Daily Archives: October 2, 2020

2020-10-02: News Headlines

Zarefah Baroud (2020-10-02). The Leahy Laws: Why Biden's Promise to Israel is Illegal. counterpunch.org While co-hosting an interview on the Palestine Chronicle, I asked Dr. Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, about his thoughts on Kamala Harris' promise to maintain unconditional aid to Israel. "I am disappointed of course by the Harris-Biden positions on Israel. I would have hoped for something closer to what Bernie

Richard C. Gross (2020-10-02). Trump is a Hoax, Fake News. counterpunch.org Donald Trump finally collided with something bigger than he thinks he is: the IRS. The self-identified billionaire's mere $750 federal tax payments in 2016 and 2017, his tax avoidance schemes, his mishandling of the pandemic plus his ugly aggressive performance debate performance could cost him his re-election. Trump's rival for the presidency, Joe Biden, revealed

Nathaniel Chase (2020-10-02). Presidential debate: Trump and Biden bicker as COVID rages on. workers.org The Sept. 30 presidential debate featured two white men throwing mud at each other in performances a fifth-grade debate team would have found embarrassing. This debate will be remembered for its continuous, cable-news-style bickering and interrupting, which prevented either candidate, and in particular Biden, from expressing themselves at length. It . . . |

WSWS repost (2020-10-02). Trump's Operation Dictatorship: What the debate exposed. indybay.org Joseph Kishore, the Socialist Equality Party US presidential candidate and David North, the Socialist Equality Party US national chairman explain how the White House is the center of a fascistic conspiracy to overturn the Constitution and establish a presidential dictatorship– and what must be done to avert it. Clue: it will not be voting for Biden.

Mathew Ingram (2020-10-02). Can we make Facebook and Google "democratic utilities?" zcomm.org Is there another path we could take that might allow us to harness the benefits of these huge services, while also blunting their negative effects?>

Ivan Velisavljeviƒá (2020-10-02). A New Party of the Left in Serbia. zcomm.org The Social Democratic Union's 12th congress in Belgrade marked its transformation into a new left-wing party—the Party of the Radical Left (PRL)…

yenisafak (2020-10-02). Thailand's 'Bad Students' demand education reform. yenisafak.com The school demonstrations are part of an anti-government protest movement that has been growing since July and is also demanding greater democracy. Some campaigners seek reforms to the powerful monarchy too."Stop the harassment of students, cancel outdated rules, and give us comprehensive education reform," said Laponpat Wangpaisit, an activist from the group that calls itself "Bad Student" outside one Bangkok school.From behind school gates, pupils cheered the protesters, sang songs mocking school rules and gave the three-finger salute of pro-democracy campaigners. At one school, pupils put a sign on the gate sa…

Andrew Korybko (2020-10-01). US Presidential Debate Presented China As the Scapegoat. Blaming China for Covid-19. globalresearch.ca American democracy would best be served by focusing more on domestically relevant facts than rhetorical attacks against foreign countries like China. | *** | The …

Staff (2020-10-01). Headlines for October 1, 2020. democracynow.org Hate Groups Celebrate Trump's Call for Far-Right Extremists to "Stand By", FBI Warns of Far-Right Terrorism as Trump Boosts Hate Group, Ex-Trump Campaign Manager Quits After Arrest on Spousal Abuse Allegations, Commission on Presidential Debates to Change Rules to "Ensure a More Orderly Discussion", Madrid Back on Lockdown as Coronavirus Infections Surge, Peruvian Medical Workers Strike, Demanding Personal Protective Equipment, Trump Plans Rallies in Wisconsin Even as State Becomes Coronavirus Red Zone, U.S. Economy Shrank at Record-Breaking 31.4% Annualized Rate in Second Quarter, Federal Courts Halt Trump Campa…

Staff (2020-10-01). Pandemic of Repression: Modi Government Crushes Dissent While Ignoring India's 6 Million COVID Cases. democracynow.org As India becomes just the second country to hit 6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, we speak to journalist Rana Ayyub in Mumbai, who was recently hospitalized after testing positive for the disease. India's lead pandemic agency says an antibody study suggests more than 60 million people in the country have already been infected with the coronavirus — 10 times the official count but still a small fraction of its population of 1.3 billion. "It doesn't feel like India is even talking about the pandemic," says Ayyub, a global opinions writer for The Washington Post. "More than the fear of the pandemic, people i…

