Daily Archives: July 19, 2020

2020-07-19: News Headlines

Fight Back (2020-07-19). Milwaukee: Northside marches against WE Energies and for green jobs. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On July 16, Northside Rising held a rally seeking divestment from WE Energies (also known as Wisconsin Electric), a waiver of their planned moratorium on energy assistance, and investment in green, net-zero carbon jobs that are not monopolized by the company. Investing more in a climate justice plan, as well as a solution to the depletion of job opportunity for Milwaukee's Northside, would be a step in the right direction for the city's Black residents. | The rally began at the Victory Garden Park in the Harambee neighborhood. Speakers included Pastor Jonathan Barken, Supreme Moore Omukunde, Dana…

David Swanson (2020-07-19). Legislation in Congress Would Require Flying Flag With Pentagon on It. zcomm.org While war monuments are being toppled, a war flag is being raised.

Mario Carbonell (2020-07-19). The Electoral College: protecting the rich from democracy since 1787. liberationnews.org The Electoral College is designed to protect the U.S. government from excessive influence from the "unruly mob."

Dean Baker (2020-07-19). Prescription drugs & American exceptionalism. zcomm.org It would be a great thing for humanity if a low-priced coronavirus vaccine became the first example of a new prescription drug policy in America.

Laura Flanders (2020-07-19). The racist reality of who is dying of Covid-19. zcomm.org The institutionalized bias that reflects this is even more of a national shame—or it should be—than that distractor-in-chief, our president…

news.un (2020-07-19). 'My children ask me when I am coming home': stranded seafarers share their frustrations. news.un.org Hundreds of thousands of seafarers are finding themselves stranded at sea, sometimes for over a year, and with no end in sight, as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions. The uncertainty and long spells away from home are taking a heavy mental toll.

Irwin Redlener (2020-07-19). America Is on Track for $1M Covid Cases a Day and 800K Deaths. zcomm.org Until we have effective and safe medications, a proven vaccine and better testing, our best shot at getting control would be to again close many businesses and activities…

Ali Salam (2020-07-19). Palestinian Family Forced to Demolish Their Homes in East Jerusalem. imemc.org By order of the municipality of West Jerusalem, the Palestinian Abu Turki family, on Saturday, continued to self-demolish their two homes in the Jabal al-Mokabber village in occupied East Jerusalem, according to local sources. The Abu Turki family told the Wadi Hilweh Information Center (Silwanic) that they began to demolish …

Ali Salam (2020-07-19). Israeli Army Detains Palestinian Youths from Ramallah, Jerusalem. imemc.org The Israeli army, at dawn Saturday, stormed al-Jalazoun refugee camp in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and detained three Palestinian teens, the Palestinian Information Center reported. According to Asra Media Office, members of a special Israeli military unit detained three teenagers from their homes in al-Jalazoun camp. The …

Ali Salam (2020-07-19). Israeli Forces Injure Many Palestinians, Including Medic at Peaceful Demonstration Near Nablus. imemc.org Two Palestinian civilians were injured, on Saturday, and many others choked on tear-gas fired by the Israeli forces, at a nonviolent protest in the village of Beita, Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. WAFA correspondent stated that Palestinians held a demonstration, south of Nablus City in the northern occupied West Bank, …

Ali Salam (2020-07-19). Dozens of Palestinians Choke on Tear-gas in Hebron Protests. imemc.org Dozens of Palestinian youths suffered the toxic effects of tear-gas inhalation, on Saturday, when they confronted Israeli forces in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the Jerusalem Press reported. Local sources said that hundreds of Palestinian youths were protesting Israel's annexation plans, at the "Shuhada Street" military roadblock, …

Thom Hartmann (2020-07-19). The Disastrous Handling of the Pandemic Is Libertarianism in Action. zcomm.org Will Americans Finally Say Good Riddance?>

Mike Hastie (2020-07-19). Homeless in Portland, Oregon. zcomm.org Old Town Portland looks like a huge refugee settlement. I deliver lunches to 4 homeless encampments three days a week. It is like walking into a poverty war zone…

Terry Everton (2020-07-19). Burger Chef And Dan Died On The Same Day. zcomm.org If you're like most 16 year old males, there's a better than average chance that the suit inventory in your wardrobe consists of a total of one. And by suit I mean the matching sport coat and pants that was purchased on clearance from a discount warehouse that has as much chance of staying in

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). Covid-19 claims 209 lives in past 24 hours in Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — Iran's Health Ministry spokesperson announced on Sunday that in the past 24 hours the lethal coronavirus has claimed 209 lives in Iran.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). VIDEO: protest against Netanyahu. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — Police used water to disperse demonstrators around Zionist regime's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence on Saturday as protests mounted against him over alleged corruption and his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). Iran-Turkey flight canceled due COVID-19 restrictions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) —According to reports the Iranian Mahan and Qeshm airlines announced the cancellation of the flights to Turkey.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). 'Goodby Olymbic' goes to Chinese film festival. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — Iranian short 'Goodbye Olympic' directed by Mojtaba Pourbakhsh has made it into the competition program of Beijing International FICTS Festival.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). Iran sends medical aid to Iraq concurrent with Zarif's visit. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — Islamic Republic of Iran sent medical aid, as weigh as 1 ton, to neighboring Iraq concurrent with the visit of Iranian Foreign Minister's visit to Iraq.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). Iranian elite abroad cooperating with country: official. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) -An official in the vice presidency of science announced the statistics of the definite return of elites to the country, adding that "More than 8,000 Iranian elite abroad are cooperating with the country."

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). Zarif holds meeting with Iraqi officials. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Baghdad on Sunday morning to meet with Iraqi officials.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). FM Zarif, Iraqi President discuss regional, intl. issues. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iraqi President Barham Salih hold a meeting in Iraq's capital on Sunday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). Zarif, Hakim hold meeting in Baghdad. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met and held talks with Leader of the National Wisdom Movement of Iraq Seyyed Ammar al-Hakim on Sunday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-19). Hunger increases across world: FAO. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 19 (MNA) — The United Nations agencies say that the world is not on track to achieve Zero Hunger, warning if recent trends continue, the number of people affected by hunger will surpass 840 million by 2030.

Zach Conti (2020-07-19). G20 Finance Ministers Kick COVID Crisis Decisions to Fall. indybay.org Washington DC – Chaired by Saudi Arabia, G20 Finance Ministers met virtually and focused on the global health and economic impacts of the coronavirus. A communiqué issued by the Ministers suggested most decisions on the crisis will be made later in the year.

By Lynda Carson (2020-07-19). Housing wage for 2 bedroom unit is $43.06 for Oakland-Fremont area. indybay.org COVID-19 Guidance for Multifamily Residential Buildings:…

RT (2020-07-19). Florida officials admit counting MOTORCYCLE death as Covid-19 fatality, remove it from list after media scrutiny. rt.com Officials in Orange County, Florida have confirmed that a motor accident death was initially included into the coronavirus death toll. It was later struck off the list, but not until authorities were challenged by the media. | Florida Department of Health in Orange County announced on Saturday that it no longer counts the death of a man aged in his 20s in a motorcycle accident as a coronavirus fatality. | The case "was reviewed and he was taken off the list for Covid fatalities," Kent Donahue, spokesman for Orange County Health Officer Dr Raul Pino, told Fox35, which initially broke the story after perusing li…

RT (2020-07-19). Activists call for Harvard University's Board of Overseers to be renamed due to racist connotations in latest wokeness crusade. rt.com Harvard University is again caught up in controversy over a name that some students and alumni have found to be racially offensive, as an activist group is pressing the Ivy League school to rename its Board of Overseers. | The Coalition for a Diverse Harvard is taking issue with the word "overseers" because it harks back to slavery. The men hired by plantation owners to supervise and violently control slaves were called overseers. | The activist group has been urging individual members of Harvard's second-highest governing body to get rid of the word "overseers" in its name since 2017, and with anti-racism pro…

yenisafak (2020-07-19). UK's Raab says clear Uighurs in China suffered human rights abuses. yenisafak.com British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday it was clear the Uighur minority in China had suffered abuses of their human rights."It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on, which is why in Geneva at the UN we raised this with 27 partners … to call out the government of China for its human rights abuses of the Uighurs, also of Hong Kong," Raab told the BBC's The Andrew Marr Show.Beijing's ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming told the same programme that most Uighurs were living happily and that ethnic minorities in China were treated as equals.

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Turkey has suspended flights to Iran amid coronavirus outbreak. yenisafak.com Turkey has suspended flights to Iran amid a coronavirus outbreak in the Islamic Republic, a spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, Reza Jafarzadeh, said on Sunday, according to the official IRNA news agency.The suspension of flights had begun on Saturday, he said.

