2020-06-27: News Headlines

Abhijan Choudhury (2020-06-27). Israeli atrocities on the rise. peoplesdispatch.org Two recent reports released by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian Territories (OCHA oPT), on June 18 and 24, describe the blatant human rights violations and war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian population in the three occupied Palestinian territories of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. | The two reports cover May 2020 and the first fifteen days of June 2020, respectively, and compile data on acts committed by the Israeli government, armed forces and intelligence services to subjugate and oppress Palestinia…

Minnie Bruce Pratt (2020-06-27). Supreme Court rulings: Mass fightback and solidarity win concessions. workers.org This is a slightly edited version of a talk given on a June 25 Workers World Party webinar on "LGBTQ2S+ and the Black Lives Matter movement." How fortunate we all are to be in the struggle together this particular June Pride Month — a month of historic uprising and outcry . . . |

WSWS (2020-06-27). As pandemic rages, Trump administration calls on Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare. wsws.org An overturn of the Affordable Care Act would wipe out health care coverage for as many as 23 million Americans.

Susan Jaffe (2020-06-27). [World Report] LGBTQ discrimination in US health care under scrutiny. thelancet.com A US Supreme Court ruling could undermine the Trump administration's plan to roll back some protections against sex discrimination. Susan Jaffe reports.

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-06-27). Mentally Replace Everything Before "U.S. Intelligence Says" With "Blah Blah We're Probably Lying" thealtworld.com "Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill Troops, U.S. Intelligence Says", blares the To be clear, this is journalistic malpractice. Mainstream media outlets which publish anonymous intelligence claims with no proof are just publishi…

_____ (2020-06-27). US Government Expands Assange Indictment To Criminalize Assistance. popularresistance.org The United States government expanded their indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to criminalize the assistance WikiLeaks provided to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden when staff helped him leave Hong Kong. | Sarah Harrison, who was a section editor for WikiLeaks, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a former spokesperson, and Jacob Appelbaum, a digital activist who represented WikiLeaks at conferences, are targeted as "co-conspirators" in the indictment [PDF], though neither have been charged with offenses. | No charges were added, however, it significantly expands the conspiracy to commit computer intrusion char…

_____ (2020-06-27). DOJ's New WikiLeaks Indictment Has Significant, Convenient Plot Holes. popularresistance.org In its push to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the U.K., the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday published a superseding indictment aimed at broadening "the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged." The names of certain organizations and individuals are masked, including that of a paid FBI informant who stole money from WikiLeaks and later confessed to having sex with nine underage boys in exchange for money and other valuables. | A decent chunk of the filing relates to Chelsea Manning, her interactions with Assange and other possi…

BAACFJA (2020-06-27). Free Julian Assange Global Birthday Vigil. indybay.org BayAction2FreeAssange.org joins #Candles4Assange for Julian Assange's Global Birthday Vigil | Friday, July 3 ≥·µà, Noon-1PM | British Consulate, 1 Sansome St., San Francisco | *Masks & social distancing please | For those w medical conditions/unable to attend : Please follow @Action4assange livestream noted in details…

BAACFJA (2020-06-27). Friday 7/3: Free Julian Assange Global Birthday Vigil. indybay.org BayAction2FreeAssange.org joins #Candles4Assange for Julian Assange's Global Birthday Vigil | Friday, July 3 ≥·µà, Noon-1PM | British Consulate, 1 Sansome St., San Francisco | *Masks & social distancing please | For those w medical conditions/unable to attend : Please follow @Action4assange livestream noted in details…

Staff (2020-06-26). Police Are Arresting Protesters Over Facebook Posts—And It's Just The Beginning. therealnews.com The FBI investigated and arrested Michael Avery for posting on Facebook about a Black Lives Matter protest. We talk with a tech industry whistleblower about "snitch apps" and how law enforcement uses technology to "protect" you.

