Daily Archives: July 5, 2020

2020-07-05: News Headlines

Glenn Greenwald (2020-07-05). House Democrats Restrict Trump's Planned Withdrawal of Troops. zcomm.org It should come as absolutely no surprise that House Democrats are finding common cause with Liz Cheney and other GOP warmongers to block any efforts to reduce even moderately the footprint of the U.S. military in the world or its decades-long posture of endless war…

Kate Aronoff (2020-07-05). The Democrats' New Climate Plan: Improved But Weirdly Isolationist. zcomm.org Shaped by mass demand, Congressional Democrats' June 30th report on the climate crisis is a welcome improvement. But, in addition to its weak response to fossil fuel expansion, the report adopts an America First strategy to solve a global problem.

Fight Back (2020-07-05). Florida State students protest to take down statue of slave-owner. fightbacknews.org Tallahassee, FL – On July 4, over 70 students protested in front of the Westcott administration building at Florida State University to demand the removal of the statue of Francis Eppes, a large Leon County slave-owner who had funded the Confederacy. The protest was called by Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), who also issued demands for the removal of Eppes from the criminology building and segregationist Doak Campbell from the stadium. | Students, holding signs reading, "No slave-owners on campus" and "Eppes must fall," marched to the new location of the Eppes statue. An American flag was drap…

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-05). Trump Regime Wants Legitimate Iranian Fuel Shipments to Venezuela Seized. globalresearch.ca No nation in world history more strongly professes support for democratic values and the rule of law while more egregiously breaching its proclaimed principles than the US. | It's been this way throughout the country's history, fleeting moments alone when positive …

_____ (2020-07-05). The Democrats' Disastrous, Militarist Climate Plan. popularresistance.org Don't believe for a minute that the Democrats climate plan even means what it says. Its solutions include disastrous scams like "biofuels" and nuclear energy. It proposes no fundamental change in lifestyle, no reduction in personal consumption, and no halt or reduction in eating meat (but renewable energy production on land used for livestock, so that the same land can mitigate the unacknowledged damage it is doing). It offers no proposed federal budget with any major moving of the money to where it's needed, and no plan to extract any resources from billionaires and corporate giants. | This plan has been critici…

_____ (2020-07-05). White Supremacy And Segregation Under FDR's New Deal. popularresistance.org Key New Deal programs failed Black Americans. The WPA and CCC could have been part of a segregation-busting project, but instead segregation was bolstered, as Blacks were relegated to separate work camps across the country, bringing Jim Crow to the North. The best jobs went to whites and out of the 10,000 WPA supervisors hired in the south, only 11 were Black. | This was one of the many concessions FDR made to the racist southern Democrats in his coalition, which bled over to the war mobilization where whites and Blacks served in segregated units. The backwardness of the South was forced upon the rest of the coun…

The Canary (2020-07-05). Acting Lib Dem leader calls for Farage to be investigated over trip to the US and breach of quarantine rules. thecanary.co Acting Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called on police to investigate whether Nigel Farage has broken quarantine rules. The former cabinet minister has written to the chief constable of the Kent constabulary questioning whether the Brexit Party leader had contravened coronavirus (Covid-19) guidelines. | The move followed the reopening of pubs across England on 4 July and a tweet from Farage from a bar. Farage insisted he had been back from a trip to the US for two weeks and had tested negative for coronavirus. | Letter to chief constable: | Davey wrote to chief constable Alan Pughsley, stating: I wri…

Fight Back (2020-07-05). Tampa protesters march to get charges dropped, community control of the police. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On the evening of July 3, 50 members of the community marched through downtown Tampa to demand that local State Attorney Andrew Warren drop charges on protesters arrested during the Justice for George Floyd movement. Many protesters from events over the past several weeks in Tampa face charges like unlawful assembly and inciting a riot, both of which have been commonly used by police across the country to repress activists. The organizers of the march and protest, Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC), previously had a similar event after which 67 protesters had their cases dismissed. They say…