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Germany's Merkel warns of summit failure on EU recovery fund. yenisafak.com European Union leaders toiled in search of a coronavirus stimulus deal for a third day on Sunday but German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the mounting acrimony over the level of spending might not easily be overcome.Germany and France, the EU's powerbrokers, are seeking a deal on a 1.8 trillion euro ($2.06 trillion) economic recovery package to rescue the bloc's economies that are facing their worst recession since World War Two.Sticking points are the size of the new recovery fund and what proportion should be in grants and loans, with some "frugal" richer states led by the Netherlands pushing to limit it,…

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Pakistan's COVID-19 daily tally continues to drop. yenisafak.com Pakistan's daily coronavirus tally continued to fall, as the country recorded only 1,579 new cases over the past 24 hours, the lowest single-day sum since May, Health Ministry data said Sunday.With the new cases, the total number of infections reached 263,496, with 1,763 of them in critical condition, the data showed.Another 46 patients lost their battle against the disease across the country in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 5,568. Nearly 70% of patients, or 204,276, have recovered so far.Health experts, however, cautioned that a sharp fall in the number of COVID-19 cases could be the result of fe…

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Greek PM calls for deal on COVID stimulus, says EU cannot appear weak. yenisafak.com Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday he hoped the third day of EU leaders' summit will manage to ove…

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Blast at power plant in Iran's central Isfahan province. yenisafak.com An explosion occurred at a power plant in Iran's central Isfahan province on Sunday but there were no casualties, the official IRNA news agency reported.The blast was caused by the wear and tear of a transformer at the power plant in Islamabad, the managing director of the Isfahan power company told IRNA.There have been several explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear and industrial facilities since late June.

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Iraqis protest power outage in Karbala. yenisafak.com Hundreds of protesters shut down a power plant in Iraq's southern Karbala province on Sunday over repeated power outages.Angry protesters barred employees from entering the plant in the al-Jammaliya area in the province until their demands are met."Hours of electricity cuts have increased at a time when temperatures are very high," Yasir al-Hakim, a protester, told Anadolu Agency.Iraqis suffer shortage in power supplies, especially in camps where thousands of displaced Iraqis live.Iraq generates around 13,500 megawatts and plans to increase its capacity with an additional 3,500 megawatts this year, according to t…

yenisafak (2020-07-19). Turkish steel exporters hail US ruling against Trump. yenisafak.com A US court ruling striking down US President Donald Trump's high tariffs on steel imports from Turkey is being welcomed by Turkish exporters and experts alike.In 2018 and 2019 the Trump administration raised tariffs up to 50% on steel imports from Turkey, causing major losses for Turkish steel exporters.The US Court of International Trade last week ruled that the move was unlawful.Turkish exporters hailed the ruling, adding that they would file a claim for compensation.Ismail Gulle, head of the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM), said the court's decision was belated but right.Trump's decision to double tariffs la…

Doug Brown (2020-07-18). A Constitutional Crisis in Portland. aclu.org I've been documenting violent and militarized police responses to protests in Portland for more than four years, but nothing prepared me for the unrestrained brutality I've witnessed and experienced in recent days. , , Night after night, since the police killing of George Floyd, people have been taking to the streets to demand an end to racist policing and a new vision of public safety for our community, one that protects the safety of our Black community members. Police in Portland, who have their own history of killings, have been meeting those demands with violent attempts to silence the protests. | On Jun…

Unicorn Riot (2020-07-18). Leaks Expose Conservative Movement Funders Prince and DeVos Family Offshore Money. unicornriot.ninja Nassau, Bahamas — Former U.S. Navy SEAL and founder of Blackwater Inc., (now 'Academi') Erik Prince, and his extended family have been tied to a new batch of data leaks, revealing offshore business entities filed in the Bahamas, Unicorn Riot has found. In these leaks,…

The Canary (2020-07-18). Mayor demands that Trump remove federal police from Portland. thecanary.co The mayor of Portland has demanded that US president Donald Trump remove federal law enforcement from the city. Black Lives Matter protests have taken place in the city for nearly two months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May.Federal agents in green camouflage uniforms have reportedly arrested and detained protesters in the city. This happened after they were sent solely to protect federal property. Portland mayor Ted Wheeler told reporters: Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city.Federal officers deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal rounds into a crowd…

The Fight for $15 (2020-07-18). Monday 7/20: Bay Strike for Black Lives in Oakland. indybay.org Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster St, Oakland, CA 94609…

_____ (2020-07-18). ACLU Sues Trump Administration Over Use Of Secret Police In Portland. popularresistance.org The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon sued the Trump administration late Friday over its deployment of federal agents to Portland, where unidentified officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service have been detaining Black Lives Matter protesters without explanation and using indiscriminate force to crush demonstrations. | "This is a fight to save our democracy," Kelly Simon, interim legal director with the ACLU of Oregon, said in a statement. "Under the direction of the Trump administration, federal agents are terrorizing the community, risking lives, and bruta…

_____ (2020-07-18). Artists Install Anti-Trump Living Statues Around DC. popularresistance.org Living statues were installed around Washington, D.C. on Friday depicting President Trump as a "destroyer of civil rights and liberties." | A group of artists known as the Trump Statue Initiative is behind the installations, including one that depicts Trump holding up a Bible while Black Lives Matters protesters are beaten and another showing him telling a masked child to "go back to school" while holding a golf club. | "The concept is that the history he's painting of himself right now, where his narcissistic or racist or self-serving moments abound, this is what he's leaving us with," filmmaker Bryan Buckley to…

_____ (2020-07-18). We Reviewed Police Tactics Seen In Nearly 400 Protest Videos. popularresistance.org As protests denouncing police brutality against unarmed Black people spread to thousands of cities, it was videos of police violence — this time, directed at protesters — that went viral. Clips showed officers launching tear gas canisters at protesters' heads, shooting pepper spray from moving vehicles and firing foam bullets into crowds. | ProPublica looked at nearly 400 social media posts showing police responses to protesters and found troubling conduct by officers in at least 184 of them. In 59 videos, pepper spray and tear gas were used improperly; in a dozen others, officers used batons to strik…

_____ (2020-07-18). Cops And Their Supporters Unite To Attack BLM Counterers. popularresistance.org George Floyd's murder, along with the murders of Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and so many others, laid bare for the world how police are mandated by the state to terrorize people of color, especially Black people. The severe repression against protesters put this violence on display on a mass scale and showed the lengths the state is willing to go to keep its hold on "law and order." Yet, even as politicians, NGOs, and nonprofits try desperately to co-opt and pacify the movement, the most leftward expression of protesters' demands — from defunding and disbanding police departments to abolishing police a…

RT (2020-07-18). 'White penises jeopardize your melanin': Boston BLM leader and Democrat organizer unleashes RACE MIXING tirade against opponent. rt.com A video of BLM campaigner Monica Cannon-Grant, who's been honored by Democrats in Boston, shows her unleashing a racist rant against a black Republican politician, telling her to shut up because she "rides white penises." | Cannon-Grant's work on the Black Lives Matter cause has seen her honored by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy, and even former presidential candidate

RT (2020-07-18). 'Jesus matters!' WATCH Christian activist dump paint on de Blasio's 'Black Lives Matter' mural in New York. rt.com Police dragged away Christian activist Bevelyn Beatty after she dumped a tin of paint on the 'Black Lives Matter' mural on New York's Fifth Avenue. All week, activists have been dropping paint on the controversial mural. | Beatty is a black, conservative, Christian activist, and is no stranger to controversy. She's taken to the streets in Seattle to

RT (2020-07-18). Leader of radical black-only militia NFAC 'believes in violence' & wants a real-life Wakanda for every black person in America. rt.com NFAC, the masked, armed black militia that recently marched through a park in Georgia, deems violence and killing an acceptable response to oppression. Their end goal is to break away from the US as their own black-only nation. | The NFAC (Not F*cking Around Coalition) grabbed plenty of attention on social media with a high-profile public debut on July 4. The sight of an all-black militia, clutching rifles and handguns, marching in the heartland of the Ku Klux Klan at Stone Mountain caused plenty of ripples. | But very little is known about them, despite a frenzy of speculation. It's not even clear when they w…

Staff (2020-07-18). George Yancy: To Be Black in the US Is to Have a Knee Against Your Neck Each Day. truthout.org What drives the current rift between white and Black America, and how as individuals can we effectively contribute to the fight against the worldmaking of whiteness? | Philosopher

Fight Back (2020-07-18). The $600 is essential for the unemployed, extend FPUC now! fightbacknews.org San José, CA – In less than two weeks the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation or FPUC, which provides an extra $600 a week to those who are unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will end. The FPUC was part of CARES act passed back in March as disaster relief as the pandemic began to ravage the U.S. economy. | In addition to the $600 a week in extra unemployment benefits, another part of the CARES act protecting tenants is about to expire. There has been an eviction ban on all apartment buildings that are part of federal assistance programs, or whose landlords have federally insured mortgages. These…

RT (2020-07-18). CBP says Portland protester in viral 'kidnapping' clip was assault & vandalism suspect, denies officers wore no insignia. rt.com The US Customs and Border Protection agency has taken credit for a Portland protester's hot-button arrest this week, saying the man was a criminal suspect, while refuting claims he was 'kidnapped' by agents wearing no insignia. | The CBP sought to address the incident in a statement on Friday, noting that the protester arrested one day prior was suspected of vandalism and attacks on agents amid anti-police brutality demonstrations, which it said were organized by "violent anarchists." | "CBP agents had information indicating the person… was suspected of assaults against federal agents or destruction of feder…

Andre Vltchek (2020-07-18). U.K. and Hong Kong: Mutually Reinforced Ignorance. dissidentvoice.org Three years ago, I visited Old Supreme Court Building in Hong Kong, also known as The Court of Final Appeal, together with my friend, an Afghan-British lawyer, who was on a personal mission of 're-discovering Asia.' Coming from a prominent, highly educated family in Afghanistan, my friend was extremely well aware that both the United …

Naomi Klein (2020-07-18). Naomi Klein on Juice Podcast. zcomm.org Interview on the lessons we're learning during this historic period, Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign, and why the liberals are going to get us all killed…

Inés M. Pousadela (2020-07-18). Stories from the youth climate movement in the Global South. nationofchange.org Young people who had mobilized for the climate across the world in 2019 were right: Much environmental damage is the result of human action, and as such, can also be reversed through human initiative.

