicit (and sometimes enthusiastic) collaborators.

Bill Fletcher (2020-07-11). Trump Must be Defeated, but Unions Shouldn't be Democratic Party Cheerleaders. zcomm.org If Trump wins, he will be convinced that he has a mandate for authoritarianism and further irrationalism; trade unions must become organizations of the class…

Maggie Mills (2020-07-11). A Vote for American Healthcare is a Vote for Violence. commondreams.org To protect profits, the private health insurance industry and their Congressional supporters continue strongly opposing Medicare for All. (Photo: National Nurses United/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/medicare_for_all_democrats_0_1_0.jpg

David Rosmarin, Amit G Pandya, Mark Lebwohl, Pearl Grimes, Iltefat Hamzavi, Alice B Gottlieb, Kathleen Butler, Fiona Kuo, Kang Sun, Tao Ji, Michael D Howell, John E Harris (2020-07-11). [Articles] Ruxolitinib cream for treatment of vitiligo: a randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. thelancet.com Treatment with ruxolitinib cream was associated with substantial repigmentation of vitiligo lesions up to 52 weeks of treatment, and all doses were well tolerated. These data suggest that ruxolitinib cream might be an effective treatment option for patients with vitiligo.

Andrew Emett (2020-07-11). Four former correctional officers sentenced to prison for beating handcuffed inmate. nationofchange.org "The sentences handed down in this case show that law enforcement officers who break the law, violate their oaths, and deprive inmates of their civil rights will be held accountable for their actions."

IMEMC Staff (2020-07-11). Palestinian Factions Call for Popular Resistance in Response to 'Israeli Crimes'. imemc.org Majority of Palestinian resistance factions, across the occupied Palestinian territories, on Saturday, called for heightened Palestinian popular resistance, in response to what the factions described as, 'Israeli occupation crimes against the Palestinian people'. In a statement, submitted to local media outlets, factions' representatives held a meeting in the central West …

WSWS (2020-07-11). Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei condemns right-wing terror against Left Party parliamentarian. wsws.org Janine Wissler, chairwoman of the Hesse state parliamentary faction of the Left Party, has repeatedly received email death threats.

Dennis Kosuth (2020-07-11). Chicago Unions Demand to Defund Police and Fund Health Care for All. zcomm.org Many of the organizations and individuals who came together and produced the June 27 action have been part of ongoing collaborations among labor, community s, social justice fighters, and advocates of abolishing the police…

Deepak L Bhatt, Philippe Gabriel Steg (2020-07-11). [Correspondence] Differential effect of ticagrelor on irreversible harms in diabetes — Authors' reply. thelancet.com Gerald Chi and Jolanta Marszalek raise questions about subgroup analysis and interaction terms in the THEMIS trial. Interaction terms are generally underpowered. At the same time, when several subgroups are compared, interaction terms might be positive by chance because of multiplicity of testing. These are two opposing forces in the interpretation of interaction terms that have long been appreciated in clinical trials. With respect to our work, the THEMIS trial was a positive trial in which we found significant efficacy benefit of ticagrelor in the overall population of patients with stable coronary artery disea…

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2020-07-11). Historic Negro Bar, California a World Heritage Site to be considered. indybay.org In 1848, the discovery of Gold just above Rancho Rio De Los Americanos, his land along the American River Parkway, sparked the world's first global story. The Gold Mining Town of Negro Bar, California is worthy of world class preservation.

_____ (2020-07-11). Strike For Black Lives In 25 Cities On July 20 Wins Union Support. popularresistance.org The growing Black Lives Matters Strike Wave has reached over 600 strikes since June 1 got a massive boost of momentum today. | A coalition of 150 organizations, including major unions like SEIU, AFT, and Teamsters, all put out a call for #Strike4BlackLives on July 20. Other organizations supporting the strike include the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Movement for Black Lives, and the Center for Popular Democracy. | The coalition is calling on workers everywhere to stop work for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in honor of George Floyd. | In some cities, workers intend to strike all day. Many workers may aways s…