Roger D. Harris (2020-07-05). Moore's Planet of the Humans: More Misanthropic than Malthus. dissidentvoice.org In reverential tones with ominous background music, director of Planet of the Humans Jeff Gibbs intones about "the most terrifying realization I ever had." Gibbs instructs us, "Every expert I talked to wanted to bring my attention to the same underlying problem." It is "not the elephant but the herd of elephants in the room," …

Staff (2020-07-04). We Must Understand the Sordid History of Voter Suppression to End Its Use. truthout.org Below is an exclusive excerpt of the upcoming graphic novel

WSWS (2020-07-04). Zimbabwe nurses strike as economic crisis brings threat of second coup and military dictatorship. wsws.org Emmerson Mnangagwa's government is preparing to confront mounting opposition in the working class through dictatorial forms of rule and the abrogation of democratic rights—even as it is threatened by the possibility of a coup.

_____ (2020-07-04). Danny Sjursen: Fourth Of July Musings. popularresistance.org Once again, this Fourth of July, Americans will celebrate — to the unwitting militarist racist tune that is the "Star Spangled Banner" — more than just the nation's Independence Day. Though most folks will, if at a reasonable social distance, focus more on the backyard beer and brats, U.S. jingoism and exceptionalism will invariably be on the menu. | That last sentiment, particularly amidst the COVID- and mass protest-exposing era of forever war at home and abroad, deserves a closer and critical look. For exceptionalism is truly a national disease that ravages American bodies and democratic institutio…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Egypt's opposition still seeking footing 7 years after coup. yenisafak.com The opposition in Egypt and abroad is in a forced absence due to the regime's extensive restrictions on opinion expression as well as extensive political arrests.The regime of the former President Hosni Mubarak suppressed freedom of expression that led to revolution in 2011 that called for equality, freedom and social justice.Mubarak, who ruled for three decades, was forced to step down by a popular uprising in early 2011.Mohamed Morsi won the first post-revolution presidential election in 2012, becoming the country's first democratically elected civilian president and fifth president of the republic. | Several t…

Register Peace & Freedom or Green (2020-07-04). Cal Democrats Not Paying Unemployment Claims; Pro-War Feinstein. indybay.org From the home front, with the California Supermajority Democratic Legislature & Governor contracting out to process millions of unemployment claims, many unpaid for months, to California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein voting to continue the blood for oil illegal occupation and war in Afghanistan, the Democratic Party insists with every move it is the same as the Republican Party.

Fight Back (2020-07-04). National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression to join "We Can't Breathe" protest at RNC. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL -The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) will be joining the massive demonstration that is set for August 27 at the Republican National Convention (RNC), in Jacksonville, Florida. The "We Can't Breathe" protest, organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC, will focus on stopping police crimes and advancing the demand for community control of the police. | Speaking about the need to march on the RNC, Frank Chapman, Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression states, "The Trump administration has been green-lighting police crimes…

William rivers Pitt (2020-07-04). Beware of Anti-Trump Republicans Who Endorse Joe Biden. zcomm.org I am forced to wonder, however, what the real intent is behind this sudden solidarity after three long years of near-silence from the deeply compromised "Never Trump" crew…

Helena Hui Wang, Esther Lau, Richard Horton (2020-07-04). [Comment] The Wakley—Wu Lien Teh Prize Essay 2020: Chinese health workers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com "I feel deeply the burden of the honour placed upon me in being chairman of this Medical Conference, which is unique in our history, powerful in its representation, and which gives China a strong position amongst nations seeking the welfare of the people", wrote Wu Lien Teh in his first publication in The Lancet,1 on his inaugural address delivered at the International Plague Conference in Shenyang, China, in 1911. Wu was elected as the chair of the conference for his work in controlling the pneumonic plague epidemic outbreak in 1910—11 in northeastern China, which ultimately claimed about 60‚Ä&a…

