Monthly Archives: July 2020

2020-07-31: News Headlines

Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-31). Julian Assange's Political Indictment: Old Wine in Older Bottles. counterpunch.org The book of hours on Julian Assange is now being written. But the scribes are far from original. Repeated rituals of administrative hearings that have no common purpose other than to string things out before the axe are being enacted. Of late, the man most commonly associated with WikiLeaks' publication project cannot participate in any

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-30). Video: Covid-19 and the Censorship of Medical Doctors. LancetGate and the Suppression of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). globalresearch.ca Medical doctors at an event in front of the US Supreme Court are accused of making false statements. | The video of their press conference was removed by Youtube and Facebook. They are accused by CNN of spreading "fake science" | The …

Staff (2020-07-30). Democracy Delayed Is Democracy Denied. therealnews.com Stir Crazy! Episode 73: Today we are joined by TRNN reporter Aman Azhar, journalist Justine Barron, TRNN visual producer Andrew Corkery, and TRNN editorial director Lisa Snowden-McCray. Hosted by Kim Brown.

RT (2020-07-30). Russian serviceman working in Crimea arrested for HIGH TREASON, accused of spying for Ukraine. rt.com A serviceman from Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been arrested by the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) on suspicion of working for Ukrainian military intelligence. | If found guilty of high treason, the detained soldier could In a statement

RT (2020-07-30). EU targets Russian intelligence, Chinese, North Korean companies in first ever cybercrime-related sanctions batch. rt.com The European Union has imposed sanctions on six people and three entities, including a Russian military intelligence unit over their alleged involvement in various hacking activities, in the first ever such move from Brussels. | EU officials slapped the "Special Technologies" unit (GTsST) of the Russian military intelligence (also known as GRU) with sanctions, accusing it of being behind several high-profile cyber-attacks — including the infamous NotPetya virus that inflicted $10 billion worth of damage to the world economy in 2017. | The origins of that virus are still unclear. Yet, what is known for ce…

RT (2020-07-30). EU targets Russian intelligence, Chinese, North Korean companies in first ever cybercrime-related round of sanctions. rt.com The European Union has imposed sanctions on six people and three entities, including a Russian military intelligence unit, over their alleged involvement in various hacking activities, in the first ever such move from Brussels. | EU officials slapped the "Special Technologies" unit (GTsST) of the Russian military intelligence agency (also known as GRU) with sanctions, accusing it of being behind several high-profile cyber-attacks — including the infamous NotPetya virus that inflicted $10 billion-worth of damage to the world economy in 2017. | The origins of that virus are still unclear. What is known for…

RT (2020-07-30). We closed this 'den of spies' consulate: Pompeo takes hard stance on China during Senate hearing. rt.com The US secretary of state has taken a tough line on Beijing as he testified in the Senate by calling China nothing less than a "central threat of our times" and slamming the Chinese Houston consulate the US closed as a spies' den.

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-30). Military Escalation, Dangerous Crossroads in US-China Relations: Mike Pompeo Goes Wild. globalresearch.ca Until this year, Trump hailed what he called "tremendous progress in our relationship" with China — boasting about an "outstanding" bond between him and President Xi Jinping. | He claimed that a "giant trade deal" in the making would enhance …

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-30). The Real Deep State Power Grab: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com the new cold war agendas against China and Russia. All analysts who've been staring transfixed by Covid anxiety waiting for Bill Gates to usher in the New World Order have completely missed this story due to a misguided collective decision to fixate on this virus. | The virus will certainly play a part in many ways, but the real large-scale power agendas at work revolve around the US-centralized empire's increasingly urgent campaign to

Michael T. Klare (2020-07-30). What Would It Take to Avert Military Escalation With China in the South China Sea? thenation.com What Would It Take to Avert Military Escalation With China in the South China Sea?