_____ (2020-07-11). US Claims Religious Repression Underway In Vietnam, But Where's The Evidence? popularresistance.org Recently, the U.S. Department of State issued a report in which they claimed that religious freedom is being suppressed in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government is of course capable of speaking for itself and responding to this defamation. However, I think that Americans also have a responsibility to speak out against baseless claims made by our reactionary government. And as an American living in Hanoi, I can tell you—this is a baseless claim indeed. | Anyone that has spent any time in Vietnam can plainly see the evidence right in front of their face that accusations about a lack of religious freedom are lies…

_____ (2020-07-11). Covid Recovery And Radical Social Change. popularresistance.org I share the hope that the pandemic serves as a wake-up call for mobilizing action for radical societal change, and I don't think that those who see fragments of this happening in commoning or solidarity practices during this pandemic are either naàØve or only see part of the picture. | But I am troubled by the signs that the inequality wagon might have a long way before it derails, which I see side-by-side with those other hopeful signs. | Still, the care and vulnerability vision I sketched could provide a basis for a more hopeful outlook. Keeping in mind that pain better not be romanticized, valuing care…

sputniknews (2020-07-11). 'Bring Back Steele': Trump Demands Extradition of Author of Notorious 'Russia Hoax' Dossier to US. sputniknews.com The Steele Dossier, paid for by the leadership of the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton, accused Trump of conspiring with Russia leading up to the November elections in 2016 on the basis of unreliable sources. However, nobody responsible was ever charged over the dossier, despite it being proved to contain unsubstantiated claims.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-07-11). 'Trump At His Most Corrupt': President Commutes 40-Month Sentence of Longtime Ally Roger Stone. commondreams.org Government ethics watchdogs and congressional Democrats were among those outraged late Friday after President Donald Trump announced his commutation of his longtime associate Roger Stone's 40-month sentence, in what Democratic leaders called a "transparently corrupt" move. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/roger_stone_0_0.jpg

_____ (2020-07-11). The First NATO: British and French Joint Aggressions in the Mid-19th Century. strategic-culture.org The two most militarily powerful nations in the West, both free to project naval power and maritime domination anywhere in the world, get together to punish and overthrow regimes they find guilty of human rights abuses and political repression in the name of human rights and promoting democracy: What could possibly go wrong? | It is of course NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's new call for NATO, which has already over the past decade exercised its nation-building and promotion of enlightened regime policies with such brilliant success in Ukraine, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan to spread its mantle of protect…

Staff (2020-07-11). Public Sector's Right to Strike Is Left Behind in Biden-Bernie Task Force. truthout.org This week's release of the The task force, made up of 49 surr…

Staff (2020-07-11). Schools Are Struggling to Avoid Worsening Inequity When They Reopen. truthout.org When Denmark became the first of 22 European countries to reopen schools on April 15, students were told that wearing face masks was optional. But Recess for Danish children now requires social distancing, and elementary school-aged students have been divided into groups of five to limit interactions. Games include "shadow tag"

Peter Bolton (2020-07-11). Bush-era neocons put their weight behind Biden. And that can mean only one thing. thecanary.co Earlier this year, former vice president Joe Biden

yenisafak (2020-07-11). China's southern Jiangxi declares highest flood alert. yenisafak.com Jiangxi province in southern China issued its highest flood warning on Saturday, predicting a big overflow from a lake on the Yangtze River as torrential rain continues to batter much of the country, state media said.The Jiangxi government raised its flood-control response level to I from II, the People's Daily said, the top level on China's four-tier scale, signalling disasters such as dam collapses or extraordinary floods simultaneously in several rivers.Provincial authorities expect severe regional flooding in Poyang, China's largest freshwater lake which connects to the Yangtze, state television said.The wate…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-10). Retired Steelworker leader Jones backs Biden but wishes it was Bernie. peoplesworld.org INDIANAPOLIS—Chuck Jones, the retired Steelworkers Local 1999 president who became famous for debunking then-President-elect Donald Trump's lies about the Carrier plant closure outside Indianapolis almost four years ago, is going to vote for Joe Biden. But Jones really wishes he was voting for Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., the last man standing against former veep Biden …

Staff (2020-07-10). Headlines for July 10, 2020. democracynow.org Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Claim of Absolute Immunity, Court Says Much of Oklahoma Remains Indian Country in Landmark Indigenous Sovereignty Case, Hospitals Face Surge as U.S. Reports Record 65,000 New Coronavirus Cases, Surge in Cases Directly Tied to Early Reopenings in Florida, Arizona, Texas, Bolivia's Interim President Tests Positive; India, S. Africa & Mexico Report New Record Highs, 1.3 Million More File for Unemployment as GOP Rejects Extending Jobless Aid, Biden Unveils $700 Billion "Buy American" Economic Recovery Plan, St. Louis Police Break Up City Hall Encampment, With Veto-Proof Majority,…