Jeremy Loffredo (2020-07-18). Why the Bill Gates Global Health Empire Promises More Empire and Less Public Health. Gates Foundation Owns the WHO! globalresearch.ca Behind a veil of corporate media PR, the Gates Foundation has served as a vehicle for Western capital while exploiting the Global South as a human laboratory. The coronavirus pandemic is likely to intensify this disturbing agenda. | *** | President Donald …

Dr. Jack Rasmus (2020-07-18). What Lies Ahead: Permanent Job Losses, Poverty in America, Financial and Political Instability. globalresearch.ca On July 6, 2020 I posted my extended view and analysis why the 3rd quarter US GDP would falter—and lead to a W-shape recovery, as it typical of all Great Recessions. The current recession's scenario was compared with 1929-30 and …

Lawrence Wittner (2020-07-18). Making America Feared Again: The Trump Administration Considers Resuming Nuclear Weapons Testing. commondreams.org "The Trump administration now seems to be preparing to ignore treaty constraints and world opinion by reviving nuclear weapons explosions," writes Lawrence Wittner. (Photo: U.S. Department of Defense) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2020-07-18). Climate Crisis: Biden Climate Plan Will 'Double Down' On Oil; Dakota Access Lives On. therealnews.com Joe Biden released his climate policy plan, Trump attacks a bedrock environmental law, and an appellate court says oil can still flow through the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-18). COVID-19: Rot exposed by pandemic augurs a future of fear. mronline.org Vijay Prashad raises deep questions about the exhaustion of the global capitalist system in a time of great human suffering.

Eds. (2020-07-18). Call for investigations into federal operatives in Portland. mronline.org "The jarring reports of federal law enforcement officers grabbing peaceful protestors off the street should alarm every single American. This is not the way a government operates in a functioning democracy."

Eds. (2020-07-18). 1978: Ernest Mandel — Rosa Luxemburg and political economy. mronline.org The Accumulation of Capital was published in 1913, and it was probably only after completing her magnum opus that Luxemburg resumed writing her Introduction to Political Economy. Interrupted once again, now by the outbreak of war, she continued to work on the Introduction during her stay in prison in Wronke, in the German province of …

RT (2020-07-18). Dem off the deep end? Former DNC chairman Dean calls for ARREST & JAIL TIME for DHS chief amid Portland riots. rt.com In the competition among prominent Democrats to see who can show the most outrage over the role of federal law enforcement in trying to help quell anarchist riots in Portland, former party chairman Howard Dean may be the winner. | After Oregon's largest city was subjected to its 50th straight night of violent unrest, Dean focused his ire on acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief Chad Wolf. "This guy needs to be arrested, prosecuted and, if convicted, imprisoned for a very long time," Dean tweeted on Saturday. | This guy needs to be arrested, prosecuted, and if convicted, imprisoned for a very long…

RT (2020-07-18). Thousands join fresh rally in Russia's Khabarovsk over arrested governor Furgal (PHOTOS, VIDEO). rt.com An unsanctioned large-scale rally has taken place in Khabarovsk, the largest city in Russia's Far East. Crowds again took to the streets of downtown to protest the detention of Governor Sergey Furgal on contract-murder charges. | Furgal, a highly popular local politician and member of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of orchestrating the murder of business rivals back in the 2000s. Shortly after he was detained and transferred to Moscow to face official charges, several massive rallies rocked Khabarovsk, a city of more than 600,000 people. | This Saturday, p…

The Canary (2020-07-18). Boris Johnson to reward people who backed Brexit with life peerages. thecanary.co Boris Johnson is to mark his first year in Downing Street by rewarding Brexit supporters with life peerages, it has been reported.Former England cricketer Ian Botham is among 30 new peers to be announced later this month, according to the Times. The list is also said to include four ex-Labour MPs — including Frank Field and Gisela Stuart — who both supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum.Botham publicly supported the Brexit campaign, appearing alongside Johnson before the referendum.Rewards and peace offerings: There will be peerages also for MPs and former Labour members Ian Austin and John Wood…

RT (2020-07-18). Portland police 'retreat' after standoff with NAKED female protester (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Police officers in Portland, Oregon were caught off guard after being approached by a nude female demonstrator, who lay down in the street and began performing yoga. The cops were then filmed "withdrawing." | A woman wearing nothing except a mask and a beanie approached a group of officers clearing out the downtown area in the early hours of Saturday. A line of police and federal agents were standing at an intersection when the naked woman seemingly appeared out of nowhere. | "Naked Athena appeared and the little boys didn't know what to do," joked Donovan Farley, a reporter on the ground who documented the ri…

RT (2020-07-18). Four German soldiers probed for links to Turkey's shadowy ultranationalist Grey Wolves group — media. rt.com The German army's counterintelligence service, MAD, is investigating four suspected followers of the Grey Wolves, a far-right, pan-Turkist youth organization the members of which were allegedly trained for urban guerilla warfare both at home and abroad. That's according to Germany's ARD broadcaster, citing a confidential government The document also reportedly discussed the supposed ties between the Grey Wolves' German branch…

RT (2020-07-18). France, Germany & Italy threaten 'sanctions' against countries that interfere in Libya. rt.com Paris, Berlin and Rome have urged foreign powers to respect the UN Security Council arms embargo on Libya or face repercussions, in a joint statement issued by the EU leaders. | "We are ready to consider the possible use of sanctions should breaches to the embargo at sea, on land or in the air continue," France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned. | Oil-rich Libya has been in turmoil since 2011, when a NATO bombing campaign ousted long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the country is now being run by two rivaling governments. | In rece…

RT (2020-07-18). London police threaten RAVE RAIDS after officers attacked at illegal block party in Hackney (VIDEOS). rt.com London's Metropolitan Police have warned would-be ravers that officers will be deployed to shut down illegal music events across the city. The threat comes after officers were attacked at an illegal block party in Hackney. | "I urge anyone considering attending an event like this to re-think their plans," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi warned on Saturday. "Officers will be out across London, closing these events down, and they will arrest anyone suspected of criminal offenses." | Gatherings of more than six people are still banned in the UK, but it was one particular noise complaint that prompted D'

RT (2020-07-18). Alien hunter claims UFO was captured on Google Maps hovering over New Zealand beach (POLL). rt.com UFO hunters believe they finally have proof that Earth has been visited by alien crafts after a peculiar pattern was spotted hovering over a beach in New Zealand on Google Maps' street view. | The supposed unidentified flying object appears to be suspended in the air over St Kilda beach on New Zealand's South Island in the Google 360-degree image. The photo was uploaded by a user named David Newstead all the way back in 2014, but it shot to prominence this week after self-proclaimed alien-hunting expert Scott Waring posted a video about it on Friday. | "The UFO looks like a fat disc, thicker in the upper and l…

_____ (2020-07-18). 'Putin Hacked Our Coronavirus Vaccine' Is the Dumbest Story Yet. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Today mainstream media is reporting what is arguably the single dumbest Russiavape story of all time, against some very stiff competition. | "Russian hackers are targeting health care organizations in the West in an attempt to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the U.S. and Britain said," "Hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world, Britain's National Cyber…

The Canary (2020-07-18). Scientists warn PM that returning to normal in time for Christmas 'is going to be difficult'. thecanary.co Boris Johnson will struggle to deliver his vision of a "significant return to normality" in time for Christmas, leading scientists have warned.The prime minister signalled another significant easing of coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown restrictions in England on Friday 17 July, relaxing work-from-home guidance and paving the way for theatres and sports stadiums to reopen.At a No 10 press conference, he said it was his "strong and sincere hope" that ministers would be able to review the remaining restrictions from November onwards, "possibly in time for Christmas"."It is going to be tough": However, Mark Walp…

Reese Erlich (2020-07-18). Russia Bounty Story Falls Flat. commondreams.org The U.S. occupation of Afghanistan has killed over 100,000 civilians. Here, refugee children in Kabul. (Photo: Reese Erlich) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

WSWS Repost (2020-07-18). SEP candidates respond to California state officials in ballot access lawsuit. indybay.org Joseph Kishore and Norissa Santa Cruz respond to California officials who would have Socialist Equality Party (SEP) signature gatherers run a deadly COVID-19 "minefield" to gain them ballot access in November. In federal court they argued that putting the signature gatherers and the public at risk during the pandemic is unconstitutional and unacceptable.

Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal (2020-07-18). Indictment against the State of Israel on Charges of War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, Genocide. globalresearch.ca The State of Israel was charged on 20 November 2013 with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. | The procedure was initiated by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission under the helm of the former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun …

yenisafak (2020-07-18). Israel 'relieved' as ICC adjourns war crimes probe. yenisafak.com The Israeli government breathed a sigh of relief after a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to adjourn without opening an investigation against Tel Aviv over possible war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to Israeli media.The ICC pre-trial was supposed to assess if the court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, has the authority to open an investigation into war crimes by Israel along with defining the territorial boundaries within which the investigation will take place.In May, Bensouda said that there is a basis to launch an investigation into war crimes committe…

Sam Pizzigati (2020-07-18). Will the Biden-Sanders Economic Task Force Report Rattle the Rich? zcomm.org Wish-lists of progressive public policies never change the world. But they sometimes do excite the people who can…

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2020-07-18). 'Hundreds of billions' of EU coronavirus aid could become an easy target for criminals. But problems with aid don't end there. thecanary.co EU leaders are Estimates

WSWS (2020-07-18). New delivery workers demonstration in Brazil exposes unions and their allies. wsws.org After a massive continent-wide strike on July 1, delivery workers in Brazil are being told to place their fate in the hands of the unions and Congress.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Brazil surpasses two million coronavirus cases as reopening drive continues. wsws.org "We cannot continue suffocating the economy," President Jair Bolsonaro said, as Brazil suffered the highest single day death toll in the world.

WSWS (2020-07-18). New Zealand's opposition National Party in turmoil after another leadership change. wsws.org The National Party, which supports stronger business links with China, has been thrown into chaos by the escalating US-led preparations for war.

Richard Horton (2020-07-18). [Comment] Offline: COVID-19 and the dangers of Sinophobia. thelancet.com One of the most productive experiences editors at The Lancet have had during the past 6 months has been the intense collaborations with medical and public health scientists in mainland China and Hong Kong. Cooperation began early in the pandemic. During the last week of January, The Lancet published five research papers from mainland China and Hong Kong describing the clinical presentation of patients with COVID-19, human-to-human transmission, genomic relatedness to the SARS coronavirus, and the risks of a global pandemic.

WSWS (2020-07-18). US escalates economic warfare against Russia and China. wsws.org After securing a decision by the UK government to ban the Chinese firm Huawei from its 5G rollout, the US is pressuring the Merkel government in Germany to take the same decision.

WSWS (2020-07-18). US moving to ban China-based TikTok social media app. wsws.org There is bipartisan support in Congress for the Trump administration's aggressive efforts against the Chinese app.

Robert Hunziker (2020-07-18). The Sky Is Falling: Yes? No? dissidentvoice.org The sky is falling is one of the more disturbing thoughts in society today, as to whether climate change is on a fast track collision course with doomsday amidst a collapsing society. In that regard, according to the details of a scathing review by ScientistsWarning.org ("SW") of Jem Bendell's wildly popular "Deep Adaptation" the answer …

news.un (2020-07-18). FROM THE FIELD: Frontline resilience in Somalia. news.un.org One hundred thousand households in Somaliland in northwest Somalia have better access to water, protecting them not just from the ravages of climate change but also against the spread of COVID-19, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme.

Caleb Castaneda (2020-07-18). 'Welcome to Typhoid Mary Middle School': Why an Educator and Dad Thinks Reopening Our Schools Is a Non-Starter. commondreams.org Children in an elementary school class wear masks and sit as desks spaced apart as per coronavirus guidelines during summer school sessions at Happy Day School in Monterey Park, California on July 9, 2020. (Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Robbie Goldstein (2020-07-18). We Need Healthcare Professionals in Washington to Fight Back Against a Reckless President. commondreams.org Members of National Nurses United, the largest nurses union in the United States, protest in front of the White House April 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Democracy Now! (2020-07-18). U.S.-Backed Saudi Bombing in Yemen Continues as Coronavirus Spreads. dissidentvoice.org As the coronavirus spreads in Yemen, where the population already devastated by the world's worst humanitarian crisis faces growing hunger and aid shortages, the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition continues to drop bombs in the country. We speak to Yemeni scholar Shireen Al-Adeimi, who calls the ongoing crisis "Trump's war." "We're seeing death rates that are just …

Dara Lind (2020-07-18). Hospitals are suddenly short of young doctors—because of Trump's visa ban. nationofchange.org Doctors treating coronavirus patients were supposed to be allowed into the U.S. But hundreds of young doctors have their visas put on hold indefinitely.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Australian medical experts call for workplace and school shutdowns as Victoria's COVID-19 surge escalates. wsws.org Despite the highest spike in Australian coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, the Victorian Labor government has implemented a "lockdown" that leaves schools and most workplaces open.

Lyudmila Nepomnyashchiy, Bernice Dahn, Rachel Saykpah, Mallika Raghavan (2020-07-18). [Comment] COVID-19: Africa needs unprecedented attention to strengthen community health systems. thelancet.com As the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Liberia, in March, 2020, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,1 among others,2 highlighted the need to adopt lessons learned from the response to the 2014—16 outbreak of Ebola virus disease in west Africa. Ebola claimed about 11‚Äà300 lives in 21 months across Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.3 Comparisons to Ebola benefit from remembering the key differences between the two viruses. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory virus and is infectious among asymptomatic carriers.

WSWS (2020-07-18). US hits record 74,987 new daily COVID-19 cases. wsws.org The number of daily new cases in the United States has tripled from a month ago amid a massive resurgence of the pandemic.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Destruction of full-time jobs intensifies in Australia. wsws.org Governments and employers are working with the trade unions to exploit the COVID-19 catastrophe to accelerate the casualisation of the workforce.

Harry Rutter, Richard Horton, Theresa M Marteau (2020-07-18). [Comment] The Lancet—Chatham House Commission on improving population health post COVID-19. thelancet.com The health of populations across the planet is in a perilous state during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 550‚Äà000 deaths worldwide as of July 10, 2020.1 The disease burden is falling mainly on the most disadvantaged groups worldwide and there are major impacts on health systems across high, middle, and low-income countries. In parallel with these direct health impacts, the economic effects of lockdowns are leading to an unprecedented global recession which will have ramifications well into the future.

Esther Choo (2020-07-18). [Perspectives] Seven things organisations should be doing to combat racism. thelancet.com In the USA, the racial disparities in COVID-19 health outcomes collided with national conversations about racism sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. These events stimulated many organisations, including health-care institutions, to scramble to vocalise their stances on racial equity. The coming years will show if these statements translate into fundamental, lasting change. There are seven actions I hope to see from health-care organisations committed to addressing structural racism and building equitable environments.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Build rank-and-file safety committees at every workplace to save lives! wsws.org The number of COVID-19 infections is rising all across the US, and emergency action has to be taken.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Australia: Hundreds of health workers in Victoria contract COVID-19. wsws.org A national survey of 500 healthcare workers found that half were experiencing PPE shortages and some were having to source their own supplies.

WSWS (2020-07-18). COVID-19 spread accelerates across Europe as EU summit opens. wsws.org The back-to-work policy implemented by governments and trade unions across Europe since lock-downs ended in May is leading to a collapse of social distancing.

The Lancet (2020-07-18). [Editorial] No more normal. thelancet.com Do you long for a return to normal after COVID-19?

Nicole Hassoun (2020-07-18). Putting ethics before profits. zcomm.org Ending the pandemic will take global access to COVID-19 treatment and vaccines…

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (2020-07-18). A Multi-Racial Coalition Is Necessary For This Moment. zcomm.org Interview on seizing this moment with a broad-based, multi-racial movement to change an 'impoverished democracy.'

Kit Knightly (2020-07-18). The "Russian Vaccine Hack" Is a 3-for-1 Deal on Propaganda. globalresearch.ca The Guardian, and all the other predictable voices, are currently reporting that Russian At this stage they offer no substantiation, but it does serve as good …

Ali Salam (2020-07-18). 8 Palestinians Detained by Israeli Forces, All Former Detainees. imemc.org Israeli forces, Thursday evening, detained a Palestinian astro-physicist at the entrance of Anata town, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, said Palestinian WAFA News Agency correspondent. He reported that Israeli soldiers ordered Imad Barghouthi, 56, an astrophysics professor at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem, out of his vehicle at the entrance …

Ali Salam (2020-07-18). Several Palestinians Suffocate at Kufur Qaddoum, Nablus and Salfit Protests. imemc.org Three major demonstrations were held by Palestinians, on Friday, to express their objection to Israel's continued colonial settlement activities in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces opened fire, on Friday afternoon, towards Palestinians during a peaceful protest north of Nablus city, in Asira Ash-Shamaliyya town, northern West Bank, according to …

Meletios Dimopoulos, Hang Quach, Maria-Victoria Mateos, Ola Landgren, Xavier Leleu, David Siegel, Katja Weisel, Hui Yang, Zandra Klippel, Anita Zahlten-Kumeli, Saad Z Usmani (2020-07-18). [Articles] Carfilzomib, dexamethasone, and daratumumab versus carfilzomib and dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (CANDOR): results from a randomised, multicentre, open-label, phase 3 study. thelancet.com KdD significantly prolonged progression-free survival versus Kd in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma and was associated with a favourable benefit—risk profile.

