2020-08-26: News Headlines

_____ (2020-08-26). Chris Hedges: How Corporate Tyranny Works. popularresistance.org The persecution of the attorney Steven Donziger is a grim illustration of what happens when we confront the real centers of power, masked and unacknowledged by the divisive cant from the Trump White House or the sentimental drivel of the Democratic Party. Those, like Donziger, who name and fight the corporate control of our society on behalf of the vulnerable see the judiciary, the press and the institutions of government unite to crucify them. | "It's been a long battle, 27 years," Donziger said when I reached him by phone in his apartment in Manhattan.

Staff (2020-08-26). RNC Night 2: Trump Loyalists & Family Members Ignore COVID Death Toll & Flout Election Laws. democracynow.org At the second night of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, speakers largely ignored the devastating public health and economic crisis facing the country as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus nears 180,000 and tens of millions of Americans are out of work and struggling to pay for food and housing. We feature excerpts from the night, which included praise for President Trump's actions in the Middle East and more dire warnings about a Joe Biden presidency, as well as several speeches that appear to violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their office for partisan polit…

Staff (2020-08-26). "Hatemonger": Author Jean Guerrero on Stephen Miller, Trump's White Nationalist Immigration Henchman. democracynow.org A new book on Stephen Miller, the architect of the Trump administration's unprecedented attack on immigrant communities and the immigration system, describes the White House adviser as a dangerous man bringing white nationalist ideology to the highest levels of government. "This is what shapes the immigration policy," says Jean Guerrero, author of "Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda." Miller, descended from Jewish immigrants, has been obsessed with fighting multiculturalism since his teenage years and has steadily climbed the right-wing political ladder to become one of Don…

Staff (2020-08-26). Two Shot Dead in Kenosha as Armed Militias Confront BLM Protests over Police Shooting of Jacob Blake. democracynow.org Protests continue in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where police shot an unarmed Black man in the back seven times as he was getting into his car, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Jacob Blake was reportedly breaking up a fight before police shot him, and the shooting was witnessed by his three young children. On Tuesday, the situation escalated further when at least one white gunman opened fire on a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters. Two people were killed, and a third was injured, as police continued a violent crackdown on protesters demanding justice for Blake. We speak with Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Ma…

Staff (2020-08-26). Headlines for August 26, 2020. democracynow.org Two Killed as White Militia Member Fires on Black Lives Matter Protesters in Kenosha, WI, Family of Jacob Blake Demands Arrest of Officers Who Shot Him in the Back, Black Lives Matter Protesters Shot At While Marching in Pennsylvania, Republican National Convention Speakers Continue to Flout Hatch Act Ethics Laws, CDC Quietly Drops Test Recommendation for Asymptomatic People Exposed to COVID-19, Far-Right Militia Leader Ammon Bundy Arrested at Idaho State Capitol, Argentina Posts Record Coronavirus Toll; COVID-19 Resurgent in Europe, Hurricane Laura Could Become Category 4 Storm Ahead of Gulf Coast Landfall, Leba…

Robert Fantina (2020-08-26). US Elections 2020 and the Corporate Media. globalresearch.ca Irony is dead, or at least one might think so by observing several articles about Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar's recent re-nomination. Article after article references her statement that U.S. officials' support for Israel is "all about the Benjamins", and …

Juan Cole (2020-08-26). As Party of Climate Denial Meets, Wildfires Rage and Hurricanes Target Gulf Coast. zcomm.org The Republican Party cannot solve the climate emergency just as it cannot solve the pandemic. It is about making money for its billionaire clientele, not about delivering better lives to working Americans.

