2020-08-05: News Headlines

Joshua Hanks (2020-08-05). Struggle makes headway, but fight far from over in Portland, Ore. workers.org When federal officers entered Portland, Ore., over the July 4 weekend and began to confront Black Lives Matter protesters, it quickly became clear that the protesters were not going to be driven out. The presence of federal officers only galvanized protesters, who turned out by the thousands night after night. . . . |

Roy Eidelson (2020-08-05). Black Lives Matter: Resisting the Propaganda of Status Quo Defenders. counterpunch.org First came the new names—Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and others—all added one by one to the long list of tragic, unjustifiable police killings of Black Americans. Then came the batons, the pepper spray, the tear gas, the flash-grenades, the helicopters, the armored vehicles, and the rubber bullets wielded against nonviolent Black Lives Matter protesters across the United States,

RT (2020-08-05). Los Angeles DA's husband charged with ASSAULT for pointing gun at BLM protesters on his porch. rt.com The husband of Los Angeles' first black district attorney has been charged with multiple counts of assault with a firearm for pointing a gun at Black Lives Matter protesters who showed up on the couple's doorstep. | David Lacey, whose wife is LA District Attorney Jackie Lacey, has been charged with three counts of assault with a firearm, according to

RT (2020-08-05). Protesters SUE Seattle over 'expensive gear' required to confront cops, demand ban on riot control weapons. rt.com A group of protesters has sued the Seattle government, arguing that "unmitigated police violence" has imposed a monetary cost on their right to demonstrate freely, forcing them to buy expensive gear to safely confront the cops. | Filed by five plaintiffs who took part in ongoing protests in Seattle, the suit seeks a temporary restraining order barring the city's police department from wielding force and crowd control munitions on demonstrators, alleging heavy-handed police tactics have made "safe protest prohibitive," as "one needs an exceptional amount of protective gear to enjoy that freedom." | Also on rt.c…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-08-05). Apartheid or One State: Has Jordan Broken a Political Taboo? zcomm.org Since the two-state solution is no longer workable, Palestine and Israel are now left with one of two options: a protracted, racist and violent apartheid or coexistence in a modern, democratic, and secular state, for all of its people…

Staff (2020-08-04). "Release Them All": Calls Grow to Stop Jailing Immigrants as Transfers & Deportations Spread COVID. democracynow.org The U.S. government continues to hold tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants in detention centers and jails, ignoring the advice of medical experts as the coronavirus continues to spread. ICE has also continued to transfer and deport people — including those who are infected — making it a global superspreader. We speak with Luis Angel Reyes Savalza, an immigration attorney and co-director of Pangea Legal Services in San Francisco, who himself is undocumented and recently got arrested at a protest outside the mansion of California Governor Gavin Newsom demanding the release of people in sta…

Tim Libretti (2020-08-04). Is Black Lives Matter a tipping point on class inequality? peoplesworld.org The Black Lives Matter movement, in demanding that we consider how Black lives have devalued, essentially asks us to interrogate our entire system of economic and cultural values. On what basis do we assign different values to people's lives? Such a question brings us to the heart of our class society that we really tend …

RT (2020-08-04). 'Erotic mind control community has a racism problem': BLM activists go after hypnotists in latest bizarre witch hunt. rt.com As street battles between murky federal agents, Antifa and various mom'n'pop protest groups over systemic racism continue in Portland, it appears a similar, but more insidious war is underway… in the erotic mind control community. | A seemingly never-ending thread, posted to Twitter by a self-professed 30-something white woman, who is part of the ultra-niche sexual "So, I want to address something that will probably surprise no one: The…

RT (2020-08-04). Media lives matter? More assaults on US journalists in 2020 than in previous 3 years combined, says press freedom watchdog. rt.com The number of violent incidents directed at journalists has skyrocketed, according to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which said heavy-handed police tactics during BLM protests have made 2020 a uniquely dangerous year for reporters. | There have been more than 612 press freedom incidents so far this year, according to the group's July tally. The figure includes more than 87 arrests, 140 physical attacks, 143 injuries from rubber bullets or projectiles, and 76 cases where equipment was damaged. There have also been dozens of cases of journalists being teargassed or hit with pepper spray. | Latest reported aggress…

