(2020-08-10). Is Trump Sabotaging U.S. Postal Service Ahead of Election as Part of His Attack on Mail-in Voting? democracynow.org 
Democratic lawmakers say the Trump administration is sabotaging the United States Postal Service ahead of the November election, when a record number of votes are expected to be cast by mail. Since taking office, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — a major Trump donor — has instituted a number of cost-cutting measures that have slowed down the delivery of mail, and overhauled the leadership of the agency in a move that critics say will give him more power. This comes as President Trump continues to attack mail-in voting, claiming…
(2020-08-10). Millions Facing Eviction and Joblessness Get No Immediate Help from Trump's New Executive Orders. democracynow.org 
President Trump's latest executive orders to extend unemployment benefits and defer payroll taxes may be unconstitutional. Democrats had hoped to extend a program to give unemployed workers an additional $600 in weekly benefits and to extend a federal moratorium protecting some renters from evictions, but failed to overcome opposition from Republican lawmakers. Under Trump's order, unemployed workers would continue receiving an additional $400 a week, but only once states put up a quarter of the money and set up a new system to distribute the payments — a process that could take months. Trump also signed an…
(2020-08-10). Headlines for August 10, 2020. democracynow.org Lebanon Unrest Mounting as Death Toll from Catastrophic Port Blast Tops 200, Trump Signs Executive Orders After Coronavirus Bill Stalls, Dems Say They Are Unconstitutional , U.S. COVID-19 Cases Top 5 Million, with More Evidence of Infections in Children and Teens, Coronavirus Surging Across India, Brazil as Europe and Cuba Reimpose Containment Measures, Hong Kong Arrests Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Under National Security Law, Protesters Take to Streets of Belarus, Accuse Officials of Fraud After Lukashenko Claims 80% of Vote, Mauritius in State of "Environmental Emergency" as Tanker Leeches Fuel into Protected Areas,…
(2020-08-10). Lebanese Gov't Faces Collapse Amid Rage-Filled Protests over Blast, Economic Crisis & Corruption. democracynow.org 
The Lebanese government may be on the verge of collapse amid protests over the massive port explosion that devastated much of Beirut and killed at least 200 people and injured thousands. At least four ministers and nine members of Parliament have resigned. "The dominoes are falling," says Dion Nissenbaum, a Beirut-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal, who led an investigation into the official neglect that preceded last week's explosion, and says it has intensified public outrage over long-standing government dysfunction, calling it "the straw that's broken the camel's back here."
(2020-08-10). The Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Human Rights Emergency is Not a Photo-Op for Ivanka Trump. counterpunch.org 
We need to be clear about what is needed to address this crisis, and it is not a photo-op where our sacred symbols of high office are degraded by being used as props by Ivanka Trump. Democratic 2020 presidential candidate, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, accurately called MMIWG "an unconscionable human rights emergency," and the response must
(2020-08-10). Trump's Executive Orders: EOs as PR and FUs. counterpunch.org 
Less than 24 hours after Trump broke off negotiations on the economic stimulus package with Congressional Democrat leaders, Pelosi and Shumer, last Friday August 7, Trump issued a series of Executive Orders (EOs) that he had been signaling and threatening all last week well before the break up. Almost certainly the legal crafting of the
(2020-08-10). Free Them All! Care Not Cages! March & Rally In SF Against ICE & Republicrats. indybay.org Activists protested at the ICE office in San Francisco against the imprisonment of children in cages and the ICE terrorism against immigrants and people of color. They also attacked California Governor Newsom, Pelosi and the Democrats for supporting these policies.
(2020-08-10). Biden's Ukrainegate Problem. counterpunch.org 
Joe Biden's role in the Ukraine regime change, as Victoria Nuland put it, was to "midwife" the new government into existence and thereby incorporate another eastern European satellite into America's orbit. This is what the neocons call "democracy promotion." His efforts in Ukraine, however, proved disastrous.
(2020-08-10). Victim of 'systemic racism'? Biden's Ferguson anniversary tweet flops… as his own DOJ justified Michael Brown shooting. rt.com 
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden seemingly forgot what was made clear by his own administration when he was vice president under Obama: Evidence shows that Michael Brown was killed while assaulting a police officer. | That was the
(2020-08-10). What could it mean? Twitter erupts with sarcastic suggestions after Trump refers to himself as 'President T'. rt.com 
Donald Trump has sparked yet another Twitter drama after referring to himself as 'President T' in a post questioning the loyalty of a senator, prompting users to make sarcastic suggestions of what the 'T' could possibly stand for. | In the Monday tweet, Trump accused Republican Senator Ben Sasse of "going rogue" after he sharply criticized the president's executive orders aimed at providing coronavirus relief while bypassing Congress. | RINO Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he's got it (Thank yo…
(2020-08-10). Cognitive Without Conscience. counterpunch.org President Trump took a cognitive test, and touted his performance as "amazing." The test: he repeated "Person, Woman, Man, Camera and TV" in that order. It is a dementia test that measures memory, not morality, the capacity to recall, not intelligence. Seventy-four-year-old Trump proposed that his 2020 presidential opponent, seventy-seven-year-old Joe Biden take the test
(2020-08-10). Biden's blueprint for a right-wing presidency: Part one. wsws.org Despite media claims that the Democratic Party has "moved to the left," Joe Biden is running on a thoroughly right-wing program based on the defense of Wall Street and the global interests of American imperialism.
