2020-08-25: News Headlines

Staff (2020-08-25). RNC Opens with Baseless Trump Claims of Rigged Election & Warnings About Socialism and Unions. democracynow.org The Republican National Convention opened in Charlotte, North Carolina, with dire warnings that a Joe Biden presidency could destroy the country. We feature excerpts from President Trump's surprise speech after he was formally nominated for a second term, claiming without evidence that Democrats are planning to steal the election, and other speakers throughout the evening who repeatedly praised Trump's handling of the pandemic even as the U.S. coronavirus death toll passes 177,000.

Staff (2020-08-25). Headlines for August 25, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Claims Dems Trying to Steal Election, Biden Will "Destroy" Country, as RNC Kicks Off, WI Calls in National Guard as Protests Intensify over Police Shooting of Unarmed Black Man, FDA Head Says Plasma Treatment Results Were Overstated as Schools Grapple with Reopening, Hong Kong COVID-19 Patient Becomes Reinfected; Reports of Brutal Repression in Xinjiang Pandemic Response, Gaza Goes into Lockdown After New COVID-19 Cases; Libyan Doctors Warn System Can't Cope with Pandemic, Death Toll in Climate-Fueled California Wildfires Climbs to 7 as 600+ Blazes Burn Across the State, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Fails…

Staff (2020-08-25). Trump Is No Aberration: Veteran GOP Strategist Stuart Stevens Says Racism Is Party's "Original Sin" democracynow.org As party loyalists gather for the Republican National Convention, a group of veteran Republican operatives who want to defeat President Trump have launched a $4 million advertising blitz targeting voters in swing states. The anti-Trump ads are funded by The Lincoln Project, a super PAC that can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money. We speak with longtime Republican political consultant Stuart Stevens, a senior adviser to The Lincoln Project who worked as a strategist on five Republican presidential campaigns, about Trump's takeover of the party and efforts by so-called "Never Trump" Republicans to prevent…

Staff (2020-08-25). "A Human Tragedy": Wildfires Reveal California's Reliance on Incarcerated Firefighters. democracynow.org As climate-fueled wildfires engulf California, tens of thousands of firefighters have been deployed across the state to combat the blazes amid a record heat wave and deadly pandemic. We look at how more than 1,300 incarcerated firefighters — who are annually deployed to the frontlines in California for just $1 an hour — are fighting back the blazes as coronavirus outbreaks in state prisons limit how many are available to fight the fires, and lay bare the state's reliance on prison labor to control its ever-growing wildfire season with an exploitative system many have called slave labor. "What they're…

Fight Back (2020-08-25). Minnesota's Line 3 pipeline protests get results. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – The Climate Justice Committee organized an action to protest Joe Biden's climate proposal on August 18, as Committee members and climate activists gathered outside the Governor's Mansion here, demanding Governor Walz re-file the state's appeal of the decision to allow the Line 3 oil pipeline to be rebuilt and expanded. The new pipeline would be an environmental disaster and violates federal agreements with indigenous governments. | Both the Climate Justice Committee and members of the Giniw Collective, an indigenous-led group that protested outside the mansion earlier in the day, held the street an…

RT (2020-08-25). Nikki Haley fuels speculation of 2024 run with GOP convention speech. rt.com Former US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley has sparked rumors that she is eyeing the White House, after using her address to support US President Donald Trump while also laying out her own vision for the country. | Haley accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his party of "blaming America first," and pushed back on the notion that "America is racist." | "That is a lie. America is not a racist country," Haley said. "This is personal for me." | As the daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley argued that she was able to excel despite growing up as a "brown girl in a black and white world." She noted that So…

Tania Siddiqi (2020-08-25). Perspectiva de revolucionaria sur asiática sobre Kamala Harris. workers.org Tania Siddiqi El presunto candidato presidencial demócrata Joe Biden anunció el 11 de agosto que la senadora de California Kamala Devi Harris, la primera estadounidense del sur de Asia y la segunda mujer africa-americana en servir como senadora de Estados Unidos, será su compañera de fórmula para las elecciones presidenciales . . . |

Staff (2020-08-25). Trump warns of a rigged election as he undercuts the post office. therealnews.com Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was grilled by Democrats over his undermining of the U.S. Postal Service's ability to deliver ballots on time.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-08-25). GOP convention speeches: Lies, damned lies and (no) statistics. peoplesworld.org CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Mark Twain once said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Well, speakers at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., engaged in something worse: Lies, damned lies and no statistics—especially about the coronavirus pandemic. As of 8: 30 a.m. on August 25, 5.742 million people in the U.S. have tested …

C.J. Atkins (2020-08-25). Republicans' rabid anti-communism is a sign of their political weakness. peoplesworld.org Joe McCarthy would fit right in at this year's Republican National Convention. Denouncing communists—both real and, more often than not, imaginary—was the bread and butter for the 1950s red-baiting senator from Wisconsin. At the dawn of the Cold War, the bogeyman of the Soviet Union was the stick used to beat back a strong labor …