_____ (2020-07-30). CIA Fabricated Russiagate 'Evidence', Says Former NSA Tech Chief. strategic-culture.org Bill Binney has now laid out, in this speech, the evidence that he wants to present in court against Barack Obama's CIA, that it defrauded Americans to believe in "Russiagate" (the allegation that Russia 'hacked' the computers of Hillary Clinton and Democratic Party officials and fed that information to Wikileaks and other organizations). Binney cites evidence, which, if true, conclusively proves that Russiagate was actually created fraudulently by the CIA's extensive evidence-tampering, which subsequently became covered-up by the Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in his investigations for the Democratic Party's fi…

Kenneth Surin (2020-07-29). The UK's Russia Report on the "Londongrad Laundromat" counterpunch.org The UK parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), drawn from MPs and peers of all parties, last week published its report on possible Russian interference in UK politics. The report's release had been delayed by 9 months after it had been blocked by Boris "BoJo" Johnson in the run-up to the December 2019 general election.

Aidan O'Brien (2020-07-29). Has anything changed since 1840? Trade, imperialism, Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta megacity. mronline.org In modern times, China has been the ultimate challenge for imperialists: it's independence being an enigma to Europeans and Americans. From Marco Polo to Mike Pompeo, China has been a mystery to Christian crusaders.

RT (2020-07-29). Libya-born diplomat Richard Moore to head MI6 intel service. rt.com Britain's overseas spy agency — better known as MI6 — has installed diplomat Richard Moore as its new chief, the UK Foreign Office announced on Wednesday. | Libya-born Moore succeeds Sir Alex Younger, who will relinquish duties as head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in the autumn. The 57-year-old will also be known as 'C' — a role made famous in the James Bond movies. | Moore's current role is Director General for Political Affairs in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), a position he has held since April 2018. He has previously worked in other director roles in the SIS and has…

The Canary (2020-07-29). US officials claim Russia is behind the spread of virus disinformation. thecanary.co US officials say Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.The officials alleged Russian operatives have acted in seeking to exploit a crisis the US is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November.Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow's military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for the effort to reach American and western audiences, according to the US government officials, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The i…

RT (2020-07-29). Veteran diplomat becomes new US envoy for Arctic as Washington seeks greater role in region. rt.com The Trump administration on Wednesday named a special envoy for the Arctic, filling a post that had been vacant for more than three years. Washington is seeking a greater role in the region, trying to blunt growing Russian and Chinese influence there. | The State Department's appointment of veteran career diplomat Jim DeHart to be US coordinator for the Arctic came just a week after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed enhanced US engagement in the Arctic, speaking during a visit to Denmark, AP reported. | The US opened a consulate in the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland earlier this year as part…

RT (2020-07-29). White BLM activist tells black doctor at center of Covid-19 controversy: 'I'm more black than you on the inside'. rt.com Dr Stella Immanuel has enough skepticism to deal with regarding her controversial medical theories, but in the eyes of at least one Black Lives Matter activist, even her blackness is something to be challenged. | "You're not black on the inside, I'm more black than you on the inside," a masked white man yelled at Immanuel yesterday on the steps the Supreme Court in Washington, where she was part of a group of doctors staging a press conference to promote the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a coronavirus cure. The man added that Immanuel was "betraying Black Lives Matter" and that "there were people during t…

_____ (2020-07-29). Presumptuous Pompeo Pushes Preposterous 'Peking' Policy. popularresistance.org Quick. Somebody tell Mike Pompeo. The secretary of state is not supposed to play the role of court jester — the laughing stock to the world. There was no sign that any of those listening to his "major China policy statement" last Thursday at the Nixon Library turned to their neighbor and said, "He's kidding, right? Richard Nixon meant well but failed miserably to change China's behavior? And now Pompeo is going to put them in their place?" Over the weekend an informal colloquium-by-email took pace, spurred initially by an op-ed article by Richard Haass critiquing Pompeo's speech. Haass's views served as a s…

yenisafak (2020-07-29). Brazil may face 'consequences' if it gives Huawei 5G access, says US ambassador. yenisafak.com The top U.S. diplomat in Brazil said in a newspaper interview that the country may face "consequences" if it allows China's Huawei Technologies into its 5G network, referring to U.S. warnings that China fails to protect intellectual property.The U.S. government has stepped up efforts to limit Huawei's role in rolling out high-speed, fifth-generation technology in Latin America's largest economy. It believes Huawei would hand over data to the Chinese government for spying. Huawei denies it spies for China.U.S. Ambassador Todd Chapman told O Globo that Brazil would not face reprisals for picking Huawei, but could f…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-28). VIDEO: Covid-19 and "The Spiderweb of Fear". American Medical Doctors and Health Experts are being Silenced… globalresearch.ca Author's Update. Censorship | Medical doctors at an event in front of the US Supreme Court are accused of making false statements. | The video was removed by Youtube and Facebook. They are accused by the corporate media of spreading "fake science": …