Staff (2020-10-01). Kingdom of Silence: 2 Years After Khashoggi Murder, New Film Explores Deadly U.S.-Saudi Alliance. democracynow.org Two years ago, in a story that shocked the world, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for marriage documents and was never seen again. It was later revealed that Khashoggi — a Saudi insider turned critic and Washington Post columnist — was murdered and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents at the direct order of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We speak with a friend of Khashoggi and with the director of a new documentary, "Kingdom of Silence," that tracks not only Khashoggi's brutal murder and the rise of MBS, but also the decades-long alliance between the United…

yenisafak (2020-10-01). UN sends 16 truckloads of aid to Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com The UN on Thursday sent 16 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib, northwestern Syria, where millions of people need assistance due to the worsening internal conflict.The trucks carrying supplies entered the Idlib province through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province. | 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 with…

commondreams (2020-10-01). Muslim Advocates Denounces Trump's Racist Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar and Refugees. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Dr. Jack Rasmus (2020-10-01). The 1st Presidential Debate: Worse Is Yet to Come. globalresearch.ca The 1st Presidential debate of 2020 held last night, September 29, was a reflection of the growing systemic social crisis in the USA. This is what we saw: | 1) a refusal of the representatives (Trump & Biden) of the two …

WSWS (2020-10-01). Trump administration prepares anti-immigrant raids in Democratic Party-led "sanctuary cities" ahead of November election. wsws.org The latest maneuver in Trump's war on immigrants cannot be separated from his effort to carry out a coup d'état and establish a presidential dictatorship.

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-10-01). Democracy: It's Not Dark Yet, But It's Getting There. counterpunch.org Ever since the Nobel Peace prize-winning President Barack Obama had the audacity to hire as his press secretary someone with the forked-tongued name Josh Earnest (can you say, oxymoron?) back in 2014, I've given up on the hope that executive administrations will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth ever again. Obama worked the Press. The uproarious Jonas Brothers drone joke, followed by the knee-slapping drive-by shootings of American citizens overseas a year later, turning Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16 year old son, into drone meat. Or the drone double taps: first their weddings, then their fu…

Vijay Prashad — Pilar Troya (2020-10-01). How Ecuador's Democracy is Being Suffocated. counterpunch.org A recent poll showed that if Andrés Arauz Galarza were allowed to run in Ecuador's presidential election of 2021, he would win in the first round with 45.9 percent of the vote. The pollsters found that Arauz—who was the minister of knowledge and human talent from 2015 to 2017—wins across "all the social strata and regions of the country, with a slight weakness among the richest voters in the country."

RT (2020-10-01). Gov. Newsom approves task force on 'slavery reparations' as taxpayers wonder how 'broke' California will foot the bill. rt.com California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has approved the creation of a task force to examine paying reparations to the descendants of slaves, the first such proposal ever passed by a state government. | Newsom signed AB 3121 into law on Wednesday, creating a nine-member task force to study possible reparations for black Americans. While the governor lamented that the legislation hadn't been passed "decades ago," he hailed the bill for establishing a "paradigm that we hope will be resonant all across the United States." | "This is not just about California, this is about making an impact, and a dent, acro…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-10-01). Debate aftermath: Most GOP leaders not running from Trump on white supremacy. peoplesworld.org Even as a few Republican leaders slammed Oval Office occupant Donald Trump's presidential debate endorsement of the white nationalist Proud Boys and similar racists, other patterns in the aftermath of his statement are emerging. The first is from Trump himself. He tried to excuse his endorsement by telling reporters "I don't know who the Proud …

Mark Gruenberg (2020-10-01). As Trump pushes hate, Pelosi pushes relief for a besieged nation. peoplesworld.org

Global Research News (2020-10-01). Selected Articles: The 2020 Election: Nothing Will Change. globalresearch.ca By The Western European democratic revolutions of the late eighteenth century sought to establish more just societies through replacement of monarchies with …

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-01). A Trump Regime Middle East October Surprise Coming? globalresearch.ca Trailing Biden by an average of 6.8 points — according to Real Clear Politics as of late September — do Trump strategists intend an October surprise to improve his reelection prospects? | On Monday in response to phony US Middle East …

WSWS (2020-10-01). Detroit City Council defies public opposition and renews facial recognition contract. wsws.org A majority of the council of nine Democrats voted to approve a two-year, $220,000 upgrade and maintenance contract with South Carolina-based DataWorks Plus.