RT (2020-08-25). Cuban-born businessman Maximo Alvarez compares Joe Biden to Fidel Castro in RNC address. rt.com Maximo Alvarez, a Cuban-American businessman, told the Republican National Convention that the Democrats were emulating the ideas espoused by the communist government that his family had fled from when he was a boy. | The Florida resident and founder of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of mainly being interested in power for himself, exposing the United States to policies that "destroyed" his native country of Cuba. | "I have seen people like this before. I've seen movements like this before. I've seen ideas like this before. I am here to tell you — we canno…

RT (2020-08-25). Pompeo finds himself under investigation after speaking at Republican convention from Israel. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's decision to record a speech for the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem has angered Democrats and the US foreign policy establishment, who are calling it unethical and maybe illegal. | Pompeo is currently on a tour of the Middle East. He left Israel for Sudan on Tuesday morning, but not before he recorded a message from Jerusalem that is scheduled to be shown at the Republican party convention later in the day. The message is supposed to be in his "personal capacity" but the Democrats and foreign policy think-tanks in Washington, DC aren't buying it. | "He doesn't…

RT (2020-08-25). 'Hear me roar!' Trump Jr's girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle steals show at RNC with high-volume speech (VIDEO). rt.com Former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle made a loud impression on viewers of the Republican convention, delivering a high-decibel speech in support of President Donald Trump which was deemed ear-splitting by critics online. | Guilfoyle, former host of Fox's 'The Five' and the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr, took the stage on the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday, where she addressed a virtual audience due to coronavirus concerns. | "Don't let the Democrats take you for granted. Don't let them step on you," she boomed to an empty hall, closing the speech with a promise for a second Trum…

RT (2020-08-25). 'You don't recognize my existence!': Former DNC head Donna Brazile has meltdown on Fox News (VIDEO). rt.com Former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile melted down in spectacular fashion on Fox News, accusing fellow commentator Tammy Bruce of racism and demanding she "recognize my existence." | Discussing Monday night's Republican National Convention on Tuesday morning's Fox & Friends, Brazile accused the GOP of "speaking to the choir" with their unabashedly pro-Trump lineup of speakers. Conservative contributor Tammy Bruce shot back, accusing the Democrats of being out of touch with ordinary Americans, and slamming the left for not speaking out strongly enough against the Black Lives Matter riots…

RT (2020-08-25). 'Liberals' excuse to say the n-word'? 'Uncle Tom' trending as disaffected RNC viewers fail at mocking convention's speakers. rt.com The first day of the RNC featured a slate of black and female speakers. The party's Twitter critics said these people betrayed their race and gender, calling them "Uncle Tom's" to the dismay of US conservatives. | The Republican National Convention's Monday lineup featured speakers like US Senator Tim Scott, Congressman Vernon Jones and former NFL player Herschel Walker, who are all African Americans and were accused of being "Uncle Tom's". Their critics who use this derogatory term believe that they were betraying the black community by aligning with the Republican party and President Donald Trump. | "Uncle T…

RT (2020-08-25). 'That was really good for CNN!' Trump swaps anger for gratitude as he hails his MSM nemesis for covering RNC. rt.com Not historically a CNN fan, US President Donald Trump suddenly decided to thank the network for reporting on last night's Republican Convention — but…

pip.hinman (2020-08-25). Issy Wyner: labour movement fighter and pioneer of local government democracy. greenleft.org.au

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-25). Newly Strengthened Albanian Political Power in North Macedonia Will Not Lead to a Greater Albania. globalresearch.ca North Macedonia conducted elections on July 15 that were originally scheduled for April 12 but were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 18, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) reached …

_____ (2020-08-25). Belarus's Options In The Midst Of A Color Revolution. popularresistance.org A "color revolution" is a media term for a movement based on legitimate grievances only to be co-opted into a regime-change operation backed by the US and confederates. There have been so many — Georgia in 2003, Ukraine in 2004, Kyrgyzstan in 2005 — that they have run out of colors. Belarus is amidst the "slipper" color revolution. Belarus shows that any small state with a mildly socialist system and independent foreign policy invites subversion by the Yankee hegemon and its collaborators. Even if Belarus had met the highest standards of democracy and efficiency, a western-backed color revolution migh…

Black Alliance for Peace (2020-08-25). The DNC and the Politics of Betrayal. Political and Moral Bankruptcy of the Democratic Party. globalresearch.ca The political and moral bankruptcy of the Democratic Party was on full display last week. First it was the convention of the Democratic Party, where the progressive wing of the party was pushed to the margins while the victorious, neoliberal …

William rivers Pitt (2020-08-25). Republican Convention Takes on the Weighty Task of Boosting Trump's Bruised Ego. zcomm.org The "Audience of One" media phenomenon is perhaps the most vivid, daily available evidence of the stranglehold Donald Trump has on the Republican Party.

WSWS (2020-08-25). Trump, aides embrace fascist Republican candidates. wsws.org At a press briefing last week, the US president delivered an extraordinary thumbs-up to the QAnon online grouping, which justifies violence against his political opponents.

