Daily Archives: September 9, 2020

2020-09-09: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-09). 175 Years in a U.S. Prison? Extradition Trial of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Begins in London. democracynow.org As the long-awaited extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets underway in London, his legal adviser, Jennifer Robinson, says the case could set a chilling precedent for press freedoms around the world. "He faces 175 years in prison for doing his job as a journalist and a publisher. That's why this case is so dangerous," says Robinson. Assange faces numerous charges, including under the U.S. Espionage Act, related to the release of diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks that revealed war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He faces a possible life sentence if he is extrad…

Staff (2020-09-09). "Unforgetting": Roberto Lovato's Memoir Links U.S. Military in Central America to Migration Crisis. democracynow.org We look at how decades of U.S. military intervention in Central America have led to the ongoing migrant crisis, with Salvadoran American journalist Roberto Lovato, author of the new book "Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas." Lovato recounts his own family's migration from El Salvador to the United States, his return to the country as a young man to fight against the U.S.-backed right-wing government responsible for grave human rights violations, and his embrace of journalism to tell the stories of people on the margins. "I'm unforgetting a history of not just El Sal…

Staff (2020-09-09). Headlines for September 9, 2020. democracynow.org California Governor Has "No Patience for Climate Change Deniers" Amid Historic Fires, Report Estimates Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Led to Quarter-Million COVID-19 Cases, Peru COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 30,000, Senate Republicans Abandon New Stimulus Checks Despite Economic Crisis, Tropical Storm Rene Forms, Continuing Record Atlantic Hurricane Season, Sudan Under State of Emergency as Nile River Flooding Sets Records, Senegal's Capital Partially Submerged Following Record-Shattering Rainfall, Trump Extends Offshore Drilling Bans in Republican-Led States, DOJ Seeks to Defend Trump from Rape Accuser's Defamation Laws…

Roger D. Harris (2020-09-09). The Current Impasse in Belarus and the Peace Alternative. dissidentvoice.org Back in the 1970s, the left and even many liberals were clear that Nixon's dropping napalm on Vietnamese villages was an abomination. By the 1990s, some thought Bill Clinton's bombing of Yugoslavia was, perhaps, humanitarian. Fast forward to the present, there is sentiment that the US has a global "responsibility to protect" the less enlightened …

_____ (2020-09-09). Remembering Kevin Zeese, Tireless Fighter For Our Democracy. popularresistance.org Defending Rights & Dissent was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Kevin Zeese over the weekend. Over his life, he was on the frontlines of many causes—whistleblower protections, election integrity, single payer healthcare, net neutrality, reforming our criminal justice system, environmental justice, and peace. He was the press secretary for Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign and in 2006 ran for Senate in Maryland with the backing of both the Green and Libertarian Parties.

Myles Hoenig (2020-09-09). Time for the Democrats and Republicans to Merge and Open up the Field to Real Leftist Parties. dissidentvoice.org Now is the time for the two most disgraced parties in America to unite, and join together to fight the good fight for Wall Street, war mongering, and maintaining an America that's the pity of the world. With so many Republican standard bearers and war mongers rallying around Joe Biden, becoming one single party is …

Roger D. Harris (2020-09-09). Belarus: A Catalyst for Regime Change and the Peace Alternative. mintpressnews.com Opposition elements in Belarus have long planned to use the September 9 presidential election as a catalyst for regime change, and thanks to broad and genuine discontent with president Lukashenko, they might just succeed.

RT (2020-09-09). US senator's solution to 'Make Senate Great'? Cut the cameras, don't let popular vote elect lawmakers, expand terms to 12 years. rt.com Republican Senator Ben Sasse is at the center of a national online discussion after his ideas to reform the US Senate according to the Founding Fathers' supposed wishes were critiqued as both undemocratic and simply "weird." | Sasse's Wall Street Journal opinion piece,

RT (2020-09-09). Democrats & Republicans agree: Politicians & corporations should be spared from prosecution over killer Covid-19 care homes. rt.com Republican and Democrat politicians have both embraced legislation to immunize themselves and their deep-pocketed corporate donors from legal liability for ill-thought-out pandemic policies blamed for the deaths of thousands. | Republicans in the Senate have all but plagiarized a controversial provision from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that will offer legal immunity to corporations that ran the care homes in which hundreds of thousands of elderly Americans died with the coronavirus over the last six months, according to a trio of progressive journalists who compared the texts and interviewed some of the lob…

Sarah Lahm (2020-09-09). Midwest Dispatch: The Gospel of School Choice. progressive.org While Republicans peddle the myth that every student has access to 'world-class schools,' Democrats must start defending public schools.