Eric Zuesse (2020-10-01). Write-In Bernie Sanders for U.S. President. globalresearch.ca After the first U.S. Presidential nominees' debate, which occurred on September 29th, it is clear that America's two mainstream political Parties failed disastrously to provide the nation's voters with adequate options for the U.S. Presidency. Trump is a proven failure …

teleSUR (2020-10-01). Venezuela Rejects EU Conditions To Monitor Upcoming Elections. telesurenglish.net The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, described as inadmissible the conditions that the European Union (EU) requested from his country to send a mission to monitor the parliamentary elections on December 6. | RELATED: | On Sept. 30, the EU asked to postpone the elections 6 months, arguing that conditions for a free, fair, and democratic electoral process do not exist. | "Venezuela regrets the unfortunate…

Robert Fantina (2020-10-01). The 2020 Election: Nothing Will Change. globalresearch.ca With the first of three scheduled presidential debates (aka brawl) between President Donald Trump and his opponent, former vice-president Joe Biden, now history, the pundits will fall all over themselves to determine what it all means. Who won? Did …

teleSUR (2020-10-01). Ecuador: 'Union for Hope' Continues in the Presidential Race. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) accepted on Wednesday night a legal appeal that gives Andres Arauz and Carlos Rabascall 48 hours to register their candidacies for the presidency and vice-presidency, respectively. | RELATED: | "With just 3 votes to 2, Ecuador's electoral council chose democracy over dictatorship. Arauz will be on the ballot! Thank you to all those who defended the right of the Ecuadorian pe…

Prof. Charles McKelvey (2020-10-01). The Unfinished People's Revolution: From Philadelphia to Havana, and Back Again. globalresearch.ca The Western European democratic revolutions of the late eighteenth century sought to establish more just societies through replacement of monarchies with republics and the elimination of hereditary class distinctions between nobles and commoners. This dynamic reflected the interests of the …

Matt Sedlar (2020-10-01). The Debate We Had vs. the Debate We Needed. cepr.net The American Prospect See article on original site We at the Revolving Door Project have a banal take on Tuesday's debate: Donald Trump was horrifying, Chris Wallace overmatched and too Fox Newsy, Joe Biden decent but ineloquent. But we do have an idiosyncratic take on presidential debates themselves: We believe they should be about who …

_____ (2020-10-01). How Progressives Could Still Win The 21st Century. popularresistance.org Our era will be remembered for the triumphant march of authoritarianism in whose wake the vast majority of humanity have experienced unnecessary hardship and the planet's ecosystem has suffered avoidable climate destruction. | For a brief period — a period the British historian Eric Hobsbawm described as "the short 20th century" — establishment forces were united in dealing with challenges to their authority. It was a rare period in which the establishment had to face a variety of progressives, all seeking to change the world: social democrats, communists, self-management experiments, national liberat…

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. (2020-10-01). Friday 10/2: Gathering to Celebrate Ruth Bader Ginsburg w/ Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence SF. indybay.org In-person: intersection of Market Street & Castro Street, San Francisco, CA | Online event livestream: www.facebook.com/SFSisters/

sputniknews (2020-10-01). Fox News Journo Goes Off on Trump Defenders Over White Supremacy Remarks. sputniknews.com After President Trump stated during Tuesday night's debate that the right-wing political activist group Proud Boys must "stand back and stand by", the public, including a number of Trump's Republican allies, have urged the president to clarify his stance and unequivocally denounce white supremacy.

sputniknews (2020-10-01). Trump Says May Not Accept Amended US Presidential Debate Rules. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that he may not support the changing of presidential debate rules for the remaining two rounds of his televised showdown with the Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

sputniknews (2020-10-01). Biden Urged to Cancel Debates with Trump after 'Fiasco' in Ohio. sputniknews.com Donald Trump was in a jubilant mood the day after Tuesday night's presidential debate with Joe Biden, where he provoked the former vice president into angry outbursts and forced him to disown policies of the Democratic left.

Staff (2020-10-01). If Kushner Companies Default on Near-Record Loan, Taxpayers May Be on the Hook. truthout.org This story is co-published with WNYC. | After the news broke in May of last year that government-sponsored lending agency Freddie Mac had agreed to back $786 million in loans to the Kushner Companies, political opponents asked whether the family real estate firm formerly led by the president's son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, had received special treatment. | Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Tom C…

Staff (2020-10-01). GOP-Led Inquest Decried as Effort to Suppress Florida Voters With Felony Records. truthout.org Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's call for state and federal investigations into billionaire Michael Bloomberg's effort to raise millions to pay off court fees to help Florida felons restore their voting rights was a "gross abuse" of power, "voter suppression," "a fearmongering tactic used before" and based on a "fundamental misconception" of anti-corruption laws, according to experienced campaign lawyers and former federal election regulators. | "It's not just that an investigative…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-10-01). 2020 Right Livelihood Laureates Honored for Fighting 'Increasing Threats to Democracy' Across Globe. commondreams.org Human rights defenders in Iran, the U.S., Nicaragua, and Belarus were recognized this year for what is known as the "Alternative Nobel Peace Prize." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rs9918_img_9060_1.jpg

Sasha Abramsky (2020-10-01). Trump in the Debate: None Dare Call It Treason. thenation.com Trump in the Debate: None Dare Call It Treason…

