2018-10-04: News Headlines

RT (2018-10-04). Grassroots outrage? Soros-funded activists behind anti-Kavanaugh campaign. rt.com Moving videos of women confronting senators over Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination have been framed as grassroots activism, but they were actually made by an organization that receives massive funding from George Soros. |

The Progressive Magazine (2018-10-04). The Mark Judge We Knew. progressive.org Writing for us back in the 1980s, Judge, now a key figure in the Kavanaugh drama, displayed a concern for social justice, and a progressive vision for the world.

RT (2018-10-04). 'Why don't we dunk him & see if he floats?' Sen. Graham rebuffs Kavanaugh protester. rt.com Accosted by a protester demanding that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh take a lie detector test, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) quipped that maybe Kavanaugh should be subjected to a witch hunt test instead.

Joe Catron (2018-10-04). With Little Left to Lose, Gaza's Great Return March Protesters Ramp Up Their Resistance. mintpressnews.com "The economic and social situation in Gaza has been declining for over a decade but has deteriorated exponentially in recent months and has reached a critical point." — Marina Wes, World Bank Country Director for Gaza and the West Bank

Democracy Now! (2018-10-04). Headlines for October 4, 2018. democracynow.org As FBI Probe Wraps Up, Senate Could Vote on Kavanaugh on Saturday, Key GOP Senators Criticize Trump for Mocking Christine Blasey Ford, Over 1,200 Law Professors Sign Letter Opposing Kavanaugh Nomination, U.N.: Yemen Sees 10,000+ New Cases of Cholera Every Week, Trump Suggests Saudi Monarchy Would Collapse Without U.S. Support, Saudi Dissident Journalist Missing After Visit to Consulate in Turkey, Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teenager at Gaza Protest, U.S. Quits 1955 Iran Treaty After U.N. Court Rules Against Sanctions, Judge Halts Termination of Protected Status for 300,000 Immigrants, Report: DHS Was Unprepar…

Shared by Marc Steiner (2018-10-04). Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Accusation is Not a 'He Said, She Said' Case. therealnews.com Current Affairs editor Nathan Robinson takes apart Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court hearing testimony. While the media present this as a "he said, she said" case, Robinson argues that Kavanaugh's testimony is self-incriminating because of his lies…

wsws (2018-10-04). Mass graves in Mannar point to further war crimes in Sri Lanka. wsws.org The skeletal remains of 136 individuals were unearthed in northern Sri Lanka after 74 days of excavation.

Patricia J. Williams (2018-10-04). Kavanaugh's Defenders in Congress Don't Care About Process. thenation.com Kavanaugh's Defenders in Congress Don't Care About Process…

Ian Berman (2018-10-04). Anti-Semitism as a Sword: The Danger of Undermining Democracy for Israel's Benefit. mintpressnews.com Attacking the cherished principle of free speech not only threatens Jews' standing in their home countries, it does not help Israel move towards cherished values of democracy and peaceful co-existence either.

Adalah-NY (2018-10-04). Theater artists ask US & Canadian hosts to cancel Israeli government-sponsored plays. indybay.org Palestinian arts and solidarity organizations, along with US Jewish and Israeli groups, have joined theater artists in signing a letter calling on Toronto, New York and Pittsburgh arts organizations not to host Israel's Gesher Theatre or partner with the Israeli government, citing their involvement in violations of Palestinian rights. Award-winning actors Kathleen Chalfant and Miriam Margolyes, and playwrights Caryl Churchill, Betty Shamieh, Naomi Wallace and Anne Washburn are among the artists who signed the letter.

Abby Zimet, Common Dreams (2018-10-04). Pastors Who Tried to Ban Books in a Banned Book Display Didn't Fare Well. alternet.org Marking last week's annual American Library Association Banned Books Week, a public library in Maine set out a display of the usual sinful suspects | Having gotten sidetracked by the sordid saga of Kavanaugh, belated but still gratifying news of a modest victory in grim times: Marking last week's annual American Library Association Banned Books Week, the public library in Rumford, Maine, a s. . .