(2020-08-10). How Trump Plans to Win Wisconsin. progressive.org The Badger State, for Trump and Biden, is ground zero for November's election.
(2020-08-10). A good news storyline: Trump repudiated, Biden steady but insufficient. Enter systemic reformers. nationofchange.org Biden is no FDR. To expect systemic reform from Biden is naive but to envision him as a stepping stone is good progressive strategy.
(2020-08-10). Politicizing Fear Through the News Media. counterpunch.org News coverage of fear, threat, and violence continues to influence and be manipulated by politicians attuned to network TV criteria for coverage. President Trump sent armed federal agents to several cities, to battle "terrorists" because he says some cities run by Democrats, are out of control. "Look at what's going on — all run by
(2020-08-10). Caleb Reed, a youth activist in Chicago, falls victim to gun violence. wsws.org Most recently Reed opposed Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot's budget that starves schools of resources while flooding the Police Department with billions of dollars.
(2020-08-10). Tampa Bay SDS wins major victory in their Increase Black Enrollment campaign. fightbacknews.org Tampa Bay SDS wins major victory in their Increase Black Enrollment campaign | By Eithne Silva | Tampa, Fl – On August 4, the president of the University of South Florida (USF) released a statement to the public announcing changes being made to improve Black student life. Some of these changes include demands that Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) brought to USF administration through their Increase Black Enrollment campaign. | In the fall of 2019, after a string of white supremacist activity on campus as well as the lowest proportion of black students at USF in a decade, Tampa Bay SDS launched th…
(2020-08-10). The Fight for Democracy in Wisconsin. progressive.org State Republicans have set out to reverse the state's progressive legacy—by commandeering its mechanisms of governance.
(2020-08-10). As statewide cases hit half a million, opposition mounts in Florida to school reopening. wsws.org Teachers from across Florida marched on Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' mansion Saturday to protest his statewide mandate for fully in-person instruction.
(2020-08-10). Ukraine's Complex Historical Background and The Contemporary Era. globalresearch.ca Ukraine has a complex historical background and most people have little knowledge of this. The western part of Ukraine known as Galicia has an especially complex history. Going back for more than a thousand years, this region had been settled …
(2020-08-10). Social Security & Medicare Cut to Be Permanent if Nazi Trump Reelected. indybay.org Nazi Trump signed an illegal order on 8/8/20 to cut the payroll tax for Social Security and Medicare and promised on national TV to make it permanent if he is re-elected. This is a long-standing Republican Party program, outlined in their platform as they want to privatize both programs.
(2020-08-10). Trump's Executive Orders Are Public Relations Stunts. popularresistance.org Trump, Meadows, Mnuchin and McConnell cleverly set up and sucked in Pelosi and Shumer into negotiations last week, never planning to conclude a deal by Friday, in the process getting them to reveal their priority demands and securing from them major concessions worth $1 trillion—for which the Democrat leaders apparently got nothing in return. | A day later, Trump dropped the hammer and issued his EOs, which are designed more as PR for his election campaign. They certainly won't provide anything remotely necessary as fiscal stimulus to confront the US economy's emerging fading rebound in recent weeks. | Upon…
(2020-08-10). Coronavirus Is the New 'Terrorism'. strategic-culture.org Ron PAUL | House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has proposed the next multi-trillion dollar "coronavirus relief" spending bill that will support testing, tracing, treatment, isolation, and mask policies that have been part of a "national strategic plan" she has been advocating. The Trump administration is not opposing Pelosi's plan on principle. Instead, it is haggling over the price. | But, even if the strategic plan could be implemented at little or no monetary cost, it would still impose an unacceptable cost in lost liberty. | Pelosi's plan will lead to either a federal mask mandate or federal funding of state and local…
(2020-08-10). Climate Activists Push Biden to Cut Ties With Industry-Friendly Energy Advisers. truthout.org With President Trump's poll numbers sinking, he is increasingly turning to the fossil fuel industry for support. Rallying oil patch workers and executives during a stop
(2020-08-10). ALEC Works to Pass Industry-Backed COVID Liability Shields at the State Level. truthout.org The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has long It is no surprise, then, that ALEC has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses, and Senate Republicans to push for sweeping limits on the civil liability of employers for coronavirus-rel…
(2020-08-10). Australian parliamentary staffer initiates legal challenge to "foreign interference" laws. wsws.org The High Court case will shed light on the profoundly anti-democratic implications of the legislation.
