(2020-08-20). Biden won't save us / Keep it in the streets! workers.org 
As the November election approaches, pressure will mount on revolutionary organizations within the U.S. to fall in line with the Democratic Party and endorse Joe Biden. The argument often made is that a Democratic president is needed to counter reactionary policies put in place by a Republican administration. Does this . . . |
(2020-08-20). The Tight Rope #DemConvention Watch Party Ro Khanna Zephyr Teachout Howie Hawkins. therealnews.com 
Cornel West and Tricia Rose bring you live coverage and commentary of the final night of the 2020 #DemConvention featuring Joe Biden's speech from Wilmington, Delaware and confirmed guests Congressman Ro Khanna, Zephyr Teachout, Howie Hawkins, and Angela Walker.
(2020-08-20). When It Comes to Trump v. Biden Yoga Berra is Right: It Ain't Over Till it's Over. counterpunch.org 
While most of the prediction models understand the electoral college issue, they nonetheless still fail to appreciate that polling needs to be done at the state if not even at the county level to understand the micro trends impacting presidential elections. As I have repeatedly pointed out, and do so again this year, it is a few swing voters in a few swing counties in a few swing states that will decide the presidential election.
(2020-08-20). Dedicated activists help La Riva 2020 win ballot access in Arkansas. liberationnews.org 
The success of the coordinated effort to secure ballot access in Arkansas clearly demonstrates the ability of an organized revolutionary party to overcome the undemocratic hurdles the capitalist electoral system throws our way.
(2020-08-20). Obama warns: Re-elect Trump and U.S. democracy dies. peoplesworld.org 
PHILADELPHIA — Re-elect Donald Trump, Barack Obama warns, and U.S. democracy dies. That, in a nutshell, was the stark message Obama delivered about his successor to the entire country in a speech from the U.S. Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. "I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who …
(2020-08-20). Harris targets Trump the predator, denounces structural racism. peoplesworld.org 
WILMINGTON, Del.—Several big Democratic figures graced television screens for the party's virtual national convention on Wednesday night, but the finale was left to Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. The history-making first Black woman ever on a major-party ticket, Harris used her acceptance of the party's 2020 vice-presidential nomination to introduce her personal story and tie it …
(2020-08-20). Bernie Sanders' Full Speech At The 2020 DNC. zcomm.org Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, saying that even though he did not receive the nomination "our movement continues."
(2020-08-20). The Democratic Platform and Medicare for All: A Nod Is as Good as a Wink (To a Blind Horse). zcomm.org Medicare for All has won the battle of ideas. Now we have to win the battle against entrenched economic and political power.
(2020-08-20). "Don't Let Them Take Away Your Power": Obama Slams Trump at DNC & Warns U.S. Democracy Is at Risk. democracynow.org 
On the third night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, party leaders argued that U.S. democracy is at risk if President Trump is reelected in November, with a lineup of speeches from former Congressmember Gabby Giffords, senator and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren and former President Barack Obama, who grew emotional describing the stakes of the election and urged people not to "let them take away your democracy." We air excerpts from the night's events.
(2020-08-20). "I Know a Predator When I See One": Kamala Harris Takes Aim at Trump, Accepts Historic VP Nomination. democracynow.org 
Senator Kamala Harris has formally accepted the Democratic vice-presidential nomination, becoming the first woman of color to run on a major party presidential ticket. We feature part of her historic speech.
(2020-08-20). Abolitionist Derecka Purnell on Historic Kamala Harris VP Pick & Why Black Progressives Feel Torn. democracynow.org 
As Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman of color to run on a major party presidential ticket, many Black progressive women remain ambivalent, says Derecka Purnell, a human rights lawyer, abolitionist and columnist for The Guardian newspaper. "It's just unfortunate that you have to protect someone because of their identity … while at the same time if you care about the masses of Black people, the masses of poor people, the masses of immigrants in this country, you know that you have to speak truth and be honest about their record," Purnell says.
(2020-08-20). Headlines for August 20, 2020. democracynow.org Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Party's Nomination for Vice President, Hundreds of Wildfires Choke California, as Coronavirus Sidelines Prisoner Firefighters, U.S. Records Nearly 1,300 New Coronavirus Deaths as PPE Shortages Persist, NYC Teachers' Union Threatens Strike If Schools Reopen Without Safety Measures, New Zealand Deploys Troops to Enforce Quarantine; Zambian Vice President Positive for Coronavirus, Emails Reveal Swedish Epidemiologist Urged Coronavirus Spread to Attain Herd Immunity, Iran's Official COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 20,000 as Trump Pushes for New Sanctions, European Union Readies Sanctions A…
(2020-08-20). Before Kamala Harris, There Was Charlotta Bass: Remembering 1st Black Woman to Run for VP in 1952. democracynow.org 
Senator Kamala Harris is the first Indian American and first Black woman to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket, but, as many historians have noted, Harris is not the first Black woman to run for vice president. That distinction belongs to the journalist and political activist Charlotta Bass, who was the editor of The California Eagle for nearly 30 years, one of the country's oldest Black newspapers, which covered women's suffrage, police brutality, the Klu Klux Klan, and discriminatory hiring and housing practices. Bass joined the Progressive Party ticket in 1952 on an antiracist platform tha…
(2020-08-20). Biden's Headquarters Rents A Fence To Stop The Poor People's Army. popularresistance.org Cheri Honkala is a founder and coordinator of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) . We spoke after she was arrested outside Biden campaign headquarters on the opening day of the virtual Democratic National Convention. | Ann Garrison: I see you marched from Philadelphia's Liberty Bell to Biden's Philly headquarters and got arrested yesterday. What did you do to once again menace the foundation of our American institutions? | Cheri Honkala: We challenged American institutions by saying they shouldn't be run by corporations.