_____ (2020-09-09). Foreign Policy Of This Country Has To Reject US Exceptionalism. popularresistance.org Describing the Democratic presidential candidates after a debate back in January, our next guest noted that they had "talked some about what it means to be the commander-in-chief," but not "enough about what it means to be the diplomat-in-chief." The same might be said for corporate news media, whose assessment of presidential contenders gives foreign policy short shrift generally, and then, as we noticed in the debates, overwhelmingly frame international questions around military intervention. | What's missing from that truncated conversation, and what does it cost us in terms of global political possibilities?

Lynn Adelman (2020-09-09). How Workers Can Achieve Real Power. zcomm.org We can build a sectoral bargaining system—and strong, democratic, worker-driven unions—from the ground up.

Robert Pollin (2020-09-09). Biden Not Phasing Out Fossil Fuel, Relies on Carbon Capture. zcomm.org While better than Trump's climate denial, a review of the Biden climate plan reveals an over reliance on unproven carbon capture and far too limited investment in solar and wind…

Maria Rosario Capeding, Arijit Sil, Birkneh Tilahun Tadesse, Tarun Saluja, Samuel Teshome, Edison Alberto, Deok Ryun Kim, Eun Lyeong Park, Ju Yeon Park, Jae Seung Yang, Suchada Chinaworapong, Jiwook Park, Sue-Kyoung Jo, Yun Chon, Seon-Young Yang, Ji Hwa Ryu, Inho Cheong, Kyu-Young Shim, Yoonyeong Lee, Hun Kim, Julia A. Lynch, Jerome H. Kim, Jean-Louis Excler, T. Anh Wartel, Sushant Sahastrabuddhe (2020-09-09). Safety and immunogenicity of Vi-DT conjugate vaccine among 6-23-month-old children: Phase II, randomized, dose-scheduling, observer-blind Study. thelancet.com Both single and two doses of Vi-DT vaccine are safe, well tolerated, and immunogenic for infants and toddlers in a moderately endemic setting.

yenisafak (2020-09-09). Another family reunites with son kidnapped by PKK in SE Turkey. yenisafak.com One more family on Wednesday reunited with their son kidnapped by the PKK terrorist organization in southeastern Turkey.An aggrieved family's longing has come to an end after Erdal Cetin, who was abducted and taken to the mountains by the terrorists five years ago when he was only 13 years old, surrendered to the Turkish security forces in the southeastern Mardin province.Cetin's family joined a sit-in against the YPG/PKK terror group in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, outside the office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which the government accuses of having links to the terrorist organization.So far,…

Robert L. Borosage (2020-09-09). Biden Must Resist the Calls for a 'Sister Souljah' Moment. thenation.com Biden Must Resist the Calls for a 'Sister Souljah' Moment…

Katrina vanden Heuvel (2020-09-09). How the Biden Campaign Can Turn Trump's 'Strength' Into a Weakness. thenation.com How the Biden Campaign Can Turn Trump's 'Strength' Into a Weakness…

Staff (2020-09-08). Headlines for September 8, 2020. democracynow.org Record-Breaking Wildfires and Heat Scorch California, Rochester Protests Continue as Mayor Promises Changes After Police Killing of Daniel Prude, Major Drug Companies Pledge to Not Rush COVID-19 Vaccine as U.S. Cases Top 6.3 Million, India Becomes Second Most Infected Country; Spain First European Country to Surpass 500,000 Cases, Belarusian Opposition Leader Resists Expulsion at Border with Ukraine After Reports of Abduction, Alexei Navalny Out of Induced Coma as He Continues Recovery from Poisoning, Extradition Hearing Resumes for Julian Assange in U.K., Hundreds of Rohingya Refugees Arrive on Dry Land After Mo…

Staff (2020-09-08). Quid Pro Quo: Did Trump Help Kill Anti-Corruption Probe in Guatemala to Aid Reelection Bid? democracynow.org Iván Velásquez is a Colombian prosecutor who headed the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala from 2013 to 2019, a powerful U.N.-backed commission formed to investigate corruption in the country and supported by the Obama administration. But Velásquez and other investigators were expelled from the country after the Trump administration agreed to withdraw support for the commission in apparent exchange for Guatemala's support of Trump's immigration and Middle East policies. The details of that quid pro quo between President Trump and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales are detailed in a new investi…

Staff (2020-09-08). The Police Can't Be Judge, Jury & Executioner: Filmmaker Yoruba Richen on Killing of Breonna Taylor. democracynow.org Months after the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, new details have emerged about the final moments of the 26-year-old EMT's life and the police raid that brought it to a violent end, as detailed in a New York Times documentary that includes dozens of interviews and a review of more than 1,200 new photos of the crime scene. Taylor, whom police shot five times in her own home on March 13, has since become a household name and rallying point in the national movement for racial justice. The police officers responsible for her death have not been charged. We speak with Yoruba Richen, director…