RT (2020-08-04). Tribute to xenophobia? Anti-Trump activists face backlash for 'statue' in Portland linking Putin to alleged police brutality. rt.com An activist group has unveiled a new 'statue' in Portland, Oregon which appears to connect Vladimir Putin to allegations of police brutality in the city. Isn't that a bit xenophobic? Twitter observers have asked. | The collective, known as the Trump Statue Initiative (TSI), used live actors covered in gold, and standing on top of a large pedestal, to create the impression that a new monument had been installed in the city on Monday. | Their performance art piece showed Donald Trump holding up a selfie-stick and making a thumbs-up sign as men wearing gas masks and riot gear pull a protester holding a 'BLM' plac…

Raul Diego (2020-08-04). New Reports Suggest Libyan Warlord Khalifa Haftar Is Working with Mossad. globalresearch.ca Reports of Israeli support for the Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar are nothing new, but as the apartheid state gains ground among Arab nations, the need to hide Mossad's role in the destabilizing of oil-rich Libya may be disappearing. | *** | The …

Yancy CW. (2020-08-04). Academic Medicine and Black Lives Matter—Time for Deep Listening. jamanetwork.com In the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, this Viewpoint considers the demand that academic medicine address its own structural racism, and concludes on the basis of its history, culture, role, and influence that the institution can, should, and must make racial justice a part of its work and mission.

Amanda Solliday (2020-08-04). Black Lives Matter in Small Towns, Too. progressive.org In Taylorville, a mostly white town in Illinois, a BLM protest highlights how the movement is making an impact in unlikely locations.

David Giesen (2020-08-04). Saturday 8/8: How much do Black Lives Matter? Enough to share land values? indybay.org Join Zoom Meeting | zoom.us/j/94061550597?pwd=d1hRVUxITVYwUT… | Meeting ID: 940 6155 0597 | Passcode: uuc6Gd…

Alan Macleod (2020-08-03). Report: "Woke" Corporations Supporting Black Lives Matter Quietly Funding Police. mintpressnews.com Corporations like JPMorgan Chase, Chevron and Marathon claim to support the movement for black lives, but their donations to police help "tyrannize the very communities" they claim to stand with.

Staff (2020-08-03). "They Have No Evidence": Moroccan Journalist Omar Radi Jailed, Surveilled After Criticizing Gov't. democracynow.org Award-winning journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi spoke to us from Casablanca on July 16. Two weeks later, on July 29, last Wednesday, Moroccan authorities arrested him on what press freedom advocates call "retaliatory charges." Now a court has charged Radi with undermining state security by receiving foreign funding and collaborating with foreign intelligence, and also charged him with rape. He is reportedly being held in a prison that is a COVID hot spot, and has not been allowed to have visits from his lawyer or his parents. We feature our interview with Radi, which focuses in part on an Amnesty Int…

Judy Greenspan (2020-08-03). 50 years of struggle from Black August to Black Lives Matter Movement — a WW commentary. workers.org This Aug. 7 marks the 50th anniversary of the heroic attempt by Jonathan Jackson, younger brother of George Jackson, to free three Black revolutionaries from the clutches of the California state prison system. The fact that this bold attempt failed has no bearing on its historical and revolutionary significance to . . . |

David Barber (2020-08-03). Renouncing White Privilege: A Left Critique of Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility" counterpunch.org White supremacy is not only white over black, it is also the small number of rich whites over the much larger number of poor and working class whites. In return for a guarantee that the latter group of whites will suffer the many calamities of life afflicting working people in a capitalist society less intensely and less frequently than do black people and people of color, the poor and working class whites will not challenge the rule of the rich.