(2020-08-20). #SaveThePostOffice Day Of Action! Tuesday, August 25. 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. We need to keep pushing for the $25 billion dollars in funding the USPS desperately needs.
(2020-08-20). Red line? Biden rejects DNC guest Linda Sarsour's endorsement over her 'anti-Semitism' & BDS support. rt.com 
Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden hasn't encountered many far-left policies he won't embrace — from free healthcare for illegal aliens to free college — but he found one leftist supporter he won't abide: Linda Sarsour. | Sarsour, a Muslim activist and co-founder of the Women's March, endorsed Biden last week and spoke on Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention's "Muslim Delegates and Allies Assembly." Biden responded by denouncing her. | "Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism his entire life, and he obviously condemns [Sarsour's] view…
(2020-08-20). 'Trump is destroying our country!' Billie Eilish targets young voters with pro-Biden rant & new song performance at Dem convention. rt.com 
American pop star Billie Eilish tore into US President Donald Trump before performing a new song at the Democratic convention, in an apparent attempt to attract young voters to the party's 77-year-old nominee, Joe Biden. | "Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about… We need leaders who will solve our problems like climate change and Covid, not deny them… It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden," Eilish said before performing her new track, 'My Future,' at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night. | You don't need me to tell you things are a mess.
(2020-08-20). 'Take it from me': Still bitter Hillary Clinton warns Americans that Trump & 'foreign adversaries' could steal election AGAIN. rt.com 
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton again sounded alarms about election-meddling "foreign adversaries" in her speech to the Democratic convention, while urging voters to take revenge for her bitter 2016 loss to Donald Trump. | "For four years, people have said to me, 'I didn't realize how dangerous he was,' 'I wish I could go back and do it over,' or worse, 'I should have voted,'" Clinton said in her address to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, taking voters to task for not sending her to the Oval Office in the last presidential contest. | Well, this can't be another woulda coulda sh…
(2020-08-20). Journalism professor melts down after seeing Trump ads on Washington Post website, accusing the paper of SELLING ITS SOUL. rt.com 
Seeing the front page of his beloved Washington Post plastered with campaign ads for President Donald Trump sent one journalism professor into a fit of rage. And the angrier he got, the more people in the comments laughed. | "No, @washingtonpost, no, no NO. How dare you? Were these pieces of silver worth the price of your soul?" City University of New York journalism professor Jeff Jarvis tweeted on Thursday, after seeing an ad slamming Joe Biden emblazoned across the banner of the Washington Post's website. | No,
(2020-08-20). 'Where's the war? I don't see the war': Trump says Obama & Hillary marched the US into conflict while he 'kept us out' of new wars. rt.com 
President Donald Trump has boasted that by replacing Barack Obama and defeating Hillary Clinton, he saved the US from war with North Korea. An unlikely dove, Trump has often accused his rivals of clamoring for conflict. | Speaking on Thursday from Old Forge, Pennsylvania — just two miles from Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton — Trump tore into his opponent, calling Biden a "puppet of the radical left movement" who wants to "hike your taxes" and "take away your guns," among other by now well-worn criticisms. | After rounding on Biden, Trump boasted of his own accomplishments in office, including his se…
(2020-08-20). Obama shreds Trump's 'reality show' presidency, vows his former VP Biden will save US democracy & solve all America's problems. rt.com 
Former US president Barack Obama said the Trump administration had turned the presidency into a "reality show" in his speech to the Democratic convention, holding up Joe Biden as a panacea for all of the country's troubles. | Addressing the third night of his party's national convention on Wednesday, the ex-POTUS took an uncharacteristically harsh tone on President Donald Trump, saying he hadn't "grown into the job because he can't" while laying blame for the Covid-19 crisis squarely on his administration. | "I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job…
(2020-08-20). 'We believe in law enforcement': Texas governor pledges to financially punish cities that attempt to defund the police. rt.com 
Governor of Texas Greg Abbott has issued a stark warning to left-leaning cities in the Lone Star State, saying he will withdraw funding from municipalities that try to defund law enforcement agencies. | The Republican politician sent the unambiguous message after Austin's city council slashed its police budget by $150 million last week. "Texas will defund cities that try to defund their police. We support law enforcement in Texas," Abbott tweeted late on Wednesday. | Discussing the issue on Fox News, Governor Abbott accused liberal precincts of "caving to socialism," and argued that the violence that's erupted…
(2020-08-20). Obama warns US democracy is at stake if Trump is re-elected. thecanary.co 
Former US president Barack Obama has warned that American democracy could falter if Donald Trump is re-elected in the autumn.Obama's stunning rebuke of his successor was echoed by Kamala Harris at the Democratic Convention as she embraced her historic role as the first Black woman on a US national political ticket alongside presidential hopeful Joe Biden.The former president — who broke barriers himself as America's first Black president — pleaded with voters to "embrace your own responsibility as citizens — to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure". | Obama warned: "Because that'
(2020-08-20). Latinx Democrats Received the Same Number of DNC Prime-Time Slots as Republicans. truthout.org On the first night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), four Republicans spoke in support of former Vice President Joe Biden. That's the same as the number of Latinxs who will be given time to speak during prime time for the entire week of the convention. While the first face to appear on-screen during the first-ever virtual DNC was Eva Longoria, the activist and actor of "Desperate Housewives" fame, only three other Latinxs received prime-time billing: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto…