(2020-08-10). 'Impossible to Stay Quiet': With Nearly 100,000 Kids Infected by Covid-19 in Just Two Weeks, Medical Experts Warn Against Hasty Return to School. commondreams.org "Rushing to reopen our schools will directly jeopardize the lives of our students and educators, and that is a risk we cannot take," said Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-schoolgirl_in_mask_in_mirror-crop.jpg …
(2020-08-10). Stagehands push for $600 unemployment benefit. fightbacknews.org Grand Rapids, MI – Fifty union stagehands chanted, "$600 now!" while pushing music road cases thru downtown Grand Rapids. They began their push at the U.S. Federal Building to demand Senator Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans pass the $600 workers need. | Outdoor diners gawked, homeless workers shouted approval and cars honked in solidarity as the stagehands rolled past on their way to a lively rally under the Rosa Parks statue. | "We paid into unemployment our entire working lives. It is our money and we need the Republican politicians in the Senate to pass $600 now to pay our bills, pay for housing and pay…
(2020-08-09). Trump Scuttles Economic Stimulus Negotiations. What Next? globalresearch.ca Today, August 7, 2020 negotiations on an economic stimulus package between US House Democrats and the White House broke down and broke off. What's behind it? | In recent days the Democrats' leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer, reportedly reduced …
(2020-08-09). Self-aware much? CNN's Stelter says right-wing media outlets exist 'to tear down Joe Biden,' sees nothing like it on the left. rt.com 
CNN host Brian Stelter has attempted to give viewers what he called "a reality check about the alternative reality" of right-wing media, which he said exists to tear down Democrat Joe Biden, failing to see any irony in the claim. | "Let's go on a trip together to a totally alternative universe," Stelter said on his Sunday show. "You never hear what's happening there unless you tune into rightwing talk radio. But you need to know what they are saying because they're the most popular, the most powerful talkers in the whole country." | If you're not listening to right-wing talk radio, you're missing just how extr…
(2020-08-09). Pelosi prays for needy as Dems rip Trump Covid-19 orders as 'big show' that 'won't do the job,' ignoring futile shows in Congress. rt.com 
Democrat leaders — ignoring their latest in a decade-long string of failures at legislative compromise — are blasting President Donald Trump for signing executive orders that won't provide all needed Covid-19 economic relief. | Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the orders signed Saturday by Trump "unworkable, weak and far too narrow." He also took issue with Trump's signing the orders at his New Jersey country club. | "The event at the country club is just what Trump does — a big show, but it doesn't do anything," Schumer said Sunday in an ABC News interview. "As the American people…
(2020-08-09). Abuse of power or social justice witch hunt? PC police come for gay mayor who had consensual sex with students. rt.com 
Left-wing college activists are up in arms after it emerged that a Massachusetts mayor used dating apps to sleep with students at a university he guest lectured at. While some deemed him "abusive," others say he did nothing wrong. | As mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, and lecturer at nearby University of Massachusetts Amherst, Alex Morse is a mainstay of progressive politics in the blue state. He's a regular guest at Democratic events on campus, and got to know progressive activists at the college well. | However, the College Democrats of Massachusetts claim he got to know some students a little too well. The…
(2020-08-09). Tuesday 8/11: Protect Our Vote! Virtual Town Hall to Demand Safe & Fair Elections Now! indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2020-08-09). In another sign that Biden is the true neocon candidate, his inner circle reads like a who's who of US imperialism. thecanary.co The Canary recently Now figures from the Democratic Party's small progressive (or, perhaps more accurately, mode…
(2020-08-09). Warren Denounces Trump's Executive Orders as "Cruel Joke" on American People. truthout.org Progressive critics and Democratic lawmakers did not need the help of even the Republican U.S. Senator who used the phrase "
(2020-08-09). Belarus holds presidential elections. yenisafak.com Belarusians began casting votes on Sunday in the presidential election.In a statement, the country's central election commission said over 6.84 million people are expected to cast their votes.Five candidates are running for the presidency: Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus since 1994, Andreij Dmitrijev, co-chairman of the Speak the Truth movement, Anna Kanopackaja, a former lawmaker, Sergeij Cherechnia, chairman of Belarus' Social Democratic Party and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. | Lukashenko was re-elected with 83.5% votes in 2015. | *Writing by Fahri Aksut in Ankara…