Staff (2020-09-08). "Loss of the Entire Community": 6 Months Later, Trauma of Breonna Taylor's Killing Remains. democracynow.org Filmmaker Yoruba Richen, director of The New York Times documentary "The Killing of Breonna Taylor," says the 26-year-old EMT's killing was not just a devastating blow to her friends and family, but a "loss of the entire community." Police officers in Louisville, Kentucky, fatally shot Taylor during a raid on her home in March, part of a botched drug investigation. Richen says that in visiting Louisville and speaking with Taylor's loved ones, she "personally felt the trauma that we endure as African American people" as a result of police killings.

yenisafak (2020-09-08). UN sends 38 truckloads of aid to Idlib, Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Tuesday sent 38 trucks with humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people remain in need of assistance due to internal conflicts. The trucks carrying supplies entered Idlib province through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's south. The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged und…

Jesse Jackson (2020-09-08). Trump Leads by Division, While Biden Leads by Multiplication. commondreams.org Democratic presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden speaks at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on September 3, 2020, in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake. (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/biden_kenosha.jpg

John Feffer (2020-09-08). Memo to the Next President. counterpunch.org Thirteen years ago, in summer 2007, I wrote a memo for the future president of the United States. The one who would take office in 2020. At the time, I had no idea who would win the 2008 elections, much less an election in the distant future. In summer 2007, Hillary Clinton was the Democratic

Mark Gruenberg (2020-09-08). Biden to workers: 'Wall Street didn't build this country. You did.'. peoplesworld.org HARRISBURG, Pa.—With AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka beaming while looking on, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden used a Labor Day joint Zoom appearance to reiterate his strong and public pitch to unionists to support him in this fall's election. "If there's one thing the pandemic has done, it's made people realize you're the people who keep …

Anand Naidoo (2020-09-08). The Heat: Race for the White House. america.cgtn.com Less than 60 days before the U.S. presidential election. Can Donald Trump win re-election or will it be Joe Biden?

Thierry Meyssan (2020-09-08). What will be the foreign policy of the next US President? thealtworld.com

| The two programs for the Trump and Biden candidacies are not similar to those of previous candidates. It is no longer a question of adjusting the United States to the changing world, but of defining what they will be. The question is existential, so it is quite possible that things will degenerate and end in violence. For some, the country must be a nation at the service of its citizens, for others it must restore its imperial status. | The U.S. 2020 presidential campaign pits two radically different visions of the United States: empire or nation? | On the one hand, Washington's claim to dominate the…

Thierry Meyssan (2020-09-08). Quelle sera la politique étrangère du prochain président US? thealtworld.com Les deux programmes des candidats Trump et Biden ne ressemblent pas à ceux des candidats précédents. Il ne s'agit plus d'ajuster les Etats-Unis aux évolutions du monde, mais de définir ce qu'ils seront. La question est existentielle, de sorte qu'il est tout à fait possible que les choses dégénèrent et se terminent dans la violence. Pour les uns, le pays doit être une nation au service des citoyens, pour les autres il doit restaurer son statut impérial. | La campagne présidentielle états-unienne 2020 oppose deux visions radicalement différentes des États-Unis : empire ou nation ? | D'un cà¥té, la prétention de…

RT (2020-09-08). Most Americans believe US government is corrupt and unaccountable to the people, poll finds. rt.com Most US citizens believe their government, legislators and courts are corrupt and unaccountable to the public, according to a new poll. Strikingly, both Democrats and Republicans share this opinion. | Seventy-three percent of Americans say that elected officials do not face "serious consequences" for misconduct, according to a new Pew Research Center

Philip Farruggio (2020-09-08). My last (electoral) dance. nationofchange.org "When November comes around (even earlier as we vote by mail in Florida, where the Republican Trump stooge governor has made it ok) my vote, FOR THE LAST TIME, will be for any and all Democrats on the ballot."

Dean Baker (2020-09-08). Blue States are Not Wrong to Want to Restore the Deduction for State and Local Taxes. cepr.net Richard Reeves and Christopher Pulliam had a New York Times column complaining that Democrats want to restore the full deductibility for state and local income taxes, which was ended with the 2017 tax cut bill. They claim, rightly, that the vast majority of this deduction goes to rich people. While that is true, the point …

teleSUR (2020-09-08). EU To Deploy an Election Observation Mission in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net The European Union (EU) Tuesday announced that it will deploy election observers to control Bolivia's general elections to be held on October 18. | RELATED: | "The organization of genuine and credible elections is of paramount importance for the Bolivian people, who stand ready to reaffirm their commitment to democratic values and restore the country's much-needed stability," European Union High Representative for For…

Freddy Cruz and Brett Barrouquere (2020-09-08). Congressional Candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene Has Several Ties to Conspiracy, Hate Groups. splcenter.org QAnon follower Marjorie Taylor Greene has prevailed in a primary runoff in Georgia's heavily Republican 14th Congressional District.