(2020-08-20). Obama Breaks With Convention Protocol to Call Trump a Threat at DNC Night Three. truthout.org The third night of the Democratic National Convention was an affirmation of the formidable opposition to a second Trump term. Here was Kamala Harris, a Black and Indian American woman, becoming the vice-presidential nominee with the crack of a gavel. Here was Hillary Clinton, the road not taken made flesh, dressed in suffragette white and warning the country not to blow it again. Here was Elizabeth Warren with a plan. Here were children made electric in their fear of dying in bullet-riddle…
(2020-08-20). Warren Uses DNC to Demand Child Care as "Basic Infrastructure of This Nation" truthout.org Speaking on the third night of the Democratic National Convention from a Massachusetts kindergarten facility that's been shuttered for months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday lamented the failure of the wealthiest country on the planet to provide crucial services to families with children and demanded that child care be treated as "part of the basic infrastructure of this nation." | "Our economic system has been rigged to give bailouts to billionaires and kick d…
(2020-08-20). Remembering Charlotta Bass, the First Black Woman to Run for VP in 1952. truthout.org Image Credit: Southern California Library | Senator Kamala Harris is the first Indian American and first Black woman to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket, but, as many historians have noted, Harris is not the first Black woman to run for vice president. That distinction belongs to the journalist and political activist Charlotta Bass, who was the editor of The California Eagle for nearly 30 years, one of the country's oldest Black newspapers, which covered women's suffrage, police…
(2020-08-20). Prominent left veterans say vote Biden-Harris, then keep organizing. peoplesworld.org 
Alarm over the prospect of a second Trump presidency and desire for substantial change is preparing the ground for an unprecedented voter turnout in November. The virtual Democratic National Convention showcased the vast array of support coalescing around former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. That support ranges from former Ohio Republican …
(2020-08-20). Bring Back Affirmative Action to UC Berkeley. counterpunch.org An Open Letter to Michael Drake, UC President Carol Christ, UC Chancellor, Kamala Harris,Vice Presidential Nominee, It is not possible for me to think of myself without thinking of the U of C and what opportunities it provided —Dr. Michael Drake I wish to congratulate you on being the first African American president of the
(2020-08-20). Before Kamala Harris, There Was Charlotta Bass. counterpunch.org 
…
(2020-08-20). Nancy Pelosi Needs to Do More to Save the Postal Service — and the Election. cepr.net The Daily Beast See article on original site The crisis at…
(2020-08-20). Fourteen missing amid ship collision off Shanghai, China. yenisafak.com At least 14 crew members remain missing after two ships collided near the mouth of the Yangtze River early on Thursday, local media reports said.According to the Beijing-based daily Global Times, an oil tanker carrying 3,000 tons of gasoline collided with a gravel boat 1.5 nautical miles southeast of the estuary's lightvessel.The collision, which occurred near Shanghai, caused a major fire on the deck of the patrol tanker, while gravel boat sank.Rescue teams have so far saved three crew members of 17 who were onboard, while 14 are still missing, the newspaper reported.This was the first collision between ships ne…
(2020-08-20). Send in the Clowns for the Circus is in Town. dissidentvoice.org Don't bother, they're here, already performing in the center ring under the big top owned and operated by The Umbrella People. Trump, Biden, Pence, Harris, and their clownish sidekicks, Pompeo, Michelle Obama, et al., are performing daily under the umbrella's shadowy protection. For The Umbrella People run a three-ring circus, and although their clowns pop …
(2020-08-20). Kamala Harris Does Her Best to Redeem Our Sexist, Racist Past. thenation.com Kamala Harris Does Her Best to Redeem Our Sexist, Racist Past…
(2020-08-20). A Kystallnacht For White Americans? thealtworld.com Those who are working overtime to delegitimize white Americans have coined a term that they use as a weapon—"white privilege." The propaganda is that being white is a racial privilege that elevates white Americans above other Americans and enables white people to oppress blacks. It doesn't strike those who use the term as a weapon that these same "racist white people" are the ones who elected Obama president and put Kamala Harris in the Senate. | "White privilege" conveys the idea that white people have impunity. They can abuse, even kill, people of color without consequence. Yet, it is white officer Chauvi…
(2020-08-20). As Democrats Leave Cities, Rural Areas See an Uptick in Voter Registration. thenation.com As Democrats Leave Cities, Rural Areas See an Uptick in Voter Registration…
(2020-08-20). Live Chat: Join 'The Nation' for the Democratic National Convention. thenation.com Live Chat: Join 'The Nation' for the Democratic National Convention…
(2020-08-20). The DNC Refuses to Address the Elephant in the Room. thenation.com The DNC Refuses to Address the Elephant in the Room…
(2020-08-20). The Burden of the Debt: Lessons for Biden Adviser Ted Kaufman. cepr.net Top Biden adviser, and long-time personal friend, Ted Kaufman was seen in the Wall Street Journal warning that the debt run up by the Trump administration will seriously limit what Biden will be able to do as president. This is wrong big time, and it is the sort of silly thing that no one in …
(2020-08-19). "We Will Make Biden Do It": Economist Darrick Hamilton on Pushing the Next Admin to the Left. democracynow.org 
As Democrats coalesce around Joe Biden ahead of the November presidential election, we speak with economist Darrick Hamilton, a former Bernie Sanders supporter who took part in the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force, about where the Democratic Party is headed on economic policy. Hamilton says that while Biden's policies are not as radical as the moment requires, he can be pushed by social movements. "We will make Biden do it," Hamilton says, quoting Franklin D. Roosevelt on the need for activists to pressure lawmakers. "But first and foremost, Donald Trump needs to get removed."