Linda G. Ford (2020-08-03). Free Joy Powell! America's Political Prisoner for Fighting Police Brutality. counterpunch.org If you protest against police brutality in America, you are definitely going to get brutalized by the police. And lately, federal marshals, homeland security, ICE officers, and assorted militarized federal goons and thugs will pile on. If you led a movement against police brutality in Rochester, NY in 2006, like Rev. Joy Powell did, you

RT (2020-08-03). Chicago Dunkin' Donuts employee loses job, faces 'battery' charges after trooper finds 'thick piece of mucus' in cup. rt.com A Dunkin' employee in Chicago has been arrested on several charges, including battery to a peace officer, after he allegedly spat into a coffee cup he then gave to an unsuspecting state trooper. | The incident that cost Vincent J. Sessler, 25 his job at Dunkin' took place on Thursday evening, when a Chickago trooper decided to treat himself to a large black cup of coffee. | Also on rt.com | | When the officer was handed out the cup, the drink was…

RT (2020-08-03). Chicago Dunkin' Donuts employee loses job, faces battery charges after trooper finds 'thick piece of mucus' in cup. rt.com A Dunkin' employee in Chicago has been arrested on several charges, including battery to a peace officer, after he allegedly spat into a coffee cup he then gave to an unsuspecting state trooper. | The incident that cost Vincent J. Sessler, 25, his job at Dunkin' took place on Thursday evening, when a Chicago trooper decided to treat himself to a large cup of black coffee. | Also on rt.com | | When the officer was handed the cup, the drink was stea…

calvin deutschbein (2020-08-03). #SEIUDroptheCops makes demands. workers.org Following weeks of intensive internal organizing, research and analysis, the (Service Employees) #SEIUDropTheCops campaign — a rank-and-file-led initiative with SEIU members in locals from coast to coast and across different sectors of the economy — has released detailed demands to their International. After wide-ranging discussions on solidarity, class, class character . . . |

_____ (2020-08-03). 15 Lessons From 15 Years Of BDS. popularresistance.org July marked the 15th anniversary of the launch of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. | Much has happened over those years. Here are 15 lessons I've learned on the journey to dismantle Israeli apartheid. It is incredible how many cities and cultural spaces have declared themselves "apartheid free zones," how many companies have divested from Israeli apartheid, how many artists have decided not to play in Israel and how many academics have ended relationships with Israeli institutions as a result of BDS campaigns. | Yet it is often difficult to keep our hopes up while knowing that Israeli aparthe…

Michelle D. Holmes (2020-08-03). Black Lives Depend on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. commondreams.org "On the road to making a healthy diet accessible to everyone, the Dietary Guidelines will continue to be an invaluable tool for health professionals, federal nutrition program operators, and many families. But we are far from reaching our destination." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Unicorn Riot (2020-08-02). Humanitarian Camp Raided by Border Patrol and BORTAC, 30+ People Arrested. unicornriot.ninja Arivaca, AZ — The government ramped up its efforts to stop humanitarian workers on the U.S.-Mexico border and raided the 'No More Deaths' aid station, Byrd Camp, arresting over 30 people. | The Friday, July 31 raid featured the U.S. Border Patrol, an armored vehicle, two…

_____ (2020-08-02). Border Patrol Agents Raid No More Deaths Migrant Aid Camp. popularresistance.org The humanitarian group No More Deaths said an aid camp it operates for migrants crossing the desert was raided and then surrounded by Border Patrol agents. The group said the move as an escalation of tensions at a time when the aid they provide is vital. | Byrd Camp is located near Arivaca and serves as a medical aid site for people passing through one of the deadliest desert corridors of the borderland. | No More Deaths volunteer Emily Saunders said Border Patrol usually allows activities there to continue. But in late July, agents entered the property and arrested a migrant receiving care.

RT (2020-08-02). 'Do as they say': Minneapolis police warn people to obey criminals for their own safety as violent crime surges amid BLM protests. rt.com Embattled Minneapolis police are advising residents on survival skills amid a wave of violent crime, offering such tips as "be prepared to give up your cell phone and purse/wallet" to robbers and "do not walk alone." | "Do not argue or fight with the criminal," police said in a July 28 The Third Precinct, southeast of downtown, was one of the areas hardest hit by the protests-tur…

Fight Back (2020-08-02). Thousands march and rally in Portland. fightbacknews.org Portland, OR – Large marches rocked downtown Portland, August 1, as thousands took to the streets in defense of Black lives. Trade unionists had a visible presence in the large protests. | Many rallied in front of the federal courthouse, which is surrounded by concrete and metal barriers. | The federal courthouse has been the scene of intense clashes between protesters and federal agents sent by the Trump administration. As of midnight, police had no visible presence. | According to reports, police declared an action in the Northeast Portland neighborhood to be an 'unlawful assembly' and arrested several people.

