Daily Archives: July 23, 2019

2019-07-23: News Headlines

teleSUR (2019-07-22). Kenyan Finance Minister Henry Rotich Arrested on Graft Charges. telesurenglish.net Kenyan Finance Minister Henry Rotich was arrested Monday on suspicion of corruption related to the construction of two dams, an unprecedented incident where a sitting minister is arrested for corruption. | Charges against Rotich stem from a police investigation into the misuse of funds in a dam project overseen by the Italian construction company CMC Di Ravenna. | Rotich denied any wrongdoing in a large newspaper advertisement in March. The company has also denied any wrongdoing. | Rotich and his co-accused face eight charges, ranging from conspiring to defraud and financial misconduct, Noordin Haji, the dir…

Staff (2019-07-22). Native Hawaiians Fight Construction of Telescope on Mauna Kea. truthout.org | | A historic indigenous resistance is unfolding on the Big Island of Hawaii, where thousands have descended on Mauna Kea, a sacred Native site, to defend it from the construction of a $1.4 billion telescope. Scientists say the Thirty Meter Telescope will help them peer into the deepest corners of space, but indigenous resisters say the construction was approved without their consent and will desecrate their sacred lands. Last week, police arrested 33 people — most of them Hawaiian elders — as…

Staff (2019-07-22). "If Not Now, When Will We Stand?" Native Hawaiians Fight Construction of Telescope on Mauna Kea. democracynow.org A historic indigenous resistance is unfolding on the Big Island of Hawaii, where thousands have descended on Mauna Kea, a sacred Native site, to defend it from the construction of a $1.4 billion telescope. Scientists say the Thirty Meter Telescope will help them peer into the deepest corners of space, but indigenous resisters say the construction was approved without their consent and will desecrate their sacred lands. Last week, police arrested 33 people—most of them Hawaiian elders—as they blocked a road to prevent work crews from reaching the site of the telescope being planned atop Mauna Kea. And…

RT (2019-07-22). US doesn't want war with Iran & UK should take care of its own ships — Pompeo. rt.com Amid rising tensions, Mike Pompeo has insisted the US doesn't want war with Iran and the UK is responsible for taking care of its own ships. The secretary of state also dismissed Tehran's claims it had arrested CIA-linked spies.

Staff (2019-07-22). Trump Expands Fast-Track Deportation Authority Across U.S. truthdig.com SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration announced Monday that it will vastly expand the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without allowing them to appear before judges, its second major policy shift on immigration in eight days. | Starting Tuesday, fast-track deportations can apply to anyone in the country illegally for less than two years. Previously, those deportations were largely limited to people arrested almost immediately after crossing the Mexican border. | Kevin McAleenan, the acting Homeland Security secretary, portrayed the nationwide extension of "expedited removal" authority as…

Andrea Germanos (2019-07-22). 'Close the camps!': Protesters march against Trump's plan to imprison migrant kids at site of Japanese, Indigenous incarceration. nationofchange.org Fort Sill was the site of one of the nation's Japanese American internment camps during World War II, decades after it was the site of imprisoned native communities.

Staff (2019-07-21). Philadelphia Activist: 'Oil Refinery Explosion Literally Rocked the Very Foundation of My Community'. therealnews.com The refinery is set to shut down after an explosion that could have killed millions, but at Netroots Nation 2019, Philly Thrive member .O says it was already negatively impacting low-income Black people who live nearby…

Nathaniel Peters (2019-07-19). Eric Garner supporters rally at killer-cop's home. workers.org Activists, revolutionaries and family members gathered at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on July 17 to march in memory of Eric Garner, the Black man choked to death 5 years ago by New York Police Department cop Daniel Panteleo. The action culminated with a visit to Panteleo's home in the . . . | Continue reading Eric Garner supporters rally at killer-cop's home at Workers.org

susan_p (2019-07-19). Venezuela: Guaido's bodyguards arrested as Barbados talks resume. greenleft.org.au Three men linked to self-declared "Interim President" Juan Guaido were arrested on July 12, while allegedly selling weapons stolen during the failed April 30 putsch. | According to Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez, Guaido's personal bodyguards Erick Sanchez and Jason Parisi, as well as Sanchez's cousin Eduardo Garcia, were detained while reportedly trying to sell five AK-103 rifles and ten ammunition packs for US$35,000. | The rifles' serial numbers allegedly matched those stolen from the Bolivarian National Guard post in Caracas' Federal Legislative Palace, where the National Assembly sits. | The governme…

