2020-10-23: News Headlines

Zephyr Teachout (2020-10-23). "A Barrett Confirmation Is a Catastrophe" zcomm.org What Democrats Can Do to Block Trump's Supreme Court Pick…

Stefania Maurizi (2020-10-22). Stefania Maurizi: "This is an Unbelievable Failure of Journalism." globalresearch.ca Italian journalist Stefania Maurizi has worked for some of the country's top publications including la Repubblica, l'Espresso and, now, Il Fatto Quotidiano. In 2009, she started working with Julian Assange and WikiLeaks on secret files concerning the war in Afghanistan, …

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-10-22). 10 Years After Iraq War Logs, It's Impunity for War Criminals, War on Whistleblowers. commondreams.org WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Manning have both paid a tremendous price for revealing U.S. and allied war crimes while the planners and perpetrators face no consequences. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/iwl.jpg

RT (2020-10-22). ISIS-linked stabbing suspect monitored on day of Dresden attack right after he left prison, police chief reveals. rt.com A man suspected of killing one person and seriously injuring another in Dresden this month was under observation by German intelligence at the time of the attack, says the region's head of police. | Law enforcement agents arrested a 20-year-old Syrian man on Tuesday in connection with the double stabbing on October 4, with prosecutors saying he has an Islamist background. | Read more | | The suspect was being monitored by Germany's domestic inte…

Erin McCarley and Birrion Sondahl (2020-10-22). The Assistance, Not the Resistance. dissidentvoice.org As Amy Coney Barrett is expected to be confirmed today as the next Justice to the Supreme Court, one might expect to see more news coverage of the multiple ways Congressional Democrats have tried to block her confirmation. Given the massive groundswell of anguish and fury over her nomination to replace the legendary Ruth Bader …

Staff (2020-10-22). Supreme Court Upholds Alabama's Ban on Curbside Ballot Drop-Off. truthout.org Offering no explanation for their ruling, the five conservative justices who hold the majority on the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Alabama state officials Wednesday night in a decision banning curbside voting in the state. | The ruling

commondreams (2020-10-22). Rushed Judicial Confirmation Poses Severe Threat to Civil Rights, Damages Legitimacy of the Supreme Court. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-10-22). To Fix 'Out of Whack' US Judiciary and Supreme Court, Biden Says He'll Create Commission to Study Reforms. commondreams.org "There's a number of alternatives that… go well beyond packing," Biden asserted. "The last thing we need to do is turn the Supreme Court into just a political football." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/biden60.jpg

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2020-10-22). Saying Quiet Part 'Really Loud,' Trump Admits He Hopes Supreme Court Kills ACA as Barrett Moves Closer to Confirmation. commondreams.org "Senate Republicans who claim this was never about gutting healthcare are lying to you and Donald Trump just proved it." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/barrett_0.jpg

commondreams (2020-10-22). America Can't Afford Another Climate Denier on the Supreme Court, Barrett Backers Will Pay a Price with Voters. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Susan Price (2020-10-22). United States: Racism, democracy in the 'land of the free'. greenleft.org.au The racism and lack of democracy that underpins the institutions of the United States has been exposed thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and President Donald Trump's rush to confirm a new Supreme Court, writes Barry Sheppard.

Susan Price (2020-10-22). Racism, democracy in the 'land of the free'. greenleft.org.au The racism and lack of democracy that underpins the institutions of the United States has been exposed thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and President Donald Trump's rush to confirm a new Supreme Court, writes Barry Sheppard.

Scott Ritter (2020-10-22). In politicizing intelligence, America is blaming everyone but itself for its self-inflicted woes. thealtworld.com In the latest episode in the US' single-minded crusade toward self-destruction, Russia and Iran are being fingered for election interference based on intelligence that doesn't pass the smell test. | You would be justified in thinking that the various news conferences put on by US law enforcement and intelligence officials in which foreign actors — Russia, China and Iran are the usual suspects — are accused of meddling in all things American are little more than a giant practical joke, a parody of how a government should behave, instead of the damning indictment of reality that they are. | The most rec…

Thomas Klikauer (2020-10-22). Trump and the Rise of Artificial News. zcomm.org For years, journalism has been increasingly replaced by the Internet, IT, algorithms, and even AI or artificial intelligence…

_____ (2020-10-22). Top Ten People To Blame If Joe Biden Loses. popularresistance.org So, Joseph Biden, AKA "Kid Senile," leads in the polls against Donald Trump, AKA "Kid Fascist Lunatic," by such a large margin that it resembles a horse race in which one of the horses is an aged wiener dog with three legs. | Right now, even though the polling does not account for the millions of voters who have been unceremoniously booted from the voter rolls, many people believe Biden is going to become the next drunken pilot of the American Empire — a position which has less power than most people imagine as the Military Industrial Complex and Wall Street roll on undeterred due to their unimaginable iner…

sputniknews (2020-10-22). DNI Ratcliffe Claims Iran is Attempting to Interfere in US Election. sputniknews.com Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Wednesday accused Iran of being behind emails intended to intimidate and deceive US voters.

sputniknews (2020-10-22). US, India Finalizing Military Data Sharing Pact Ahead of Pompeo Visit – State Dept. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States and India are finalizing a military agreement that calls for exchanging geospatial information ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to New Delhi next week, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson told reporters on Thursday.