Ian Roberts, Haleema Shakur-Still (2020-07-18). [Correspondence] Tranexamic acid for traumatic brain injury — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank the many correspondents for their comments about the CRASH-3 trial.1…

Nicolien J Schepers, Nora D L Hallensleben, Marc G Besselink, Marie-Paule G F Anten, Thomas L Bollen, David W da Costa, Foke van Delft, Sven M van Dijk, Hendrik M van Dullemen, Marcel G W Dijkgraaf, Casper H J van Eijck, G Willemien Erkelens, Nicole S Erler, Paul Fockens, Erwin J M van Geenen, Janneke van Grinsven, Robbert A Hollemans, Jeanin E van Hooft, Rene W M van der Hulst, Jeroen M Jansen, Frank J G M Kubben, Sjoerd D Kuiken, Robert J F Laheij, Rutger Quispel, Rogier J J de Ridder, Marno C M Rijk, Tessa E H Rà∂mkens, Carola H M Ruigrok, Erik J Schoon, Matthijs P Schwartz, Xavier J N M Smeets, B W Marcel Spanier, Adriaan C I T L Tan, Willem J Thijs, Robin Timmer, Niels G Venneman, Robert C Verdonk, Frank P Vleggaar, Wim van de Vrie, Ben J Witteman, Hjalmar C van Santvoort, Olaf J Bakker, Marco J Bruno, Dutch Pancreatitis Study Group (2020-07-18). [Articles] Urgent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with sphincterotomy versus conservative treatment in predicted severe acute gallstone pancreatitis (APEC): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. thelancet.com In patients with predicted severe gallstone pancreatitis but without cholangitis, urgent ERCP with sphincterotomy did not reduce the composite endpoint of major complications or mortality, compared with conservative treatment. Our findings support a conservative strategy in patients with predicted severe acute gallstone pancreatitis with an ERCP indicated only in patients with cholangitis or persistent cholestasis.

Alparslan Turan, Andra Duncan, Steve Leung, Nika Karimi, Jonathan Fang, Guangmei Mao, Jennifer Hargrave, Marc Gillinov, Carlos Trombetta, Sabry Ayad, Manal Hassan, Andrew Feider, Kimberly Howard-Quijano, Kurt Ruetzler, Daniel I Sessler, DECADE Study Group (2020-07-18). [Articles] Dexmedetomidine for reduction of atrial fibrillation and delirium after cardiac surgery (DECADE): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. thelancet.com Dexmedetomidine infusion, initiated at anaesthetic induction and continued for 24 h, did not decrease postoperative atrial arrhythmias or delirium in patients recovering from cardiac surgery. Dexmedetomidine should not be infused to reduce atrial fibrillation or delirium in patients having cardiac surgery.

Federico Bilotta, Francesco Pugliese (2020-07-18). [Comment] The evolving clinical use of dexmedetomidine. thelancet.com In patients having cardiac and non-cardiac surgery, new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation and postoperative delirium have been associated with several adverse long-term outcomes, including increased cardiovascular, renal, and cerebral complications, worsened postoperative cognitive function, increased mortality, longer length of stay in hospital, and increased medical costs.1—3 Identifying effective therapies and modifiable factors that might reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation and postoperative delirium is paramount.

Raija Silvennoinen, Caroline A Heckman (2020-07-18). [Comment] A candid view of CANDOR. thelancet.com Investigations into new myeloma therapies have included combinations of up to four drugs containing a proteasome inhibitor, immunomodulating agent, monoclonal antibody, and dexamethasone.1,2 However, increasing efficacy requires careful balance with toxicity. In The Lancet, Meletios Dimopoulos and colleagues3 report the initial results of the randomised, phase 3 CANDOR study, investigating a three-drug combination excluding an immunomodulator; carfilzomib, daratumumab, and dexamethasone (KdD) was compared with carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd) for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had rec…

Yoshiko Iwai, Zahra H Khan, Sayantani DasGupta (2020-07-18). [Perspectives] Abolition medicine. thelancet.com Who do you serve, who do you protect? Doctors and nurses are not soldiers. Antibiotics are not bombs, hospitals are not the front lines, hard-working medical trainees are not "gunners", and neither disease nor patients are "the enemy". Militarised language valorises aggression and violence in medical training and the clinical encounter while obfuscating the loyalties of health workers who serve and protect individuals and communities in need.

Geoff Watts (2020-07-18). [Obituary] Bertram S Brown. thelancet.com Influential leader in US mental health. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, USA, on Jan 28, 1931, and died of cardiovascular disease in Bala Cynwyd, PA, USA, on May 14, 2020, aged 89 years.

Ann Danaiya Usher (2020-07-18). [World Report] New funds proposed to prevent pandemics. thelancet.com A new fund to prevent future pandemics has been proposed by the US Senate, and another by the World Bank. But some global health leaders have criticised the plans. Ann Danaiya Usher reports.

Antoine Dugast, Nathan Judais, Faith Nganyi, Huangjin Zhang (2020-07-18). [Correspondence] Tackling corruption in global health. thelancet.com The fight against corruption, which is defined by the global anti-corruption body, Transparency International, as "an abuse of entrusted power for private gain", is a transversal theme of the Sustainable Development Goals that the UN member states aim to achieve by 2030. The health sector is highly affected by corruption, for reasons including the increasing demand for health services, the amount of public money spent on these services, and the consider ≠able scale and complexity of this sector, which has led to information asymmetry and entry barriers to accessing health care.

Angelos G Kolias, Daniel Horner, David K Menon, Mark Wilson, Peter J Hutchinson (2020-07-18). [Correspondence] Tranexamic acid for traumatic brain injury. thelancet.com We congratulate the CRASH-3 trial collaborators for completing their trial of tranexamic acid for patients with traumatic brain injury.1 Because the primary analysis is neutral (ie, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected), we think that the following points should be addressed to ensure the most appropriate implementation of tranexamic acid administration into traumatic brain injury guidelines, which we support.

Talha Burki (2020-07-18). [World Report] Cumberlege Review slams health care in England. thelancet.com The Review describes a culture of denial, institutional resistance to responding to safety concerns, and an absence of accountability. Talha Burki reports.

Andrew Emett (2020-07-18). Former police officer charged with murder after using chokehold on video. nationofchange.org Initially charged with manslaughter and fired from the police department, the officer was recently hit with a murder charge after a new prosecutor reviewed the case.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Johnson's return-to-work speech: UK ruling class opts for mass murder. wsws.org Johnson's homicidal plans to end home working and lift public transportation restrictions reveal a financial oligarchy hell-bent on driving millions back to work no matter what the cost in human life.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Nearly 650,000 jobs lost in UK during pandemic, with much worse to come. wsws.org The collapse in the number of workers in employment takes place along with a drastic fall in hours for those remaining in a job, and a fall in wages.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Michigan teen sent to juvenile detention for failing to do her homework. wsws.org Amid the chaotic transition to online learning during the pandemic, a teenage girl has been taken into criminal custody for "failure to submit any schoolwork."

teleSUR (2020-07-18). US: Trump Sends Undercover Police to Quell Portland's Protests. telesurenglish.net U.S. Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Thursday denounced that President Donald Trump has deployed federal agents in Portland, Oregon, dressed in camouflage but without any visible insignia, to round up and detain U.S. citizens. | RELATED: | "Multiple videos released on digital platforms show federal officials approaching people, arresting them and leaving without any explanation to justify the arrest," OPB said in a statement. | Since at least July 14, officials have dr…

WSWS (2020-07-18). Armenia-Azerbaijan border clashes threaten broader war in Caucasus. wsws.org The fighting threatens to escalate into a direct clash between the two Caucasian republics' main allies, Russia and Turkey.

WSWS (2020-07-18). Hawaii officials push unsafe reopening of schools despite outcry by educators and parents. wsws.org The reopening of the schools, along with the the lifting of travel restrictions in Hawaii, will greatly exacerbate the spread of the virus throughout the islands.

WSWS (2020-07-18). US pushes fabricated claims of Russian hacking of virus research. wsws.org The United States is most nakedly pursuing a nationalistic course, aimed at enriching American oligarchs and deploying the vaccine not as a means to save lives, but as a weapon against countries in the crosshairs of US imperialism.

WSWS (2020-07-18). #Anne Frank Parallel Stories: The young victim of the Nazis. wsws.org #Anne Frank Parallel Stories is a documentary streaming on Netflix that retraces the life of Anne Frank, as well as five living women who survived the Nazi concentration camps in World War II.

Jonathan Cook (2020-07-18). Liberal Zionism begins the Journey Towards a One-State Solution. dissidentvoice.org Peter Beinart, an influential liberal commentator on Israel and Zionism, poked a very large stick into a hornets' nest this month by admitting he had finally abandoned his long-cherished commitment to a two-state solution. Variously described as the "pope of liberal Zionism" and a "bellwether for the American Jewish community", Beinart broke ranks in two …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-18). Unions thwart liquidation of South African Airways. peoplesdispatch.org The decision of stakeholders to approve a rescue plan for the crisis-ridden South African Airways ensures that it will not get liquidated as was feared earlier. Unions fought a long battle to prevent liquidation…

yenisafak (2020-07-18). US swoops down on Portland protesters after Trump order to protect monuments. yenisafak.com Federal law enforcement officers are cracking down on protesters in Portland, Oregon, under the Trump administration's new executive order to protect U.S. monuments in what the state's Democratic governor has called "political theater."Multiple videos posted online show camouflage-clad officers without clear identification badges using force and unmarked vehicles to transport arrested protesters."It's kidnapping people!" one person said off-camera, as officers marched a protester away.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokeswoman said on Friday agents had been deployed to Portland to support a newly laun…