RT (2020-06-26). British foreign secretary accused of hypocrisy for praising UN 'values' despite UK treatment of Assange. rt.com Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has provoked anger after lauding the UK's role in the United Nations and its commitment to the "values" of the organization, with many disagreeing and pointing to the treatment of Julian Assange. | Raab posted on social media on Friday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the birth of the UN, when 50 nations, including the UK, came together to sign the Charter. | The foreign minister said: "Since then, we have played a crucial role in the @UN and remain committed to upholding its values." | 75 years ago, the üá¨üáß alongside 49…

Staff (2020-06-26). The End of Asylum? Supreme Court Sides with Trump Administration on Fast-Tracking Deportations. democracynow.org The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a major victory Thursday when it ruled the government can fast-track deportations of asylum seekers without first allowing them to fight for their cases in front of a judge. The ACLU's Lee Gelernt argued the case in court on behalf of Tamil asylum seeker Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam. "It's a very serious decision and will adversely affect many, many asylum seekers," says Gelernt. "We're likely to see more people fail their hearings, and now they don't have a backstop in the federal courts."

_____ (2020-06-26). Scheer Intelligence: For Many Young People, Socialism Is As American As Apple Pie. popularresistance.org In the devastating aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, many young Americans who felt betrayed by capitalism were introduced to socialism by Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns. Meagan Day, a staff writer for the popular left-wing magazine Jacobin and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), serves as an example of how the Vermont senator radicalized a generation with a platform that called for policies like Medicare for All and tuition-free college. Day credits Sanders with her decision to choose socialism when she felt the time came to "pick a side" in American politics and has since been w…

Staff (2020-06-26). Headlines for June 26, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Sets Another Daily COVID-19 Record as Infections Surge in 31 States, Supreme Court Ruling Will Deny Asylum Seekers Their Day in Court, Trump Admin Asks SCOTUS to Annul Obamacare Even as Millions Lose Health Coverage, India Nears 500,000 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases as Pandemic Worsens Globally, WHO Declares End to Ebola Outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo, House Democrats Pass Sweeping Police Reform Bill That Trump Promised to Veto, Activists Demanding $1B Cut to NYPD Budget Occupy City Hall for Third Straight Night, NC Police Dept. Fires Officers Caught on Tape Discussing "Slaughtering" Black Reside…

Elie Mystal (2020-06-26). The Supreme Court Just Took a Hammer to the Asylum Process. thenation.com The Supreme Court Just Took a Hammer to the Asylum Process…

WSWS (2020-06-26). US Supreme Court rules recent asylum seekers have no right to habeas corpus or due process. wsws.org As in Dred Scott v. Sandford, the Supreme Court made the most sweeping anti-democratic ruling possible.

Staff (2020-06-26). 20 Million Could Lose Health Coverage As Trump Aims to End Obamacare. truthout.org The Trump administration filed a late-evening briefing to the United States Supreme Court on Thursday, joining a number of states urging justices to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the signature health care law passed by the Obama administration. | Repeal of the ACA, which is sometimes called "Obamacare," could cause significant harm to the American people, particularly those who depend on the program to access health insurance through state exchanges. If the law were to end suddenly, it's es…

Staff (2020-06-26). Supreme Court Sides With Trump Administration on Fast-Tracking Deportations. truthout.org The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a major victory Thursday when it ruled the government can fast-track deportations of asylum seekers without first allowing them to fight for their cases in front of a judge. The ACLU's Lee Gelernt argued the case in court on behalf of Tamil asylum seeker Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam. "It's a very serious decision and will adversely affect many, many asylum seekers," says Gelernt. "We're likely to see more people fail their hearings, and now they don'

Dr. Leon Tressell (2020-06-26). Journalist Julian Assange Charged with New American Indictment. globalresearch.ca On 24 June a US Federal Grad Jury issued a second superseding indictment against Journalist Julian Assange. | The