WSWS (2020-10-22). Australia joins "Quad" military exercises directed against China. wsws.org None of the latest announcements explicitly named China as the target, but they flowed from a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between the US, India, Japan and Australia on October 6, where US Secretary of State Pompeo denounced Beijing.

Staff (2020-10-21). "A Barrett Confirmation Is a Catastrophe": What Democrats Can Do to Block Trump's Supreme Court Pick. democracynow.org Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout says Senate Democrats can still block the confirmation of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, if they use every possible procedural method available to them to slow and frustrate the process. "A Barrett confirmation is a catastrophe," Teachout says. "A 6-3 majority on the court is basically a bomb coming at what is left of our protections against corruption in politics, against corporate money, against what is left of the Voting Rights Act."

MEE staff (2020-10-21). Syria still not sharing information on missing US journalist Austin Tice, Pompeo says. middleeasteye.net Syria still not sharing information on missing US journalist Austin Tice, Pompeo says | Secretary of State says Washington will not change policy towards Syria to obtain release of detained Americans | Wed, 10/21/2020 – 19: 24 | Austin Tice was detained checkpoint near Damascus in August 2012 while covering Syrian conflict (AFP/File photo) | The Syrian government has not shared any information on the whereabou…

Paul Jay (2020-10-21). Daniel Ellsberg on the Assange extradition and growing fascism. mronline.org The week of hearings has heard evidence that exposes the charges against Assange as trumped-up and even ridiculous.

Al Neal (2020-10-21). Supreme Court ties 4-4 in Penn. ballot case; bad signal for post-election disputes. peoplesworld.org An ominous foreshadowing found within a half-page typed order from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding Pennsylvania mail-in ballots has heightened fears among Democrats about the possibility the high court could be charged with deciding a post-election dispute and ultimately hand over the keys to the White House to Trump—possibly going against the popular vote, or "will of …

Melvin Goodman (2020-10-21). Brennan's Nuremberg Defense: One More Whitewash of the CIA's Torture Program. counterpunch.org With his disingenuous memoir, Brennan has now joined forces with former CIA directors and deputy directors such as Tenet, McLaughlin, Goss, and Michael Morell who refuse to recognize the CIA created a sadistic program that went far beyond DoJ guidelines, and then lied about the extent of the torture and the fact that nothing was learned that stopped terrorist activity.

sputniknews (2020-10-21). McConnell Nixes Pandemic Relief Talks to Protect Vote on Barrett Supreme Court Nomination. sputniknews.com Timely economic relief is in doubt "after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell revealed that he told the White House not to make a deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the November 3 election," the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

sputniknews (2020-10-21). Democrats to Boycott Senate Judiciary Panel Vote on Trump's Supreme Court Pick, Schumer Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a statement, said that Democrats would boycott the Senate Judiciary panel vote to advance the nomination of President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.

Staff (2020-10-21). Senate Democrats Can Still Block Barrett Confirmation by Slowing Down Process. truthout.org Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout says Senate Democrats can still block the confirmation of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, if they use every possible procedural method available to them to slow and frustrate the process. "A Barrett confirmation is a catastrophe," Teachout says. "A 6-3 majority on the court is basically a bomb coming at what is left of our protections against corruption in politics, against corporate money, against what is left of the Voting Righ…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-10-21). 'Final Line of Accountability Lies With You': 40+ Progressive Groups Urge House Democrats to Impeach Barr. commondreams.org More than 40 progressive groups urged the House Democrats to initiate impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Bill Barr—not only to hold his accountable, but also as a procedural tactic to keep the Senate from confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1228730141_1.jpg

commondreams (2020-10-21). Small Businesses and the American People Demand to Be a Priority Over Corporate Immunity and Supreme Court Confirmations. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Telesur (2020-10-21). Video: Mike Pompeo About CIA: We Lied, We Cheated, We Stole. globalresearch.ca This video was first published in April 2019. | * | Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc….

sputniknews (2020-10-21). US Intelligence Claims Russia, Iran Acting to Influence 2020 Election. sputniknews.com Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe has announced that US intelligence reflects that "two foreign actors, Iran and Russia, have taken specific actions to influence public opinion relating to [US] elections."

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-10-21). Was Bill Barr Paid by The Establishment to Protect Hillary, Obama, Comey, Brennan, and a Passel of Obama Regime DOJ, FBI, and CIA officials from Russiagate indictments? thealtworld.com For at least a year enough facts needed to bring indictments against those who orchestrated the Russiagate …

Susan Price (2020-10-20). Julian Assange and the fight against digital capitalism. greenleft.org.au Julian Assange imagined a future where digital technologies would be used for collective projects of humanisation and anti-imperialist resistance, writes Yanis Iqbal. He is being brutally punished by the United States for disrupting the drive for profits from surveillance and militarism.