WSWS Repost (2020-08-25). The Republican convention: Four nights of fascist filth begin. indybay.org While the Democratic Party is running the 2020 election with the same strategy as 2016, Trump has a program—the forcible suppression of social contradictions using fascist methods.

By the Company They Keep (2020-08-25). Republican Party O.K. with COVID19 Deaths & Economy. indybay.org Some 57% of Republicans believe 180,000 American deaths from COVID19 is acceptable and 75% of Republicans believe the USA is better than 4 years ago. This a death cult. See www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-economy-coronavirus-opinion-poll-cbs-news-battleground-tracker/

_____ (2020-08-25). Are Postal Service Cuts Motivated By Voter Suppression, Privatization Or Both? popularresistance.org Throughout its 245-year history,…

sputniknews (2020-08-25). Nikki Haley Delivers Speech at RNC, Slamming Biden, 'Radical Left'. sputniknews.com The Republican National Convention is taking place from 24 and 27 August, re-nominating the incumbent President Donald Trump as GOP candidate for the November election to face Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

sputniknews (2020-08-25). 'Loch Ness Monster of Swamp': Donald Trump Jr Attacks Biden at RNC as Twitter Wonders If He's 'High'. sputniknews.com Slamming Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appears to be the main point in the ongoing Republican National Convention, where the incumbent President Donald Trump was re-nominated as GOP presidential candidate for the 2020 November election.

sputniknews (2020-08-25). RNC Day 1: Key Highlights of the Evening. sputniknews.com The first night of the Republican National Convention kicked off Monday with Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence formally renominated as the 2020 Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees during a roll call vote that took place in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Staff (2020-08-25). DeJoy Must Step Down — He "Doesn't Know the Basics of His Agency," Lawmaker Says. truthout.org Democratic lawmakers ramped up their demands for Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to step aside or be removed after the Trump megadonor on Monday demonstrated flippant ignorance of basic U.S. Postal Service operations,

Staff (2020-08-25). Trump's Botched Response to COVID Draws High Praise at Virtual RNC. truthout.org Much of the commentary emanating from speakers on night one of the Republican National Convention (RNC) either ignored the coronavirus pandemic completely or exaggerated President Donald Trump's handling of it, several observers noted. | "The message coming from the RNC last night was basically, 'Forget everything that you're seeing right now, remember the good times,'"

Joan Walsh (2020-08-25). Democrats Are Winning Their Fight for the States. thenation.com Democrats Are Winning Their Fight for the States…

Elie Mystal (2020-08-25). At the RNC, Republicans Go All-In on Police Impunity. thenation.com At the RNC, Republicans Go All-In on Police Impunity…

Staff (2020-08-24). Steve Bannon, Former Trump Adviser, Allegedly Stole Funds for Private Border Wall Plagued by Erosion. democracynow.org President Trump's former campaign CEO and White House adviser, Steve Bannon, is his sixth close associate to face criminal charges by the Department of Justice. Bannon and three others are accused of defrauding donors to We Build the Wall, a private effort to build a wall along the Mexican border, and redirecting funds to fund their own lavish lifestyles. We follow the money and look at how an investigation last month showed a private wall project the funds were used for is already eroding and could be in danger of falling into the river. We speak with Perla Trevizo and Lexi Churchill, two reporters at the ProPub…

Staff (2020-08-24). QAnon: Trump Embraces Far-Right "Deep State" Conspiracy Theory Deemed a Threat by FBI. democracynow.org As the Republican National Convention gets underway this week, we look at how the party has openly embraced the far-right conspiracy theory known as QAnon, which claims, among other things, that President Trump is secretly at war with a deep state cabal of Satan-worshiping elites who run a child sex trafficking operation. Trump has retweeted messages from supporters of the conspiracy theory and recently spoke publicly about it for the first time, describing QAnon believers as "people that love our country." "At this point, it's reached full spread, that we really can't ignore it anymore," says Angelo Carusone, pr…

Staff (2020-08-24). "The Damage Has Been Done": Historian Says Trump's Postmaster Has Undermined Faith in 2020 Election. democracynow.org The battle over the future of the United States Postal Service is intensifying, with a record number of mail-in ballots expected to be cast in the 2020 presidential election, and Democrats and Republicans locked in a fight over the future of the agency. Historian Philip Rubio, who teaches at North Carolina A&T State University and worked as a mail carrier for two decades before that, says decades of political interference have caused a "manufactured crisis" at the U.S. Postal Service. "The damage has been done," Rubio says of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's changes. "I think he's discouraged a lot of voters who…

Staff (2020-08-24). Headlines for August 24, 2020. democracynow.org Raging California Wildfires Displace 120,000, Burn 1.2 Million Acres, FDA Approves Blood Plasma Treatment as U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 176,000 , Countries Grapple with Second Wave, as South Korea Warns Country Is in "Grave Situation", House Passes Bill to Halt Changes at USPS as Fears Mount over Mail-in Ballots, House Passes Bill to Provide Emergency Funding for USCIS as Agency Plans Major Staff Cuts, Belarus Protests Continue Demanding Resignation of President Lukashenko, At Least 17 Killed in Colombia Over Deadly Weekend, At Least 14 People Killed in Twin Bombings in the Philippines, U.S. Troops Withdraw fr…

