2019-07-06: News Headlines

Elizabeth Vos (2019-07-06). Power versus the Press: The Extradition Cases of Pinochet & Assange. globalresearch.ca With Julian Assange facing possible extradition from Britain to the U.S. for publishing classified secrets, Elizabeth Vos reflects on the parallel but divergent case of a notorious Chilean dictator. | *** | Eight months from now one of the most consequential extradition …

teleSUR (2019-07-06). Australian Student Expelled From North Korea For 'Spying Acts'. telesurenglish.net The official news agency for North Korea stated on Saturday that an Australian student was expelled from the country after spending ten days in detention for "spying acts" through his work with foreign media. | RELATED: | Nuclear Talks To Resume After Surprise Trump-Kim Meeting | The student,Alek Sigley, who had been held in North Korea since June 25, was an active social media user and also a regular contributor to international media organizations including NK News about his time in…

Staff (2019-07-06). Trump DOJ Is Still Reviewing "All Available Options" to Revive Census Question. truthout.org In what one expert described as "an absurd filing," the Trump administration told a federal judge on Friday that the Justice and Commerce departments "have been asked to reevaluate all available options" for including a citizenship question on the 2020 census, an effort which was effectively blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court last week. | The Supreme Court temporarily prevented the inclusion of the quest…

Staff (2019-07-05). Noam Chomsky on Fascism, Nuclear Weapons, Climate Change and Julian Assange. truthout.org In April, hundreds of people packed into the Old South Church in Boston to hear the world-renowned dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky speak. In this hour-long special, we air an excerpt of Chomsky's speech and his on-stage interview with Amy Goodman. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY GOODMAN: Today, a Democracy Now! special, an hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned dissident and father of modern linguistics. In April, Noam Chomsky visited his hometown of Boston, where he was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for more than half a century. He now teaches at the University of Arizona, Tucso…

WSWS (2019-07-05). UN Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer replies to feminist legal critics on Assange. wsws.org Melzer refutes the claim that he had belittled or denied the role of consent in the legal definition of rape.

Staff (2019-07-05). An Hour with Noam Chomsky on Fascism, Nuclear Weapons, Climate Change, Julian Assange & More. democracynow.org In April, hundreds of people packed into the Old South Church in Boston to hear the world-renowned dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky speak. In this hour-long special, we air an excerpt of Chomsky's speech and his on-stage interview with Amy Goodman.

WSWS (2019-07-05). Julian Assange's birthday celebrated at vigils in Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org Linda Tenenbaum, a longstanding leader of the SEP, indicted the Australian government and the political and media establishment for abandoning Assange, an Australia citizen.

Orion Edmonson (2019-07-05). Basta !!! Free Chelsea Manning & Julien Assange Oakland Weekly Friday Vigil. indybay.org MacArthuR and fruitvale oakland 94602…

WSWS (2019-07-05). Debate on Julian Assange at London's Frontline Club for journalists. wsws.org Guardian columnist Suzanne Moore, arguably the most despised among the advertised speakers, pulled out at the last minute.

WSWS (2019-07-05). Australian workers and youth speak out at vigils for Assange's birthday. wsws.org "The things he has done have changed the world. The people who hate him are usually the people who are in power."

David Rosen (2019-07-05). Sanctions: Failure of U.S. Foreign Policy. counterpunch.org President Donald Trump's meeting with North Korea's Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un, on June 30th may turn out to be more than just another publicity stunt similar to the failed "summit" held in Vietnam in February — a political fiasco. The New York Times and other media report that Trump is planning to revise the terms of U.S. More

Robert Reich (2019-07-05). Trump nationalism has nothing to do with patriotism. nationofchange.org Let us reject Trump's notion of how to celebrate America — not with tanks and missiles that glorify war, not with a rally fit for a dictator, not with children held at the border in cages, not with disdain for the Supreme Court and charges of "treason" hurled at the free press. Instead, let us celebrate …

teleSUR (2019-07-05). Spain: Spear-Studded Activists Protest Pamplonan Bullfights. telesurenglish.net Animal rights activists lay nearly naked and prostrate in the San Fermin Square of Pamplona Friday on the eve of the traditional running of the bulls and subsequent bullfight that takes place each year in the Spanish city. | RELATED: | Spain: Supreme Court Rules 'Wolf Pack' Case Is Rape | This year, however, the event was marked by 54 protesters laying still…

Bill Blum (2019-07-05). Ten Questions for Robert Mueller. truthdig.com After weeks of dithering, the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees have subpoenaed Robert Mueller to testify July 17 about his investigation into Russia's election interference and possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump. Mueller has reluctantly agreed to honor the subpoenas. He will testify publicly in front of both committees, back-to-back, before continuing in closed sessions. | Here are 10 questions I would ask if given the opportunity. They are grouped by category, together with the rationales be…

WSWS (2019-07-04). Australian filmmaker James Ricketson calls on journalist Peter Greste to defend Assange. wsws.org Ricketson's "Open Letter" debunks Greste's claim that Assange is not a journalist and therefore not deserving of support, and calls on him to defend the WikiLeaks founder, as he did Ricketson who was wrongly jailed in Cambodia.