Staff (2020-07-28). Headlines for July 28, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Republicans Unveil Plan to Slash Unemployment Benefits as Pandemic Rages, Moderna Late Stage Vaccine Trial Starts, as Trump's NSA Tests Positive for Coronavirus, WHO: COVID-19 "Most Severe Global Health Emergency" as Global Death Toll Tops 654,000, AG Barr and National Guardsman to Testify Before Congress with Battling Narratives, John Lewis Lies in State in Capitol Rotunda as He Is Honored by Fellow Lawmakers, 100s of DNC Delegates to Oppose a Party Platform Without Medicare for All, DNC Members Vote to Support Israel's Illegal Annexation of West Bank, "Free Them All!": Immigrant Rights Activists Chain Th…

Aidan Jonah (2020-07-28). Who's behind the Canadian Think Tank Pushing for Sanctions against China and Iran? dissidentvoice.org The "independent" think tank, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute recently called for China and Iran to be severely punished for allegedly covering up the original outbreak and failing to respond to COVID-19 in time. This was done in ignorance of both Canada's PM Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump's failure to listen to military intelligence warning …

William Hughes (2020-07-28). Two Rebels Against the Establishment: Oliver Stone and Edward Snowden. counterpunch.org Film director Oliver Stone is in a class by himself. He has dared to go into the political mine fields where only a few other Hollywood-based moviemakers have ventured. Perhaps, the fact that the talented Stone was a Vietnam War U.S. Army veteran (1967-68), toughened him up to take on the Establishment. Earlier in his

RT (2020-07-28). 'Why don't we focus on now?' Pressed over Trump campaign spying, Obama adviser 'recreates' Hillary's infamous Benghazi moment. rt.com Former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was grilled on the Steele Dossier and the FBI spying on the Trump campaign live on TV, but tried to dodge the topic altogether, earning comparisons to Hillary Clinton from conservatives. | Confronted by a Fox Business anchor with mounting

Paul Dobson (2020-07-28). Venezuela Rejects Washington's 'Wild West' Bounty Against Chief Justice Moreno. globalresearch.ca Venezuela's Foreign Ministry hit back at the Trump administration after it offered US $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno last week. | "The Venezuelan government once again rejects the Donald Trump administration's illegal …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-28). In Light of Supreme Court Ruling, ACLU Says Trump's Latest Move to Undermine DACA 'Patently Illegal'. commondreams.org "There is absolutely no reason for this," said immigration rights activist Erika Andiola. "Nothing. Not a legal reason. Not a political reason. Just hate." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1221069325.jpg

WSWS (2020-07-28). Assange appears in court, as lawyers warn case may be delayed by new US indictment. wsws.org As it stands, the UK courts are continuing with Assange's extradition process based on an outdated indictment.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-28). Revisions on China: Abandoning the Nixon Legacy. counterpunch.org There is little doubt about it. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the puffed-up hawk of the Trump administration, talons at the ready, beak protruding. While the president coos at the prospect of seeing, or admiring, the next strongman of international relations, Pompeo hovers over selected authoritarian targets. This Jekyll-Hyde appraisal of foreign policy

_____ (2020-07-28). US — China Conflict Puts Allies In Crossfire. popularresistance.org US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling for "an alliance of democracies" to confront China. It amounts to a new Cold War in which nations are being forced to side either with Washington or Beijing. | It's a classic tyrannical power-play by Washington. Such polarized demarcation of the planet as designated by Washington is impossible in a global economy which is highly integrated, from consumer and financial markets to supply chains. | A news report this week once again underscores how even the American military is reliant on China for supplies of rare earth metals used in its weapon systems. | Indeed, the en…