(2020-08-19). Sunrise Movement: Dems Must Address Climate Crisis as DNC Drops Pledge to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies. democracynow.org 
The Democratic National Committee has dropped a pledge to eliminate tax breaks and subsidies for the fossil fuel industry from its party platform, after a DNC spokesperson said the amendment was originally included in "error," despite both Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris supporting it on the campaign trail. Varshini Prakash, co-founder and executive director of the Sunrise Movement, says it is "disappointing to see" Democrats back away from the pledge, but adds that as long as social movements sustain pressure, "it will be a priority for the Biden administration, shoul…
(2020-08-19). Ady Barkan, Medicare for All Activist Dying from ALS, Urges Biden to Adopt Universal Healthcare. democracynow.org 
As the Democratic Party formally selected Joe Biden as its nominee for president at the virtual Democratic National Convention, one of those who joined in the call to elect him was activist Ady Barkan, who is paralyzed and unable to speak due to terminal ALS. Barkan is a leading advocate of Medicare for All and has publicly challenged Biden, who does not support Medicare for All. "We live in the richest country in history. And yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right. Everyone living in America should get the healthcare they need, regardless of their employment status or ability to pay," Barkan said, u…
(2020-08-19). Headlines for August 19, 2020. democracynow.org Joe Biden Formally Wins Democratic Presidential Nomination, Postmaster General Promises to Suspend Service Cuts Until After Election, Notre Dame Cancels In-Person Classes Amid COVID-19 Outbreak Linked to Party, Coronavirus Death Toll from U.S. Prisons and Jails Tops 1,000, World Health Organization Says Young People Are Driving Coronavirus Outbreaks, Malian President Deposed in Military Coup Following Weeks of Protests, Senate Intelligence Committee Alleges Trump Campaign Associate Was Russian Agent, Far-Right Activist, Banned from Twitter over Racism, Wins Florida House GOP Primary, RNC to Feature St. Louis Coup…
(2020-08-19). Dems Formally Nominate Joe Biden for President, as DNC Features Republicans & Sidelines Progressives. democracynow.org 
Joe Biden is the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, after he was formally picked by the party to challenge President Trump in November on the second night of the virtual Democratic National Convention. We feature highlights from the night, which featured speeches from 17 so-called rising stars in the Democratic Party, including voting rights activist Stacey Abrams, who unsuccessfully ran for Georgia governor in 2018, as well as Democratic heavyweights like former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. For a second night in a row, the DNC prominently featured the voices of Republicans and former Republicans…
(2020-08-19). Return to Sender: Amid National Outcry, Trump's Postmaster General Drops Plans to Gut USPS — For Now. democracynow.org 
After massive public outcry against cuts to mail service ahead of November's election, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced he will suspend changes to the U.S. Postal Service until after the election, when a record number of voters are expected to cast ballots by mail. President Trump has admitted he's working to undermine the USPS in order to make it harder to vote by mail in November. We speak with Lisa Graves, executive director of the policy research group True North Research, who says Louis DeJoy is "the most partisan person, in 100 years at least, to head…
(2020-08-19). Will Biden do enough to fight the climate crisis? therealnews.com 
Biden has a climate plan. It's good—but does it go far enough?