_____ (2020-07-18). Assange's Father Speaks Out. popularresistance.org Well we fight against the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States, and to a certain extent Australia. They have marshaled all of their forces and broken every law in human rights and due process in order to send Julian to the United States and destroy him. | Before our eyes, we have watched the gradual murder of Julian through psychological torture, through ceaseless breaking of procedures and due process. So that is what we fight against. | During the latest hearing, the judge Barrett asked Julian to prove that he was unwell, that he didn't come onto the video. So again, we see a process that we witness over a…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Sixth Indian shipment to Afghanistan arrives at Iranian port. en.mehrnews.com CHABAHAR, Jul. 18 (MNA) — India's sixth consignment of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan has arrived at Chabahar's Shahid Beheshti Port, the director-general of Sistan and Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Department said on Saturday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Iran-China cooperation major challenge to US unilateralism. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 18 (MNA) — Chinese TV in a report described Iran-China 25-year cooperation roadmap as the result of US maximum pressure, stressing it has posed major challenge to the US unilateralism in the international community.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Iranian researchers produce antivirus hospital clothing. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 18 (MNA) — Iranian researchers in a knowledge-based company designed and produced isolated antivirus hospital clothing, applicable in the fight against the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in particular.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Saudi sponsored TV channel showed utter obscenity: envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 18 (MNA) — Iran's Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeidinjad reacted to the live broadcast of the gathering of MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq) terrorist group on the Iran International Channel in his Twitter account.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Iran-Syria military coop. to defeat Zionist Regime. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 17(MNA) — An Iranian Lawmaker said that military cooperation agreements must be signed between Iran and regional countries including Syria to strengthen Iran and the axis of Resistance and to defeat the Zionist Regime and other enemies.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Parl. investigating withdrawal form UN 'additional protocol'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 18 (MNA) — An MP informed on Saturday that the Parliament is investigating a new plan to have Iran out of the United Nations' additional protocol.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Admitting defeat against Iran better than foolish bluffs. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 18 (MNA) — Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said accepting defeat against powerful Iran is better than foolish bluffs.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-18). Economic benefits needed for Iran's full compliance to JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 18 (MNA) — EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs said on Saturday that expecting Iran to fully comply with JCPAO obligations without having the country benefit from the economic advantages of the deal is not acceptable.

UC Students & Workers (2020-07-18). Saturday 7/25: F*ck the UC: No cops, no firings, no layoffs. indybay.org UC Office of the President, 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland CA 94607…

Roland Rottenfuss (2020-07-18). The 9 coffin nails of democracy. indybay.org Democracy is an achievement and must be won anew, expanded and defended against attacks in every era… The political conformity of the mainstream press is a sad chapter. "Representative democracy" is a fine word, but who do the representatives actually represent today? Citizens want "representatives of the people."

Ramona du Houx (2020-07-18). Thousands of Elected Officials see a turning point, and rally against fossil fuel industry. indybay.org In this historic moment of reckoning for the energy future of America, elected officials join indigenous and front-lines organizers in celebrating victories over unjust and exploitative pipelines. With the tide of public opinion clearly opposed to carbon emissions and the oil industry's devastating reevaluations the vise-like grip of the fossil fuel industry's lobbying influence has begun to weaken.

_____ (2020-07-18). The East-Bound Wind Causes A Storm In The West. popularresistance.org A few months after the publication of his remarkable book, Adam Smith in Beijing, I had an illuminating conversation with Giovanni Arrighi about the significance of China in world history. The late sociologist was interested in knowing more about the subject of my scholarship—modern Iran and the Iranian revolution. When he saw my puzzled face, he told me that he believes that all this apprehension in the west about Iran, is actually rooted in apprehension about China. Arrighi thought that if there were any "mainstream" of world history, it ought to be located in the story of China, the only civilization tha…

_____ (2020-07-18). World Mayors Call For Car-Free Streets And More. popularresistance.org Mayors from some of the world's major cities have unveiled their vision for how the world can recover from the coronavirus pandemic while encouraging environmental justice and fighting the climate crisis. | The C40 Mayors' Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery, announced Wednesday, includes measures already being adopted in many cities to recover from the pandemic in a way that addresses inequalities and keeps global heating to the Paris agreement goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. As part of their vision, the mayors are calling on national governments to end all subsidies for the fossil fuel…

_____ (2020-07-18). Bolivians Take To The Streets Against The Añez Government. popularresistance.org Bolivia's Workers Central (COB) Tuesday called for tens of thousands of people to hold a mass protest in several cities against the coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez. | "The Bolivian people, the Indigenous groups, and educational organizations raised their voice of protest today," the COB Secretary-General Juan Carlos Huarachi said in La Paz. | One of the demonstrators' main calls is the definitive confirmation of the general elections for September 6. | "We ask for a democratically elected government that resolves the country's economic and health crisis caused by COVID-19," Huarachi added, adding that citize…

_____ (2020-07-18). Hard Times: 'It's Like They're Trying To Kill Us'. popularresistance.org American prisoners are incarcerated for years, often decades, often a majority of his or her life. Many prisoners serving more than a couple years are transferred from one prison to another, often multiple times, throughout their sentences. For this story, I spoke to three long-term Alabama prisoners about their experiences being transferred to a different prison mid-sentence or waking up to learn their friends have been transferred — including in the middle of a pandemic — and tried to square them with official policy. | Linda Mays, Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Communications Director, sa…

sputniknews (2020-07-18). Florida Sherriff Office Receives Over 600 Complaints About 'COVID-19 Parties' Held to 'Spread Virus'. sputniknews.com The parties, reportedly held and attended by "unsavory" residents, including gang members, are said to have taken place in Florida's Osceola County. The allegation comes as a majority of US states, including Florida, witness a record resurgence of infections of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

sputniknews (2020-07-18). Hundreds of Protesters in Bangkok Demand Govt's Resignation, Adoption of New Constitution. sputniknews.com BANGKOK (Sputnik) – Several hundred demonstrators gathered on Saturday at the Democracy Monument in the historic center of the Thai capital city of Bangkok, demanding the government's resignation and the adoption of a new constitution.

sputniknews (2020-07-18). Wave of Condemnation Hits Trump as He Tweets Condolences Over Death of Dem. Rep. John Lewis. sputniknews.com Democratic House Representative John Lewis was a civil rights leader awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and famous for playing a key role in ending legalized racial segregation in the United States. He was a part of the "Big Six" – a group of prominent civil rights leaders behind Washington's 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom.

_____ (2020-07-18). Is America Up for a Naval War With China? strategic-culture.org Patrick BUCHANAN | Is the U.S., preoccupied with a pandemic and a depression that medical crisis created, prepared for a collision with China over Beijing's claims to the rocks, reefs and resources of the South China Sea? | For that is what Mike Pompeo appeared to threaten this week. | "The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire," thundered the secretary of state. | "America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources … and (we) reject any push to impose 'might makes right' in the South China Sea." | Thu…

_____ (2020-07-18). How NATO-Member Turkey Reverted Back to Being an Islamic Dictatorship. strategic-culture.org The gradual process of Turkey's becoming an Islamic

_____ (2020-07-18). The Pendulum Swings Again: the Desecration of Hagia Sophia. strategic-culture.org The Turkish President should have consulted the prophecies of St. Paisius of the Holy Mountain rather than whatever kitaps he was reading before embarking on his risky provocation. In plain Greek, several decades ago St. Paisius was educating Turkish leaders about

Staff (2020-07-18). Trump Blocks CDC Experts From Testifying to Education Panel on School Reopenings. truthout.org The Democratic chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee

Staff (2020-07-18). Trump's Federal Police Are Kidnapping and Brutalizing Protesters in Portland. truthout.org On July 11, Donavan LaBella, 26, was shot in the head with an impact munition as he stood at a protest holding a speaker over his head. "It caused a pretty deep laceration, but he was bleeding from his nose, his mouth, his ears — it was pretty bad,"

yenisafak (2020-07-18). UK coronavirus antibody test found to be a success. yenisafak.com Following successful trials, the British government is set to start distributing millions of free coronavirus antibody tests, local media reported on Saturday.The finger-prick tests can tell within 20 minutes if a person has been exposed to the virus and were found to be 98.6% accurate during human trials that took place in June.The test was developed under a partnership between Oxford University and leading diagnostics firms of the UK.Sir John Bell, professor of medicine at Oxford University and head of the government's antibody testing program, was quoted by The Telegraph as saying: "This rapid test appears to…

yenisafak (2020-07-18). UK pauses daily coronavirus death toll update over data concerns. yenisafak.com Britain said on Saturday it was pausing its daily update of the death toll from the coronavirus after the government ordered a review into the calculation of the data over concerns the toll might have been exaggerated.Academics have said the way that Public Health England (PHE), the government agency responsible for managing infectious disease outbreaks, calculates the figures in England means they may be distorted compared to other parts of the United Kingdom."Currently the daily deaths measure counts all people who have tested positive for coronavirus and since died, with no cut-off between time of testing and…

yenisafak (2020-07-18). Libya's oil firm calls for foreign mercenaries to leave. yenisafak.com Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Saturday called for the immediate withdrawal of foreign mercenaries from oil facilities in the country.In a statement, the NOC condemned the deployment of Russia's Wagner Group and Syrian and Janjaweed mercenaries in Libyan oil installations, most recently at Es Sidra port."NOC demands their immediate withdrawal from all facilities," it said, calling the UN to "send observers to supervise the demilitarization in the areas of NOC operations across the country.""There are currently large numbers of foreign mercenaries in NOC facilities who do not share this wish," the state…

yenisafak (2020-07-18). Germany's military missing over 60000 rounds of ammunition. yenisafak.com More than 100 weapons and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition have disappeared from the inventory of the German armed forces and police, the daily WELT newspaper reported Saturday.At least 60,000 rounds of ammunition have been unaccounted for in the German military and police force over the past 10 years.This figure does not include around 48,000 rounds that went missing from the army's elite Special Forces Command (KSK) unit, which lately made headlines after far-right extremism was exposed among its soldiers.The German Defense Ministry has reportedly launched an investigation into the incident.The exact r…

yenisafak (2020-07-18). US government executes third prisoner after 17-year hiatus. yenisafak.com The U.S. Department of Justice executed a convicted murderer on Friday in the third federal execution within a week after a 17-year hiatus, according to a reporter serving as a media witness.Dustin Lee Honken, 52, was a dealer in illegal methamphetamine when he and his girlfriend murdered five people in Iowa in 1993, including two girls aged 10 and 6. He was convicted in 2004.Honken was pronounced dead at 4: 36 p.m. EDT at the Justice Department's execution chamber at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, the media witness said.