Staff (2020-10-20). Headlines for October 20, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Continues Attack on Fauci as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surge and Death Toll Mounts, SCOTUS Deadlock Hands Victory to Voters in Pennsylvania as Floridians Break Early Voting Record, Debate Commission Announces Changes Ahead of Final Presidential Face-Off, Evo Morales Celebrates Victory of MAS Party, Says He Will Return to Bolivia, Trump Admin to Remove Sudan from U.S. List of Terrorist States, At Least 15 People Killed as Nigerian Protests Against Police Violence Continue, WSJ: U.S. Held Talks with Syrian Intelligence About Missing U.S. Citizens, Palestinian Prisoner in Critical Condition After Nearly 3 Months…

Martha Grevatt (2020-10-20). How do we defend reproductive justice? workers.org It appears likely that the Trump wing of the ruling class will ram through the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is racist, pro-patriarchy, anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ2S+ and anti-worker. The Senate Judiciary Committee votes on the nomination Oct. 22, and the full Senate vote is expected before the . . . |

Al Neal (2020-10-20). Supreme Court to review 'Remain in Mexico' policy; migrants face terror-filled wait. peoplesworld.org For asylum seekers and refugees forced to stay in Mexico as their requests to enter the United States enter procedural limbo, their lives are minimized to being political and legal ping-pong balls, going back and forth over the new (incomplete) border wall with every court ruling or Trump administration executive order. On Monday, Oct. 19, …

Ragip Soylu (2020-10-20). Turkey arrests Jordanian on suspicion of spying for UAE. middleeasteye.net Turkey arrests Jordanian on suspicion of spying for UAE | Sources tell MEE Ahmed al-Astal posed as a Muslim Brotherhood supporter to spy on Arab dissidents | Tue, 10/20/2020 – 10: 06 | Turkish police officers patrol in front of Hagia Sophia on 11 July 2020 in Istanbul (AFP) | Turkey's intelligence agency has arrested a Jordanian national on accusation of spying for the United Arab Emirates. | Turkish int…

David Schultz (2020-10-20). Amy Coney Barrett, Constitutional Precedent, and the Problem of Originalism. counterpunch.org Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett is a threat to many constitutional precedents, including Roe v. Wade (abortion rights), National Federation of Business v. Sebelius, (Obamacare), and Obergefell v. Hodges (marriage equality). It may not simply be her ideology or pre-judged opinions that pose the problem, it is her constitutional interpretive method of Originalism that is the issue.

MEE and agencies (2020-10-20). Sudan transfers compensation for US bombing victims. middleeasteye.net Sudan transfers compensation for US bombing victims | Cash-strapped country hands Washington $335m in order to be removed from the United States' terror list | Tue, 10/20/2020 – 16: 34 | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdulla Hamdock in August (AFP) | Sudan on Tuesday announced it had transferred the compensation agreed to pay US victims of militant attacks,…

RT (2020-10-20). Dying laughing: Facebook demonetizes satirical website Babylon Bee for 'inciting violence' with Monty Python joke. rt.com Facebook has demonetized Christian satire site the Babylon Bee, saying even after a manual review that an article which used a popular Monty Python bit to skewer Senate questioning of Trump's Supreme Court pick "incites violence." | The social media behemoth told Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon that it "stood by" the decision to not only remove the article but demonetize the Bee's entire page on Tuesday, insisting the piece — headlined "Senator Hirono Demands ACB Be Weighed Against a Duck To See if She Is a Witch" — "incites violence," Dillon revealed on Twitter. | So after a manual review, Facebook says…

Philip Giraldi (2020-10-20). TG 140: Internet is now weaponized — election meddling? thealtworld.com Peter Lavelle gaggles with Philip Giraldi on how the left has weaponized the Internet against democracy and against dissent. Giraldi is a former CIA counter-terrorism expert.

WSWS (2020-10-20). Faurecia Gladstone Rank-and-File Safety Committee demands two-week shutdown to stop coronavirus spread. wsws.org In response to the emergence of a new cluster of coronavirus cases at the factory last week, the Faurecia Gladstone Rank-and-File Safety Committee, founded in August to oppose the spread of the contagion, inhumane working conditions and the systematic victimization of whistleblowers, has issued the following statement.

sputniknews (2020-10-20). 'Fling Enough Mud, Some Will Stick': US Routinely Levies Hacking Accusations It Can't Prove – Journo. sputniknews.com The US has charged six Russians with working as Russian intelligence agents to direct hacking attacks around the globe, including the infamous NotPetya ransomware. However, a journalist tells Sputnik such claims are virtually impossible to prove, which is why Washington loves to throw them around.