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-08-24). Progressives Call on Democrats to 'Do the Opposite' as Rahm Emanuel Advises Biden to Shun Medicare for All and Green New Deal. commondreams.org The two policies are popular with the American public, but the Democratic Party refused to embrace them in its 2020 platform. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-m4a_sign.jpg

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-08-24). Responding to Voter Suppression, Understanding Manipulated Elections. dissidentvoice.org Stop Voter Suppression from the Union of Concerned Scientists Voter suppression in the 2020 election has become a topic of great concern. In reality, voter suppression has been part of US politics since the founding of the country. The oligarchs who wrote the US Constitution enabled voter suppression by not including the right to vote in …

Mike Whitney (2020-08-24). Glitzy Convention Conceals Emerging One-Party Tyranny. globalresearch.ca Here are a few takeaways from the Democratic Convention: | The Democrats are running on the same platform they ran on in 2016. | The Democrats put style above substance, flashy optics above ideas or issues. | The Democrats think that hollow tributes …

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-08-24). The Biden Campaign Walks Back its Attack on BDS… Sort Of. mintpressnews.com The Biden campaign's attack on BDS and activist Linda Sarsour shows that the DNC is not ready to truly embrace the progressive values it claims to represent.

Staff (2020-08-24). As Democrats Hedge on Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Biden Misleads on Plan. therealnews.com Welcome back to TRNN's Climate Crisis News Roundup. We are in the dog days of summer, with record heat waves and extreme weather events happening throughout the United States and the world. Meanwhile, one of the global oil majors has a professed climate solution: powering its oil drilling with wind and solar energy across the…

Tim Libretti (2020-08-24). Democrats seek a new language of working-class identity. peoplesworld.org Is Trump the 2020 candidate who best represents the American working class? Did the Democratic Party fail to encompass working-class interests, issues, and people at last week's convention? What does the working class think? Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen seems to think the working class heard nothing of interest from the Democrats and their convention …

Project Censored (2020-08-24). Episode 103 — Kamala Harris with Robin Andersen. projectcensored.org On today's episode, Nicholas Baham II (Dr. Dreadlocks), Janice Domingo, and Nolan Higdon host Fordam University's Robin Andersen. Along The Line is a non-profit, education-based podcast that provides listeners with… | With no national plan to control the pandemic, nor a coherent program to reopen schools safely, the Trump Administration has trapped school districts in a Sophie's Choice: to open schools…

Roger D. Harris (2020-08-24). The Tribulations of Triangulation: Few Options for Belarus Amid a Color Revolution. mintpressnews.com Belarus shows that any small state with a mildly socialist system and independent foreign policy invites subversion by the Yankee hegemon and its collaborators.

Timothy V. Johnson (2020-08-24). How Communist 'popular front' activism built a labor-community alliance that changed Detroit. peoplesworld.org Historian Ryan S. Pettengill's new book, Communists and Community, is a study of the Communist Party's activities in Detroit during the early 1940s through 1956. He demonstrates that the party played a critical role in unifying the labor movement and community organizations to effectuate social, economic, and political change in the city in this crucial …

RT (2020-08-24). Alt-right Richard Spencer is 'on team Joe' now: Sabotage or strange bedfellows, people wonder. rt.com Notorious right personality Richard Spencer has declared he will be voting for the "more competent" Democrat ticket in November, getting a rebuke from team Biden and mass disbelief in response. Yet he has a record of voting blue. | Spencer, a popular speaker with hard-right ideology, was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump in 2016, but this time around his sympathies may be on the other side. He said on Twitter that he plans to vote for the Democrats in November, because "the liberals are clearly more competent people". | I plan to vote for Biden and a straight democratic ticket. It's not based on "accelerationi…

RT (2020-08-24). 57% of Republicans think US Covid-19 death toll of 175,000 is 'acceptable', 68% of Democrats say it is underreported, poll finds. rt.com A majority of Republicans — as opposed to only ten percent of Democrats — said the Covid-19 death toll in the US is at "acceptable" levels, according to a new poll, exposing a deep partisan rift over the handling of the pandemic.