WSWS (2020-09-08). Anger erupting as union paves way to open New York City schools. wsws.org Teachers are returning to work today to prepare for the full reopening of the schools on September 21 brokered by the United Federation of Teachers and the Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio.

teleSUR (2020-09-08). Chile: Right-Wingers Use Jara's Song To Oppose New Constitution. telesurenglish.net Controversy Tuesday arose in Chile after the ultra-right-wing party Independent Democratic Union (UDI) used a phrase from legendary singer-songwriter Victor Jara to promote its political campaign over next October's constitutional plebiscite. | RELATED: | Telesur's correspondent in Chile Paola Dragnic explained that UDI used Jara's phrase "The right to live in peace", to call for voters to check the "reject" option in the ballot during the popular c…

Ruth Conniff (2020-09-08). A Tale of Two Veep Visits. progressive.org Mike Pence and Kamala Harris hold dueling Labor Day events in Wisconsin.

Leonardo Flores (2020-09-08). Biden Urged to Adopt a Good Neighbor Policy Toward Latin America. mintpressnews.com Over 100 organizations that work on issues related to Latin America and the Caribbean sent a letter calling for the next administration to adopt a new Good Neighbor Policy toward the region based on non-intervention, cooperation and mutual respect.

Bernie Sanders (2020-09-08). Nothing less than our democracy is at stake. zcomm.org In order to be effective in combating Trump's attempt to sabotage the November election, it is important that you, and everyone you know, recognize the warning signs as to what he and his Republican allies are doing…

_____ (2020-09-08). Four More Years Would Be Welcomed by the Pentagon. strategic-culture.org On August 24 President Trump was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate to

sputniknews (2020-09-08). 'Insult to Our Country': Trump Says Kamala Harris 'Could Never' Be US President. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump told attendees of his Tuesday campaign rally that "nobody likes" Democratic vice presidential nominee and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and that she "could never be the first woman president" of the US.

Staff (2020-09-08). Sanders Condemns Trump Effort to Rush COVID Vaccine Before Election. truthout.org After President Donald Trump on Monday suggested a Covid-19 vaccine could be fully developed and put to market "before a very special day" — apparently referring to the November 3 presidential election — Sen. Bernie Sanders warned that Trump's ongoing politicization of the vaccine process threatens to undermine public trust and safety. | "I think you got a president who's losing it, and I think most people are sick and tired of the ranting and the ravings of Donald Trump," the Vermont sena…

Jim Goodman (2020-09-08). The Party Formerly Known as Republican. commondreams.org President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at the BOK Center on June 20, 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.(Photo: Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump-republican-party.jpg

Russell Mokhiber (2020-09-08). Trump, Biden and a Possible October Single-Payer Surprise. commondreams.org National Nurses United (NNU), along with a broader coalition of pro-Medicare for All organizations, rallied outside of the national headquarters of PhRMA in support of Medicare for All. (Photo: NNU/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/m4a_rally.jpg

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-09-08). 'Liberal Diversity Is Not Racial Justice': Black Progressives Denounce Claims They Want Wall Street Insiders in Biden Cabinet. commondreams.org "We need less Wall Street in the next administration and more working class representation." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-biden-harris_fundraiser.jpg

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-09-08). Democrats Have Planned a Coup If Trump Wins Reelection. thealtworld.com Under the pretext that President Trump will not step down if he loses reelection, Democrats and the military/security complex created the Transition Integrity Project. The plan they have worked out is to take the presidency regardless of the vote. Trump's win is to be blamed on vote fraud, and Biden/Kamala are forbidden to concede their defeat. Instead, the presstitutes will conduct a propaganda campaign against Trump alleging election fraud in order to cast Trump's reelection in doubt. | The propaganda campaign against Trump will be conducted by assertions and fake news just as was the Russiagate, Impeachgate, a…

RT (2020-09-07). If Berlin can bring Russia's Navalny to Charite hospital, why can't it help Assange? German MP asks. rt.com A German MP is calling on her government to provide medical assistance to the "seriously ill" WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying that Berlin spared no effort when it came to Russian opposition figure, Alexey Navalny. | Berlin should not be supporting the US-orchestrated attack "on journalists, on press freedom and on democracy," said Heike Haensel, the deputy head of the Left Party's parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, as she addressed a crowd of Assange supporters outside of the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales. | Dozens of people, including fashion designer Vivienne Westwood as well…