(2020-08-19). Trumka: Dems 'have to pay attention to working people' to win. peoplesworld.org 
As they head into the homestretch of the 2020 campaign, national Democrats "have to pay attention to working people" to win this fall, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says. And presidential nominee Joe Biden, who was formally approved by the party's virtual convention roll call on August 18 "gets it," he declares. "He's always been a …
(2020-08-19). Dems nominate Biden with roll call featuring workers. peoplesworld.org 
MILWAUKEE—Delegates to the Democratic National Convention formally nominated Joe Biden for president on August 18 in a roll-call that spotlighted a wide variety of working-class people and causes in the U.S., just after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and universal health care activist Andy Barkan made their own dramatic presentations. An unofficial tally disclosed 3,605 votes …
(2020-08-19). Fidel at 94: The ideas of a revolutionary never die. workers.org 
Makasi was 16 when he first learned about Fidel Castro. As a Black Latinx youth, Makasi notes that "growing up as a Puerto Rican in the U.S., learning about Fidel showed me how someone from a small Caribbean island can challenge the most powerful and most vicious empire in the . . . |
(2020-08-19). DNC: Conservative forces dominate opening night; security state apparatus dominates streets in Milwaukee. liberationnews.org 
The true nature of the Democratic Party is on display not only through the digital convention, but on the ground as well.
(2020-08-19). The Complete Guide: US Government Role in Thailand's "Student Protests" thealtworld.com 
Virtually every aspect of "student protests" in Thailand are funded and backed by the US and aimed at destabilizing a key partner of China, reversing Thai-Chinese relations, and advancing Washington's Beijing containment policy. | Thailand is a key partner of China's and has pivoted toward Beijing at Washington's expense; | Protesters are backed by pro-US billionaire-led opposition parties; | US-backed billionaire-led opposition vowed months ago to "take to the streets;" | US government funds core protest leader Anon Nampa via National Endowment for Democracy (NED); | US also funds orgs trying to "rewrite" Thaila…
(2020-08-19). Democrats vs. Republicans: Which party really CARES? workers.org 
While the corporate media focus public attention on the imminent opening of the Democratic and Republican Party conventions and the electoral contest, another battle matters much more to tens of millions of people still out of work: the failure of Congress to pass a second stimulus bill. The provisions of . . . |
(2020-08-19). Defecting From Trump's GOP. counterpunch.org 
Rick Wilson has worked to elect Republicans for thirty years, but he will "no longer use those skills to serve the party I once loved. That party is gone." He has not become a Democrat, but he is adamantly anti-Trump. His book, Running Against the Devil; A Plot to Save America From Trump and Democratsfrom
(2020-08-19). Today is the anniversary of the US organizing a coup in Iran. therealnews.com 
CIA documents offers key details on how the U.S. and Britain overthrew Iran's democratic government in 1953, says the National Security Archives' Malcolm Byrne…
(2020-08-19). 'Trump should thank her': AOC 'endorses' Bernie Sanders, but bends the knee to Biden. rt.com 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez angered some Democrats when she appeared to endorse Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention. But her endorsement was a procedural one, and the establishment machine had the last laugh. | In a minute-long appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, the New York congresswoman formally nominated Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for the presidency of the United States. The nomination was a procedural one, as every candidate who has received more than 300 delegates during primary season must be nominated, and Sanders later transferred his delegates to the p…
(2020-08-19). Biden plays president, demands Russia fall in line on Belarus. rt.com 
Joe Biden may be an uncertain election away from becoming president, but he's already tweeting like one. Following an entirely predictable script, Biden demanded that Russia "be told not to interfere" in Belarus' affairs. | "The brave citizens of Belarus are showing their voices will not be silenced by terror or torture," Biden tweeted on Wednesday. "The U.S. should support Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's call for fair elections. Russia must be told not to interfere—this is not about geopolitics but the right to choose one's leaders." | The brave citizens of Belarus are showing their voices will not be silenc…
(2020-08-19). Joe Biden officially nominated as Democratic presidential candidate. rt.com 
Joe Biden has clinched the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, becoming the official 2020 pick alongside running mate Kamala Harris after emerging from a crowded primary field. | Though Biden was the only Democratic candidate left in the running after facing off with early rivals during the primary, he formally seized the nomination on the second night of the party's national convention on Tuesday, selected in a virtual roll call vote by delegations from 57 states and territories. | "Thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart. It means the world to me and my family, and I'll see you on Thurs…
(2020-08-19). AdBlock is getting CANCELLED for allegedly making users see an unskippable Trump ad on Youtube. rt.com 
Anti-Trump netizens have begun ditching the AdBlock app en masse, after users reported they couldn't turn off a YouTube political advertisement sponsored by the president's campaign. | The online outrage over US President Donald Trump's campaign ads began on Tuesday, prompting AdBlock — a browser extension that allows adverts to be filtered out online — to trend on Twitter. YouTube videos with titles such as "Did something happen to Joe Biden?" and "Democrats ruined their cities" apparently couldn't be skipped, blocked or decreased in volume, according to some Twitter users. | Meanwhile, some users r…