RT (2020-08-24). Pelosi calls Trump & Republicans 'enemies of the state' in diatribe about elections and postal service. rt.com House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, labeled US President Donald Trump and the Republican party "domestic enemies" and "enemies of the state," escalating the rhetoric about voting by mail in the upcoming election. | "Sadly, the domestic enemies to our voting system are right at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with their allies in the Congress," Pelosi (D-California) said in an appearance on MSNBC on Monday afternoon, referring to the address of the White House in Washington, DC. | "They're doing everything they can to suppress the vote, scare people by intimidation," she argued, calling Trump and the Republicans "

RT (2020-08-24). 'He's going full Putin': Trump encourages '12 more years' chant at RNC to make opponents go 'crazy'…they respond by going crazy. rt.com President Donald Trump jokingly told the crowd at the Republican National Convention to replace their "four more years" chant with "12" because it will make his critics "crazy," and they played right into his hand. | Trump has floated the idea several times of holding the office of the presidency beyond two terms, despite the position holding exactly a two-term limit. He's previously trolled his critics, who have called him everything from a white supremacist to an enemy of the state to traitor, with memes that have ignited outrage among many on the left. | The president continued trolling while speaking at th…

RT (2020-08-24). 'Indoctrination': Republicans reveal plan to 'teach American exceptionalism' if Trump re-elected, critics slam idea's bankruptcy. rt.com President Donald Trump's second term agenda includes a list of 50 points covering a variety of topics, but the goal to "teach American exceptionalism" has his critics especially outraged. | In a bullet-point press release put out just before the Republican National Convention, where Trump will officially accept his party's nomination, education is actually the least focused with only two goals, compared to the many that accompany other areas like "Drain the Swamp" and "End Our Reliance on China." | The two points that will be the administration's objectives for education are: "provide school choice to every ch…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-08-24). House passes postal aid bill as thousands protest to #SaveThePostOffice. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Sally Abrahamson wants Congress to save our democracy by saving the U.S. Postal Service from GOP President Donald Trump and his hand-picked Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy. And so does her 18-month-old son, even if he was too shy to talk. So Abrahamson's son, carried by his mother in a frontal "baby bag," wore a sign …

Lauren Regan (2020-08-24). Trump's push to privatize the USPS is a direct threat to democracy. mronline.org My maternal grandfather was born in 1914 and served in the Army during World War II. When he returned from the war in 1944, he took a job with the U.S. Postal Service as a "mailman." He worked as a letter carrier, eventually becoming a supervisor, and was an active member of the Association of …

Fight Back (2020-08-24). MN demands 'End aid to Israel' during the DNC. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On August 20, activists held banners from five bridges along Interstate 35W to highlight the role the U.S. plays in endorsing and funding the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The protest took place during the Democratic National Convention to draw attention to the need for the Democratic Party to break with the apartheid state of Israel. | Drivers saw banners on the 35th, 36th, 38th and 40th Street bridges on I-35W in South Minneapolis and on a bridge in Lakeville over I-35. The protest was initiated by the MN Anti-War Committee. Many groups signed on and helped make banners and organized their…

Ralph Nader (2020-08-24). Democratic Convention: New Faces, Similar Policies. counterpunch.org A national political nominating convention, as the Democrats have just completed, is, to be sure, a mutual admiration event. A steady stream of speakers led to the finale with the acceptance speech by the presidential candidate, Joe Biden. But the Convention has another declared purpose: to show the country what the Democratic Party stands for

Ralph Nader (2020-08-24). Democratic Convention: New Faces, Similar Policies but Sharp Contrast with Trumpism. zcomm.org The Democrats presented a contrast to the crazed, bungling, ego-maniacal Trump spewing hate, inciting violence, and emitting hourly lies…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-24). Hymn for a Broken Empire: Republican National Security Officials for Biden. globalresearch.ca If fodder is needed for the argument that a Deep State is running wild and determined to depose President Donald J. Trump, this will surely help. In a

Scott Ritter (2020-08-24). Biden's Speech Stirs Up Sense of Déjà Vu — Same Old Lies Disguised as New Promises, Little More than a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. globalresearch.ca One speech, well written and read well, does not a president make. At the end of the day, the Democrats are putting forward a wolf in sheep's clothes, who is peddling the same worn-out lies disguised as new promises. | Joe …

Kris Kodrich (2020-08-24). Biden Put Forward an Image of Decorum and Unity. progressive.org Last week's Democratic National Convention encouraged viewers to vote for Joe Biden, if only to regain a sense of humanity.

Patrick Henningsen (2020-08-24). COVID-19: Trigger for a New World Order. Economic Stagnation and Social Destruction. globalresearch.ca I can remember them saying that 'everything changed after 9/11'. It did, but certainly not for the better. I think we can all agree on that. I remember how everyone surrendered their rights and key aspects of democracy, all in …

WSWS (2020-08-24). Democrats leave 20 million unemployed in the lurch. wsws.org The House of Representatives convened for a Saturday session to vote on funding…

WSWS (2020-08-24). Democratic Party leads nationwide purge of Green Party candidates from November ballots. wsws.org State election boards and judges have issued last minute rulings blocking third party candidates from appearing on the ballot…

Richard C. Gross (2020-08-24). Bidding for Reelection Amid Crisis and Fear. counterpunch.org President Donald Trump headlines his Republican Party's national convention against a backdrop of a nation in crisis and an older sister who branded him a liar and someone without principles. He plans to take the stage every four nights of the virtual gathering, true to form for the super narcissist, in the face of a

splcenter (2020-08-24). Donald Trump Jr. Pictured at 'We Build the Wall' Event With Neo-Nazi Collaborator Jack Posobiec. splcenter.org Donald Trump Jr., who will serve as the headline speaker at the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) Monday, appeared in a photograph with One America News Network (OANN) correspondent Jack Posobiec at a "We Build the Wall" event in July 2019.