RT (2020-08-26). Anti-Trump Twitter UNWOKES itself to go after Melania for being an immigrant and a woman following RNC speech. rt.com Anti-Republican partisans online appeared to abandon any pro-women and pro-immigrant rhetoric to mock Melania Trump's accent, appearance and even to doubt her visa following the first lady's RNC speech. | In her address at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, Melania The speech's substance was largely ignored by some Twitter users, who went on to ridicule the first lady for b…

Rick Baum (2020-08-26). Sanders' Inadequate Pandemic Wealth Tax Proposal. counterpunch.org Humanity is obviously in the middle of a grave crisis that "socialist" Bernie Sanders understands. In a column recently published in the Guardian with the title "The Pandemic is helping the rich get even richer. It's time to tax their obscene wealth," he characterizes the current conditions as, "an extraordinary moment in American history: a

Editor (2020-08-26). Abolish the police! workers.org The recent Republican convention — led by the white-supremacist-in-chief, current U.S. president and enemy of the people — rallied its troops with racist scare tactics about "civil unrest" by Black Lives Matter protesters and left-wing activists. The Democratic convention offered an alternative, but not a solution. This party nominated for . . . |

Melvin Goodman (2020-08-26). The USA: Global Leader in Election Interference Abroad and Now at Home. counterpunch.org Putin's impact on the election is modest compared to the damage that Trump and Republican legislators throughout the country can inflict. Voter suppression remains a huge problem, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in 2013 to weaken the Voting Rights Act. The campaign against mail-in voting is creating uncertainty and cynicism throughout the country as is Trump's constant ravings about vote by mail causing a fraudulent election.

Mike Walter (2020-08-26). The Heat: Republican National Convention. america.cgtn.com The first night of the Republican National Convention was largely all about…. The Democrats. We will take a look at the U.S. Presidential race.

RT (2020-08-26). Doves not in style? CNN & Fox cut Rand Paul's anti-war speech at RNC as he calls out Biden for backing wars in M. East, Serbia. rt.com Senator Rand Paul's (R-Kentucky) speech at the Republican National Convention was butchered by major cable networks, with CNN cutting it completely and Fox replacing the anti-war part with an interview. | Senator Paul, who frequently crossed swords with Donald Trump when both were vying to become the Republican presidential candidate in the 2016 race, admitted during his speech that he did not always agree with the president, but said that Trump's desire to put an end to the "endless wars" far outweighs their differences. | "I'm supporting President Trump because he believes as I do, that a strong America cann…

Matthew Stevenson (2020-08-26). Notes From the Great Democratic Infomercial. counterpunch.org I can't say I was surprised that the Democrats led off their four-day Zoom summer jamboree with one of the Desperate Housewives acting as the moderator. On the same day there appeared a newspaper picture of former president Bill Clinton getting a back rub from a young blonde while both were waiting to board pedophile

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-26). Did Pompeo Breach the Hatch Act and State Department Regulations? globalresearch.ca On Tuesday, Pompeo addressed the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem, his remarks prerecorded. See below on what he said. | *** | Was his unprecedented act by a US secretary of state unlawful? | According to the 1939 Hatch Act, US executive branch …

Patrick Martin (2020-08-26). The CIA Democrats in the 2020 Elections. More Military-Intelligence and FBI Candidates. globalresearch.ca In the course of the 2018 elections, a large group of former military-intelligence operatives entered capitalist politics as candidates seeking the Democratic Party nomination in 50 congressional seats—nearly half the seats where the Democrats were targeting Republican incumbents or open …

WSWS (2020-08-26). Trump continues assault on democratic norms at Republican convention. wsws.org The event marks the evolution of one of the two major parties of American capitalism into an instrument for the development of a personalist and authoritarian movement with increasingly fascistic characteristics.

William rivers Pitt (2020-08-26). The Republican Convention Opens With a Night of Fascist Fan Fiction. zcomm.org It's not real, what was portrayed last night, any more than all of the pig-eyed lies Trump has unspooled over these long years were real.

Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez (2020-08-26). RNC opens with baseless Trump claims of rigged election & warnings about socialism and unions. nationofchange.org The Republican Party has decided not to adopt a new platform this year, a move that ensures there will be no public debate at the convention about the direction of the party under Trump.

editors (2020-08-26). "Don't let them take democracy away from you" indybay.org "United we can and will overcome the time of darkness in America," he said. After four years of Trump's presidency, the Biden-Harris team wants to reunite the country, overcome the Corona crisis and boost the economy with millions of new jobs. In addition, the challengers want to provide an answer to "racial injustice" and take decisive action against the climate crisis [1].