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-06-26). "Free Speech" In The US Empire Is As Illusory As "Free-Range" Eggs. thealtworld.com Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola calls "a not-so-subtle effort to criminalize the journalism of an adversarial media organization that the United States has spent the last decade working to destroy," WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Shadowproof,

_____ (2020-06-26). 'Free Speech' in the US Empire Is as Illusory as 'Free-Range' Eggs. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola calls "a not-so-subtle effort to criminalize the journalism of an adversarial media organization that the United States has spent the last decade working to destroy," WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Shadowproof,

Max Blumenthal (2020-06-25). How a US and Qatari regime change deception produced 'Caesar' sanctions driving Syria towards famine. thegrayzone.com Like the mysterious figure it is named for, the Caesar sanctions bill is the product of an elaborate deception by…

Max Blumenthal (2020-06-25). How a US & Qatari regime change deception produced the 'Caesar' sanctions driving Syria towards famine. thegrayzone.com Like the mysterious figure it is named for, the Caesar sanctions bill is the product of an elaborate deception by…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-06-25). Betraying 'Bedrock Principle' of Due Process, Supreme Court Allows Fast-Tracked Deportations. commondreams.org "This decision means that some people facing flawed deportation orders can be forcibly removed with no judicial oversight, putting their lives in grave danger." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/scotus-expedited.jpg

Kevin Gosztola (2020-06-25). US Government Expands Assange Indictment to Criminalize Assistance Provided to Edward Snowden. globalresearch.ca The United States government expanded their indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to criminalize the assistance WikiLeaks provided to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden when staff helped him leave Hong Kong. | Sarah Harrison, who was a section editor for WikiLeaks, …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-25). Assange faces second indictment by US on charges of recruiting hacktivists. peoplesdispatch.org Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will face a fresh indictment on charges of having "hired" and "conspired" with hacktivist groups, including Anonymous, LulzSec, and "a famous teenage hacker in Australia"

WSWS (2020-06-25). US indictment of Assange based on testimony of FBI assets, convicted child molester. wsws.org The indictment paints a picture of US operatives pouring through decade-old tabloid gossip and dredging up the most unsavoury creatures of their own intelligence agencies to fling mud at Assange.

sputniknews (2020-06-25). Two Terrorists Killed, 5 Members of Pakistan-Based Terror Group Lashkar-e-Taiba Arrested in Kashmir. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian security forces have been engaged in major counter-terror operations in the Kashmir Valley since April of this year. Security forces have eliminated more than 110 terrorists so far, with intelligence services claiming that infiltration attempts from the Pakistani border may witness a sharp increase this summer.

RT (2020-06-24). Senate committee seeks to force US government & military to DECLASSIFY all data collected on UFOs. rt.com The US Senate Intelligence Committee has approved a measure that would require the government, including the Pentagon and intel agencies, to compile all data on unidentified aerial phenomena into a declassified report. | Though the provision is part of a broader annual intelligence bill and must still be approved by the full Senate, the intelligence committee recently voted to add the measure into the legislation, calling on the government to "standardize collection and reporting on unidentified aerial phenomenon," or UAP — more commonly known as UFOs. | "The Committee remains concerned that there is no u…

RT (2020-06-24). It's Israel's CHOICE whether to annex West Bank, Pompeo proclaims. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has declared the choice of whether Israel should annex the occupied West Bank is "for Israelis to make." Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory remain illegal under international law. | Pompeo gave the go-ahead to Israel's annexation effort during a press conference on Wednesday, effectively telling Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would not stand in his way. | Decisions about Israelis extending sovereignty to those places are decisions for the Israelis to make. | Tel Aviv has vowed to annex a sizable chunk of the West Bank by July 1 — 30 percent, b…

yenisafak (2020-06-24). US sanctions five Iranian ship captains for bringing oil to Venezuela. yenisafak.com Speaking to reporters, Pompeo also said the United States continues to support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. Washington, which seeks the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and most other Western governments have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of the OPEC nation.