yenisafak (2020-07-18). Protest held against Armenia's border attacks in Hungary. yenisafak.com The protest was organized by Azerbaijani associations based in Hungary.Carrying Azerbaijani, Turkish and Hungarian flags, the protesters chanted slogans.Ramiz Emirli, the head of the Azerbaijani-Hungarian Brotherhood Association, told Anadolu Agency that they organized the protests to announce in Europe that Armenia attacked Azerbaijan and martyred its soldiers.Armenian attacks since last Sunday have martyred a dozen Azerbaijani soldiers. However, they have since withdrawn after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the "provocative" actions, with T…

yenisafak (2020-07-18). Ethiopian premier in Eritrea to discuss regional issues. yenisafak.com Ethiopia's prime minister arrived in Eritrea on an official visit on Saturday.Abiy Ahmed was welcomed in the capital Asmara by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and other senior officials.The two leaders will confer on bilateral and regional issues, according to a statement by the Ethiopian premier's office.Relations between the neighboring countries were restored in June 2018 after two decades of mistrust and tensions.They fought a bloody war from 1998 to 2000 that claimed around 70,000 lives.Abiy won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for leading efforts to normalize Ethiopia and Eritrea's ties and for making regional…

Joel Wendland-Liu (2020-07-17). We cannot have the police viewing the people as the enemy. peoplesworld.org After the Black Lives Matter uprisings in May and June, which were prompted by the racist police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the slaying of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, few people in the world are unaware of the intensity of systemic racism in the U.S. From top to bottom, systemic racism dominates the …

Laura Flanders (2020-07-17). As Trump Moves to Hide Covid-19, We Already Know Which Communities Are Suffering Most. commondreams.org Nationally, Black Americans die at 2.5 times the rate of whites, and in the states seeing rising rates right now, the disparities are especially stark. (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2020-07-17). Two arrested after Black Lives Matter mural near Trump Tower in NYC vandalized for second time this week (VIDEO). rt.com At least two people were arrested after vandalizing a Black Lives Matter mural near Trump Tower in New York City, prompting a heavy police response and a face-off with activists in the mural's second defacing in a matter of days. | A group of some 10 people gathered around the art installation in New York City's Midtown on Friday — a massive street painting of the words "Black Lives Matter" — splashing blue paint across part of the mural. The incident was captured in footage shared to social media. | One of those reportedly taken into custody wore a shirt with the words "All Lives Matter" and donned…

Staff (2020-07-17). Philadelphia Delays Unhoused Encampment Eviction as CDC Says "Let Them Remain" & Stop COVID Spread. democracynow.org As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unhoused people living in encampments should be allowed to remain where they are to help stop the spread of COVID-19, we go to Philadelphia, where the mayor has postponed the eviction of an encampment planned for this morning. "The Philadelphia Housing Authority has about 5,000 vacant properties," notes Sterling Johnson, an organizer with Black and Brown Workers Cooperative, who joins us from the camp. "We want to use them to create a community land trust. What they want to do is auction them off to private developers." The move comes as many cities have cont…

SEIU Local 1021 (2020-07-17). Monday 7/20: San Francisco City Hall Strike for Black Lives. indybay.org San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102…

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-07-17). Roaming Charges: The Meaning of BB King in the Age of BLM. counterpunch.org In the summer of 1998, Alexander Cockburn and I spent a few days in North Richmond, California, a battered industrial city just outside of Berkeley. We had just published our book Whiteout on the CIA and drug trafficking and had been invited to speak at a black church about the horrific toll of the drug

RT (2020-07-17). No-fly zone: Pentagon effectively bans Confederate, LGBT and BLM flags from DoD property. rt.com The Pentagon has effectively banned the Confederate flag at US military sites around the world, without explicitly saying so, in a new policy unveiled on Friday. | A Department of Defense The LGBT pride flag and Black Lives Matter banners are also absent from the list of acceptable emblems. | A draft version of the policy repor…

RT (2020-07-17). 'You've the biggest nose I've ever seen': Black Portland cop details racist abuse dished out by white BLM protesters. rt.com Portland police officer Jakhary Jackson has detailed the stunning abuse he has faced during Black Lives Matter protests and blasted the "hypocritical" demonstrations for having fewer minorities than the police they're fighting. | In a wide ranging discussion Officer Jackson laid out some of his experiences on the frontline of the civil unrest which has unfolded in the city for nearly two months. | The cop reveals that he has been violently attacked with explosive devices, white protesters have hurled racist abuse at him and protesters routinely label white officers racists "without even knowing anything about…

RT (2020-07-17). 'You have the biggest nose I've ever seen': Black Portland cop details racist abuse dished out by white BLM protesters. rt.com Portland police officer Jakhary Jackson has detailed the stunning abuse he has faced during Black Lives Matter protests and blasted the "hypocritical" demonstrations for having fewer minorities than the police they're fighting. | In a wide ranging discussion Officer Jackson laid out some of his experiences on the frontline of the civil unrest which has unfolded in the city for nearly two months. | The cop reveals that he has been violently attacked with explosive devices, white protesters have hurled racist abuse at him and protesters routinely label white officers racists "without even knowing anything about…

RT (2020-07-17). London cop suspended over footage of officer kneeling on man's neck during arrest. rt.com One Metropolitan Police officer has been suspended and another one removed from operational duties over an incident, captured on camera, in which a cop knelt on a suspect's neck during his arrest in Islington, London. | Filmed by a concerned bystander, the footage shows two police officers holding a handcuffed black man on the ground. The suspect is heard to scream, "Get off my neck," as one of the policemen appears to put his knee on him. | Absolutely disgusting, my sister is in this video witnessing police brutality and them kneeling on this black man's neck. He is clearly not a threat and is in cuffs. Pleas…

RT (2020-07-17). Government-funded museum pulls 'racist' anti-white graphic from website. rt.com A taxpayer-funded museum of black history and culture has removed a chart describing a list of wholesome behaviors as white supremacist microaggressions. However, the museum remains committed to "deconstructing" whiteness itself. | The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a Smithsonian institution, and received some $33 million in government funding last year. At least some of that money went toward illustrating a chart describing a number of American virtues — including hard work, timekeeping, the nuclear family and delayed gratification — as traits of "whiteness." | The Nation…

sputniknews (2020-07-17). 'Facade of Freedom': Florida's Ex-Felon Voting Rights Rule Gutted in 'War on Poor People'. sputniknews.com The gutting of a 2018 amendment in Florida that gave ex-felons the right to vote, is just the latest attack in the government's war on poor, Black and brown people in America, two activists told Sputnik.

The Canary (2020-07-17). Lloyds promises drive to hire more Black managers. thecanary.co One of the UK's biggest banks has promised that at least 3% of its managers will be Black by the middle of the decade. | Lloyds said it plans to increase the number of Black people in senior management roles by around 400%, as it said that a focus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) targets had not led to enough progress. | As of 2011, a census found that just over 3% of the UK's population were Black, but Black people only make up around 1.5% of Lloyds' total workforce and 0.6% of senior management. | "We aim to create a fully inclusive environment that is representative of modern-day Britain and where ev…

Staff (2020-07-17). Police Punish And Wall Street Profits. therealnews.com Taxpayers are paying double for police brutality settlements thanks to local governments buying bonds from Wall Street to cover payouts. San Diego cop watcher Kat from Irate Productions discusses recent police harassment of unarmed residents.

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2020-07-17). Saudi Coalition Attack on Yemen Wedding Party Leaves Over 30 Civilians Dead. mintpressnews.com United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths called for a transparent investigation into the attack, which comes just weeks after the UN took Saudi Arabia off its list of child killers.

Alan Macleod (2020-07-17). Aid Groups Call for Worldwide COVID-19 Bailout Amid Fears of Mass Hunger. mintpressnews.com "As many as 12,000 people could die every day from COVID-linked hunger, which is more than those dying daily from the virus itself," warns Oxfam America President Abby Maxman.