Fight Back (2020-08-02). Large protests continue in Portland. fightbacknews.org Portland, OR — The chant of "Black lives matter!" echoed off the Federal Courthouse Friday, July 31, as nearly 3000 demonstrators assembled in downtown Portland. Federal agents and local police were not visible, but a number of protesters stated that agents remain inside the courthouse. Many rally participants were well prepared for an attack, wearing head protection and gas masks to lessen the impact of teargas and police projectiles. No clashes occurred. | The courthouse is covered with slogans and surrounded by concrete barriers topped by metal fencing. African Americans and other oppressed nationalitie…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-02). VIDEO: Protests in Germany against COVID-19 restrictions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 02 (MNA) — 18 police officers were injured during protests in Germany against the COVID-19 curbs. Several of the protesters were also arrested.

_____ (2020-08-02). 'We Are On The Cusp Of Something Great'. popularresistance.org Since the nation erupted after the May 25 police killing of George Floyd, Black organizers and community members have been working around the clock to channel mass protests into tangible victories. Nikita Mitchell, 26, is national coordinator of The Rising Majority, formed in 2017 by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition that includes Black Lives Matter. Rising Majority is led by Black people and people of color, and brings social movements together in an anti-racist, anti-capitalist Left for radical democracy.

The Canary (2020-08-02). Unnamed Conservative MP arrested after rape accusation from former parliamentary aide. thecanary.co A Conservative MP has been arrested after a former parliamentary aide accused him of rape, sexual assault and coercive control, according to reports. | The ex-minister, who's not been named, is alleged to have assaulted and raped a woman. The abuse allegedly took place during a relationship, the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday reported. | The investigation comes days after former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke was convicted at Southwark Crown Court in a separate case of sexually assaulting two women, one of them a parliamentary worker. | Released on bail: | The Metropolitan Police said it received alleg…

Lily Cooper (2020-08-01). Portland anti-racist protesters undeterred by repression. liberationnews.org For 63 days, every possible attempt to derail a people's movement in defense of Black lives has been made against protesters in Portland, Oregon. Every red-baiting, reactionary talking point has been deployed. On the ground, the Portland Police Bureau, the National Guard and three different types of federal paramilitary police have attempted to crush dissent. …

ANSWER Indiana (2020-08-01). Black Lives Matter Coalition calls for termination of 21 officers involved in 2019 drowning of Keshawn Stewart. liberationnews.org We demand an end to the war on Black America!

RT (2020-08-01). Iran says leader of US-based 'terror group' arrested in intelligence operation. rt.com Iran has nabbed the alleged ringleader of a group of Iranian exiles in California accused of carrying out terrorist attacks against the Islamic Republic, the country's ministry of intelligence announced. | The leader of Tondar (Persian for 'thunder'), identified as Jamshid Sharmahd, was captured in an intelligence operation, state media reported on Saturday. The US-based group seeks the overthrow of the Iranian government and the return of the country's monarchy that ruled the country prior to the Revolution and the fall of the Shah in 1979. | Sarmahd was apprehended while "leading armed and sabotage operation…

RT (2020-08-01). Wife arrested on suspicion of murder after Ukrainian rapper Cartwright's corpse found chopped into pieces in fridge. rt.com The wife of Ukrainian rapper Andy Cartwright, who dismembered her deceased husband and placed his body parts in their apartment fridge, has been detained on suspicion of murder. | She had Russia's Investigative Committee charged Marina Kokhal with murder and believes she killed her husband during a quarrel, although how is unknown. She then cut up the body "in order to hide the traces of the crime," investigators said. Kokhal maintains that she did not kill the artist, whose…

RT (2020-08-01). Portland man faces up to 20 years in prison after throwing explosive at federal courthouse, ID'd by vest his grandma bought him. rt.com A young man in Portland faces up to 20 years in prison on arson charges, accused of hurling a bomb at a courthouse amid ongoing police brutality protests. He was identified by a tactical vest gifted to him by his grandmother.