Staff (2020-09-07). Cornel West & Ben Jealous on Whether Progressives Can Push Joe Biden Leftward If He Defeats Trump. democracynow.org In a Democracy Now! special, Harvard professor Cornel West and Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way and former president of the NAACP, discuss the 2020 DNC, Joe Biden's vow to fight systemic racism and "overcome this season of darkness in America," the historic nomination of Kamala Harris as his partner on the ticket, and how the convention was a showcase for a broad anti-Trump coalition, including prominent Republican figures given plum speaking slots, but few voices from the party's insurgent left wing. "At this moment, with the decline and fall of the American empire, it looks as if the system…

Staff (2020-09-07). Freedom Struggle: Angela Davis on Calls to Defund Police, Racism & Capitalism, and the 2020 Election. democracynow.org In a Democracy Now! special, we revisit our June 2020 interview with the legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis about the uprising against police brutality and racism launched in May after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The protests have helped dramatically shift public opinion on policing and systemic racism, as "defund the police" becomes a rallying cry of the movement. Davis is professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. For half a century, she has been one of the most influential activists and intellectuals in the United States and an icon of the Black liberation mo…

yenisafak (2020-09-07). UN sends 39 truckloads of aid to Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com The UN on Monday sent 39 truckloads of humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people are in need of assistance due to internal conflict.The trucks carrying supplies entered Idlib province through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's south.The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an ag…

Staff (2020-09-07). Absent Appeals to the Left, Biden Faces Challenge to Win Over Latinx Voters. truthout.org Though she couldn't vote in past elections, Lucia Allain has spent over a decade in direct-action politics, advocating for immigrants and Latinxs. In November, Allain, who was born in Peru, will vote for the first time since becoming a United States citizen. The communications manager for the influential immigrant-rights organization The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), Allain is as passionate about politics as anyone in this country; she's serious about r…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-07). MAS begins campaign for general elections in Bolivia. peoplesdispatch.org With the banner of "Vamos a salir adelante" or "We will overcome", Bolivia's progressive political party, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), on September 6, began its campaign for the general elections scheduled for October 18. | The MAS presidential candidate and the former economic minister, Luis Arce, began the election campaign with a large vehicle rally in the city of Santa Cruz. | "We are beginning the campaign to restore democracy and give the Bolivian people economic, political and social stability," said Arce during the rally. "This caravan is endless. The people of Bolivia are fed up with the right-w…

Ralph Nader (2020-09-07). Can the Democratic Party Rev the Engines to Topple Tyrant Trump? counterpunch.org Why can't the Democratic Party landslide the serial corporate criminal and government outlaw Donald Trump? He is a servant of Wall Street and, by his deeds favoring the powerful, a proven "enemy of the people." Why has the Democratic Party been losing again and again at the federal and state level to the worst, cruelest,

Rev. William Alberts (2020-09-07). Christianity: Empathy Versus Evangelism. counterpunch.org The Republican National Convention outdid the Democrats with God talk. Not only was America portrayed as "the light of the world;" the Republican Party itself was proclaimed as providing the "light." "God bless America" were the repeated code words for God's favorite nation. Christianity's ordination of America as the greatest nation on earth and the Republican Party as its steward were front and center.

RT (2020-09-07). 'Why is CNN meddling in swing races?' Republicans roast Jake Tapper for trying to 'influence' congressional election. rt.com The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has accused CNN of "meddling in swing races" due to a report that anchor Jake Tapper tried convincing Sean Parnell to avoid running in a district where he could flip a seat. | "So how many other districts has @jaketapper pulled this crap with? Why is CNN meddling in House swing races? This is absurd," the NRCC tweeted. | The message was in response to a Breitbart report claiming Tapper had tried on multiple occasions to convince congressional candidate and conservative author/veteran Sean Parnell to give up running in Pennsylvania's 17th district and inste…

Ralph Nader (2020-09-07). Why Can't the Democrats Seem to Land Any Blows Against Trump? counterpunch.org Why can't the Democratic Party landslide the serial corporate criminal and government outlaw Donald Trump? He is a servant of Wall Street and, by his deeds favoring the powerful, a proven "enemy of the people." Why has the Democratic Party been losing again and again at the federal and state level to the worst, cruelest,

WSWS (2020-09-07). Virginia's Democratic governor calls for drastic budget cuts amid growing social crisis caused by COVID-19. wsws.org The cuts would effectively gut the few gains that were given to workers in the previously planned budget.