Jason W. Biehl (2018-10-04). The Boys in the Bubble. counterpunch.org I grew up with people like Brett Kavanaugh. Elite DC all-boys private schools, whether Georgetown Prep or Saint Albans (where I attended from 1985-1994), have much in common. While I took pride in attending, "STA" as a kid, 24 years later, I view things (myself, race, gender) through a different lens. If you teach 10 year-olds that they are "the best and the brightest," there's a danger they'll forever believe it. More

wsws (2018-10-04). The International Socialist Organization mobilizes behind Democrats' right-wing diversion on Kavanaugh. wsws.org The US pseudo-left has seized on allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh to intensify its promotion of #MeToo and the Democratic Party's campaign in the November elections.

Reed Richardson (2018-10-04). Maintaining Media Omerta. fair.org The New York Times apologized for allowing a reporter who had expressed qualms about Kavanaugh to co-author this piece ( 10/1/18). | What happens when a national newspaper cares more about the appearance of bias in its reporting than any actual evidence of it? Earlier this week provided an example, when the New York Times Shared by Merula Furtado (2018-10-04). Kavanaugh Is a Threat to All of Us. We're Walking Out in Protest. truthout.org The International Women's Strike (IWS) organization is calling for a National Walkout from all work, waged and unwaged, today, October 4, at 4: 00 pm to protest the potential appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Several national organizations, including the Democratic Socialists of America and the National Lawyers Guild, have joined with us to organize against this threat. | The overwhelming response to the call has made all of us — and especially those of us who are survivors of sexual assault — feel validated and hopeful. Today people…

RT (2018-10-04). White House finds no proof of sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh in FBI report — WSJ. rt.com The White House has concluded that an FBI probe has found no evidence of sexual misconduct on the part of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Peter Maass (2018-10-04). Why Brett Kavanaugh's High School Friends Try to Protect His Reputation — and Theirs. theintercept.com Brett Kavanaugh's portrayal of his high school years as innocent depends on confirmation — or silence — from a handful of men in a position to know.

Lucian K. Truscott IV, Salon (2018-10-04). Brett Kavanaugh: Here's Why the Poster Boy For Toxic Male Privilege Just Doesn't Get It. alternet.org Women and people of color are gaining on them, and they are scared to death | To understand the panic that white men in the Republican Party are in these days, it's useful to go back to April of 2016, when Trump was still running for the nomination. He held a rally at the Grumman Studios, located in what used to be the Grumman Aircraft factory in Bethpage, a community adjacent to Levittown, Long Island in suburban Nassau C. . .

east bay dsa (2018-10-04). Cancel Kavanaugh Art Build, Medic and Security Training. indybay.org Omni Commons | 4799 Shattuck Ave, Oakland, California 94609…

Staff (2018-10-04). Critics Blast FBI's Kavanaugh Investigation as Utter Farce. truthdig.com Less than a week into the probe, it's become increasingly clear the White House is determined to protect the Trump nominee at all costs.

Lee Fang (2018-10-04). Corporate Front Groups Lobby to Confirm Brett Kavanaugh. On the Supreme Court, He Could Give Them Vastly Expanded Power. theintercept.com Brett Kavanaugh has a uniquely pro-business record. No wonder corporate lobbyists are spending $15 million on ads to get him on the Supreme Court.

Start Making Sense, Jon Wiener (2018-10-04). These Senators Need to Be Told: Do Not Vote for Kavanaugh. thenation.com Joan Walsh on the confirmation hearings, D.D. Guttenplan on a new radical majority, and Michelle Chen on the Fight for $15. | The post These Senators Need to Be Told: Do Not Vote for Kavanaugh…

Shared by Samantha Borek (2018-10-04). FBI's Kavanaugh Probe Denounced as "Sham" as Witnesses Go Ignored. truthout.org With the report summarizing the FBI's less-than-a-week-long probe into sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh now in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee, his accusers as well as witnesses to the events—not to mention outraged lawmakers and public citizens — are speaking out forcefully Thursday morning to decry the entire process as a "sham" and a "charade" in which those with the most to offer investigators were clearly ignored and the constraints set by the White House more obvious than ever. | Calling into question the entire probe, lawyers for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford issued a…