WSWS Repost (2020-08-26). 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.

Labor Video Project (2020-08-26). DeJoy Resign! SF Postal Workers/Supporters Of USPO Protest Privatization & Attacks. indybay.org Postal workers from APWU SF and the Mail Handlers as well as supporters of the US Post office rallied in San Francisco against the shutdown of postal sorting machines and the continued privatization of the public services that also threatens a democratic election. | The rally took place on August 25, 2020 as part of a national day of action to protect…

_____ (2020-08-26). Organizing Call: After The DNC And RNC — We Can't Breathe! popularresistance.org The Democratic and Republican Conventions are not confronting the crises of our times – the economic collapse, COVID pandemic, lack of access to healthcare, inequality, racism, the cost of education, and never-ending wars and more. | No matter which corporate-funded party wins the election, the people must rule from below. | The national uprising against police violence and the hundreds of wildcat strikes and rent strikes are a few examples among many that show once again that the only way to challenge this racist, militarized system is with the explosive power of people making demands and shutting the system dow…

sputniknews (2020-08-26). Key Takeaways from Day 2 of Republican National Convention. sputniknews.com A slew of issues pertaining to the economy, foreign policy and social matters were addressed by a broad lineup of speakers on the second night of the Republican National Convention, that included appearances by First Lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

_____ (2020-08-26). The Most Cynical Campaign In History. strategic-culture.org Peter Van BUREN | With the Democratic convention history and the Republican one lurching forward, excitement among voters ranges from lukewarm to semi-lukewarm. Political cynicism scrapes at the nation like a sleeping man being shaved by a drunk barber. | Both conventions make one thing clear as a slug trail: the Democratic candidate is Not Trump. Just vote for the one named "Trump" or the one named "Not Trump." It's easy. In fact

yenisafak (2020-08-26). Biden | campaign says China's treatment of Uighur Muslims is 'genocide'. yenisafak.com A spokesperson for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden issued a statement on Tuesday referring to China's oppression of Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province as a "genocide," according to the U.S. publication

yenisafak (2020-08-26). Thai police make more arrest of pro-democracy demonstrators. yenisafak.com Police in Thailand on Wednesday arrested two pro-democracy student protest leaders for taking part in rallies and would charge them with sedition, expanding a crackdown on demonstrators as pressure builds against the government.Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree of the Free Youth Group and his partner Panumas Singprom were arrested at their residence in Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok and taken to a police station."We got arrested with many charges, but the most severe one is article 116," Tattep told reporters, referring to the sedition law.He was seen flashing a three-finger salute, a symbol of the move…

Adeyinka Makinde (2020-08-26). Kamala Harris: The Archetypal Flawed U.S. Political Candidate. globalresearch.ca Joe Biden's selection of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate, was lauded by an editorial opinion in the British Guardian as "a safe and historic appointment". But a cursory examination reveals Harris to be the archetype of …

Adam Ramsay (2020-08-26). Deloitte Accountancy Firm Gets Another Huge COVID Contract — For 'Crazy' Plan to Test Millions Each Day. globalresearch.ca The British government had plans to test everyone in the country for coronavirus every week by October — and it's handed most of the work to the global accountancy firm Deloitte, openDemocracy can reveal. Labour MP Clive Lewis has dubbed …

Ari Paul (2020-08-25). Media Praise Biden's 'Centrist Coalition' for Steering Clear of 'Progressive Demands'. commondreams.org "Coverage of Biden's patriotism tends to center on non-issues," writes Paul, "Saying someone loves their country doesn't outline a real policy proposal or provide a plan to improve conditions for the average voter." (Photo: Matt Rourke / AP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/joe_2.jpeg

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). 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). 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…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-08-25). 'Underwhelming and Inadequate': Green Groups Slam New Senate Democrats' Climate Report. commondreams.org The Green New Deal is mentioned only once in the 263-page report—in the footnotes. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gnd_0.jpeg

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…

Scott Remer (2020-08-25). The Only Real Leftist Argument for Voting for Joe Biden in November. commondreams.org "If Biden wins the presidency, we will need to pursue an 'inside' and an 'outside' strategy, mobilizing the grassroots to organize and push the Democratic establishment leftwards," writes Remer. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/joe_biden_1_0_0_1.jpeg

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.