(2020-08-09). N.Korea brings aid supplies to border town under lockdown: state media. yenisafak.com North Korea's ruling party has delivered special aid packages of food and medical equipment to residents of Kaesong, near the border with the South, after imposing a lockdown there due to COVID-19 concerns, state media said on Sunday.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared an emergency and imposed a lockdown on the small border town last month after a person, who defected to South Korea in 2017, returned to Kaesong across the highly fortified border showing coronavirus symptoms.Pyongyang has not confirmed any coronavirus infections but has been taking strict quarantine measures and screening the town, while prov…
(2020-08-09). Vowing to Defend Retirees, Biden Denounces 'New, Reckless War on Social Security' by Trump. commondreams.org "This is no art of the deal. This is not presidential leadership. These orders are not real solutions. They are just another cynical ploy designed to deflect responsibility." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/joe_biden_6.jpg …
(2020-08-09). Elizabeth Warren Leads Charge Against Trump, Denouncing 'Dubious' Executive Orders as 'Cruel Joke' on American People. commondreams.org If president actually "cared about helping Americans," the Democratic senator charged, "he would have demanded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell start negotiating as soon as the House passed the HEROES act almost two months ago." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_executive_orders1.jpg …
(2020-08-09). Progressives Say Call Trump Executive Orders What They Are: IIllegal. Inadequate. Misleading. 'A Disgrace.' 'A Sham.' 'A Cruel Joke.'. commondreams.org If president actually "cared about helping Americans," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, "he would have demanded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell start negotiating as soon as the House passed the HEROES act almost two months ago." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_executive_orders1.jpg …
(2020-08-09). Progressives Call Trump Executive Orders What They Are: IIllegal. Inadequate. Misleading. 'A Disgrace.' 'A Sham.' 'A Cruel Joke.'. commondreams.org If president actually "cared about helping Americans," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, "he would have demanded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell start negotiating as soon as the House passed the HEROES act almost two months ago." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_executive_orders1.jpg …
(2020-08-09). Progressives Call Trump Executive Orders What They Are: Illegal. Inadequate. Misleading. 'A Disgrace.' 'A Sham.' 'A Cruel Joke.'. commondreams.org If president actually "cared about helping Americans," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, "he would have demanded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell start negotiating as soon as the House passed the HEROES act almost two months ago." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_executive_orders1.jpg …
(2020-08-08). "The Squad Is Here to Stay" zcomm.org For leftists and progressively minded Democrats still reeling from Bernie Sanders's defeat, this week's elections were very welcome news…
(2020-08-08). 'Why not a diverse Latino?' Maxine Waters claims Biden 'can't go home without black woman VP,' gets mocked for 'racism'. rt.com 
Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters was roasted online after saying 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden has no other choice but to pick a black woman as his running mate, suggesting he owed a debt to African American voters. | "We know that we're going to have a black woman as vice president," Waters said in an Let me guarantee you this, based on everything…
(2020-08-08). Trump signs executive orders on Covid-19 relief after talks break down between White House and Democrats. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders giving extended economic relief to Americans struggling economically during the Covid-19 pandemic after negotiations with Democrats broke down. | Trump announced the orders at a press conference at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club on Saturday, the same location where he The orders will give a payroll tax holiday to Americans earning less than $100,000 a year. A second order will "protect people…
(2020-08-08). 'Too much pot brownie': Clinton slams NYT's Maureen Dowd over claim it's been 36 YEARS since a man & woman ran on Dem ticket. rt.com 
Hillary Clinton and thousands of others roasted a now-corrected story and tweet from the New York Times claiming the last time there was a mixed-gender presidential ticket for the Democratic Party was in the '80s. | "It's hard to fathom, but it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket," the New York Times' Opinion Twitter account wrote, linking to an article by columnist Maureen Dowd, which included the same quote. | How does an error this significant get past an editor?
(2020-08-08). The politics of oligarchy: Federal appeals court blocks SEP challenge to anti-democratic ballot access laws in California. wsws.org The response of the ruling class and its state to the SEP's legal challenge has been determined by one political motive: Keep socialists off the ballot!