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2018-10-04). Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Accusation is Not a 'He Said, She Said' Case. therealnews.com Current Affairs editor Nathan Robinson takes apart Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court hearing testimony. While the media present this as a "he said, she said" case, Robinson argues that Kavanaugh's testimony is self-incriminating because of his lies…

RT (2018-10-04). 'Wake up people!': Cyber expert McAfee warns of US govt 'spying' through presidential alert texts. rt.com As the US was subjected to an unexpected nationwide message from President Donald Trump, many were startled and confused by the alert. One man, however, warned of a more sinister element to the public safety test.

Shared by Jared (2018-10-04). Kavanaugh, Continued. truthout.org So many perfectly natural explanations from so many loud men.

Ben Freeman, Tom Dispatch (2018-10-04). Here's How Saudi Money Keeps Washington at War in Yemen. alternet.org A set of foreign Sheldon Adelsons have opened their deep, oil-rich pockets and put American politicians of all sorts in them. | It was May 2017. The Saudis were growing increasingly nervous. For more than two years they had been relying heavily on U. S. military support and bombs to defeat Houthi rebels in Yemen. Now, the Senate was considering a bipartisan Staff (2018-10-04). Flake's Elevator Encounter Highlights the Power of Movements. truthdig.com When the history of Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher's confrontation with Sen. Jeff Flake over Brett Kavanaugh's nomination is written, it cannot be about a single man changing his mind.

RT (2018-10-04). 'No hint of misconduct' in confidential FBI report on Kavanaugh – GOP Senate Judiciary chair. rt.com Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has told NBC News that there is "no hint of misconduct" in the confidential FBI report on sexual-assault claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. |

INA (2018-10-04). PCHR Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (27 Sept. — 03 Oct. 2018). imemc.org Israeli forces continued with systematic crimes, in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), for the week of 27 September — 03 October, 2018. Israeli forces continued to use excessive force against unarmed civilians and peaceful protestors in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. 9 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were killed; [.

RT (2018-10-04). 'Absolutely nothing' to prove claims against Kavanaugh, confirmation to proceed — Senate GOP. rt.com Senate Republican leadership announced that an FBI probe into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has found no evidence to support sexual assault allegations against the judge, and said that a vote will be held on Saturday.

Joseph Neese, Salon (2018-10-04). Fox News 'Judge' Goes on Unhinged Rant Against Christine Blasey Ford: 'That Was a Fraud!'. alternet.org "I know. I did this for 30 years," Pirro said. | Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News judge whose admiration for Donald Trump knows no bounds, defended the president's attacks of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford by asserting that "every woman in America who has been a victim of sexual assault remembers more" than the accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "I know. I did this for 30 years," Pirro said while co-hosting "The Five" on Wednesday. "I've prosecut. . .

Calvin Trillin (2018-10-04). Kavanaugh's Testimony. thenation.com Kavanaugh's Testimony…

Staff (2018-10-04). Who Gets to See the Kavanaugh FBI Report? truthdig.com All 100 senators will be able to read the FBI's new report on sexual misconduct allegations against the Supreme Court nominee. But it's unclear if the public will see it.

Mark Gruenberg (2018-10-04). Despite sham FBI report and protests, Senate rushes to confirm Kavanaugh. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—-Amid competing political claims about the contents of a secret FBI report, and mass protests against federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to the Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate will take the first key vote on October 5 on GOP President Donald Trump's nomination of the r…

Laura Clawson, Daily Kos (2018-10-04). Republicans Roll from a Rigged FBI 'Investigation' of Kavanaugh to a Rigged Senate Process. alternet.org Thanks to the Trump White House and Senate Republicans, this FBI investigation was blindfolded. | The FBI has concluded its "investigation" into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, but what it did was so limited that it Elizabeth Preza, AlterNet (2018-10-04). Retired Supreme Court Justice Says Kavanaugh's Behavior at the Senate Hearing Disqualifies Him: 'Senators Should Pay Attention to This'. alternet.org Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens made the comment at a small gathering in Boca Raton, FL. | John Paul Stevens, a retired United States Supreme Court justice who was appointed by former President Gerald Ford, on Thursday issued a stunning statement about Brett Kavanaugh's temperament, telling "a small crowd in Boca Raton that Judge Brett Kavanaugh's performance at confirmation hearings should disqualify him," the Palm Beach Post's Lulu Ramadan reports. | "T. . .