(2020-08-19). American Samoa 'hostage situation' & Rhode Island 'calamari ninja': Twitter loses it over DNC's virtual roll call. rt.com As the Democratic Party moved to nominate Joe Biden, viewers watching at home were somewhat distracted, infatuated with Rhode Island's calamari-wielding "ninja" and a bizarre "hostage-taking" scene in American Samoa. | The party's national convention pushed into its second night on Tuesday, seeing Biden officially elevated as the Democrats' 2020 presidential candidate alongside running mate Kamala Harris. During the roll call vote prior to the nomination, however, spectators couldn't help but notice that delegates in American Samoa, a US territory, were flanked by a pair of uniformed soldiers, giving the appea…
(2020-08-19). 'Low Bar 2020': Twitter users roll their eyes at Biden saying that ALL Latino kids speak Spanish. rt.com 
Democratic nominee for US president Joe Biden appeared to have said that all Latino kids speak Spanish during his speech about the community's importance. It provoked online outrage, both about the comment and the MSM silence. | Biden made the provocative statement during a virtual forum organized by Voto Latino — an organization that encourages young Latino voters to register to cast their ballot. | "Latinos are among the fastest-growing populations in the United States," Biden
(2020-08-19). Prohibited activity: US Army investigating soldiers in viral DNC 'hostage situation' video. rt.com 
First they were mocked online for posing in a bizarre "hostage-taking" scene. Now they're being investigated for taking part in a political event in uniform. The soldiers who appeared in a Democratic video can't catch a break. | As the Democratic National Convention voted on Tuesday to confirm Joe Biden as its presidential candidate, delegates appeared by video link to cast their votes for the former vice president. One such stream, from American Samoa, drew ridicule, as the territory's top Democrats appeared flanked by a pair of masked soldiers in a scene reminiscent of a ransom video. | Also on rt.com…
(2020-08-19). Bill Clinton lectures Trump on 'taking responsibility' & proper Oval Office behavior while backing Biden's 2020 bid. rt.com 
Former US president Bill Clinton took aim at the Trump administration's pandemic response in his speech to the Democratic convention, saying it has been "only chaos," while urging voters to send Joe Biden to the Oval Office. | "Denying, distracting and demeaning work great if you're trying to entertain or inflame, but in a real crisis, it collapses like a house of cards," Clinton said of President Donald Trump's handling of the ongoing health crisis. | At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it's a storm center. There's only chaos. Just one thing never changes — his deter…
(2020-08-19). The Democratic Party and the national question. workers.org 
With the Aug. 11 announcement of California Sen. Kamala Harris's nomination for the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate, WW is reprinting excerpts from the July 25, 2019, article, "A revolutionary understanding of the national question — In defense of the squad." (workers.org/2019/08/43256) In response to Trump's xenophobic attack on Harris, . . . |
(2020-08-19). First Black woman presidential candidate: The Communist Party's Charlene Mitchell. peoplesworld.org 
The selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as the vice presidential candidate of the Democratic Party has made history, as she is the first Black woman to be nominated for that position on a major party ticket. But history was also made on July 4, 1968 when Charlene Mitchell was nominated for president of the United …
(2020-08-19). Trump's Postmaster General claims he will halt attacks on vote by mail. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Donald Trump's hand-picked Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, claims he has backed down, for now, from his plan to wreck voting by mail. Nancy Pelosi wants to ensure he stays down and that he fixes the damage already done. And U.S. Postal Service unions and their supporters plan to hit the streets, twice, to hold him …
(2020-08-19). AOC Slams NBC News for "Malicious and Misleading" Tweet About Her DNC Appearance. truthout.org Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) criticized NBC News on Wednesday morning in response to the network's misleading tweet regarding a nomination statement she had made at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) the night before. |
(2020-08-19). Needed: Indicators for Measuring Injustice and Societal Decay. zcomm.org The more Americans know where their country is heading, the more they may just want to work for a better future by participating in or supporting the movements dedicated to turning our democracy around…
(2020-08-19). Colin Powell at the Democratic National Convention: Democrats prepare administration of militarism and war. wsws.org The second day of the convention featured remarks by Powell, a leading architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and a video highlighting Biden's "unlikely friendship" with arch warmonger John McCain.
(2020-08-19). US: New York Teachers Union to Strike Against Schools Reopening. telesurenglish.net The U.S New York United Federation of Teachers (UFT) on Wednesday said the organization would strike or sue district authorities if they do not enforce an accurate precautionary plan before schools reopening. | RELATED: | "The minute we feel that the mayor is trying to force people into a situation that is unsafe, we go to court, we take job action," UFT President Michael Mulgrew said. | New York mayor Bill de Blasio an…
(2020-08-19). For the Congress To Find Credence Again, Its Democratic Renewal Is Imperative. zcomm.org The party must recall that it was from such open and fiercely articulated internal debates that the Nehruvian line found its primacy…
(2020-08-19). Canadian Left Rejects Organization of American States. dissidentvoice.org When people say "America" everyone understands they mean one country, the USA. In a similar fashion it is time for all to understand that the Organization of American States (OAS) serves the interests of that country. In a recent webinar on "Bolivia's fight to restore democracy and Canada's role" organized by the Canadian Latin America …
(2020-08-19). Trump's suggestion of a pardon for Edward Snowden meets US intelligence community backlash. wsws.org Democrats and Republicans with close ties to the intelligence agencies have launched a campaign of opposition after the president said he would look into the case of the former NSA contractor who exposed illegal mass surveillance.
(2020-08-19). Reform FEC to Protect Democracy. progressive.org Our democracy's safeguards are in jeopardy now more than ever, and any solutions will need to come in the long term.