_____ (2020-07-28). Human Rights and Washington's Global Britain. strategic-culture.org U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo went to London on July 21 because the British government had bowed the knee to Washington and

_____ (2020-07-27). First Nations Leaders Speak Out Against Canada's Trans Mountain Pipeline Approval. popularresistance.org Kinder-Morgan's application for approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion (TMX) has been bouncing around in Canada's federal courts like a pinball since 2013. First Nations tribes and environmental groups have valiantly worked the flippers of the judicial pinball machine for years, filing lawsuits and appeals, to keep that shiny ball from rolling down the drain of approval. But on July 2, down it went when the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) denied three First Nations leave to appeal the decision of a lower court.

WSWS (2020-07-27). Mounting US pressure on Europe to line up against China. wsws.org Pompeo condemned those that "simply don't have the ability, the courage to stand with us."

2020-07-30: News Headlines

Michael T. Klare (2020-07-30). What Would It Take to Avert Military Escalation With China in the South China Sea? thenation.com What Would It Take to Avert Military Escalation With China in the South China Sea?

_____ (2020-07-30). Foreign Interference in Elections: Is it Real or Just Political Noise? strategic-culture.org A recently concluded British Parliamentary inquiry has determined that Russia may have The Parliament's Intelligence and Security…

_____ (2020-07-30). CIA Fabricated Russiagate 'Evidence', Says Former NSA Tech Chief. strategic-culture.org Bill Binney has now laid out, in this speech, the evidence that he wants to present in court against Barack Obama's CIA, that it defrauded Americans to believe in "Russiagate" (the allegation that Russia 'hacked' the computers of Hillary Clinton and Democratic Party officials and fed that information to Wikileaks and other organizations). Binney cites evidence, which, if true, conclusively proves that Russiagate was actually created fraudulently by the CIA's extensive evidence-tampering, which subsequently became covered-up by the Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in his investigations for the Democratic Party's fi…

Kenneth Surin (2020-07-29). The UK's Russia Report on the "Londongrad Laundromat" counterpunch.org The UK parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), drawn from MPs and peers of all parties, last week published its report on possible Russian interference in UK politics. The report's release had been delayed by 9 months after it had been blocked by Boris "BoJo" Johnson in the run-up to the December 2019 general election.

Aidan O'Brien (2020-07-29). Has anything changed since 1840? Trade, imperialism, Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta megacity. mronline.org In modern times, China has been the ultimate challenge for imperialists: it's independence being an enigma to Europeans and Americans. From Marco Polo to Mike Pompeo, China has been a mystery to Christian crusaders.

RT (2020-07-29). Libya-born diplomat Richard Moore to head MI6 intel service. rt.com Britain's overseas spy agency — better known as MI6 — has installed diplomat Richard Moore as its new chief, the UK Foreign Office announced on Wednesday. | Libya-born Moore succeeds Sir Alex Younger, who will relinquish duties as head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in the autumn. The 57-year-old will also be known as 'C' — a role made famous in the James Bond movies. | Moore's current role is Director General for Political Affairs in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), a position he has held since April 2018. He has previously worked in other director roles in the SIS and has…

The Canary (2020-07-29). US officials claim Russia is behind the spread of virus disinformation. thecanary.co US officials say Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.The officials alleged Russian operatives have acted in seeking to exploit a crisis the US is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November.Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow's military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for the effort to reach American and western audiences, according to the US government officials, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The i…

RT (2020-07-29). Veteran diplomat becomes new US envoy for Arctic as Washington seeks greater role in region. rt.com The Trump administration on Wednesday named a special envoy for the Arctic, filling a post that had been vacant for more than three years. Washington is seeking a greater role in the region, trying to blunt growing Russian and Chinese influence there. | The State Department's appointment of veteran career diplomat Jim DeHart to be US coordinator for the Arctic came just a week after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed enhanced US engagement in the Arctic, speaking during a visit to Denmark, AP reported. | The US opened a consulate in the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland earlier this year as part…