Bryan Wall (2019-07-04). Ex-colonel says US at risk of 'dangerous takeover' by elitist 'cretins'. thecanary.co Former US army colonel Lawrence Wilkerson has criticised the Donald Trump administration and US political elites, calling them "cretins". He went on to declare that the US under Trump is moving "backward", away from democracy, and that a 'takeover' by intelligence agencies and other elites is incre…

Keegan Hankes, Intelligence Project (2019-07-03). SPLC: Hate groups have long adopted symbols of U.S. history to promote white supremacy. splcenter.org As America prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July this week, the display of some of the nation's earliest regalia has rekindled a debate about racist symbolism.

splcenter (2019-07-03). SPLC urges Supreme Court to preserve workplace protections for LGBTQ people. splcenter.org Soon after Y.B. took the night shift as a forklift operator, her boss started harassing her because she is a lesbian.

ACLU (2019-07-03). Thousands of Voices Are Telling the Supreme Court: Don't Roll Back LGBTQ Rights. aclu.org Businesses, women CEOs, civil rights organizations, Republicans tell the Supreme Court to protect LGBTQ employees like Aimee Stephens and Don Zarda. | President Trump has told the Supreme Court it should be legal to fire someone just because they're LGBTQ. The President may be a bully, but he's just one voice. Today, more than 2,000 voices from across the country joined together to tell the Supreme Court: Don't roll back our rights. | The message came in the form of friend-of-the-court briefs—nearly 50 in all—filed in a…

Special To The Black Star News (2019-07-03). Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights "Pleased" Justice Department Will Print 2020 Census Questionnaire Without Bigoted Citizen Question. blackstarnews.com In response to the Department of Justice confirming the decision has been made to print the 2020 Decennial Census questionnaire without a citizenship question, and that the printer has been instructed to begin the printing process, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement: | "The Supreme Court's ruling left little opportunity for the administration to cure the defects with its decision to add a citizenship question and, most importantly, they were simply out of time given the impending deadline for printing forms. We are…

RT (2019-07-02). Is CIA Behind Hong Kong Protests? dissidentvoice.org RT America's Michele Greenstein joins Rick Sanchez to discuss the ongoing protests in Hong Kong and the "National Endowment for Democracy," the US-based NGO funding the protesters.

Robert Mackey (2019-07-02). 2020 Census Form Will Not Include Citizenship Question, Trump Administration Says. theintercept.com The Trump administration admitted defeat on Tuesday, confirming that forms for the 2020 U.S. census will not include a question asking residents who respond to the survey if they are U.S. citizens. The change of plans follows last week's Supreme Court decision that the Commerce Department had failed to provide a valid reason for adding the question. | The news was conveyed in an email from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to lawyers who had contested the effort in lawsuits, and confirmed to The Intercept by…

RT (2019-07-02). Trump administration orders printing 2020 census forms without citizenship question. rt.com Opponents of returning a question about US citizenship onto census forms in 2020 are rejoicing as the Trump administration confirmed it would start printing the forms without it, following a mixed opinion from the Supreme Court.

susan_p (2019-07-02). If war breaks out with Iran, it won't be an accident. greenleft.org.au Some things are still unclear about US President Donald Trump's recent decision to bomb Iran — and his rapid-fire follow-up decision not to. | We still do not know what he or his bomb-Iran cheerleaders — National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — thought the bombing would actually accomplish. | We also do not know why Trump decided to recall the bombers. (Trump claimed it was because a general told him 150 people would die in the attack. But given Trump's indifference to civilian c…

Fight Back (2019-07-01). Interview with Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez on original Rainbow Coalition. fightbacknews.org There are many 50-year anniversaries being celebrated these days, including the founding of the Young Lords on September 23, 1968, and the Rainbow Coalition in April 1969. | Fight Back! interviewed the founder of the Young Lords, Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez, about the original Rainbow Coalition. The powers ruling Chicago were struck with fear when the Rainbow Coalition came together. The United States government and the FBI repressed the groups of the Rainbow Coalition with the courts and violence in the form of COINTELPRO, the counter-intelligence program. The Rainbow Coalition inspired many activists in the late 196…

John Kiriakou (2019-06-28). The Military Industrial Complex Loves Left Wing Hawk Adam Schiff. mintpressnews.com If there was any doubt at all that Adam Schiff is in the grip of the military-industrial complex, one doesn't have to rely just on his stated positions on Iran, Venezuela, and China to make the situation any clearer. Just take a look at his donors.