Rob J Hallifax, Edward McKeown, Parthipan Sivakumar, Ian Fairbairn, Christy Peter, Andrew Leitch, Matthew Knight, Andrew Stanton, Asim Ijaz, Stefan Marciniak, James Cameron, Amrithraj Bhatta, Kevin G Blyth, Raja Reddy, Marie-Clare Harris, Nadeem Maddekar, Steven Walker, Alex West, Magda Laskawiec-Szkonter, John P Corcoran, Stephen Gerry, Corran Roberts, John E Harvey, Nick Maskell, Robert F Miller, Najib M Rahman (2020-07-04). [Articles] Ambulatory management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: an open-label, randomised controlled trial. thelancet.com Ambulatory management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax significantly reduced the duration of hospitalisation including re-admissions in the first 30 days, but at the expense of increased adverse events. This data suggests that primary spontaneous pneumothorax can be managed for outpatients, using ambulatory devices in those who require intervention.

Center For Biological Diversity (2020-07-03). House Democrats Set to Give 850,000 Acres of Nevada Wildlife Refuge to Military. globalresearch.ca In a stunning development in the ongoing controversy over proposed military bombing range expansion in Nevada, the Democrat-led House Armed Services Committee today approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would give the U.S. Air Force jurisdiction …

Kollibri terre Sonnenblume (2020-07-03). The Corruption of the Democratic Party: Talking to Ted Rall about his new book. counterpunch.org Seven Stories Press just released Ted Rall's new book, "Political Suicide: The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party." Rall is a graphic novelist, a syndicated columnist and the author of many books of art and prose, including biographies of Edward Snowden, Bernie Sanders and Pope Francis. You've probably seen his political cartoons, which are often

WSWS (2020-07-03). Primaries show deepening political polarization in US. wsws.org While both the corporate-controlled parties, the Democrats and Republicans, are moving to the right, the bulk of the population is moving to the left.

WSWS (2020-07-03). Meat processing plants spread the coronavirus in North Carolina. wsws.org Both Democrats and Republicans are complicit in concealing the magnitude of the coronavirus crisis in and around North Carolina's rural meat and poultry packing facilities.

Eric Zuesse (2020-07-03). Countries Ranked on "Democracy" in 2020. dissidentvoice.org NATO and its supporters and member-nations are hiding the fact that the predominant belief in many of these nations is that they're dictatorships that merely pontificate 'democracy' to other nations. NATO, which is America's propagandistically 'pro-democracy' military alliance against Russia and against China, polled the people in 53 countries — some of which are in …

Stephen Miles (2020-07-03). The Democrat's Hawkish, Dead-End Foreign Policy Is Also Very Bad Politics. commondreams.org Among some of the most powerful Democrats in the House, Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-16) (far left) was just defeated in a primary; Rep. Steny Hoyer (MD-5) (center), the House Majority Leader; and Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-28) (right), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, all have received massive support from the weapons industry and pro-war lobbyists. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gty-hoyer-engel-schiff-rc-170215_16x9_992_0.jpg

AEAWRWA (2020-07-03). Why are Certain Christians Democratic and Others Authoritarian? counterpunch.org Why are certain Christians democratic and other Christians authoritarian, yet both profess belief in the same Bible and God? Why do some Christians emphasize personal authenticity and others biblical authority? Why do certain Christians want to empower people, and other Christians want to gain power over people? Why do some Christians believe that the goal

Mike Lofgren (2020-07-03). Don't Let the Corruption of the Powerless Bring Down the Democrats. commondreams.org Former National security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence before the start of a joint news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House June 7, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bolton_venezuela_0.jpg

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Copenhagen's Little Mermaid labelled 'racist fish'. yenisafak.com Denmark woke up on Friday to the words "racist fish" scrawled across the base of the "Little Mermaid", the bronze statue honouring Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale that perches on a rock in the sea off a pier in Copenhagen.Police said it had not yet identified the perpetrators. The 107-year-old sculpture, which is visited by one million tourists each year, has been vandalised before, including by anti-whaling campaigners and pro-democracy activists, twice suffering decapitation."We consider it vandalism and have started an investigation," a spokesman for the Copenhagen police said.Protesters of the Bla…