RT (2020-07-29). White BLM activist tells black doctor at center of Covid-19 controversy: 'I'm more black than you on the inside'. rt.com Dr Stella Immanuel has enough skepticism to deal with regarding her controversial medical theories, but in the eyes of at least one Black Lives Matter activist, even her blackness is something to be challenged. | "You're not black on the inside, I'm more black than you on the inside," a masked white man yelled at Immanuel yesterday on the steps the Supreme Court in Washington, where she was part of a group of doctors staging a press conference to promote the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a coronavirus cure. The man added that Immanuel was "betraying Black Lives Matter" and that "there were people during t…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-29). Julian Assange's Political Indictment: Old Wine in Older Bottles. dissidentvoice.org The book of hours on Julian Assange is now being written. But the scribes are far from original. Repeated rituals of administrative hearings that have no common purpose other than to string things out before the axe are being enacted. Of late, the man most commonly associated with WikiLeaks' publication project cannot participate in any …

_____ (2020-07-29). Presumptuous Pompeo Pushes Preposterous 'Peking' Policy. popularresistance.org Quick. Somebody tell Mike Pompeo. The secretary of state is not supposed to play the role of court jester — the laughing stock to the world. There was no sign that any of those listening to his "major China policy statement" last Thursday at the Nixon Library turned to their neighbor and said, "He's kidding, right? Richard Nixon meant well but failed miserably to change China's behavior? And now Pompeo is going to put them in their place?" Over the weekend an informal colloquium-by-email took pace, spurred initially by an op-ed article by Richard Haass critiquing Pompeo's speech. Haass's views served as a s…

yenisafak (2020-07-29). Brazil may face 'consequences' if it gives Huawei 5G access, says US ambassador. yenisafak.com The top U.S. diplomat in Brazil said in a newspaper interview that the country may face "consequences" if it allows China's Huawei Technologies into its 5G network, referring to U.S. warnings that China fails to protect intellectual property.The U.S. government has stepped up efforts to limit Huawei's role in rolling out high-speed, fifth-generation technology in Latin America's largest economy. It believes Huawei would hand over data to the Chinese government for spying. Huawei denies it spies for China.U.S. Ambassador Todd Chapman told O Globo that Brazil would not face reprisals for picking Huawei, but could f…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-28). VIDEO: Covid-19 and "The Spiderweb of Fear". American Medical Doctors and Health Experts are being Silenced… globalresearch.ca Author's Update. Censorship | Medical doctors at an event in front of the US Supreme Court are accused of making false statements. | The video was removed by Youtube and Facebook. They are accused by the corporate media of spreading "fake science": …

Staff (2020-07-28). Headlines for July 28, 2020. democracynow.org Senate Republicans Unveil Plan to Slash Unemployment Benefits as Pandemic Rages, Moderna Late Stage Vaccine Trial Starts, as Trump's NSA Tests Positive for Coronavirus, WHO: COVID-19 "Most Severe Global Health Emergency" as Global Death Toll Tops 654,000, AG Barr and National Guardsman to Testify Before Congress with Battling Narratives, John Lewis Lies in State in Capitol Rotunda as He Is Honored by Fellow Lawmakers, 100s of DNC Delegates to Oppose a Party Platform Without Medicare for All, DNC Members Vote to Support Israel's Illegal Annexation of West Bank, "Free Them All!": Immigrant Rights Activists Chain Th…

Aidan Jonah (2020-07-28). Who's behind the Canadian Think Tank Pushing for Sanctions against China and Iran? dissidentvoice.org The "independent" think tank, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute recently called for China and Iran to be severely punished for allegedly covering up the original outbreak and failing to respond to COVID-19 in time. This was done in ignorance of both Canada's PM Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump's failure to listen to military intelligence warning …

William Hughes (2020-07-28). Two Rebels Against the Establishment: Oliver Stone and Edward Snowden. counterpunch.org Film director Oliver Stone is in a class by himself. He has dared to go into the political mine fields where only a few other Hollywood-based moviemakers have ventured. Perhaps, the fact that the talented Stone was a Vietnam War U.S. Army veteran (1967-68), toughened him up to take on the Establishment. Earlier in his