(2020-08-08). Towards Theocracy: the ignominious collapse of Secular Democracy in India. zcomm.org The constitution of India is there, like many other artifacts in the archives, but, like the human appendix, it may now be vestigial…
(2020-08-08). Justice for Travis Jordan – 38th birthday protest. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Minneapolis police's 4th Precinct in North Minneapolis, July 31, to demand justice for Travis Jordan, on what should have been his 38th birthday. | On November 9, 2018, Travis Jordan was shot and killed by two rookie officers of the Minneapolis Police Department's 4th Precinct during a wellness check for his suicidal ideation. Officers Neal Walsh and Ryan Keyes, who had each been on the police force less than a year, responded to the call. Instead of saving Travis's life and providing him with the mental health support he needed, they killed him. C…
(2020-08-08). Trump Scuttles Economic Stimulus Negotiations. popularresistance.org In recent days, the Democrats' leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer, reportedly reduced the cost of their original 'Heroes Act' proposals by $1 trillion. Instead of the original cost of $3T in the Heroes Act passed last June, they were willing to agree to a reduced package of $2 trillion. Never mind the attempt to reach a compromise on some middle ground. The White House, through his assigned negotiator, staffer Mark Meadows, Trump rejected the Democrats' offer. Meadows reportedly slammed the table (a two-bit amateur negotiating tactic) and walked out of negotiations with Pelosi-Shumer in a huff.
(2020-08-08). 'Queen of Shade': Hillary Clinton Riles Up Social Media as She Mocks Columnist. sputniknews.com The original version of the column in question apparently mentioned that it has been 36 years since "a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket", even though Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016.
(2020-08-08). 'Russiagate' Hoax Unravels, but Their Anti-Russia Sanctions Don't. strategic-culture.org Eric ZUESSE | It was reported only on 'fringe' media (such as "Disobedient Media" now gone from the Web) until recently. However, the evidence that the entire "Russiagate" charge — that Russia's Government had "hacked" the Democratic National Committee in 2016 — is an Obama Administration hoax (which was continued into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report), is now starting to come out into public view and be endorsed publicly by retired U.S. intelligence professionals who can't be fired. It's not yet published in any mainstream U.S. news media, however. So, in this place will be chronologically pre…
(2020-08-08). Watchdogs Alarmed by Changes to Postal Service Under Trump's Postmaster General. truthout.org Government watchdogs, Democratic lawmakers, and pro-democracy advocates declared it a "
(2020-08-08). Covid-19 'Has Laid Bare' the Crisis of Healthcare in America. commondreams.org The newly-created Center for Health and Democracy, says founder Wendell Potter, is necessary because there "not nearly enough awareness of the problems associated with money in politics and why money in politics is a real barrier for this country to move forward on meaningful healthcare reform. We will be drawing attention to how big corporations and associations are spending enormous sums of money to influence campaigns and public policy, both legislation and regulations, and help explain why that is blocking progressive reforms." (Image: Courtesy of Center for Health and Democracy) | www.commondreams…
(2020-08-08). Progressive Groups Express Outrage at Senate Republicans and Trump for Walking Away from COVID-19 Stimulus Negotiations. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-08). 'Executive Order Stunt No Substitute for Real Relief,' Say Progressives of Legally Dubious Trump Proposal. commondreams.org Coalition accuses Republican Party of "abandoning their constituents and the country as a whole, and causing chaos and turmoil by refusing to negotiate on COVID-19 relief." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_executive_orders.jpg …
(2020-08-08). 'This Is a Five-Alarm Fire': With 2020 Election at Stake, Call Goes Up for Mass Mobilization to Save Postal Service. commondreams.org "Can't stress this enough— if the USPS is sabotaged, this will amount to the greatest voter suppression campaign in history." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/save_the_postal_service.jpg …
(2020-08-08). Progressive Prosecutor Movement Makes Major Gains in Democratic Primaries. zcomm.org Reformers in Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, and New Mexico won their primaries for district attorney on Tuesday night…
(2020-08-07). Media Literacy, Not Intimidation & Censorship, Is The Best Way To Fight So-Called Propaganda. thealtworld.com The heated debate within Western governments about the best way to fight what they regard as "propaganda" has recently taken a disturbing turn towards intimidation of the outlets accused of peddling such information products and even discussions about their possible censorship, but if they were really sincere in combating this menace while staying true to their "democratic" principles, then they'd work on improving their citizens' media literacy so that they could make up their own minds about the veracity of the various articles that they come across expressing non-mainstream views on contentious topics. | One o…
(2020-08-07). Headlines for August 7, 2020. democracynow.org Study Predicts U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Could Reach 300,000 by December, Georgia High Schoolers Suspended for Sharing Images of Unmasked Students in Crowded Halls, India's COVID-19 Cases Top 2 Million as WHO Warns of Worsening Outbreaks in Africa, Peru's Health System in Collapse as COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 20,000, Congressional Talks on New Coronavirus Stimulus on Brink of Collapse, "Make Billionaires Pay Act" Would Tax Richest 0.001% to Fund Healthcare for Millions, Police Fire Tear Gas at Anti-Government Protesters as Anger Rages over Beirut Blast, New York Attorney General Files Suit to Dissolve NRA over Ex…
(2020-08-07). "The World's Most Dangerous Man": Mary Trump on Her Uncle, President Trump, & Why He Must Be Ousted. democracynow.org 
"In my family, being kind was considered being weak," says Mary Trump, President Trump's niece, a clinical psychologist and author of "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man." We spend the hour with Mary Trump, discussing her book the president doesn't want people to read, in which she describes his upbringing in a dysfunctional family that fostered his greed, cruelty and racist and sexist behaviors — which he is now inflicting on the world. Mary Trump also discusses the president's mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, his long history of lies and misrepresentati…