_____ (2020-09-30). Russia Could Never Discredit The U.S. Empire The Way These Guys Just Did. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Wow. | I mean, wow. | So in case you missed it, the first US presidential debate was everything the US empire deserves and a fair reflection of everything the US empire is. | If Vladimir Putin were every bit the election-meddling demon the Democrats say he is, and if he had unlimited time and unlimited resources to create the perfect ninety-minute propaganda video to discredit the US-led unipolar world order, he could not have designed one more effective than the performance that was just delivered by President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden with the help of moderator Chris Wall…

Staff (2020-09-30). Headlines for September 30, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Refuses to Condemn White Supremacists or Rule Out Post-Election Violence, New York City Coronavirus Infections Surge for First Time in Months, Indian Health Officials Claim 60 Million Coronavirus Infections Nationwide, House Democrats Unveil Pared-Down $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, Texas Sheriff and Prosecutor Indicted for Evidence Tampering in Javier Ambler Police Killing, Kentucky AG Didn't Recommend Murder Charges for Breonna Taylor's Killers, Trump Plans Pre-Election ICE Raids in U.S. Sanctuary Cities, More Women Detail Forced Sterilizations, Unnecessary Surgeries at Georgia ICE Jail, World Hea…

Staff (2020-09-30). Kate Aronoff: The Climate Crisis Can't Take 4 More Years of Trump. We Must Push Biden from the Left. democracynow.org After massive outcry from activists and young voters, debate moderator Chris Wallace questioned President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden about the climate crisis at the first presidential debate. He did not include it in his initial list of debate topics. Kate Aronoff, author and staff writer at The New Republic, says she didn't expect climate change to come up, but was unsurprised by the responses. "We've known for years that Donald Trump denies the science of climate change," she says. "And we know that Joe Biden doesn't support a Green New Deal."

Staff (2020-09-30). COVID U.S. Death Toll Tops 205,000 & 7M Infections as Trump Mocks Biden's Mask, Attacks the ACA. democracynow.org During the first presidential debate, former Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly criticized President Trump over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed over 205,000 people in the United States — the highest death toll in the world. Trump mocked Biden for wearing a mask, while claiming that a vaccine would be available within weeks. "It was very bizarre," says Marc Lamont Hill, author and professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University. "The idea of not erring on the side of caution is representative of the entire Trump administration's handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Staff (2020-09-30). Former Neo-Nazi Says Trump's Call for Proud Boys to "Stand By" Will Encourage More Violence. democracynow.org President Trump refused to condemn white supremacists during the first of three scheduled presidential debates with Joe Biden. When pressed by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News to disavow far-right extremism, Trump name-checked the Proud Boys and told them to "stand back and stand by," words widely denounced as a tacit endorsement of the violent, white supremacist organization classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. The Proud Boys almost immediately responded by changing its logo online to include the Trump quote. Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi who now leads the Free Radicals Pro…

Staff (2020-09-30). "He Wants Violence in the Streets": Trump's "White Supremacist Project" on Full Display at Debate. democracynow.org Donald Trump and Joe Biden were asked about how to address racism during the first presidential debate held in Cleveland. While Biden expressed sympathy with victims of police brutality, President Trump insisted that most violence came from left-wing groups — a false claim ignoring that the vast majority of political violence in the U.S. comes from right-wing extremists, according to the FBI and others. Trump's refusal to reckon with the issue "poses a real and grave threat to Black and Brown people in particular in our country who are often the victims of racial violence," says Kristen Clarke, president an…

Howard Lisnoff (2020-09-30). Twelve Years in a Town that Supported Trump. counterpunch.org When the gaping holes in the fabric of US society hit a person like the asteroid that snuffed out life during the age of the dinosaurs, attention must be paid, or so says Arthur Miller in The Death of a Salesman. Jon Shields and Stephanie Muravchik brought it all home for me in Trump's Democrats

Lawrence Wittner (2020-09-30). Where Does the Democratic Party Stand on War, Peace, and International Relations? counterpunch.org After nearly four years of the Trump administration, U.S. voters have a pretty good idea of the policies that the President and his Republican allies champion when it comes to America's dealings with other nations. These policies include massive increases in military spending, lengthy wars abroad, threats of nuclear war, withdrawal from climate and nuclear

Martha Grevatt (2020-09-30). Thousands raise up Black Lives outside presidential debate. workers.org Cleveland protest targets first presidential debate, Sept. 29. Cleveland While presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump were debating in what many have labeled a "shitshow," thousands of Greater Clevelanders came out for a "Protest for Black Lives and Climate Justice." A broad coalition spread the word about the action . . . |