Staff (2019-07-19). Headlines for July 19, 2019. democracynow.org 70 Catholics Arrested in Capitol Hill Protest of Trump's Immigration Policies, Asylum Seekers in Texas ICE Jail Launch Hunger Strike, House Democrats Grill Acting DHS Chief over Migrant Deaths and Squalid Jails, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Confronts DHS Chief over Racist & Sexist Border Patrol Posts, Trump Disavows "Send Her Home" Chant After Racist Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ilhan Omar Greeted in Minnesota with Chants of "Welcome Home", House Approves Minimum Wage Hike to $15 an Hour, Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Would Bring Overtime Pay, Union Rights, Trump to Nominate Anti-Union Lawyer Eugene Scalia as Labor S…

susan_p (2019-07-19). Pakistan: Release Ali Wazeer, Mohsin Dawar and PTM activists. greenleft.org.au On May 26, the army fired on a non-violent protest by the Pashtun Defence Movement (PTM) in Waziristan, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens. | Two PTM members of the Pakistan National Assembly, Ali Wazeer and Mohsin Dawar, who led the protest, were arrested on trumped up terrorism charges and a curfew was imposed on the region. | The curfew created a humanitarian crisis, resulting in three deaths from starvation and lack of medicine. After huge protests across Waziristan and on social media, the 11-day curfew was lifted on June 17. | Today, Wazeer and Dawar still remain in detention, charged with terro…

pip.hinman (2019-07-19). Break the link between Israeli apartheid and Australian agriculture. greenleft.org.au Most people would not be aware that two Israeli companies are the main suppliers of irrigation systems in Australia. They are potential targets for Palestine justice activists keen on expanding the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign into rural areas. | Along with the water business, FIMI/Rivulis and Netafim are deeply involved in the ongoing military oppression of Palestinians. Both companies provide military, surveillance and prison equipment to the Israeli government. | FIMI (First Israel Mezzanine Investors), which describes itself as a leader in "micro irrigation", also owns Israeli defence firm…

patrick (2019-07-19). A round-up of the #BoycottHP Global Week of Action, July 10-15. bdsmovement.net A round-up of the #BoycottHP Global Week of Action, July 10-15: UpdateGroups worldwide participated in the #BoycottHP Global Week of Action, creatively asserting the demand that HP Inc and HPE end their complicity in Israel's apartheid, military occupation and settler-colonialism against the Palestinian people | Economic Boycott Boycott HP Global BDS Week of Action Against HP

Staff (2019-07-18). Mandela Would have Turned 101 — What Has Become of his Legacy? therealnews.com South African scholar and activist Rasigan Maharajh describes South Africa as a microcosm of capitalism's world crisis in a conversation that takes us from corruption to hope. We also discuss anti-apartheid activist and singer Johnny Clegg, who died on July 16th…

Staff (2019-07-18). Nearly 100,000 in Puerto Rico Protest Demanding Gov. Rosselló Resign over Lewd Texts & Corruption. democracynow.org Close to 100,000 Puerto Ricans took to the streets Wednesday chanting "Ricky Renuncia!" as they called for the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, following the leak by Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism of hundreds of misogynistic, homophobic and violent text messages between Rosselló and members of his Cabinet. On Monday, Denis Márquez of the Puerto Rican Independence Party introduced formal complaints against the governor and called for his impeachment. All of this comes as former Education Secretary Julia Keleher and five others have been arrested on charges of steering federal money to u…

Staff (2019-07-17). "They Didn't Do Their Job": Eric Garner Family Outraged DOJ Won't Prosecute His Death by Police. democracynow.org It's been five years since Eric Garner, an African-American father of six, was killed when a white New York City police officer wrestled him to the ground and applied a fatal chokehold, while Garner, who was unarmed, said "I can't breathe" 11 times. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced they will not bring civil rights charges against Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer implicated in Garner's death. The move reportedly came after Attorney General William Barr ordered that the case be dropped. Earlier this year, a medical examiner testified that it was a chokehold that triggered an asthma attack that led to Ga…

United Nations (2019-07-17). 'Emulate his example' urges UN chief as world celebrates Nelson Mandela: a 'global advocate for dignity and equality'. un.org Nelson Mandela was an "extraordinary global advocate for dignity and equality" who anyone in public service should seek to emulate, Secretary-General António‚ÄØGuterres said in his message marking the International Day that honours the iconic anti-apartheid campaigner, and South Africa's first democratically-elected President.