(2020-08-07). AOC-narrated Green New Deal clip nominated for Emmy for… news analysis? rt.com 
Democratic socialist New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been nominated for an Emmy award for "news analysis" for a video envisioning how the implementation of the Green New Deal solves all the US' problems. | Ocasio-Cortez revealed the seven-and-a-half minute video she narrated, produced by the Intercept and illustrated by Molly Crabapple, was shortlisted for an Emmy for News and Analysis in the Editorial and Opinion category on Thursday. Initially published in April 2019, the clip outlines the environmental disasters facing the world and describes how the proposed 'Green New Deal' will solve…
(2020-08-07). Roaming Charges: Every Which Way to Lose. counterpunch.org 
"And through the fog of the plague, most art withered into journalism." — Pete Hamill + Four years of Trump, the most precipitous collapse of the US economy in history and one killer pandemic later and we're right back to where we were in the late summer of 2016… Joe Biden's national polling lead is
(2020-08-07). Leftist groups urge Danish government to receive more refugees. peoplesdispatch.org Leftist groups in Denmark have demanded the social democrat-led government to raise the country's refugee quota and receive at least 500 refugees annually, which was the case before 2016…
(2020-08-07). Working Families Party members are voting on whether to endorse Biden. peoplesworld.org 
NEW YORK (PAI)—The thousands of members of the Working Families Party, the progressive pro-labor group that has backed and campaigned for state and local candidates from coast to coast, are voting on whether to do the same thing for Joe Biden. The race is between Biden and neutrality in the presidential tilt, the party said …
(2020-08-07). NEA chief talks politics, school safety and pandemic. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says "education is a civil and human right," National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen-Garcia reports. And it'll also be a top priority should he win the White House away from GOP incumbent Donald Trump, his spouse, Jill Biden, Ph.D., a past community college professor, declares. Besides, she adds, he …
(2020-08-07). Trump is Not Conceding: This is Happening Here. counterpunch.org 
Sorry, Trump's Not Conceding I have been hearing liberals and lefties fantasizing that Donald Trump is conceding the presidency to Joe Biden. The evidence for this curious thesis? 1. Biden's significant polling lead over Trump not just nationally but in the battleground states where the presidency is contested. 2. The real or rumored pulling of
(2020-08-07). 'Biden no longer worthy of the black vote': Trump pounces on 'Sleepy Joe' for controversial diversity statement. rt.com 
Donald Trump attacked Joe Biden by tweeting that he is "no longer worthy of the Black Vote," after his controversial statement. Now both presidential candidates are under fire for their comments on the African American community. | "After yesterday's statement, Sleepy Joe Biden is no longer worthy of the Black Vote!" the president tweeted Friday morning. He referenced the Thursday interview with the presumptive Democratic nominee, where he seemingly
(2020-08-07). 'It's okay when it comes out of Chuck Schumer's mouth?' Democrat senator says schools must reopen or economy suffers. rt.com 
Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a compromise on a Covid-19 economic relief bill, but one comment from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) about schools needing to reopen has some seeing hypocrisy on the left. | Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Schumer addressed the press after failed negotiations with Republicans on a potential relief bill. While many of their complaints about Republicans refusing to continue robust unemployment and other government programs was to be expected, one comment from Schumer went viral as it didn't seem to match the outrage shown to President Donald Trump when he mentioned…
(2020-08-07). Why the Left Must Reject and Elect Biden at the Same Time. indybay.org We have to get rid of Trump…
(2020-08-07). DNC Appears Ready to Sideline Progressive Standout Ocasio-Cortez at Upcoming Convention. commondreams.org "You want Bill Clinton to speak but maybe not AOC. Okay, dummies." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/aoc_6_0_0.jpg …
(2020-08-07). DNC Platform Condemns BDS But Not Israel's Occupation of Palestine. truthout.org Due to a series of decisions by the Democratic National Committee's (DNC's) platform committee, progressives are concerned that the Biden-led Democratic Party's foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine will more closely resemble that of Republicans than that of the Democratic rank-and-file. | There has already been much consternation among party activists over
(2020-08-07). Bolivians start huge mobilisation for the 'return of democracy and sovereignty'. thecanary.co Bolivians are currently engaged in massive protests and a general strike. They are
(2020-08-07). On Climate Policy, Biden's Advisers Reveal More Than His Proposals Do. cepr.net The Intercept See article on original site Last month, Joe Biden's presidential campaign released a sweeping climate proposal calling for 100 percent clean energy and net-zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is working to finalize its 2020 platform. As of now, the platform is more aggressive than the 2016 document, but somehow does …
(2020-08-07). Washington DC deadlocked as 30 million have their unemployment benefits cut. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – Talks between Democrats and Republicans about extending economic aid remained deadlocked as of Thursday morning, August 6. In May, Democrats passed their HEROES act to extend the $600 additional unemployment benefit, known as FPUC, or Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, as well as other economic aid for renters, state and local government, and others. But Republican senators and the Trump administration did nothing, hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic would go away, and the economy would recover in short order. The Republicans have also been hampered by divisions in the Senate, where a large…
(2020-08-07). American left silence on China helps lay foundation for the U.S.' New Cold War. mronline.org When it comes to China, Democracy Now, Jacobin, The Nation and others on the imperial-minded U.S. 'left" are allies of white supremacy.