Mark Gruenberg, Chauncey K. Robinson (2020-09-30). Trump uses debate to trash democracy and empower white supremacists. peoplesworld.org The first presidential debate of the 2020 election season last night was a dark moment in American history—a moment when a sitting president, Donald Trump, came prepared not to discuss issues but to trash yet another democratic norm: presidential debates themselves. In addition, he tried to further delegitimize the entire election by calling into question …

MEE staff (2020-09-30). 'Inshallah': Biden uses Arabic expression over release of Trump's tax returns. middleeasteye.net 'Inshallah': Biden uses Arabic expression over release of Trump's tax returns | No foreign policy discussions during the first US presidential debate, in which candidates traded insults and spoke over each other | Wed, 09/30/2020 – 06: 40 | Biden called Trump the 'worst president that America has ever had' (AFP) | Many Middle East-related policy questions that could affect the lives of millions of people hang…

Eds. (2020-09-30). A missing pledge in the 2020 Democratic Party platform. mronline.org For 52 years—from 1936 to 1988—the Democratic Party pledged support for the achievement of full or maximum employment.

Melvin Goodman (2020-09-30). Thanking the Founding Fathers for Our Constitutional Mess? counterpunch.org "On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." — H.L. Mencken "Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage." — H.L. Mencken We cannot blame the Founding

Walter Smolarek (2020-09-30). Biden embraces cops in first presidential debate. liberationnews.org Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden went out of his way in last night's debate to distance himself from the historic mass movement against racism and police violence that has emerged in recent months. Despite the endless barrage of advertisements from the Biden campaign opportunistically making use of footage from this summer's demonstrations, or the assurances …

David Trujillo (2020-09-30). Todos con Biden-Harris: Latinos shouldn't let anything stop them from voting. peoplesworld.org Say it loud, say it with pride. I will not be denied. I'm voting for Biden-Harris. It's time for all Latinos to talk to others in their community about this election. It's time to say, "No más." We've had enough! It's time for the Latino community to stop being nice and quiet. Latinos must mobilize …

Finian Cunningham (2020-09-30). Trump's License to Violence. thealtworld.com The most remarkable moment in the 90-minute US presidential debate was President Trump's refusal to outright condemn white supremacist groups. | Indeed, he went further by referring to one such group by name, Proud Boys, and then told them — apparently approvingly — to "stand back and stand by". | Stand by, for what? It sounds like a license to violence. | Donald Trump has been frequently accused in the past of stoking racial strife with his off-the-cuff remarks and ambiguous asides. He was again accused of insidious incitement by his Democrat rival Joe Biden during their first televised presidential…

Liz Theoharis (2020-09-30). The Rise of Christian Nationalism in America. counterpunch.org On August 26th, during the Republican National Convention, Vice President Mike Pence closed out his acceptance speech with a biblical sleight of hand. Speaking before a crowd at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, he exclaimed, "Let's fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents. Let's fix our eyes on this land

RT (2020-09-30). Facebook bans all US ads criticizing voting fraud, election results or methods after angry letter from Biden campaign. rt.com All ads in the US that "call voting fraud widespread, or election results invalid, or impugn any one method of voting" have been banned on Facebook and Instagram effective immediately, the social media company has announced. | The prohibitions apply to advertising regarding the US 2020 census and the November 3 elections, and specifically include ads that "that delegitimize any lawful method or process of voting or voting tabulation (including in-person voting on paper or on machines, absentee voting, vote by mail, and lawful collection of ballots) as illegal, inherently fraudulent or corrupt, or will result i…

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-30). Pre-Scripted Trump v. Biden Spitting Match Theater. globalresearch.ca The US political process is money controlled, Big Money running things. | According to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), over $6 billion was spent by US presidential and congressional candidates in 2016. | A record amount is expected this year to …

Tracy Keeling (2020-09-30). The 'dangerous problem' that was completely missing from the presidential debate. thecanary.co Contrary to Presidential nominees got asked about climate change at a debate for the first time in over a decade— Here's what Trump and Biden had to say abo…

Tony Cartalucci (2020-09-30). Thailand Protests Are Anti-Chinese, Not "Pro-Democracy" globalresearch.ca Ongoing protests in Thailand appearing very similar to those recently seen in Hong Kong are no coincidence. | They are part of an admitted "Pan-Asian Alliance" that — while claiming to be "pro-democracy" are in reality created by the US government …

Amy Goodman (2020-09-30). COVID US death toll tops 205,000 & 7M infections as Trump mocks Biden's mask, attacks the ACA. nationofchange.org "It was very bizarre."