Tom Coburg (2020-08-01). A UK-funded contractor is providing intelligence support to Trump's protester-attacking paramilitaries. thecanary.co Paramilitary units deployed by Donald Trump to the US city of Portland, in response to Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, have been identified. Interestingly, intelligence for one of the units is handled by a multinational corporation that recently won a UK contract to manage NHS data. | Federal units identified: | Units engaging with protesters in Portland have been identified in a New York Times video. They

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-01). Enemies cannot believe Sharmahd arrested inside Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 02 (MNA) — Iran's Intelligence Minister said that some enemies do not believe that Jamshid Sharmahd, the ringleader of a terror group supported by the US, has been arrested inside Iran.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-01). Iraqi army arrests ISIL membrs in Nineveh. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 01 (MNA) — Iraqi Army has arrested some ISIL terrorists forces in Nineveh Governorate.

_____ (2020-08-01). Honestly, People In The US Couldn't Care Less About Hong Kong. popularresistance.org I just spent two weeks in the United States, investigating, analyzing the situation there. | I worked in Washington D.C., Minneapolis, where Mr. George Floyd was murdered by deranged cops, in New York City and Boston. COVID-19 was at my tail, as the states kept opening and closing, frantically. Demonstrations were shaking the country, protests against endemic racism and discrimination have been erupting in hundreds of cities and towns. | In several of my reports, I described confusion and deep contradictions, which have been devastating this, still the most powerful nation in the Western world.

Staff (2020-08-01). Mass Arrests in 2020 Echo the Brutality Endured by RNC Protesters 20 Years Ago. truthout.org Police surrounded a West Philadelphia warehouse on the afternoon of August 1, where more than 70 protesters were making puppets. Multiple Pennsylvania state police officers

yenisafak (2020-08-01). Iran arrests head of US-based anti-regime group. yenisafak.com "Jamshid Sharmahd, the ringleader of the Tondar terrorist organization, was arrested by Iranian security forces," the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said in a written statement that did not contain more details of the arrest.Tehran accuses the US-based pro-monarchy organization, known in English as Kingdom Assembly of Iran, of conducting attacks and sabotage acts in Iran, including an April 2018 terror attack in the city of Shiraz that killed 14 people and injured 215 others.Sharmahd, who was based in the US state of California, was also reportedly responsible for anti-Iran media coverage. | * Writing by Zehra Nur…

Matthew Scully (2020-07-31). The Triple Antagonist of the Police, Policing, and Policy. counterpunch.org In 1967, Chester Himes wrote, "Police brutality toward black people in the United States is of such common usage and longstanding to have attained acceptance as proper behavior." On the one hand, not much has changed. Every day we see the virulent and repressive state violence against Black Lives Matter protestors marching, occupying space, and

_____ (2020-07-31). UK Students Fighting For Universities To Cut Ties With Israeli Apartheid. popularresistance.org Apartheid Off Campus is a newly-formed student network fighting to sever the ties between UK universities and the Israeli occupation. | "University students are in a powerful position to campaign in support of Palestinians and against the structures of racism by both challenging/exposing these links and forcing their universities to divest from complicit companies, as well as making their institutions commit to being APARTHEID FREE," reads the group's website. | Research recently released by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign shows that UK universities continue to invest over $580 million in companies complicit…

_____ (2020-07-31). Korean Americans For Black Lives. popularresistance.org Liberty Park is one of the very few public green spaces left in Koreatown; the choice for 'Ktown for Black Lives' to meet here is intentional. | Organized by the neighborhood's activists and community members, the monthly gathering aims to mobilize residents against state-sanctioned violence that regularly takes the lives of Black and Brown people. Since its start in June, hundreds of 'Ktown for Black Lives' attendees have assembled on the 2.5 acres of land to participate in political education and mutual aid efforts such as the redistribution of meals and sanitary supplies. | 'Ktown for Black Lives' points to th…