Staff (2020-07-10). "Most Important Indian Law Case in Half a Century": Supreme Court Upholds Tribal Sovereignty in OK. democracynow.org In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that much of eastern Oklahoma, constituting nearly half the state, is Native American land, recognizing a 19th century U.S. treaty with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump nominee, joined the court's liberal wing in a narrow 5-4 ruling that found state authorities cannot criminally prosecute Indigenous peoples under state or local laws. The court's bombshell decision — which also impacts the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole Nations — is a major victory for Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights. "It's a landmark case…

Staff (2020-07-10). "House of Absolute Horrors": Mary Trump's Book Reveals How Trump Family Gave Rise to a "Sociopath" democracynow.org In a new book, Mary Trump — the president's niece — describes Donald Trump as a "sociopath" who grew up in a dysfunctional family that fostered his greed and cruelty. Donald Trump's younger brother, Robert, is seeking to block the sale of the book on the grounds that it violates a confidentiality agreement, but publisher Simon & Schuster says 600,000 copies of the book have already been distributed ahead of its July 14 publishing date. Investigative journalist David Cay Johnston, who has reported on Trump for three decades, says the book is "very, very important" and helps to answer how Trump got to t…

Staff (2020-07-10). Brazilian Epidemiologist Slams Bolsonaro's COVID Response as Far-Right President Tests Positive. democracynow.org As Brazil faces the world's second-worst COVID-19 outbreak after the United States, Trump ally and far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive, after months of downplaying the severity of the pandemic. Brazil has gone almost two months with no health minister. "Bad political leadership is a major risk factor for the spread of the pandemic," says leading Brazilian epidemiologist Cesar Victora, who coordinates the International Center for Equity in Health at the Federal University of Pelotas.

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-10). Ilhan Omar Demands Pentagon Acknowledge, Compensate US Drone Strike Victims 'Illegally Killed' in Somalia. commondreams.org Congresswoman's call, says one rights advocate, "is an important acknowledgment that civilians unlawfully harmed have a right to redress." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ilhan_0.jpg

Paul Street (2020-07-10). Imperial Blind Spots and a Question for Obama. counterpunch.org The biggest of the many moral blind-spots that mar the politics of the Democratic Party is American imperialism. Biden Helped Lead the Charge into Iraq Look at the Inauthentic Opposition Party's[1] presumptive presidential nominee. Biden recently chided Donald Trump in not-so veiled terms for failing to overthrow the democratically elected socialist Maduro government of Venezuela?

Mark Fiore (2020-07-10). Screen Shot 2020-07-09 at 11.57.46 AM.png. progressive.org With Democrats increasing the impeachment pressure, of course President Trump and his supporters would go after a decorated combat veteran who was a refugee.

Rob Urie (2020-07-10). Democracy and the Illusion of Choice. counterpunch.org The neoliberal logic of everything for the rich is now so deeply embedded in American political economy that its base assumptions appear untouchable, except in rare and extraordinary circumstances. With the Covid pandemic exacerbating the current crisis of capitalism, political and economic defense mechanisms make restoring the people and institutions that created the crisis appear to be the only alternative (once again) to solving it

Joel Wendland-Liu (2020-07-10). Overcoming Civil Discourse and Other Illusions of Democracy for the 1%. dissidentvoice.org Festishizing democracy The U.S. racist-capitalist class and its ideological apparatus fetishize the word democracy. Using fatuous appeals to civil discourse, it sponsors the illusion that democracy is the most advanced political system in human history. In addition to voting for their representatives, people supposedly engage with civil society through which they achieve greater social goods …

Judy Greenspan (2020-07-10). 'Day of Rage' against Zionist annexation. workers.org When Palestine is under attack, what do we do? Unite and fight back! And that's just what thousands of ers did across the U.S. on July 1, the day Israel annexed 30 percent of the West Bank. More cities had demonstrations in the days that followed. At least 40 actions . . . |