Scott Ritter (2020-09-30). Trump-Biden debate put US democracy on display — we're now little more than the world's laughing stock armed with nukes. thealtworld.com America and the rest of the world tuned in to watch the first of three televised presidential …

Betsy Hartmann (2020-09-30). The Threat of Fascism Won't End with Trump. zcomm.org It will take sustained progressive political pressure now and into the future to dismantle the powerful fascist forces that threaten our democracy…

Hamilton Nolan (2020-09-30). What's at Stake for the Labor Movement on Election Day? Everything. zcomm.org Unions hope a Biden presidency will reverse decades of anti-worker policies.

_____ (2020-09-30). The Battle For Democracy In Ecuador. popularresistance.org Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno and his allies have gone to great lengths to prevent former president Rafael Correa and his political movement from returning to power. | In order to achieve this goal, the current government has persecuted opponents and barred candidates from running. Moreno's authoritarianism has, so far, gone largely unnoticed internationally. With elections scheduled for February 2021, it is crucial that the international community keeps a vigilant eye on the Ecuadorian government's persistent attempts at perverting the course of democracy.

Paul Simon (2020-09-30). Trump's strategy of tension. indybay.org "No one will be safe in Biden's America!" This was Donald Trump's message. The theme, for three days: Danger. Danger through crime, through China, through the supposedly radical agenda of the Democrats – and through "riots, looting, arson and violence" in the country's cities.

sputniknews (2020-09-30). Five Permanent Members of UN Security Council Ambivalent on Reforms, Says Ex-Indian Envoy. sputniknews.com India has been campaigning for a position on the UN Security Council's (UNSC) decision-making structure, while highlighting its democratic polity, demographic dividends, and contributions to the global body's operations.

sputniknews (2020-09-30). 'Not According to Harris': Biden Sets Off Meme Storm After Saying 'I'm the Democratic Party'. sputniknews.com The 29th of September saw the first presidential debate between incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, during which the two exchanged barbs over a spate of issues, including the coronavirus, healthcare, and election integrity.

sputniknews (2020-09-30). 1st Presidential Debate in US: How Trump Managed to Look 'Stronger' Than Biden in 'Slanging Match'. sputniknews.com Despite polls conducted by US mainstream media, including CNN and CBS, saying that Joe Biden came out as the winner of the first presidential debate, political analysts are not rushing to give the victory to the Democratic Party nominee.

Staff (2020-09-30). Trump's "White Supremacist Project" Was on Full Display at First Debate. truthout.org Donald Trump and Joe Biden were asked about how to address racism during the first presidential debate held in Cleveland. While Biden expressed sympathy with victims of police brutality, President Trump insisted that most violence came from left-wing groups — a false claim ignoring that the vast majority of political violence in the U.S. comes from right-wing extremists, according to the FBI and others. Trump's refusal to reckon with the issue "poses a real and grave threat to Black and Brown peop…

yenisafak (2020-09-30). Another family joins anti-YPG/PKK protest in Turkey. yenisafak.com One more family seeking their child's return joined the ongoing protest against the YPG/PKK terror group in Turkey on Wednesday.Rahime Tasci and her family traveled from the northeastern Kars province to Diyarbakir in the southeast in the hopes of somehow reuniting with her son Faruk.She said Faruk was kidnapped and taken to the mountains by the YPG/PKK and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) seven years ago, when he was just 15 years old.Tasci joined the protest outside the offices of the HDP — a party accused by the government of having links to the YPG/PKK terror group — on its 394th day.Started by…

yenisafak (2020-09-30). Turkey arrests 14 PKK terror suspects. yenisafak.com A total of 14 suspects were arrested in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir province on Wednesday over their alleged links to the PKK terror group.Security forces arrested the suspects in various raids across Diyarbakir after judicial authorities issued arrest warrants for 17 suspects, including Hatice Kocaman, a former deputy from Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). She is among the arrested.The warrants were issued as part of an investigation launched by local prosecutors, with suspects having been found to be operating for the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), the so-called legislative body of the PKK terror group.

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-09-30). 'Fascism at Our Door': Asked to Condemn White Supremacist Groups, Trump Tells Them to 'Stand By' Instead. commondreams.org "Trump fans the flames of racism, embraces white supremacy, and employs state violence against Americans exercising their rights," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren. "That's Donald Trump's America." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-09-29_at_10.24.13_pm1.png

The Nation (2020-09-30). Watch the First Presidential Debate With 'The Nation'. thenation.com Watch the First Presidential Debate With 'The Nation'

D.D. Guttenplan (2020-09-30). Will Someone Please Wake Me Up? thenation.com Will Someone Please Wake Me Up?