(2020-08-19). Coalition to March on the DNC joins march against Trump in Oshkosh, WI. fightbacknews.org Oshkosh, WI – On the afternoon of August 17, a large crowd of people marched and rallied to protest the arrival of President Donald Trump at Wittman Airport. Answering the call put forth by a handful of organizations, most of whom are members of the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention, over 120 people gathered in the parking lot of the Lake Aire Shopping Center, just a half mile from where Trump spoke. | Despite releasing information on road closures earlier in the day with different information, the police on hand changed which roads were closed and where. This threw a wrench into the plan f…
(2020-08-19). Minsk as a Rival of Geneva? No! No! and No! counterpunch.org Editors' Note: This article was written in February 2015, where appeared on Daniel Warner's blog in a Geneva newspaper . The government of Belarus sent a formal complaint about its contents to the government of Switzerland, which was transmitted to me. Given the demonstrations in Belarus today, we thought it might be worthy of republication. February 13,
(2020-08-19). Saturday 9/26: 2020 Yosemite National Park ~ CA Buffalo Soldier Celebrations. indybay.org Yosemite Valley…
(2020-08-19). US House to Vote Saturday on $25 Billion to Boost Postal Service Before Election, Pelosi Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The House of Representatives will pass a $25 billion support package for the US Postal Service in a one-day session on Saturday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement on Wednesday.
(2020-08-19). Joe Biden nominated to take on Donald Trump. thecanary.co Democrats have formally nominated Joe Biden as their 2020 presidential nominee, as party officials and activists gave the former vice president their overwhelming support to take on Donald Trump. | The moment marked a political high point for Biden, who had sought the presidency twice before and is now cemented as the embodiment of Democrats' desperate desire to defeat Trump in autumn. | The roll call of convention delegates formalised what has been expected for months since Biden took the lead in the primary elections' chase for the nomination. | It came as he worked to demonstrate the breadth of his coalition f…
(2020-08-19). AOC Was the Highlight of DNC's Night Two Despite Speaking Just 97 Seconds. truthout.org For the second night in a row, the Democratic National Zoom Meeting was a galloping montage of videos that used its time to good effect. After another hiccup-free evening of content that entirely sidelined the network talking heads for two hours — an unanticipated boon — it is hard to imagine the party going back to the old way of doing conventions in four years. | For my money, the second-best part of the event was the nomination roll call, and not just because Bernie Sanders pulled…
(2020-08-19). Dying Medicare for All Activist Urges Biden to Adopt Universal Health Care. truthout.org As the Democratic Party formally selected Joe Biden as its nominee for president at the virtual Democratic National Convention, one of those who joined in the call to elect him was activist Ady Barkan, who is paralyzed and unable to speak due to terminal ALS. Barkan is a leading advocate of Medicare for All and has publicly challenged Biden, who does not support Medicare for All. "We live in the richest country in history. And yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right. Everyone living in…
(2020-08-19). DNC Drops Support for Ending Fossil Fuel Handouts From Platform. truthout.org Environmentalists reacted with outrage late Tuesday to news that the Democratic National Committee this week quietly removed from the final party platform an amendment calling for an end to federal subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, a longstanding demand of climate activists that both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris supported during the primary. | HuffPost's Alexander Kaufman
(2020-08-19). DNC Chair Put Lobbyists in Charge of Reviewing DNC Member Qualifications. truthout.org This article was produced by For a political party whose platform calls for "sustainable economic growth, which will create good-paying jobs and raise wages," the Democratic National Committee has appointed a lot of lob…
(2020-08-19). Joe Biden Is Confirmed as Trump's Challenger in November. telesurenglish.net The Democratic National Convention Tuesday formally confirmed Joe Biden as its 2020 presidential candidate to the November elections. | RELATED: | Democratic Party officials and activists from across the nation gave the former vice president their overwhelming support during this virtual convention. | Previously, Biden's toughest competitor for the Presidential nomination was Senator Bernie Sanders. A…
(2020-08-19). The Democratic Platform Heads in Right Direction on Criminal Justice, but Still Misses the Moment. commondreams.org Democratic presidential hopefuls former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) speak during the second round of the second Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season hosted by CNN at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan on July 31, 2019. (Photo: Jim Waton/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/joe_biden_kamala_harris_healthcare_1.jpg …
(2020-08-19). What you need to know about the coronavirus right now. yenisafak.com Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:
(2020-08-19). Greenpeace Gives Democratic Platform C+ on Climate, Calling for 'Action at the Scale That Science and Justice Demand'. commondreams.org Greenpeace USA announced Wednesday that the platform which Democrats are set to adopt this week earns only a C+ rating based on the scorecard process the group previously used to rank the climate policies of what was once a large field of the party's 2020 presidential primary candidates. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-06-12_at_10.47.01_am.png …
(2020-08-19). Trump's Bass-Ackward Government. commondreams.org "Each of the Trump acolytes running agencies meant to prevent abuses by profiteering corporations are instead working feverishly to advance the abusers," writes Hightower. (Image: Center for Media and Democracy) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/dolla_0.jpg …