Staff (2020-07-03). "America's Moment of Reckoning": Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Cornel West on Uprising Against Racism. democracynow.org Scholars Cornel West and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor respond to the global uprising against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "We're seeing the convergence of a class rebellion with racism and racial terrorism at the center of it," said Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. "And in many ways, we are in uncharted territory in the United States."

Staff (2020-07-03). Angela Davis on Abolition, Calls to Defund Police, Toppled Racist Statues & Voting in 2020 Election. democracynow.org Amid a worldwide uprising against police brutality and racism, we discuss the historic moment with legendary scholar and activist Angela Davis. She also responds to the destruction and removal of racist monuments in cities across the United States, and the 2020 election.

Staff (2020-07-03). "What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?": James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass's Historic Speech. democracynow.org In a Fourth of July holiday special, we hear the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, he gave one of his most famous speeches, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." He was addressing the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society. This is actor James Earl Jones reading the speech during a performance of historian Howard Zinn's acclaimed book, "Voices of a People's History of the United States." He was introduced by Zinn.

Ralph Nader (2020-07-03). Trump and Pence — Step Aside for Professional Pandemic Scientists and Managers. counterpunch.org Major changes in society can be accomplished by a fast-emerging, broad-based civic jolt so obvious and persuasive that it overwhelms the entrenched powers. The most urgent job is for people to organize to get Trump and Pence to step aside from their bungling, making-matters-worse mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic. The White House should let a

Kyle Anzalone (2020-07-03). PODCAST: Congress Wants Forever Wars. anti-empire.com On FPF #513, I discuss the efforts in Congress to prevent Trump from bringing US troops home. After 19 years, there is a chance the US could end our longest war and bring troops home. | However, members of Congress are working to pass provisions to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to prevent Trump from withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. | House Dems have teamed up with the most hawkish Republicans, like Liz Chaney, to accomplish this goal. This unholy alliance will surely get more American soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

cynthia papermaster (2020-07-03). Saturday 7/4: 4th of July: "Defund Police, Defund Pentagon, Fund Community & Life!" indybay.org 1: 00 – SF City Hall | 1: 30 – 762 Fulton, Black Lives Matter street mural | 2: 00 – Divisadero & Broadway, Nancy Pelosi's House | 3: 00 – Bayview Hunters Point, 11 Innes Court, Lennar office…

Ryan Grim (2020-07-02). J Street Facing New Pressure to Back Conditioning Aid to Israel. zcomm.org More than 1,000 former and current members of J Street U are calling on the group's leadership to get behind a legislative effort to condition funding of the state of Israel if it goes forward with illegally annexing Palestinian territory…

WSWS (2020-07-02). Unite offers support for 10 percent job losses at British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair. wsws.org The scale of the ongoing jobs massacre was underscored by EasyJet's announcement Tuesday that 1,900 pilots, cabin crew and ground staff will be made redundant, with Airbus announcing 12,300 job cuts worldwide by Summer 2021, including 1,700 in the UK.

WSWS (2020-07-02). City of Chicago announces plan for mass arrest and detention of youth over holiday weekend. wsws.org The plan for arrest and jailing of teenagers comes as the Lightfoot administration has stepped up policing in wake of recent protests and as President Trump urges Democratic leaders in Illinois to take "decisive action" against gun violence.

WSWS (2020-07-02). Beijing passes anti-democratic security law for Hong Kong. wsws.org While Beijing has concerns about imperialist intrigues in Hong Kong, its chief fear is that unrest in the city over democratic and social rights will spill over the border into the rest of China.