Dean Baker (2020-09-07). It Was Not "Flaws in the U.S. Financial System" that Caused the Great Recession, It Was the Collapse of the Housing Bubble. cepr.net Our elites work hard to cover up for each other even if it means an almost Trumpian denial of reality. We got another taste of this effort in a New York Times piece on Joe Biden's actions with regard to China over the years. The piece talks about the massive job loss of manufacturing jobs …

WSWS (2020-09-07). The Movement for a Peoples' Party: No program, no principles, no future. wsws.org The eclectic combination of individuals brought together to form a new "People's Party" lacked a common conception, outside of a general orientation to the Democratic Party and bourgeois politics.

Badri Raina (2020-09-07). We All Know That India Is a Democracy. So No Questions, Please. zcomm.org After all, only that is dropped from parliamentary agenda which is inconsequential, like asking questions.

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2020-09-07). Wednesday 9/9: 2020 California Admission Day ~ "Chattel Slavery and Freedom in the State of California" indybay.org The African House / Nubian Family Beauty Supply | 2251 Florin Rd, #135 | Sacramento, CA 95822…

_____ (2020-09-07). Going Down in Style: Nancy Pelosi's Illicit 'Blow Out' Exposes Democrats as Above-the-Law Elitists. strategic-culture.org Since the beginning of the lockdown in March, hair stylists have ranked among the hardest hit service sector workers, and nowhere more than in California where a draconian anti-Covid regime forbids salons from meeting clients indoors. That did not stop House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, from scheduling an appointment anyways. | Pelosi, like many of her other Democratic colleagues, has demonstrated such a lack of connection and compassion with her constituency that it literally borders on the criminal. Caught red-handed on video having her hair done inside of San Francisco's eSalon — and without the de rig…

sputniknews (2020-09-07). 'Better Salon': Mitt Romney Posts Home-Made Haircut Photo Mocking Pelosi's 'Set Up' Incident. sputniknews.com Last Tuesday, a leaked surveillance video featured US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visiting a San Francisco hair salon without a face mask, in violation of guidelines for the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, despite having urged Americans to stay home and abide by safety rules. The lawmaker claimed the incident was a "set up".

sputniknews (2020-09-07). 'Like a Boss': Twitter Hyped by Kamala Harris' Milwaukee Chuck Taylor Converse Look. sputniknews.com The fact that Joe Biden's running mate Kamala Harris wore sneakers for her working visit to Milwaukee drew a wave of enthusiasm on Twitter, with netizens praising her for neglecting "disabling" shoes and suggesting that Harris has endorsed a revolution in political dress for women.

Staff (2020-09-07). Labor Must Make Defense of Black Lives Its Own Imperative. truthout.org Black trade unionists across the U.S. are calling on the labor movement to defend Black Lives Matter protesters and to fight racism in their own ranks. The attacks by police and increasingly violent armed racist militias evoke the memory of many such violent incidents against Black people in earlier periods, from slavery to segregation to the civil rights era. | For Labor Day 2020, Truthout reached out to Christopher Silvera, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 808 in Long Island City, NY; Elise Bryant, exec…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-09-07). Postmaster General Urged to 'Immediately Step Aside' as North Carolina AG Backs Probe Into Campaign Finance Fraud Allegations. commondreams.org "It is extraordinarily disturbing that megadonor Louis DeJoy is abusing his power as Postmaster General to help President Trump win reelection, meanwhile apparently demonstrating disregard for key campaign finance laws designed to promote the integrity of our democratic elections," said Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/dejoy_investigation.png

Ben Norton (2020-09-06). U.S. govt-linked PR firm ran fake news networks for right-wing Latin American regimes. thegrayzone.com A Washington, DC-based PR firm linked to the US government and Democratic Party, CLS Strategies, ran a fake news network on Facebook and Instagram, spreading propaganda for Bolivia's coup regime and the right-wing opposition in Venezuela and Mexico. By Ben Norton major US PR firm located just a few blocks from the White House has …

_____ (2020-09-06). Montenegro Charts a New Course. strategic-culture.org The August 30 parliamentary elections in Montenegro are a game changing event, no matter what the immediate outcome. The three decade-old NATO-friendly regime has been dealt a blow which may not be lethal in the near term, but it certainly marks the beginning of its terminal decline. | The outcome of the electoral contest is ambiguous, as most things are in the Balkans. The ruling pro-Western DPS Party (ironically, the acronym stands for "Democratic Party of Socialists" which is the successor to the former League of Communists), if we are to go by the official count, obtained a plurality of the votes, about 35%.