(2020-08-07). National strike continues across Bolivia, demands grow for àÅñez to step down. peoplesdispatch.org Social movements and trade unions stress that their demand is no longer just democratic elections, but also the immediate removal of the entire coup-installed government…
(2020-08-07). Meet the Candidates — Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). peaceaction.org Wednesday, August 5th 2020, Peace Action kicked off our new series of "Meet the Candidates" webinars with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). Sen. Markey has provided steadfast leadership on issues of peace and justice and has been among our strongest allies in Congress. A long-time advocate for nuclear arms control and nonproliferation, he has stepped up …
(2020-08-07). Friday 8/7: 75th Anniversary Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembered Ceremony (PPC & Peace Action). indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2020-08-07). Thursday 8/6: Voting Rights Act 55th Anniversary: COVID19, Voter Suppression, Vote by Mail, & More. indybay.org Online via Twitter…
(2020-08-07). The Policy Of Maximum Pressure Against Iran Has Failed. popularresistance.org Depending on what policy the United States adopts after the elections, Sahimi expects "the response to come at a later time and in a manner and at locations where neither Israel nor the US would expect." | Biden has pledged, if elected, to reverse course on Iran. Izadi believes a Biden Administration would change the Trump policy of maximum pressure. "Whether doing it through rejoining the nuclear agreement or coming up with some other policies, we have to wait and see," he says. | Parsi, who is familiar with the views of Biden's Iran advisors, says the new administration would likely call for "compliance for com…
(2020-08-07). Trump Promises to 'Act Under My Authority' if Congress Won't Pass Economic Stimulus Bill. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump has vowed to use his executive powers to get an economic stimulus bill into legislation if congressional Democrats and Republicans fail to reach an agreement in the near future.
(2020-08-07). Is Netanyahu Serious About Annexing Jordan Valley? counterpunch.org On July 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised he would annex part of the Jordan Valley. He did not, but he may still do so before U.S. elections in November and while President Donald Trump is still in office. It could be his legacy. Trump's challenger, former vice president Joseph Biden, has joined the
(2020-08-07). As Biden Mulls VP Pick, Pundits Vie for Most Substance-Free Forecast. commondreams.org Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on stage during the Democratic presidential debate at Texas Southern University's Health and PE Center on September 12, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/warren_harris.jpg …
(2020-08-07). Fossil Fuel Investments and Hawkish Foreign Policy Among Serious Issues Progressives Have With Susan Rice as Possible VP Pick. commondreams.org "If you're a Democratic Party leader and you're still invested in oil and gas it's just a problem." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-947143630_rice_full_crop.jpg …
(2020-08-06). "The Beginning of Our End": On 75th Anniversary, Hiroshima Survivor Warns Against Nuclear Weapons. democracynow.org 
On the 75th anniversary of when the United States dropped the world's first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing some 140,000 people, we speak with Hideko Tamura Snider, who was 10 years old when she survived the attack. "The shaking was so huge," she recalls. "I remember the sensation, the color and the smell like yesterday." Tamura Snider describes her harrowing journey through a shattered city, suffering radiation sickness following the attack, and her message to President Trump.
(2020-08-06). Revealed: How U.S. Gov't & Hollywood Secretly Worked Together to Justify Atomic Bombings of Japan. democracynow.org 
On the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, when the United States became the only country ever to use nuclear weapons in warfare, we look at how the U.S. government sought to manipulate the narrative about what it had done — especially by controlling how it was portrayed by Hollywood. Journalist Greg Mitchell's new book, "The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood — and America — Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," documents how the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki triggered a race between Hollywood movie studios to tell a sanitized version of the story in a major motion picture.