Robert Mackey (2019-07-17). Kellyanne Conway's Irish Ancestors Were the Enemy When Donald Trump's Dad Was Arrested at a Klan Riot in 1927. theintercept.com Kellyanne Conway seems blissfully unaware that her own ancestors were once the target of the sort of nativist hatred that her boss is currently ginning up.

Staff (2019-07-17). Headlines for July 17, 2019. democracynow.org House Votes to Condemn Trump's Racist Tweets, Rep. Al Green Introduces Impeachment Articles, Kellyanne Conway to Reporter Asking About Trump's Racism: "What's Your Ethnicity?", Rights Groups File Lawsuits to Stop Trump's Draconian New Asylum Rule, White Police Officer Who Killed Eric Garner Will Not Face Federal Charges, Ex-Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Arrested in California over Corruption Scandal, Press Freedom Advocates Call for Release of Yemeni Journalist Yahya al-Sawari, Planned Parenthood Removes President Dr. Leana Wen over Disagreements on Direction of Org., Organizations Say They Will Not Comply…

Paul Dobson (2019-07-15). UPDATED: Venezuela: Guaido Bodyguards Arrested as Barbados Talks Resume. venezuelanalysis.com The self-declared "Interim President" claimed his men were victims of a "set up."

Fight Back (2019-07-14). Milwaukee: 'Drop the Charges' rally for student who took placard from Nazi. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – Activists rallied outside the Milwaukee County courthouse on the afternoon of July 11 to stand in solidarity with a student who was arrested and charged for taking a vulgar, racist sign away from a Nazi. | Grae Hosmanek is a freshman student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In May, she and others witnessed a racist student protesting a Jewish event on campus and gathered around to deter him from spreading hate speech and threats. The lone fascist, who called himself "Chris," was holding a sign that read "(((GAS)))" a reference to the Nazi holocaust, and another sign bearing a Nazi swastik…

Staff (2019-07-12). Headlines for July 12, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Backs Down on Adding Citizenship Question to 2020 Census, Immigrant Communities Brace for Weekend ICE Raids, Immigration Activists Disrupt Amazon Web Services Conference over ICE Ties, Salvadoran Journalist Manuel Duran Released from ICE Jail After 15 Months, New Orleans Braces for More Flooding as Tropical Storm Barry Looms, Britain Accuses Iran of Blocking Tanker's Passage Through Strait of Hormuz, Trump Threatens New Trade War as France Approves 3% Tax on Tech Giants, Jeffrey Epstein Asks for Release on Bail Ahead of Sex Trafficking Trial, R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Sex Crimes Charges, Gen. John Hyten,…

ziyaad (2019-07-05). Join the Global BDS Week of Action Against HP. bdsmovement.net Join the Global BDS Week of Action Against HP: UpdateFrom July 10th – 15th, groups from across the world are coming together to send a powerful message to HP companies, HP Inc and HP-E, demanding that they stop profiteering from Israel's apartheid, occupation and colonisation. | Boycott HPJuly 5, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

2019-07-23: Social Media Postees

"If Not Now, When Will We Stand?" Native Hawaiians Fight Construction of Telescope on Mauna Kea
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-22
A historic indigenous resistance is unfolding on the Big Island of Hawaii, where thousands have descended on Mauna Kea, a sacred Native site, to defend it from the construction of a $1.4 billion telescope. Scientists say the Thirty Meter Telescope will help them peer into the deepest corners of space, but indigenous resisters say the construction was approved without their consent and will desecrate their sacred lands. Last week, police arrested 33 people–most of them Hawaiian elders–as they blocked a road to prevent work crews from reaching the site of the telescope being planned atop Mauna Kea. And…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/22/mauna_kea…

'Close the camps!': Protesters march against Trump's plan to imprison migrant kids at site of Japanese, Indigenous incarceration
Andrea Germanos | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-22
Fort Sill was the site of one of the nation's Japanese American internment camps during World War II, decades after it was the site of imprisoned native communities.
nationofchange.org/2019/07/22/close-the-…

Kenyan Finance Minister Henry Rotich Arrested on Graft Charges
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-22
Kenyan Finance Minister Henry Rotich was arrested Monday on suspicion of corruption related to the construction of two dams, an unprecedented incident where a sitting minister is arrested for corruption. | Charges against Rotich stem from a police investigation into the misuse of funds in a dam project overseen by the Italian construction company CMC Di Ravenna. | Rotich denied any wrongdoing in a large newspaper advertisement in March. The company has also denied any wrongdoing. | Rotich and his co-accused face eight charges, ranging from conspiring to defraud and financial misconduct, Noordin Haji, the dir…
telesurenglish.net/news/Kenyan-Finance-M…