amp (2018-10-04). Cancel Kavanaugh Walkout against Patriarchy. indybay.org San Francisco Civic Center…

Joshua Holland (2018-10-04). We Should Be Grateful to Activists Confronting Politicians Directly. thenation.com We Should Be Grateful to Activists Confronting Politicians Directly…

Mark Sumner, Daily Kos (2018-10-04). Trump White House Claims Kavanaugh FBI Report Shows 'No Sexual Misconduct'. alternet.org Reports indicate that the total number of people interviewed was six. | Senators won't get a look at the tightly constrained FBI report until Thursday, but the Wall Street Journal reports that Trump has already given Brett Kavanaugh the all clear. The White House has found no corroboration of t. . .

PFSL (2018-10-04). Socialist Analysis & Discussion "Kavanaugh & Legacy of Women's Oppression" indybay.org 2969 Mission St., btwn 25th and 26th Sts.

Staff (2018-10-04). What Climate Change Activists Can Learn From Public Health Campaigns. truthdig.com Tackling climate change is urgent. Can we act in time? Yes, one argument runs. What we are doing in protecting public health shows how.

Scott Ritter (2018-10-04). Benjamin Netanyahu Is No Friend to America. truthdig.com The Israeli prime minister has the blood of thousands of U.S. soldiers on his hands, and he's beating the war drum anew.

Shared by Merula Furtado (2018-10-04). Five Reasons Why the GOP Is Rushing to Confirm Kavanaugh. truthout.org After Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, Trump and the GOP leadership mounted a full-court press to ram through his confirmation before October 1, the first day of the Court's new term. | Why the rush? | In part they want Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court before the November 6 midterm elections. If the Democrats achieve a majority in the Senate, there may not be sufficient votes to confirm him. | But the hurry to get Kavanaugh confirmed has more to do with the cases on the Supreme Court's docket: Republicans are hoping to ensure the outcome of several hot-button cases, including those invo…

FNCF (2018-10-04). Stand with Survivors -Rally to Stop Kavanaugh. indybay.org corner of El Camino and Embarcadero, Palo Alto | 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301…

IMEMC News (2018-10-04). Detainee Jawareesh Suspends His Hunger Strike. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported, Thursday, that detainee Salah Jawareesh, 23, has suspended his hunger strike after reaching an agreement and a court ruling, stating that his current Administrative Detention orders will not be renewed. The PPS said Jawareesh went on hunger strike for eight days, protesting the […]…

Briahna Gray (2018-10-04). Presumption of Innocence Is for Privileged Men Like Brett Kavanaugh, Not Laquan McDonald or the Central Park Five. theintercept.com Trump's defense of Kavanaugh shows he doesn't care about due process unless it's for men like himself. He sees privilege as their shared birthright.

Special to PeoplesWorld (2018-10-04). More than 800 women law profs demand Senate reject Kavanaugh. peoplesworld.org Today hundreds of women law professors from law schools around the United States have written to the United States Senate, asking all members to reject Judge Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court. Representing a range of disciplines, from corporate law and legal history to criminal justice and tax, women faculty h…

Alex Henderson, AlterNet (2018-10-04). FBI Director Chris Wray Documented Kavanaugh Investigation 'Behind the Scenes' to Maybe Make It 'Public One Day': Report. alternet.org We could one day read the efforts taken by the FBI to corroborate Christine Blasey Ford's testimony. | The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has officially concluded its limited investigation of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's sexual abuse allegations against President Donald Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett. . .

Leighton Akio Woodhouse (2018-10-04). Citing Trump's Racism, a Federal Judge Restores Protections for Immigrants Fleeing Wars and Disasters. theintercept.com A federal court has suspended the Trump administration's termination of temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of refugees.