Keegan Hankes, Intelligence Project (2019-06-28). SPLC: Sentencing of James Alex Fields Jr., who killed Heather Heyer at 'Unite the Right,' will not heal victims or their families. splcenter.org James Alex Fields Jr., who was sentenced to life in prison today for murdering a woman who was protesting a white supremacist rally two years ago, is a remorseless killer and a domestic terrorist.

Staff (2019-06-28). Headlines for June 28, 2019. democracynow.org Supreme Court Says Partisan Gerrymandering Can't Be Challenged in Federal Courts, Trump Threatens to Delay Census After Supreme Court Blocks Adding Citizenship Question, Kamala Harris Takes on Joe Biden over Working with Segregationists and His Opposition to Busing, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Decries New Border Bill as an Unacceptable Betrayal, U.S. Helps Block Progress at German Climate Summit as Europe Sizzles in Record Heat, With a Smile, Trump Tells Putin at G20 Not to Meddle in U.S. Elections, Trump's Chief of Diplomatic Protocol Resigns After Accused of Carrying Whip at Work, Brazilian Air Force Officer…

Staff (2019-06-28). Supreme Court Hands GOP Big Victory on Gerrymandering, Ensuring "Massive Election Rigging" democracynow.org The Supreme Court hands down two major decisions. The first is a victory for Republicans, allowing extreme partisan gerrymandering to continue. The other temporarily blocks the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question on the 2020 census. We get response from Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones, a reporting fellow at the Type Media Center and author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America." He says the ruling that federal courts can't resolve claims of partisan gerrymandering is "almost guaranteed to facilitate massive election rigging in the future."

ACLU (2019-06-28). Georgia Tried to Ban Abortion, So We Sued. aclu.org Abortion bans place people in danger, and Georgia's is no exception. | Alabama. Arkansas. Kentucky. Ohio. And today, Georgia. That's the list of states where the ACLU has had to go to court over the last few months to challenge laws banning abortion. | The Georgia law bans abortion at six weeks of pregnancy and is in clear violation of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. In fact, that is the whole point of the law. Georgia politicians, including Governor Brian Kemp, emboldened by President Trump's appointment of two new justices to the Supreme Court, think this is their chance to get the court to take aw…

ACLU (2019-06-27). Supreme Court Finds that Wilbur Ross Lied To Put Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census. aclu.org The ruling affirms that the Trump administration cannot offer pretextual reasons to cover up its anti-immigrant attacks. | This morning, the Supreme Court told the country what we and our clients have long known: that Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross provided a false reason for his decision to add a citizenship question to the Decennial Census. The court explained that the Trump administration's stated reason for adding a citizenship question—enf…

splcenter (2019-06-27). SPLC: Supreme Court decision not to stop politicians from rigging voting maps hurts our democracy. splcenter.org The Supreme Court decided today that federal courts have no role in regulating state legislatures' gross abuses of power when drawing political lines.

Austyn Ross (2019-06-27). Statements by Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, on Supreme Court's Democracy Rulings. naacp.org Statement on Rucho v. Common Cause and Lamone v. Benisek: "The Court's rulings today upend our democratic principles by allowing party politics to determine the outcomes of our elections. Extreme partisan gerrymandering has infected our electoral process for far too long. Exercise of the franchise, which many fought and even died for, must not be …

Paul Dobson (2019-06-26). Abrams Welcomes Venezuela's Former Intelligence Chief to the US, Reaffirms Trump's Commitment to Ousting Maduro. venezuelanalysis.com The press conference came as the Venezuelan military called for respect from those looking to fracture it.

Brian Becker (2019-06-19). Exposed: The Pentagon's cyberwar against Russia. liberationnews.org Five years before Robert Mueller was appointed Special Counsel to investigate the allegation that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and had conspired with the Trump campaign, the Pentagon had been waging secret cyberattacks against Russia's electrical grid.

Paul Dobson (2019-06-06). Venezuela: Pompeo Exposes Frustration Over Opposition Divisions as China, Russia Call for Non-Interference. venezuelanalysis.com The US Secretary of State claims efforts to unify the opposition have been "devilishly difficult."

CGTN America (2019-06-03). Why is the US targeting Huawei? cgtn.com Huawei is the world's largest provider of smartphones, but the U.S. is accusing it of spying on behalf of the Chinese government, increasing tensions ahead of a looming trade war. The Heat Podcast talks with senior correspondent Nathan King about the controversy.