Staff (2020-09-29). Philly Activists Reclaim 50 Vacant Houses, Creating a Model for Organizing as Mass Evictions Loom. democracynow.org In a historic victory for unhoused people, Philadelphia city officials agreed to hand over 50 vacant homes to a community land trust, following months of organizing and protest encampments. We hear from one of the organizers and speak to Philadelphia-based Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who has written extensively about housing insecurity and says the direct actions there are applicable across the U.S. "This dynamic exists all over the country where you have both empty housing and houseless people, a completely irrational expression of what American capitalism means," Taylor says. The sustained movement in Philadelphia…

Staff (2020-09-29). Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: We Must Rethink Our Society, from Policing to the Supreme Court. democracynow.org As President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden face off in the first presidential debate in Cleveland, we speak to author and academic Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who says the multiple crises facing the United States are not getting enough attention leading up to the November election. "We're in the midst of a national reckoning about systemic racism in this country, about the way that things are governed, the way that this country functions," says Taylor, historian and contributing writer at The New Yorker. "There is such a myopia with Donald Trump that every sentence, every breath, everything that h…

RT (2020-09-29). Tulsi Gabbard believes Project Veritas' ballot-harvesting claims against fellow dem Ilhan Omar, causing left-wing backlash. rt.com Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard invoked the ire of her own base for siding with the conservative news organization Project Veritas, over claims of alleged ballot-harvesting voter fraud linked to Representative Ilhan Omar. | Gabbard tweeted on Monday that the allegations against Omar made by the investigative undercover news group were "further evidence of the need to ban ballot harvesting." | Such practice is also called 'ballot collecting' and involves third parties gathering mail-in ballots and delivering them to election officials. It is legal in some states, and is aimed at helping physically impair…

_____ (2020-09-29). Trump Was Right to End Critical Race Theory in Government, but What About Academia, the Birthplace of Anti-White Ideology? strategic-culture.org This month, the US leader instructed his government to end federal training programs that stereotype and scapegoat white people for being "inherently racist" and natural-born oppressors. While a necessary first step at combatting what is essentially another form of racism, Trump's plan falls short of addressing the problem where it matters most, at the university level. | Last week, Republicans were ecstatic as Donald Trump knocked down a major pillar of leftist woke ideology, known as 'Critical Race Theory' (CRT), which postulates that white folks, blessed from birth with an inordinate amount of 'privilege,' are…

_____ (2020-09-29). Unfounded UN Report On Venezuela Used As Regime Change Tool. popularresistance.org The United Nations Human Rights Council issued a report* by the Independent Mission to Determine the Facts in Venezuela (Independent Mission), which accuses Venezuela of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment committed since 2014." The veracity, timing, and political intent of this report is best understood in the context of a campaign led by the U.S. to overthrow Venezuela's democratically elected government of President Nicolás Maduro and before him of Hugo Chávez. | Venezuela is a historically petroleum exporting nation and has consequently suffered from the crash in the international oil prices starting in 20…

Staff (2020-09-29). After Dakota Access CEO gave $10M, Trump pushed secret pipeline permits. therealnews.com A Trump super PAC received $10 million from Kelcy Warren, CEO of the company that owns the Dakota Access pipeline. Two weeks later, Trump proposed a new program to fast-track pipeline permits in secrecy.

Staff (2020-09-29). 2020 First Presidential Debate Recap. therealnews.com After Donald Trump and Joe Biden square off for the first presidential debate, the Working Families Party's Maurice Mitchell and TRNN's Steve Horn join Jaisal Noor to discuss.

RT (2020-09-29). Progressive Democrats denounce Biden's 'shift to left' with 'Bidenomics' as nothing more than REAGANOMICS. rt.com Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's attempt to woo estranged left-leaning voters with an economic plan presented as a 21st-century New Deal has been slammed by progressive voters as too little, too late. | The Democratic challenger's economic policy, dubbed "Bidenomics" and aimed at propping up the country's ailing healthcare, education, and infrastructure with a hefty infusion of taxpayer dollars, has triggered a backlash from the Left, after a detailed explainer on it appeared in Financial Times on Monday. | The plan, which Biden earlier linked to the New Deal deployed by former president Franklin…

RT (2020-09-29). Did BoJo steal 'build back better' tagline from BIDEN? Fact checkers can relax, as BOTH repeat an old UN slogan from JAPAN. rt.com UK PM Boris Johnson promised to 'build back better' with a new education program, which prompted suggestions he swiped a tagline of US presidential candidate Joe Biden. But did both plagiarize it from somewhere else? | Speaking at the Exeter College in Devon on Tuesday, Johnson

Ronald Newman (2020-09-29). How the ACLU is Flexing its Political Muscle in the 2020 Elections. aclu.org This week, the presidential candidates will face off in their first debate of the general election. Voters will hear Donald Trump and Joe Biden talk about their views on the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, and the Supreme Court vacancy created by the untimely passing of ACLU alumna Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The ACLU and our supporters will be listening closely for how their answers relate to key civil liberties issues, including racial justice and reproductive freedom, just as we have throughout the presidential campaign., , This cycle, the ACLU has gotten involved in the presidential campaign in a serious way for…

Ted Rall (2020-09-29). Joe Biden, The Republican. counterpunch.org Past performance is no guarantee of future returns but there are few more reliable ways to predict what comes next than to examine the historical record because, most of the time, history really does repeat. What kind of president would Joe Biden be? His centrist supporters assure progressives that he will be one of them,

WSWS (2020-09-29). Jacobin magazine pleads with Biden and the Democrats to fight Trump. wsws.org One could hardly have a more inane analysis of American politics than that offered by Jacobin, which explains the unwillingness of the Democrats to oppose Trump's coup plotting as the product of "learned helplessness."