The Canary (2020-09-06). Ministers looking into clampdown on XR and beefed-up police powers after press blockade protest. thecanary.co Ministers are mulling new protections for "tenets of democracy" such as courts and the press after an environmental protest prevented UK newspapers from reaching the stands. | Some newsagents' shelves were left empty on the morning of Saturday 5 September after Extinction Rebellion (XR) protesters targeted Newsprinters printing works at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Knowsley, near Liverpool, blocking the day's papers from leaving the depots. | Dear Newsagents, we are sorry for disruption caused to your business this morning. Dear Mr. Murdoch, we are absolutely not sorry for continuing to disrupt your agenda this…

RT (2020-09-06). US State Department reveals next target in scathing tweet… it's the International Cricket Council? rt.com The US State Department has gone after all sorts of entities over the years — sovereign nations, democratically elected governments, you name it. But its latest target has come from way out of left field. | The department responsible for US foreign policy announced in a tweet that the International Cricket Council was in its bad books. In a message quoting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the department blasted the cricket governing body as "a rogue court with lawyers that are, frankly, corrupt and political." | | © Twitter | Hmm… that doesn't quite add up. It turns out the hot-shots over at the…

RT (2020-09-06). Postmaster General DeJoy accused of committing felony by 'reimbursing former employees' GOP campaign contributions — report. rt.com Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is being accused in a Washington Post report of acting as a "straw man" for the Republican Party, and reimbursing campaign contributions that employees would make, a violation of election law. | The report cites five former employees of DeJoy's at New Breed Logistics, of which he was CEO until 2014, who claim they were "urged by DeJoy's aides or by the chief executive himself to write checks and attend fundraisers at his 15,000-square-foot gated mansion beside a Greensboro, NC country club." | Two employees allegedly familiar with the payroll systems at the company allege they wo…

Dirk Adriaensens (2020-09-06). Channelling EU Money to the Military industry Under the Guise of 'Industrial Policy'. globalresearch.ca On 23 July, the vast majority of the Left Group (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament approved, together with the social democratic (S&D), Green and rightist (EPP, Renew) parties, a resolution which opposes the 'European deal' of 21 July, in which …

teleSUR (2020-09-06). WHO: COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Available By Mid-2021. telesurenglish.net The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday warned that the coronavirus vaccine will not be ready until mid-2021, despite efforts to release it earlier. | RELATED: | Even when WHO considered it encouraging that several vaccines are in the so-called phase 3 study, which involves testing tens of thousands of people, indicated that there is still a long way to go. | WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said "that none of the c…

Richard Falk (2020-09-06). Can U.S. Democracy Be Fixed? indybay.org To distract and divert, scapegoating becomes a core tactic of these moves away from democratic cohesion. In a world of inequalities and global warming, there has arisen a frightening receptivity to blaming the stranger or the other for the unfairness being experienced in the forms of inequality, economic displacement, and erosions of national identity.

_____ (2020-09-06). The Privileged vs. the People. strategic-culture.org America's decadent elite is a plundering barbarian horde, leaving social and material destruction in its wake. | Andrew DORAN | "The Americans never use the word 'peasant,'" Alexis de Tocqueville observed, "because they have no idea of the peculiar class which that term denotes." Nor do Americans use "noble" or "aristocrat" or "barbarian." However, the basic phenomena endure, even if the class structure and therefore the terms have evolved. | Shortly after Tocqueville published his thoughts on the democratic experiment in America, Benjamin Disraeli published Sybil ∏ a novel in which he argued that England…

sputniknews (2020-09-06). Trump Denounces 'Disinformation Campaign' By Democrats And Media Over 'Loser' Veteran Comment Claims. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to express anger over 'lies' spread by the media after days of spats with The Atlantic magazine and Fox News, formerly seen as a staunch supporter of the commander-in-chief, in the wake of a report alleging POTUS had tarnished the memory of US veterans.

yenisafak (2020-09-06). Hamas denies any link to far-right US group. yenisafak.com Palestinian resistance group Hamas has denied any link to the far-right extremist movement Boogaloo Bois in the United States.American and Israeli media reported that two members from Boogaloo Bois group were arrested by US authorities and charged with conspiring to support Hamas.Media reports said that the US Justice Department accused both Michael Robert Solomon, 30, and Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 22, of providing material support to a "foreign terrorist organization"."We decry the US administration attempt to link Hamas to any member of this group," the Palestinian movement said in a statement."This is a desperate…

Eds. (2020-09-05). Ecosocialism: the elephant in the DSA room? mronline.org Allan Todd reviews Bigger than Bernie How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism by Meagan Day and Micah Uetricht, Verso…