Trump Expands Fast-Track Deportation Authority Across U.S
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-07-22
SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration announced Monday that it will vastly expand the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without allowing them to appear before judges, its second major policy shift on immigration in eight days. | Starting Tuesday, fast-track deportations can apply to anyone in the country illegally for less than two years. Previously, those deportations were largely limited to people arrested almost immediately after crossing the Mexican border. | Kevin McAleenan, the acting Homeland Security secretary, portrayed the nationwide extension of "expedited removal" authority as…
truthdig.com/articles/trump-expands-fast…

US doesn't want war with Iran & UK should take care of its own ships — Pompeo
rt.com | 2019-07-22
Amid rising tensions, Mike Pompeo has insisted the US doesn't want war with Iran and the UK is responsible for taking care of its own ships. The secretary of state also dismissed Tehran's claims it had arrested CIA-linked spies. | …
rt.com/usa/464749-pompeo-iran-british-ta…

Native Hawaiians Fight Construction of Telescope on Mauna Kea
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-07-22
| A historic indigenous resistance is unfolding on the Big Island of Hawaii, where thousands have descended on Mauna Kea, a sacred Native site, to defend it from the construction of a $1.4 billion telescope. Scientists say the Thirty Meter Telescope will help them peer into the deepest corners of space, but indigenous resisters say the construction was approved without their consent and will desecrate their sacred lands. Last week, police arrested 33 people — most of them Hawaiian elders — as…
truthout.org/video/native-hawaiians-figh…

Philadelphia Activist: 'Oil Refinery Explosion Literally Rocked the Very Foundation of My Community'
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-07-21
The refinery is set to shut down after an explosion that could have killed millions, but at Netroots Nation 2019, Philly Thrive member .O says it was already negatively impacting low-income Black people who live nearby…
therealnews.com/stories/philadelphia-act…

Eric Garner supporters rally at killer-cop's home
Nathaniel Peters | workers.org | 2019-07-19
Activists, revolutionaries and family members gathered at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal on July 17 to march in memory of Eric Garner, the Black man choked to death 5 years ago by New York Police Department cop Daniel Panteleo. The action culminated with a visit to Panteleo's home in the . . . | Continue reading Eric Garner supporters rally at killer-cop's home at Workers.org
workers.org/2019/07/19/eric-garner-suppo…

Pakistan: Release Ali Wazeer, Mohsin Dawar and PTM activists
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-19
On May 26, the army fired on a non-violent protest by the Pashtun Defence Movement (PTM) in Waziristan, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens. | Two PTM members of the Pakistan National Assembly, Ali Wazeer and Mohsin Dawar, who led the protest, were arrested on trumped up terrorism charges and a curfew was imposed on the region. | The curfew created a humanitarian crisis, resulting in three deaths from starvation and lack of medicine. After huge protests across Waziristan and on social media, the 11-day curfew was lifted on June 17. | Today, Wazeer and Dawar still remain in detention, charged with terro…
greenleft.org.au/content/pakistan-release-ali-wazeer-mohsin-dawar-and-ptm-activists

Break the link between Israeli apartheid and Australian agriculture
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-19
Most people would not be aware that two Israeli companies are the main suppliers of irrigation systems in Australia. They are potential targets for Palestine justice activists keen on expanding the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign into rural areas. | Along with the water business, FIMI/Rivulis and Netafim are deeply involved in the ongoing military oppression of Palestinians. Both companies provide military, surveillance and prison equipment to the Israeli government. | FIMI (First Israel Mezzanine Investors), which describes itself as a leader in "micro irrigation", also owns Israeli defence firm…
greenleft.org.au/content/break-link-between-israeli-apartheid-and-australian-agriculture

A round-up of the #BoycottHP Global Week of Action, July 10-15
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-07-19
A round-up of the #BoycottHP Global Week of Action, July 10-15: UpdateGroups worldwide participated in the #BoycottHP Global Week of Action, creatively asserting the demand that HP Inc and HPE end their complicity in Israel's apartheid, military occupation and settler-colonialism against the Palestinian people | Economic Boycott Boycott HP Global BDS Week of Action Against HP …
bdsmovement.net/news/round-boycotthp-glo…