WSWS (2020-07-02). Workers, young people denounce undemocratic efforts to keep Socialist Equality Party off the ballot in Michigan. wsws.org Workers and youth voiced support for the SEP election campaign in the United States.

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2020-07-02). Biden Compared Indicted War Criminal to "George Washington" counterpunch.org In 2010, current Democratic Party presidential hopeful Joe Biden Jr. referred to Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaci as the "George Washington of Kosovo." On June 24th, it was reported that Thaci had to cancel a trip to Washington because of his indictment by the Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity. These

WSWS (2020-07-02). SEP presidential candidates Kishore and Santa Cruz file federal lawsuit challenging ballot access restrictions in California. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party's candidates argued in court filings Tuesday that the state's requirement that the candidates gather 200,000 voter signatures is impossible to meet during the pandemic and a violation of basic democratic rights.

_____ (2020-07-02). New Democratic Climate Action Plan Is Woefully Inadequate. popularresistance.org "This is not an emergency response." | That is how Laura Berry, director of research and policy at the Climate Mobilization (TCM), responded to reporting on a congressional "action plan" for the planetary emergency from the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, which the panel and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) unveiled Tuesday. | The climate roadmap features hundreds of policy proposals under 12 key pillars. Specifically, the 538-page plan calls for selling only zero-emissions vehicles by 2035, net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector by 2040, and net-zero U.S. emissions economy-wid…

_____ (2020-07-02). Anti-Russia War Fever Spreads On Capitol Hill. popularresistance.org Groups of congressional Republicans and Democrats have visited the White House over the past two days for briefings on allegations that the Russian military intelligence agency GRU offered bounties to Taliban fighters who killed American soldiers in Afghanistan. | They have emerged bristling with demands for retaliation, with one Republican senator declaring, "I want to hear their plan for Taliban and GRU agents in body bags"—in other words, for military action by the United States against Russia, possessor of the world's second largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. | The "Russian bounties" campaign is a fa…

_____ (2020-07-02). Bolivia: Añez Wants To Jail The Favored Candidate In The Coming Elections. popularresistance.org Bolivia's de facto president, Jeanine Añez, is losing more and more of her mask obscuring democracy that, with the complicity of the United States and the European Union, she had to put on to justify the violent overthrow of Evo Morales in November of last year. | Now, in a fragrant demonstration that in Bolivia there are no constitutional guarantees and that persecution is the rule of order, a coup is being prepared against the presidential candidate of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Luis Arce Catacora. | In a confirmation of the validity of the lawfare method (judicial war) against popular leaders, the le…

RT (2020-07-02). Dems gloat & hold up former GOP presidential Cain candidate hospitalized with Covid-19 as 'proof' US shouldn't have reopened. rt.com Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain attended the first Trump rally since the Covid-19 pandemic and now he's in the hospital. Democrats have been unable to resist connecting the two. | Cain was hospitalized on Wednesday, two days after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement posted to the pizza magnate turned politician turned pundit's Twitter on Thursday. | While his symptoms were said to be "serious," he was not put on a ventilator and is "resting comfortably," the tweet continued. His team asked Cain's followers to pray for him and fellow coronavirus sufferers. | We are sorry…

RT (2020-07-02). Mueller report redactions unlikely to be revealed before presidential election after Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump appeal. rt.com The US Supreme Court agreed to hear the Trump administration's bid to keep parts of prosecutor Robert Mueller's report on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election redacted, likely ensuring the material won't sway 2020 votes. | Tuesday's Supreme Court decision hands congressional Democrats at least a temporary defeat in their effort to force disclosure of secrets that they hope can be used to damage President Donald Trump politically. The case won't be heard until the court's next term, which begins in October, so it won't likely be decided until after the November 3 election. | The Democrat-controlled US…

Staff (2020-07-02). The Untold History of Mount Rushmore: A Friend of the KKK Built Monument on Sacred Lakota Land. democracynow.org As tribal governments call on President Trump to cancel his Mount Rushmore Independence Day celebration, we look at why Native Americans have long pushed for the removal of the monument carved into the sacred Black Hills and designed by a sculptor with ties to the Ku Klux Klan. "This place is very, very sacred to our people," says Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of the NDN Collective. "Stealing our land and then carving the faces of four white men who were colonizers, who committed genocide against Indigenous people, is an egregious act of violence."