sputniknews (2020-08-24). 'China Owns Joe Biden': Trump Warns Beijing Hatching Plan to Meddle in November Polls. sputniknews.com After the US Democratic Convention officially nominated former vice-president Joe Biden to take on Donald Trump in the November election, Trump is reportedly set to travel to Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday to attend in person as delegates to the Republican National Convention renominate him for US president.

sputniknews (2020-08-24). RNC 2020: How Trump Will Reinvigorate and Entertain His Base to Narrow & Nix Biden's Lead. sputniknews.com After the virtual Democratic National Convention (DNC) came to an end with Joe Biden formally accepting the party's nomination for president, the Republican event is kicking off on 24 August. American observers have discussed how the RNC show will differ from the one streamed by its competitors.

sputniknews (2020-08-24). Republicans and Democrats Clash for Funds of Wealthy Indian Americans, Professor Says. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): After the Democratic National Convention ended with former vice-president Joe Biden formally accepting the nomination last week, the Republican Convention began on 24 August, with Donald Trump again leading the GOP charge. The 2020 elections are seeing a strong presence of Indian-Americans.

sputniknews (2020-08-24). Postmaster General Denies Democrat Allegations of Slowing Postal Service to Disrupt Mail-in Voting. sputniknews.com The reforms faced by the United States Postal Service have received criticism from Democrats over allegations of "incompetence at best, criminality at worst" by the Trump-appointed postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, accused of deliberately slowing the work of the federal agency in attempts to disrupt voting by mail in the presidential election.

_____ (2020-08-24). The Seven Dangerous Paradoxes of Kamala Harris. strategic-culture.org A lot of theoretical nonsense is already being talked about the multiple meanings of Joe Biden's pick of California Senator Kalama Harris as his vice-presidential running mate: She will be a tool for Israel, she will be an opening for reform, she will signify a new era, she will cunningly allow the neo-conservatives to infiltrate the Democratic Party. | All of it is nonsense, especially the last conspiracy theory. The neo-conservatives have no chance of penetrating either Harris or any possible Biden administration because their rival neoliberals — who hold identical views anyway but genuinely think they ar…

_____ (2020-08-24). Democracy — We've Had the Russia Report, Now Where Is the America Report? strategic-culture.org Rob WOODWARD | The long-awaited Russia report was published with a call for "immediate action" by the government and intelligence services to tackle the threat from just one country — Russia. The reality was that while Russia may have been meddling at the edges of Britain's democracy, America has been actively involved in centrally funding the breakdown of democracy, the rule of law and the British way of life. So where is the America Report? | The Russia Report cited 'open source' studies which pointed to "pro-Brexit or anti-EU stories on RT and Sputnik, and the use of 'bots' and 'trolls', as evidence of R…

Staff (2020-08-24). Postmaster DeJoy Has Undermined Faith in Election, Postal Historian Says. truthout.org The battle over the future of the United States Postal Service is intensifying, with a record number of mail-in ballots expected to be cast in the 2020 presidential election, and Democrats and Republicans locked in a fight over the future of the agency. Historian Philip Rubio, who teaches at North Carolina A&T State University and worked as a mail carrier for two decades before that, says decades of political interference have caused a "manufactured crisis" at the U.S. Postal Service. "The damage has…

Staff (2020-08-24). Pelosi Warns Trump Against "Cutting Corners" on New Unproven Vaccine From UK. truthout.org A new report suggests President Donald Trump may push for an unproven vaccine for coronavirus from the United Kingdom to be made available in the United States just one month before voters are set to decide if he deserves another term in office. |

Staff (2020-08-24). Judges Are Buying the GOP's Lie That Mail-In Voting Causes Fraud. truthout.org The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee These high-profile lawsuits make the same argument that Republicans have made in many lesser-known lawsuits that were filed around the country during the primary season. In all of these lawsuits, Republicans argue that voting by ma…

Staff (2020-08-24). Progressive Group Projects Photos of Jobless Workers Onto Hotel Near RNC. truthout.org On the eve of the 2020 Republican National Convention, a progressive advocacy group representing 15,000 unemployed workers on Sunday projected onto a Charlotte, North Carolina hotel the photos and stories of jobless workers struggling to meet basic needs after the GOP allowed the $600-per-week unemployment benefit

Penny M. Venetis (2020-08-24). Mail-In Voting Does Not Cause Fraud, but Judges Are Buying the GOP's Argument That It Does. commondreams.org "Republicans are forcing voters to choose between being safe and exercising their fundamental right to vote in November," writes Venetis. (Photo: George Frey/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-10581469401_0.jpg