Julián Pilatti (2020-09-29). Julio López, the shadow of Etchecolatz and the new forced disappearance in democracy. peoplesdispatch.org The disappearance of Jorge Julio López is a symbol of the impunity of the remnants of the dictatorship and particularly of the Buenos Aires police, who is once again suspected of being responsible for the death of Facundo Astudillo Castro.

Roger Harris (2020-09-29). NYT Releases Sequel of Putin-the-Poisoner: the Incredulous Case of Mr. N. counterpunch.org The New York Times released sequel six in the best-selling Putin-the-Poisoner series on September 22. The incredibly gifted junior G-men and women in the Times Tower have sleuthed yet another episode of boundless evildoing by the arch-villain Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. "The editorial board," we are informed, "is a group of opinion journalists whose views are

John Whitehead (2020-09-29). Don't Be Fooled: The 2020 Election Has Already Been Decided. mintpressnews.com Voting booths have already been hijacked by a political elite comprised of Republicans and Democrats who are determined to retain power at all costs. The outcome is a foregone conclusion: the Deep State will win and "we the people" will lose.

John W. Whitehead (2020-09-29). The Election Has Already Been Hijacked and the Winner Decided: 'We the People' Lose. globalresearch.ca "Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves." ― Herbert Marcuse | Republicans and Democrats alike President Trump is convinced that

news.un (2020-09-29). WHO promises 'robust' investigation of sexual abuse allegations against workers in DR Congo. news.un.org The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, promised that any of its staff working as part of the agency's Ebola response team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) found to have been involved in sexual exploitation and abuse, would face "serious consequences, including instant dismissal."

Jamie McCal ≠lum (2020-09-29). American Workers Have Lost Control of Their Time. It's Time To Take It Back. zcomm.org Whether it's working longer hours, having no control over work schedules, or scrambling to find enough hours to pay the bills, American workers have lost control of their working time. Getting that time back is crucial—for workers' well-being, for democracy and for weakening the tyrannical power of the boss.

_____ (2020-09-29). Venezuela: Democracy Versus Blockade. popularresistance.org On December 6 there will be elections in Venezuela to elect all the deputies to the National Assembly (NA), an event of extraordinary political transcendence. But before going into that subject I will mention the elections that will be held in several Latin American countries in the coming months, all of them are very important in the dispute for our America between the right-wing and the popular forces. | On October 18, general elections in Bolivia, where Evo Morales' MAS is the favorite to win in the first round, but the big question remains whether the same oligarchic and racist group that, supported by Washin…

_____ (2020-09-29). Democracy and Judgement Are Dying in the Light. strategic-culture.org The Washington Post was first published in 1877 and is a fine newspaper in spite of its sometimes swivel-eyed intolerance of all things Russian. Its admirable

sputniknews (2020-09-29). Trump, Biden Going Head-to-Head in Cleveland: Will Debate Be Substantive, Impactful? sputniknews.com On this edition of The Critical Hour, co-hosts Dr. Wilmer Leon and Garland Nixon talk to Gary Flowers about US President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden going head-to-head on Tuesday evening in Cleveland, Ohio, at the first presidential debate.

Staff (2020-09-29). Democrats Present GOP With Yet Another Opportunity to Pass COVID Relief. truthout.org Progressive advocacy groups and labor leaders are urging Senate Republicans and the Trump White House to stop

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-09-29). Biden Campaign: "Do You Pay More or Less in Federal Income Taxes Than Our 'Billionaire' President? Use This Calculator to Find Out." commondreams.org With Trump under fire for explosive recent reporting on decades of his tax data, the former vice president also released his 2019 tax returns. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/vxe9s0e-.jpg

Joe Lauria (2020-09-29). We Deserve to Know Where Trump and Biden Stand on Factory Farming. commondreams.org Our next president must work to empower small-scale independent farmers and growers who use more humane and sustainable practices to transform and secure our food system.(Photo: KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/cows_2_1.jpg

Charles Booker (2020-09-29). Justice for Breonna Taylor. thenation.com Justice for Breonna Taylor…