Staff (2020-07-02). Did the Army Ignore a Soldier's Murder? Questions Mount over Vanessa Guillén Disappearance. democracynow.org The U.S. Army says it has a suspect in custody in connection with the disappearance of Vanessa Guillén, a missing 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier whose family says her remains were likely found in a shallow grave near the Texas Army base. A second suspect in the case — a soldier who the Guillén family lawyer named as Aaron Robinson — killed himself in Killeen, Texas, as officers approached. The news comes after months of anguish for Vanessa Guillén's family, who say she was sexually harassed by a higher-up prior to her disappearance and that the military was slow to investigate when she went missing. We…

Staff (2020-07-02). Headlines for July 2, 2020. democracynow.org States Reverse Reopenings as Daily U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top 50,000 for First Time, As U.S. Deaths Top 128,000, Trump Predicts Coronavirus Will "Sort of Just Disappear", Dallas Choir Members Tested Positive for COVID-19 Ahead of Performance for Mike Pence, San Quentin Prisoners Launch Hunger Strike Amid Explosion of COVID-19 Cases, Seattle Riot Police Clear Autonomous Zone, Los Angeles City Council Approves $150M in Cuts to Police Budget, Trump Calls Black Lives Matter Message Outside Trump Tower a "Symbol of Hate", Richmond, Virginia, Mayor Removes Confederate Statue, Trump Backs Confederate Base Names as Monum…

Staff (2020-07-02). The Untold History of Mount Rushmore: A KKK Sympathizer Built Monument on Sacred Lakota Land. democracynow.org As tribal governments call on President Trump to cancel his Mount Rushmore Independence Day celebration, we look at why Native Americans have long pushed for the removal of the monument carved into the sacred Black Hills and designed by a sculptor with ties to the Ku Klux Klan. "This place is very, very sacred to our people," says Nick Tilsen, president and CEO of the NDN Collective. "Stealing our land and then carving the faces of four white men who were colonizers, who committed genocide against Indigenous people, is an egregious act of violence."

Staff (2020-07-02). Barbara Ransby on the Biden Problem: Social Movements Must Defeat Trump & Also Hold Dems Accountable. democracynow.org Amid a mass uprising against racism and state violence, social movements are not just fighting hostility and backlash from President Trump, but also dealing with a "Biden problem," according to historian, author and activist Barbara Ransby. "I think it's fair to say that Joe Biden is not our dream candidate, by any means," she says. "We should be critical of Joe Biden. We should be ready to hold Joe Biden accountable come January. But we should be clear about the need to defeat Trump in November."

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-02). America's Two Right-Wing Parties Keep Accusing Each Other Of Being Far-Left. thealtworld.com has a new Spanish-language ad out claiming that President Trump is cut from the same cloth as leftist leaders Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Nicolas Maduro. This is not the first time the Biden campaign has done this, with The hashtag #ComradeTrump

Ralph Nader (2020-07-02). The People Must Rise Up and Remove Trump-Pence From This Horror Show Handling of the Pandemic. commondreams.org The country simply cannot wait until Inauguration Day, January 21, 2021. (Photo: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pence_1.png

Staff (2020-07-02). Markey Bill Backed by Sanders and Warren Seeks to Abolish Qualified Immunity. truthout.org In the wake of the recent killings of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky — which sparked a national uprising against racial injustice and police violence — Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday introduced a new bill in the U.S. Senate that would end "qualified immunity" for law enforcement officers accused of excessive force and violating the constitutional rights of civilians. | An antiquated legal doc…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-07-02). Markey Bill, Backed by Sanders and Warren, Moves to Abolish Qualified Immunity for Cops 'Once-and-for-All'. commondreams.org "If we want to change the culture of police violence against Black and Brown Americans," Markey explained, "then we need to start holding accountable the officers who abuse their positions of trust and responsibility in our communities." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/cops_cops_1.png