Michael Kelly (2020-08-24). University Administrations Should Take Responsibility for Potential Campus Outbreaks. commondreams.org Residents of the Somerville and Medford communities protest outside of Tufts University President Anthony Monaco's house in Medford, MA on Aug. 18, 2020. (Photo: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/collegereopeningprotest.jpg

Samuel Moyn (2020-08-24). Eric Posner's Democracy for the Few. thenation.com Eric Posner's Democracy for the Few…

Robert L. Borosage (2020-08-24). The Democrats Just Showed Us a Weakness in Their 2020 Strategy. thenation.com The Democrats Just Showed Us a Weakness in Their 2020 Strategy…

RT (2020-08-23). Biden campaign team assures everyone that he does not have Covid-19…but has also not been tested. rt.com Joe Biden's Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield left many scratching their heads after she insisted he does not have Covid-19, but has also not been tested — despite members of the press being required to. | "He has not had the virus," Bedingfield told ABC's George Stephanopolous on Sunday. "We have put in place really strict protocols as, I think, all of your journalists who attended our convention in Delaware this week saw." | Despite saying with certainty that the 77-year-old Biden does not have coronavirus, she said he has yet to be tested. Part of those "strict protocols" for the press though m…

RT (2020-08-23). Americans criticizing Biden may be 'unwittingly' spreading 'Kremlin disinformation', top Russiagate peddler warns. rt.com US citizens may "unwittingly" become Russian agents and spread "disinformation" about Joe Biden, Senator Mark Warner has warned, urging the intelligence community to be more vocal and tell the public what to do. | According to the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, one should be particularly vigilant about the Russian trolls, lurking around the social media feeds, as Kremlin is allegedly once again seeking to prop up President Donald Trump and help him secure re-election in November. | Speaking to NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, the Senator warned that if one is not careful enough, he can…

RT (2020-08-23). CNN's Stelter says network will do live 'fact-checks' of Republican convention, gets blasted for not doing same with Democrats. rt.com The news channel's media critic Brian Stelter says CNN will have live "fact-checks" for the RNC, leaving many to wonder where those fact-checks were during the respective Democratic event. | Warning about a possible "stream of disinformation" at the RNC, scheduled to take place from August 24 through August 27, Stelter promised CNN will "fact-check" and "cut away" from the event as needed. | He also blasted rival Fox News network for their coverage of the Democratic National Convention and their conservative bias. | "There is an asymmetry in our media…where Fox is off there on the right in ways that other ne…

RT (2020-08-23). Trump says federal agents will 'solve problem fast' if mayors of Dem-run cities ask for help with 'antigovernment' riots. rt.com President Donald Trump has offered federal assistance to the mayors of cities dealing with violent "antigovernment" protests, saying he can "solve [the] problem fast" if they can't properly police their own communities. | "These riots are an antigovernment movement from the Left that are all in Democrat run cities," the president tweeted on Sunday. "The mayors have got to let their police do what they know how to do. Would be very easy to suppress or, call in the Federal Government. We will solve problem fast!" | These riots are an antigovernment movement from the Left that are all in Democrat run cities. The…

RT (2020-08-23). Anything goes to spite GOP? Popular British historian draws fire by cheering on hurricanes about to batter 'Trump voting states'. rt.com Two potentially devastating hurricanes hitting the United States may actually be a good thing, since they would disrupt next week's Republican convention and stick it to Donald Trump, British historian Dan Snow said. | Tropical Storms Laura and Marco are moving through the Gulf of Mexico towards Texas and Louisiana and are projected to make landfall on Monday and Tuesday, less than 24 hours apart. One might think the destruction and loss of life they could cause is bad news, but not so for Dan Snow, a popular British media personality famous for his historical films. | Snow managed to find dark irony in the po…

The Canary (2020-08-23). Trump plans to veto House-approved bill to protect US Postal Service amid election row. thecanary.co Legislation that would reverse recent changes in US Postal Service operations has been approved by the House of Representatives in a rare Saturday session. The legislation would also send 25bn USD (£19bn) to shore up the agency ahead of the November election.Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalled lawmakers to Washington over objections from Republicans dismissing the action as a stunt."It is all designed to suppress the vote": President Donald Trump urged a no vote, including in a tweet on Saturday 22 August, railing against mail-in ballots expected to surge in the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. He has said h…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-23). Echo Chamber US Politics: The "All About Trump" Democratic National Convention. globalresearch.ca It was hard to stomach. The usual suspects, the usual scripts tatty from overuse. The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a prolonged display of avoidance, evasion and theatrical amnesia. There were moments of formality masquerading as promise: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-23). Senate Voting Record of Kamala Harris. Pro-Big Money, Pro-Israel, Pro-War Dem Foot Soldier. globalresearch.ca The US political season never ends. It'll be in high gear post-conventions this month. | According to the Center for Responsive Politics, US 2020 presidential aspirants, groups working on their behalf, "leadership PACs, super PACs, dark money outlets," and other sources …