Alan MacLeod (2020-07-17). Portland Mayor Condemns Masked Federal Agents Abducting Protesters. thealtworld.com Human rights groups, activists, and local politicians are decrying what appears to be the Trump administration's latest tactic to crush nationwide protests that erupted in late May over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. | MPN— Anonymous masked federal agents in military uniforms jump out of unmarked minivans, abducting seemingly random people on the street in Portland, frightening new viral videos show. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and Customs and Border Protection's BORTAC have been sent to the city to tamp down of 49 days of continuous demonstrations against raci…

Eric Zuesse (2020-07-17). Does Sanders Have a Secret Deal with Biden? globalresearch.ca Though Bernie Sanders is less dishonest than any other of the U.S. political leaders who have contested in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Presidential primary campaigns, no one should trust his endorsements of the DNC's choice (which was what it …

Louis Proyect (2020-07-17). Thoughts on Bayard Rustin Nostalgia. counterpunch.org A Dustin Guastella article on Nonsite dated July 9th generated controversy because it opposed defunding the cops. Like Bernie Sanders, another opponent of defunding, Guastella proposed reforms that would satisfy everybody since they would lead to less crime. If there were massive increases in federal social spending, there would be more jobs and hence less

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-17). 'Masks for All': Bernie Sanders Calls on Federal Government to Provide Face Coverings for Everyone in the Country. commondreams.org "The science is clear: Wearing a mask not only saves lives, but the widespread use of masks will get Americans back to work sooner and reunite families who have stayed apart." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-17). The Downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17: The Quest for Truth and Justice. Review of the Evidence. globalresearch.ca The MH17 Inquiry has been conducted in an insidious fashion. Important pieces of evidence including eye witness reports, audio & video material transmitted through Ukraine Intelligence (SBU) have been manipulated or excluded from the Dutch inquiry, which largely endorses Washington's accusations directed against Moscow.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-17). Video: "The House Cat Flu" is Coming. The Meow Apocalypse… globalresearch.ca The following episode of the Simpsons was released in 2010. | It is a satire. But at the same time it reveals the unspoken truth. The writer of the script is an award winning author and political analyst. Michael Price | This …

_____ (2020-07-17). Chris Hedges: America Faces A Historic Choice — "Ugly Corporate Tyranny" Or Revolution. popularresistance.org Time is broken in Donald Trump's America. Minutes feel like hours, hours feel like days. Weeks are months, and months are years. And there is an overwhelming sense of time warped by dread as the country careens towards a dangerous climax on Election Day — whatever the outcome. | Disorientation is a feature of life in a failing democracy where fascism is ascendant. | In a widely read conversation here at Salon during the first few weeks of the national pandemic lockdown and the implosion of America's economy, journalist and bestselling author Chris Hedges warned that, compared to what may lie ahead, "these w…

Staff (2020-07-17). Headlines for July 17, 2020. democracynow.org United States Hits Daily Record of 75,600 Coronavirus Cases as Death Rate Rises, Colorado & Arkansas Mandate Masks as Georgia's Governor Sues to Overturn Atlanta Mask Ordinance, Detroit Protesters Block School Buses in Bid to Halt In-Person Summer Classes, "Science Should Not Stand in the Way" of School Reopenings, Says Trump's Spokesperson, India and Brazil Pass Grim Coronavirus Milestones, Colombia's Hospitals Near Capacity as Paramilitaries Enforce Coronavirus Lockdowns with Violence, Thousands Still Planning to Attend Scaled-Back Republican National Convention in Florida, Trump Administration Wins Reprieve in…

Staff (2020-07-17). Sonia Shah: "It's Time to Tell a New Story About Coronavirus — Our Lives Depend on It" democracynow.org The United States hit an all-time high of 75,600 new COVID cases Thursday — the largest number recorded in a single day since the pandemic began. Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says the spike in cases resulted from states rushing to reopen their economies. We speak with investigative journalist Sonia Shah about the government's failed response, the false idea that the virus is a "foreign incursion," and "vaccine nationalism." In her latest piece for The Nation magazine, she argues, "It's Time to Tell a New Story About Coronavirus — Our Lives Depend on It."

Staff (2020-07-17). "This Is Trump's War": U.S.-Backed Saudi Bombing in Yemen Continues as Coronavirus Spreads. democracynow.org As the coronavirus spreads in Yemen, where the population already devastated by the world's worst humanitarian crisis faces growing hunger and aid shortages, the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition continues to drop bombs in the country. We speak to Yemeni scholar Shireen Al-Adeimi, who calls the ongoing crisis "Trump's war." "We're seeing death rates that are just astronomical," Al-Adeimi says. "The war continues, the bombing continues, the blockade is still enforced."

F. William Engdahl (2020-07-17). Now Comes the Davos Global Economy "Great Reset". What Happens After the Covid-19 Pandemic? globalresearch.ca First published by GR on June 10, 2020 | For those wondering what will come after the Covid19 pandemic has successfully all but shut down the entire world economy, spreading the worst depression since the 1930s, the leaders of the premier …

Ajit Singh (2020-07-17). With US support, Taiwan planted deception about warning the World Health Organization of Covid. thegrayzone.com Taiwan's claim that it provided early warning to the WHO about Covid and "human-to human-transmission" has been exploited by the…

Lee Camp (2020-07-17). The Life-Saving Covid-19 Drugs You've Never Heard Of (and Why). counterpunch.org The American profit-based healthcare system impacts us in more ways than just our gargantuan bill at the excretion end of an emergency room visit. Right now, our lovable idiotic inhumane healthcare system is acting as a hurdle to the manufacture and procurement of the right drugs to treat Covid-19. One of the drugs currently trumpeted

Martha Grevatt (2020-07-17). Deep organizing key to historic Flint Sit-Down Strike. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were given at a July 9 Workers World Party webinar on "Introduction to Revolutionary Deep Organizing." There is a medical definition for "inoculation": a set of methods of inducing immunity against various infectious diseases. The capitalists inoculate people against unionization. So what does it mean for . . . |

ACLU (2020-07-17). Padma Lakshmi on Immigration, Food, and Authorship. aclu.org Recently, we've seen a reckoning in the culinary world around the whitewashing and co-opting of ethnic food. The industry has long been controlled by a limited number of people — many of them white — who have authored and then profited from the foods we eat and the stories we share. But the tide is turning. And our guest for this episode, Padma Lakshmi, is part of that movement., , You've likely seen her tasting and critiquing some of the best chefs in the U.S. on Top Chef, sharing her favorite recipes across social media and advocating for immigrants rights and women's rights. Pa…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-17). Biden: Clean energy 'must provide an opportunity to join a union'. peoplesworld.org

Behrooz Ghamari Tabrizi (2020-07-17). The East-Bound Wind Causes a Storm in the West: Iran-China Sign Long-Term Trade Agreement. counterpunch.org A few months after the publication of his remarkable book, Adam Smith in Beijing, I had an illuminating conversation with Giovanni Arrighi about the significance of China in world history. The late sociologist was interested in knowing more about the subject of my scholarship—modern Iran and the Iranian revolution. When he saw my puzzled face,

Danny Haiphong (2020-07-17). The great American firewall: On the question of censorship. mronline.org It should not surprise anyone that China would take protective measures against the threat of U.S. imperialism in the realm of cyber technology.

Robert Hunziker (2020-07-17). The Sky Is Falling — Yes — No. counterpunch.org The sky is falling is one of the more disturbing thoughts in society today, as to whether climate change is on a fast track collision course with doomsday amidst a collapsing society. In that regard, according to the details of a scathing review by ScientistsWarning.org ("SW") of Jem Bendell's wildly popular "Deep Adaptation" the answer

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-17). Each heartbeat must be our song; the redness of blood, our banner. mronline.org Too little has been made of the fact that countries like Laos and Vietnam have been able to manage the coronavirus; there are no confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in either country.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-17). To labor cheers, Virginia OKs emergency anti-coronavirus safety standard. peoplesworld.org RICHMOND, Va.—To cheers from Virginia workers and unions, the state Department of Labor and Industry went where GOP President Donald Trump's Occupational Safety and Health Administration won't: Imposing a statewide emergency standard ordering firms to immediately craft and put in place plans to protect their workers against the coronavirus pandemic. And if the firms don't …

Mumia Abu-Jamal (2020-07-17). Mumia Abu-Jamal: 'A rogue nation?'— a commentary. workers.org This slightly edited commentary from July 8 by political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal is available at prisonradio.org/media/audio/mumia. Several days ago, the European Union announced that Americans were not welcome to visit any of the 28 member countries of the EU. Why? Because of the explosive expansion of the coronavirus among U.S. . . . |

Eric A. Gordon (2020-07-17). Eric the Clapper tells us why he claps. peoplesworld.org LOS ANGELES — "Did you clap tonight?" my faraway husband in Mexico asks me almost every evening when we talk. He's stuck there for immigration reasons, and I'm stuck here for coronavirus reasons. We haven't seen each other since early January, except on Facetime. "Oh, yes," I answer, and he always likes to grasp the …

Eds. (2020-07-17). Cuba in the last stretch of the Pandemic. mronline.org Cuba is only a few days away from ending its coronavirus quarantine. Except for Havana, all the other provinces are free of the contagion and have begun moving toward a new normality.

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-17). "Putin Hacked Our Coronavirus Vaccine" Is The Dumbest Story Yet. thealtworld.com Today mainstream media is reporting what is arguably the single dumbest Russiavape story of all time, against some very stiff competition. | "Russian hackers are targeting health care organizations in the West in an attempt to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the U.S. and Britain said," "Hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world, Britain's National Cyber Security…

Monika Zgustova (2020-07-17). In Lockdown With Edward Hopper's Prophetic Paintings. counterpunch.org When I lived in Chicago, I often went to the Art Institute to admire the paintings of Edward Hopper, especially Nighthawks. Later on, I would do the same thing in New York, at the Whitney; both galleries have excellent Hopper collections. I remembered those visits when, in full lockdown, social media were flooded with images