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 …

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 …

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). '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). '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). '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). 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). '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

Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-25). Echo Chamber Politics. counterpunch.org 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 nominating Senator Bernie Sanders for presidential candidate. But it was not to be. The decision

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). Thanks, Obama: You Lie. strategic-culture.org Paul STREET | Record-Setting Absurdity and Mendacity | The malignant fascist sociopath Donald Trump lies so voluminously and absurdly that many Americans will believe he said or Tweeted almost anything, no matter how offensive and ridiculous. Every few months for the last three years I've been making up off-the-wall Trump statements and sending them out on so-called social media to see if people will take them as genuine. Many readers do indeed see them as bona fide Trump comments. Here' a recent example, a spoof I put up on Mindfuck three days ago: "Trump is tweeting that Joe Biden 'faked the death of Beau Biden…

_____ (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 …

Adolf Alzuphar (2020-08-25). A New Republic. counterpunch.org A misuse plagues our republic: the misuse of democracy; instead of building a democratic, and just, society, we simply use democracy to validate and renew the personnel of our oligarchic republic. These days, because the republic is fractured and oligarchic, democracy is being misused to maintain the same republic as the promise of a new

WSWS (2020-08-25). The Republican convention: Four nights of fascist filth begin. wsws.org The convention opened Monday with the renomination of President Trump and a series of diatribes against socialism.

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.

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.

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). #SaveThePostOffice Call-In Day! Wednesday, August 26. popularresistance.org Since the Coronavirus crisis hit, USPS has become more essential than ever, from delivering life-saving medicine, to sustaining our democracy through mail-in voting. It has also become more endangered than ever, facing a massive budget crisis. Postal workers and the public are united in urging Congress to pass $25 billion in emergency COVID-related relief for USPS. | Through mass public outcry, we've begun to roll back Trump's new appointee Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's most recent plans to reduce service.

_____ (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,'"

Morris Pearl (2020-08-25). Why the DNC's Platform Will Guarantee a Loss If Democrats Don't Do More. commondreams.org Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris confer on stage outside the Chase Center after Biden delivered his acceptance speech on the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center on August 20, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/dncbidenharris.jpg

commondreams (2020-08-25). Democrat's Climate Report Misses the Mark. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2020-08-25). Senate Democrats Walk Back From Demand to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies in New Report. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-08-25). NY Attorney General Files Federal Lawsuit, Demanding Trump and DeJoy Reverse 'Authoritarian' Changes Made to USPS. commondreams.org "This USPS slowdown is nothing more than a voter suppression tactic." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/new_york_coronavirus_0_0.png

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

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-08-25). Trump Pro and Con. thealtworld.com Trump is a mixed bag. Unlike the Democrats, Trump is for the working class. Unlike Kamala, he is not anti-white. Unlike Democrats, Trump supports law and order. | But he is opposed to independent governments in Latin America such as Venezuela. Trump should leave Venezuela alone. How can anyone believe he is going to stop Washington and Israel's wars in the Middle East when he is trying to start a war with Venezuela? | Trump should stop causing trouble with China. It was America's own greedy and short-sighted corporations, such as Apple, Nike, and Levi, that gave China the economic advantage over the US by relocat…

WSWS (2020-08-25). After the Sri Lankan election, president moves towards dictatorial rule. wsws.org The SEP warns workers and youth that they face real dangers as the Rajapakse government prepares an all-out offensive against the social and democratic rights of working people.

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). 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…

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). 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…

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). 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). 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). '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…

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…

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…

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.

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 …