Venezuela: Guaido's bodyguards arrested as Barbados talks resume
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-19
Three men linked to self-declared "Interim President" Juan Guaido were arrested on July 12, while allegedly selling weapons stolen during the failed April 30 putsch. | According to Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez, Guaido's personal bodyguards Erick Sanchez and Jason Parisi, as well as Sanchez's cousin Eduardo Garcia, were detained while reportedly trying to sell five AK-103 rifles and ten ammunition packs for US$35,000. | The rifles' serial numbers allegedly matched those stolen from the Bolivarian National Guard post in Caracas' Federal Legislative Palace, where the National Assembly sits. | The governme…
greenleft.org.au/content/venezuela-guaidos-bodyguards-arrested-barbados-talks-resume

Mandela Would have Turned 101 — What Has Become of his Legacy?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-07-18
South African scholar and activist Rasigan Maharajh describes South Africa as a microcosm of capitalism's world crisis in a conversation that takes us from corruption to hope. We also discuss anti-apartheid activist and singer Johnny Clegg, who died on July 16th…
therealnews.com/stories/mandela-would-ha…

Nearly 100,000 in Puerto Rico Protest Demanding Gov. Rosselló Resign over Lewd Texts & Corruption
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-18
Close to 100,000 Puerto Ricans took to the streets Wednesday chanting "Ricky Renuncia!" as they called for the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, following the leak by Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism of hundreds of misogynistic, homophobic and violent text messages between Rosselló and members of his Cabinet. On Monday, Denis Márquez of the Puerto Rican Independence Party introduced formal complaints against the governor and called for his impeachment. All of this comes as former Education Secretary Julia Keleher and five others have been arrested on charges of steering federal money to u…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/18/seg_1_pue…

"They Didn't Do Their Job": Eric Garner Family Outraged DOJ Won't Prosecute His Death by Police
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-17
It's been five years since Eric Garner, an African-American father of six, was killed when a white New York City police officer wrestled him to the ground and applied a fatal chokehold, while Garner, who was unarmed, said "I can't breathe" 11 times. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced they will not bring civil rights charges against Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer implicated in Garner's death. The move reportedly came after Attorney General William Barr ordered that the case be dropped. Earlier this year, a medical examiner testified that it was a chokehold that triggered an asthma attack that led to Ga…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/17/eric_garn…

'Emulate his example' urges UN chief as world celebrates Nelson Mandela: a 'global advocate for dignity and equality'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-07-17
Nelson Mandela was an "extraordinary global advocate for dignity and equality" who anyone in public service should seek to emulate, Secretary-General António‚ÄØGuterres said in his message marking the International Day that honours the iconic anti-apartheid campaigner, and South Africa's first democratically-elected President.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/07/1…

Kellyanne Conway's Irish Ancestors Were the Enemy When Donald Trump's Dad Was Arrested at a Klan Riot in 1927
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-07-17
Kellyanne Conway seems blissfully unaware that her own ancestors were once the target of the sort of nativist hatred that her boss is currently ginning up.
theintercept.com/2019/07/17/kellyanne-co…

UPDATED: Venezuela: Guaido Bodyguards Arrested as Barbados Talks Resume
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2019-07-15
The self-declared "Interim President" claimed his men were victims of a "set up."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14587

Milwaukee: 'Drop the Charges' rally for student who took placard from Nazi
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-07-14
Milwaukee, WI – Activists rallied outside the Milwaukee County courthouse on the afternoon of July 11 to stand in solidarity with a student who was arrested and charged for taking a vulgar, racist sign away from a Nazi. | Grae Hosmanek is a freshman student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In May, she and others witnessed a racist student protesting a Jewish event on campus and gathered around to deter him from spreading hate speech and threats. The lone fascist, who called himself "Chris," was holding a sign that read "(((GAS)))" a reference to the Nazi holocaust, and another sign bearing a Nazi swastik…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/7/14/milwauke…

Community members say, "Justice for Jonathon Coronel" in Vista
Kalena van den Bergh | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-12
On July 6, over 90 community members gathered to stand up against police brutality and commemorate the life of Jonathon Coronel.
liberationnews.org/community-members-say…

Join the Global BDS Week of Action Against HP
ziyaad | bdsmovement.net | 2019-07-05
Join the Global BDS Week of Action Against HP: UpdateFrom July 10th – 15th, groups from across the world are coming together to send a powerful message to HP companies, HP Inc and HP-E, demanding that they stop profiteering from Israel's apartheid, occupation and colonisation. | Boycott HPJuly 5, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) …
bdsmovement.net/news/join-global-bds-wee…