RT (2020-09-05). Belarusians want democratic country & 'excellent relations' with Russia — blocked opposition presidential candidate Tsepkalo. rt.com Free elections should be held in Belarus under international supervision and the country should remain a close ally of Russia. That's according to Valery Tsepkalo, one of three high-profile men barred from last month's election | Along with Viktor Babariko and Sergei Tikhanovsky, Tsepkalo tried to run for president, in opposition to the long-time incumbent Alexander Lukashenko, but authorities prevented his nomination. | Eventually Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Sergei's wife, made it onto the ballot paper and her campaign was assisted by Tsepkalo's spouse, Veronika, and Babariko's campaign manager, Maria Kolesnikova…

Ralph Nader (2020-09-05). Can the Democratic Party Landslide the Criminal Tyrant Trump? commondreams.org Former vice-president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (L) and Senator from California and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris greet supporters outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention, held virtually amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, on August 20, 2020. (Photo: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/biden_topple-tyrant_trump.jpg

_____ (2020-09-05). Report: Georgia Wrongfully Purged 200,000 Voters. popularresistance.org A seven-year investigation of voter suppression in Georgia has found that the state likely removed 200,000 voters from its rolls who were, in fact, eligible to vote. The voters whose registrations were removed were also overwhelmingly concentrated in the counties comprising the Atlanta Metro area, according to initial findings released on Wednesday. | Conducted by the Palast Investigative Fund, which specializes in data journalism, and released by the ACLU of Georgia, the report reviewed more than 300,000 registered voters whom the state had purged from its rolls.

Fight Back (2020-09-05). Tampa students protest for more Black faculty at university. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – On September 2, students at the University of South Florida (USF) and concerned members of the Tampa community gathered at the house of Steve Currall, the current president of the USF, for a car protest demanding an increase in hiring Black faculty, specifically, professors and counselors. The protest was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). | Gareth Dawkins, a member of Tampa Bay SDS, discussed the new campaign to increase Black professors and counselors, which is coupled with a campaign to increase Black student enrollment: "USF needs to hire more Black faculty to not only i…

WSWS (2020-09-05). Washington DC's mayor and Trump trade authoritarian demands in crackdown on peaceful protesters. wsws.org The office of Washington, DC's Democratic mayor has been upbraided by the federal prosecutor's office for trying to "skirt constitutional protections and due process."

WSWS (2020-09-05). Trump campaign enlists army of poll-watchers to intimidate Democratic voters. wsws.org The Trump campaign hopes to mobilize among its "poll watchers" the militia and vigilante types who have been attacking those protesting police violence and racism.

Wayne Madsen (2020-09-05). A Silver Lining in the Rise of Neo-Fascism. thealtworld.com The only benefit from the rise of neo-fascist leaders in heretofore democratic nations is that the various fascist, neo-Nazi, racial and religious supremacists, and far-right terrorists have reared their ugly heads to the degree where it is now easier to identify them and their circle of contacts and organizations. When the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Poland, Turkey, and other similarly afflicted nations return to political normalcy, the forces of the far-right, already self-identified, can be rolled up, stripped of their weaponry and access to the Internet as threats to public safety. These resurgent Nazis…

sputniknews (2020-09-05). New York Blue Lives Matter Founder Claims Mayor And Governor 'Pit Officers Against The Community'. sputniknews.com New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to cut $1 billion from the budget of the city's police department amid Black Lives Matter protests, while New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo wants 4,000 cops to police social distancing in restaurants.

Staff (2020-09-05). Trump Admin Faces Injunction for Trying to End 2020 Census Counting Prematurely. truthout.org Civil rights organizations and local governments in California late Friday filed a request in a San Jose federal court for an emergency nationwide injunction against the Trump administration's effort to end 2020 Census counting prematurely—a move critics warn is a blatant effort by the president and his Republican allies to "sabotage" the once-in-a-decade count for long-term political advantage. | "Trump seeks to sabotage the #2020Census by TERMINATING critical door knocking operatio…

Dorothee Benz (2020-09-05). Democracy Dies in… Obfuscation and False Equivalences. commondreams.org Paul Benson, attending a rally for Democratic candidate Hank Gilbert in Tyler, Tex., is attacked by Blue Lives Matter protesters on July 26. Benson says he was trying to keep counter-protesters back from the speakers when he was attacked. "I didn't expect this," Benson said, "I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't expect this." (Photo: Sarah A. Miller/AP) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-09-05_at_2.35.56_pm.png

Christopher Brauchli (2020-09-05). On the No-Platform-Just-Trump Platform of the New GOP. commondreams.org Kimberly Guilfoyle delivers her address to the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium on August 24, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/rnc_1_1.jpg