John Feffer (2020-07-02). Time to Rethink the US-ROK Alliance. counterpunch.org North Korea has blown up the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong. It is threatening an all-out pamphlet war in response to defectors sending anti-regime propaganda to the north. South Korea's unification minister has stepped down after failing to meet with his North Korean counterparts during his 14-month tenure. Pyongyang is not happy about the balloons

sputniknews (2020-07-02). American Independence Celebrated as American Exceptionalism Fades. sputniknews.com Joe Biden and Donald Trump see huge fundraising increases in June, as states brace for further economic pain due to failed reopenings.

Gary Leupp (2020-07-02). Traditional Russophobia in an Unusual Election Year. counterpunch.org Why would Russia pay Taliban troops to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan? "Russia has never gotten over the humiliation they suffered in Afghanistan," Nancy Pelosi explains helpfully, "and now they are taking it out on us, our troops." The speaker of the House has perhaps forgotten that after 9/11 Vladimir Putin supported the U.S. intervention

RT (2020-07-02). Pelosi calls for new sanctions on Moscow, amid 'Russian bounties' allegations. rt.com As the fallout from dubiously sourced allegations about 'Russian bounties' on US troops in Afghanistan continues, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for fresh sanctions against Russia's defense and intelligence sectors. | Moscow paid Taliban fighters bounties to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, and President Donald Trump ignored intelligence briefings on the matter, an anonymously sourced New York Times report claimed last Friday. Trump called the story a "phony hit job" against him, his Defense Department found no corroborating evidence, and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Wednesday that…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-07-02). Fair Housing Advocates Celebrate Passage of AOC's Repeal of Faircloth Amendment. commondreams.org Fair housing advocates applauded Wednesday evening as the U.S. House, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pushed through the repeal of the Faircloth Amendment, a 22-year-old provision which blocks the construction of new public housing units. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1222279641_1.jpg

Carl Gibson (2020-07-01). Booker's Loss Was Devastating. But We Can't Lose Sight of Defeating McConnell. commondreams.org It's tempting for progressive Kentuckians to want to check out of this election, as many of us have after the corporate wing of the Democratic Party threw a wet blanket on Bernie Sanders' post-Nevada momentum to circle its wagons around Joe Biden. (Photo: @Booker4KY/Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-01-10_at_2.30.13_pm.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-07-01). Sanders, Pressley Help Launch 'Renew New England' to Elect Candidates Committed to Green New Deal and Jobs Guarantee. commondreams.org Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ayanna Pressley joined 1,700 people Tuesday evening to launch Renew New England, a coalition of grassroots volunteers and advocates fighting to elect candidates who are committed to a rapid shift to renewable infrastructure and energy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-07-01_at_5.08.49_pm.png

Robert Reich (2020-07-01). Trump Doesn't Believe in Democracy—Here's His 25-Step Reelection Plan. commondreams.org President Donald J. Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before departing on Marine One on Saturday, June 20, 2020 in Washington DC. President Trump is scheduled to hold his first campaign rally since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo: Sarah Silbiger for The Washington Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_reelection_25_steps.jpg

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-07-01). Government Attacks Media as People's Media Reveals the Truth. dissidentvoice.org An Omaha police officer escorts freelancer Megan Feeney, a camera dangling from her zip-tied hands, on June 1, 2020. (Aaron Sanderford/Omaha World Herald). Government attacks on the media are escalating as the battle for the narrative grows in importance. For the last decade, stories produced and amplified by the democratized media have put the power …