_____ (2020-08-23). DNC Featured Native Speakers But Their Issues Remain Under-addressed. popularresistance.org The various caucus meeting speakers repeatedly stated that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be good for Indian Country. Some Native people are skeptical, though. Harris has a record of going against the sovereign interests of California tribal nations. Many Native people haven't forgotten the broken promises made by the Obama-Biden administration. Not only did the administration advance the Keystone XL Pipeline, but it also sat silently for months as Native people, accomplices and media were arrested, brutalized, and physically and sexually assaulted while trying to defeat the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

_____ (2020-08-23). Voter Suppression Has Haunted The United States Since It Was Founded. popularresistance.org In 1787, the Founding Fathers wrestled over how to address suffrage in the U.S. Constitution. At the time, voting was restricted to wealthy white landowners. The framers debated whether it should be extended to commoners who had joined arms with them in the American Revolution, but who might overrule their interests. Ultimately, the question was punted to the states in Article I, Section 4, of the Constitution, which declares: "The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law ma…

sputniknews (2020-08-23). What Underlies Joe Biden's Promise of New –°OVID-19 Lockdown? sputniknews.com President Donald Trump has sought to free the US from pandemic-caused lockdowns, however concerns have mounted that employees could be sent back home again amid a spike of infections over the summer.

sputniknews (2020-08-23). 'Absolutely': Biden Says He Could Serve Two Terms Amid Trump's Jabs Over His Mental Fitness. sputniknews.com The president and members of his campaign have repeatedly asked whether the Democratic nominee for president is fit to serve, pointing to alleged signs of mental decline and his refusal to take a cognitive test.

Robert Freeman (2020-08-23). Two Cheers for Biden/Harris. commondreams.org Joe Biden and Kamala Harris may defeat Trump and that, in itself, will be a goodness, indeed, an existential imperative. But they will not defeat Trumpism. That task will be left to less conventional but more courageous, and imaginative leaders still yet to come. Harris and Biden at the end of the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on August 19, 2020. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/biden-harris-9

Michael Arria (2020-08-22). New York lawmakers denounce DSA as antisemitic after group challenges junkets to Israel. mronline.org At the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) convention in 2017, the group endorsed the BDS movement by an overwhelming majority. That resolution asserted that "socialists have a responsibility to side with the oppressed and are committed to their unconditional liberation."

sputniknews (2020-08-22). UK Muslim Charity Board to Resign as Director Calls Designated Terrorists 'Great Men', Media Says. sputniknews.com The organisation bills itself as an international aid agency that provides humanitarian relief to over 40 countries in the world irrespective of gender, race, or religious belief. Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband once described the organisation as representing "the values that bind Britain together as a liberal democracy."

Margaret Kimberley (2020-08-22). Freedom Rider: "Feet to the Fire" and other lies. mronline.org When the Democratic Party ends its charade of a primary process and spits out the person most closely aligned with neo-liberal policies, the gas lighting begins.

Mike Walter (2020-08-22). The Heat: Biden's Foreign Policy. america.cgtn.com It's official. Joe Biden becomes the Democratic Party candidate for U.S. president. But what might change in U.S. foreign policy if he gets elected?>

RT (2020-08-22). 'Drone bomb me': Rose McGowan clashes with Alyssa Milano & other libs over Dem Party 'making world a better place'. rt.com Actress and #MeToo pioneer Rose McGowan has continued an all-out assault on the Democratic Party, sparring with liberal celebrities over 2020 presidential pick Joe Biden and the Dems' progressive bonafides. | McGowan launched a fresh offensive on Friday night, picking up from a rapid-fire tweet session the day prior — in which the actress dubbed the party "frauds," "monsters" and "the lie." She first tangled with Biden backer and fellow actress Alyssa Milano, who responded to McGowan's earlier tweet storm with a thread outlining how the Democrats had "[made] the world a better place." | Milano's thread di…

RT (2020-08-22). 'DANGEROUS statement': Pelosi slams Trump for tweet claiming 'DEEP STATE' FDA delaying Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) has accused Donald Trump of making a "dangerous statement" by tweeting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has hindered the US' covid-19 response, including the approval of a vaccine. | In a Saturday "The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for dr…

Bernie Sanders (2020-08-22). 2020 Election Is a Fight Against Trump, Authoritarianism, Greed, Oligarchy & Bigotry. zcomm.org In his speech to the Democratic National Convention, Sanders urged people to fight "against greed, oligarchy and bigotry" by voting President Trump out of office in November…

WSWS (2020-08-22). The Biden campaign and the attempt to "rescue" American hegemony. wsws.org The factions of the state backing the Biden campaign have set out to "reclaim America's place in the world" by "getting tough" with Russia and China.

Michael Welch (2020-08-22). US Elections: Dissecting the Democrats in 2020. globalresearch.ca "There's a term: 'Good Cop. Bad Cop.' And Trump is the 'bad cop.' Biden is the 'good cop.'" | -Mark Robinowitz, from today's interview. | LISTEN TO THE SHOW | The race that …

Tom Conway (2020-08-22). Why Trump's attacks on mail-in ballots are a desperate attempt to undermine democracy. nationofchange.org "It's ugly, and as un-American as you can get."