(2020-08-06). Progressives score big wins in Missouri and Michigan. peoplesworld.org 
ST. LOUIS—Progressive candidates, running on causes such as Medicare For All, the $15 minimum wage, workers' rights, and the Green New Deal, scored impressive wins in the August 4 Democratic primaries in Missouri and Michigan. Next battle up: Minnesota. The biggest win came in St. Louis, where Cori Bush, in her second try for the …
(2020-08-06). Document Exposes US Plot To Overthrow Nicaragua's Elected Government. popularresistance.org A newly released document exposes a US government operation to overthrow the democratically elected socialist government in Nicaragua. | The plot is administered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a regime-change vehicle that uses the pretense of "humanitarian aid" to advance Washington's aggressive foreign-policy interests. | The document (PDF) details the creation of a new "task order" called Responsive Assistance in Nicaragua (RAIN) and its plan for "Nicaragua's transition to democracy"…
(2020-08-06). America's Wars on Democracy in Rwanda and the DR Congo. zcomm.org Joe Emersberger interviewed Justin Podur regarding his new book about a conflict few understand thanks to, among other things, "Africanist" scholars.
(2020-08-06). Democrats drifting to extreme left because they are 'owned by George Soros,' claims former House speaker Gingrich. rt.com 
The Democrat Party continues to drift radically leftward, and its leadership will never rebuke militant elements like Antifa, because it's controlled by billionaire leftist George Soros, former US House speaker Newt Gingrich said. | "All of these Democrats are now basically owned by the left," Gingrich said on Wednesday in an interview on Fox News. "They are not going to pick any fights. They are owned by people who are financed by George Soros." | Gingrich made his comments after Democrats in a US Senate hearing on Tuesday refused to directly criticize the conduct of Antifa, whose members have been accused of…
(2020-08-06). Biden says Latinos are 'incredibly diverse,' UNLIKE BLACK VOTERS. rt.com 
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden took time out from a question asked by a Latina reporter to state that while black voters all think alike (with "notable exceptions"), Latino voters are "incredibly diverse" in opinion. | In the midst of answering a question on whether he would extend protected status for Venezuelan immigrants during a Wednesday town hall, Biden veered off on a self-congratulatory tangent touting his supposed knowledge of the Latino community. | What you all know but most people don't know, unlike the African American community with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an i…
(2020-08-06). Dossier 31: 'The Politic of Blood': Political Repression in South Africa. mronline.org 
In his famous speech from the dock in April 1964, Nelson Mandela spoke of 'revolutionary democracy' rooted in precolonial forms of collective deliberation and decision making.
(2020-08-06). Seeking peace on the Korean Peninsula. mronline.org 
Although the date drew little notice in the U.S. media, July 27, 2020 marked the 67th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, an agreement that ended the fighting but not the war between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
(2020-08-06). GOP fiddles as jobless cavalcade continues and pandemic rages. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Congressional Republicans fiddled and made no moves to help the unemployed, as the cavalcade of jobless workers continued in the week ending August 1. And the fiddling may come back to haunt them in November, polls show. In those seven days ending August 1, another 984,192 people sought state jobless benefits, the Bureau of Labor …
(2020-08-06). A Message to the Swing State. zcomm.org Trump is waging a war on truth, decency, our planet, and on working people. If Biden wins, we'll be at his door on day one, demanding the kinds of structural reforms that advance racial, economic, and environmental justice. But before that, we have to #VoteTrumpOut in swing states…
(2020-08-06). Raise, Don't Stabilize and Don't Reduce Social Costs. zcomm.org We seek radical social transformation. But short of that, our actions should not only force elites to respond to our demands they should also expand democracy and plant the seeds of a new future in the present…
(2020-08-06). Two incumbent House members defeated in primary voting. wsws.org A total of seven representatives, three Democrats and four Republicans, have been denied renomination so far this year.
(2020-08-06). US Senate Hearing Unveils Trump's Plans Against Venezuela. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday held a hearing to discuss Donald Trump administration's policy towards Venezuela. The U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliot Abrams was summoned to answer questions about it. | RELATED: | At the meeting, Republican Senator Mitt Romney and other Democratic lawmakers referred to the failure of the U.S. actions carried out to prompt a government change i…
(2020-08-06). An Unbelievably Disastrous State of Affairs. counterpunch.org Like most of the rest of the U.S. population, Montanans are wondering how we're going to get out of the very serious and growing problems afflicting our state and nation right now. They are also, on an increasing basis, growing very angry that our Republican president and his snarling pack of enablers are ignoring the