(2020-08-19). Greenpeace Gives Democratic Party Climate Platform a 'C+' on Climate. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-19). Trump's Push to Privatize the USPS is a Direct Threat to Democracy. commondreams.org The author's grandfather, George Janes (right), proud postal worker and WWII veteran. (Photo: Civil Liberties Defense Center) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cldc-cropped-photo-955px.jpg …
(2020-08-19). American Politics: Send in the Clowns for the Circus Is in Town. globalresearch.ca Don't bother, they're here, already performing in the center ring under the big top owned and operated by The Umbrella People. | Trump, Biden, Pence, Harris, and their clownish sidekicks, Pompeo, Michelle Obama, et al., are performing daily under the umbrella's …
(2020-08-19). During the Conventions, the Media Needs to Be Treating Climate Like the Emergency It Is. thenation.com During the Conventions, the Media Needs to Be Treating Climate Like the Emergency It Is…
(2020-08-18). UN Ambassador Moncada: US Keeps Plotting To Invade Venezuela. popularresistance.org The Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, reiterated his denunciation of the United States' orchestrating an invasion in Venezuela to destroy the military and political forces of the Bolivarian Revolution. | On his Twitter account, the Ambassador indicated that the White House's war propaganda against Venezuela seeks to assassinate the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro and turn the country into a colony. | "War propaganda in the US affirms that its objective is democracy in Venezuela. The truth is more sinister and deadly: eliminating President Maduro continues the invasion to destr…
(2020-08-18). Headlines for August 18, 2020. democracynow.org Virtual DNC Kicks Off with Calls for Unity, Speeches by Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders, UNC Switches to Remote Classes After 177 Students Contract COVID-19, Indigenous Groups in Brazil Protest Gov't Inaction on Coronavirus; South Korea Outbreak Grows, Postmaster General Agrees to Testify as Fears Mount over USPS Changes That Could Threaten Election, Special Tribunal Delivers Verdict over 2005 Killing of Ex-Lebanese PM Rafik al-Hariri, Mapuche Protesters Demand Hunger-Striking Leader Be Released, Spanish Royal Family Confirms Exiled Former King Juan Carlos Is in UAE, Trump Admin Finalized Plan to Open Alaska's…
(2020-08-18). Julián Castro Ran for President on a Police Reform Platform But Wasn't Invited to Give DNC Address. democracynow.org 
The Democratic National Convention faces criticism over the lack of diversity in its primetime programming during this year's virtual event, even as Latinx voters are slated to make up the largest bloc of nonwhite voters in 2020. Only a handful of Latinx speakers and no Muslim speakers are appearing during the broadcasted convention, while Republicans like former Ohio Governor John Kasich were given slots. "There were 35 primetime speakers, and only three of them were Latinx, and I raised a concern about that," says Julián Castro, former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and the only Latinx candidate in the…
(2020-08-18). "His Only Preexisting Condition Was Trusting Trump": Daughter Speaks at DNC After Dad Dies of COVID. democracynow.org 
One of the most memorable speeches of the opening night of the virtual Democratic National Convention was delivered by Kristin Urquiza, who said her father, a supporter of Donald Trump, died after believing the president's assurances that the coronavirus was under control. "My dad, Mark Anthony Urquiza, should be here today, but he isn't," she said. "My dad was a healthy 65-year-old. His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump — and for that, he paid with his life."
(2020-08-18). "Donald Trump Is the Wrong President for Our Country": Michelle Obama Slams President at DNC. democracynow.org 
On the first night of the Democratic National Convention, former first lady Michelle Obama delivered a searing critique of President Trump, accusing him of being "in over his head" and incapable of carrying out the duties of the office. "If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can," Obama said. We air excerpts from her keynote speech, delivered virtually after the convention was moved online due to the pandemic.
(2020-08-18). 19th Amendment Turns 100: Fight for Voting Rights Builds on Centuries of Struggle Led by Black Women. democracynow.org 
As this year marks 100 years since the ratification of 19th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing women's right to vote, we look at the connection between the movement for women's suffrage and the movement to abolish slavery. Many states created laws to continue to deny women the vote, and African American women were subjected to the same Jim Crow laws already used to deny the vote to African American men. "To look for African American women and their history of the vote in 1920 is to miss the important chapter that begins in 1920 and doesn't culminate until the Voting Rights Act is adopted in 1965," says au…
(2020-08-18). The cancellation of professor Adolph Reed, Jr.'s speech and the DSA's promotion of race politics. wsws.org The effective ban on criticism of identity politics within the DSA and vicious denunciations of Marxism as "class reductionism" are in line with the Democratic Party's broader goals of promoting racialist divisions.
(2020-08-18). Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama rally the troops. peoplesworld.org 
Delivering stark warnings about disasters that would befall the nation and the planet under four more years of Donald Trump, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., urged his sometimes-recalcitrant supporters to vote for and campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden this fall. "The future of our democracy is at stake. The future of our economy is …
(2020-08-18). A view from a South Asian revolutionary on Kamala Harris — a WW commentary. workers.org 
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced on Aug. 11 that California Sen. Kamala Devi Harris, the first South Asian American and the second African American woman to serve as a U.S. senator, will be his running mate for the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Tania Siddiqi Harris is now the . . . |