_____ (2020-07-01). Manitos Children's Fund To Support Venezuelan Children Despite Sanctions. popularresistance.org Manitos Children's Fund grows out of the decades old Latin America solidarity movement which has worked to change US policies toward Latin America for over 60 years. Because of our history we are most focused on the effects of sanctions on the children of Latin America, with Venezuela being the most targeted by illegal sanctions currently. | Democratic and Republican administrations have both issued sanctions against the democratically-elected government of Venezuela, but since taking office in 2017, President Trump has ratcheted up the pain factor with an aggressive attack on the Venezuelan economy. In August 20…

sputniknews (2020-07-01). Trump Ramps Up Attack on NYT, Says Russia Bounty Story's 'Secret Source Probably Doesn't Even Exist'. sputniknews.com Democrats have asked Congress to consider new sanctions against Moscow over media claims that Russia has been paying Taliban-affiliated militants to kill American and other coalition troops serving in Afghanistan. Russian officials have vocally denied the allegations, and accused those pushing them of trying to further undermine Russia-US ties.

RT (2020-07-01). 'We all miss Roger!' Trump recalls late 'friend' Roger Ailes in attack on Fox, gets schooled on his death by the #Resistance. rt.com In his latest salvo against Fox News, US President Donald Trump invoked the memory of the network's late CEO, Roger Ailes, to say the outlet had declined, drawing astute critics armed with Google to remind him the man had died. | Trump took to his favorite social media venue on Tuesday to decry a Fox panel discussion featuring disgraced CNN contributor Donna Brazile, who was caught passing debate questions to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 race, as was revealed in a WikiLeaks publication the same year. | "She gets fired by CNN for giving Crooked Hillary the debate questions, and gets hire…

Staff (2020-07-01). Jamaal Bowman Calls for Rent Cancellations and Defunding the NYPD. truthout.org As a surge of progressive candidates of color see victories in Democratic primaries across the country, we speak with former Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman about his upset victory over New York Congressmember Eliot Engel, the 16-term Foreign Affairs Committee chair. Bowman ran on a Green New Deal, Medicare for All platform and recently joined protests demanding an end to racism and police brutality. He says his upset over Engel came down to mobilizing people who are "disenfranchised and ignore…

Staff (2020-07-01). Ed Yong on the "Disgraceful" U.S. Pandemic Response & How Medicare for All Could Have Saved Lives. democracynow.org As the United States experiences the world's worst outbreak of COVID-19, we speak with Ed Yong, science writer for The Atlantic, who warned of the country's unpreparedness for a viral outbreak in 2018. Now he says "it's truly shocking and disgraceful" how badly the pandemic has been handled in the United States, and blames a lack of federal leadership for most of the damage. "A country with the resources that we have should not be in this state," he argues, and adds that Medicare for All could have saved lives.

Staff (2020-07-01). Jamaal Bowman on NY Primary Upset, Rent Strikes, Police Brutality & Opposing West Bank Annexation. democracynow.org As a surge of a progressive candidates of color see victories in Democratic primaries across the country, we speak with former Bronx middle school principal Jamaal Bowman about his upset victory over New York Congressmember Eliot Engel, the 16-term Foreign Affairs Committee chair. Bowman ran on a Green New Deal, Medicare for All platform and recently joined protests demanding an end to racism and police brutality. He says his upset over Engel came down to mobilizing people who are "disenfranchised and ignored" by the political establishment. "We didn't just target those who consistently vote in primaries. We targ…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-07-01). Sunrise Movement Says Wins by Corporate Democrats Like McGrath and Hickenlooper Must Be 'Moment of Reckoning' for Progressives. commondreams.org "These were not races that progressives could afford to sit out, but too many organizations did." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/romanoff_booker.jpg

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J.S. Davies (2020-07-01). A New Anti-War Mobilization Must Topple Trump—and Challenge Biden. commondreams.org We will not rescue our country from the iron grip of the military-industrial complex by picking the lesser evil and hoping for the best. (Photo: CD/CC BY 2.0) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/war_1_0.jpeg