RT (2020-07-28). 'Why don't we focus on now?' Pressed over Trump campaign spying, Obama adviser 'recreates' Hillary's infamous Benghazi moment. rt.com Former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was grilled on the Steele Dossier and the FBI spying on the Trump campaign live on TV, but tried to dodge the topic altogether, earning comparisons to Hillary Clinton from conservatives. | Confronted by a Fox Business anchor with mounting

Paul Dobson (2020-07-28). Venezuela Rejects Washington's 'Wild West' Bounty Against Chief Justice Moreno. globalresearch.ca Venezuela's Foreign Ministry hit back at the Trump administration after it offered US $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno last week. | "The Venezuelan government once again rejects the Donald Trump administration's illegal …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-07-28). In Light of Supreme Court Ruling, ACLU Says Trump's Latest Move to Undermine DACA 'Patently Illegal'. commondreams.org "There is absolutely no reason for this," said immigration rights activist Erika Andiola. "Nothing. Not a legal reason. Not a political reason. Just hate." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1221069325.jpg

WSWS (2020-07-28). Assange appears in court, as lawyers warn case may be delayed by new US indictment. wsws.org As it stands, the UK courts are continuing with Assange's extradition process based on an outdated indictment.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-28). Revisions on China: Abandoning the Nixon Legacy. counterpunch.org There is little doubt about it. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the puffed-up hawk of the Trump administration, talons at the ready, beak protruding. While the president coos at the prospect of seeing, or admiring, the next strongman of international relations, Pompeo hovers over selected authoritarian targets. This Jekyll-Hyde appraisal of foreign policy

_____ (2020-07-28). US — China Conflict Puts Allies In Crossfire. popularresistance.org US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling for "an alliance of democracies" to confront China. It amounts to a new Cold War in which nations are being forced to side either with Washington or Beijing. | It's a classic tyrannical power-play by Washington. Such polarized demarcation of the planet as designated by Washington is impossible in a global economy which is highly integrated, from consumer and financial markets to supply chains. | A news report this week once again underscores how even the American military is reliant on China for supplies of rare earth metals used in its weapon systems. | Indeed, the en…

_____ (2020-07-28). Human Rights and Washington's Global Britain. strategic-culture.org U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo went to London on July 21 because the British government had bowed the knee to Washington and

_____ (2020-07-27). With Cold War Language, Pompeo Defines Plan For 'Totalitarian' China. popularresistance.org In a major foreign policy speech on U.S.-China relations, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cast ratcheted-up tensions with Beijing in Cold War terms, announcing that Washington would seek to change Beijing's behavior and stopping just short of calling for regime change. | He described Beijing — and Chinese President Xi Jinping — as a generational threat to "free democracies around the world," a totalitarian and hegemonic regime that must not be treated like a normal nation. Riffing on President Ronald Reagan's famous "trust but verify" dictum about the Soviet Union, he said that when it comes to Beijing…

Sophia Paslaski (2020-07-27). SCOTUS' Birth Control Decision Favors Medicare for All. counterpunch.org People of the menstruating persuasion: how dare you. The highest court in the land demands to know. On July 8th, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that the President, who does not have a uterus, was quite right to object to Obama-era ACA rules that allowed Americans who do have uteri access

_____ (2020-07-27). First Nations Leaders Speak Out Against Canada's Trans Mountain Pipeline Approval. popularresistance.org Kinder-Morgan's application for approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion (TMX) has been bouncing around in Canada's federal courts like a pinball since 2013. First Nations tribes and environmental groups have valiantly worked the flippers of the judicial pinball machine for years, filing lawsuits and appeals, to keep that shiny ball from rolling down the drain of approval. But on July 2, down it went when the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) denied three First Nations leave to appeal the decision of a lower court.

teleSUR (2020-07-27). Assange Suffers Political Persecution, Lawyer Garzon Says. telesurenglish.net During a hearing at Spain's National Court, Julian Assange's lawyer Baltasar Garzon Monday denounced that his client has suffered "political persecution" from the U.S. government. | RELATED: | Garzon was called to declare over the alleged espionage by the Spanish company UC Global, which was responsible for the security of Ecuador's embassy in London from 2015 and 2018. | During the hearing were displayed rec…

WSWS (2020-07-27). Mounting US pressure on Europe to line up against China. wsws.org Pompeo condemned those that "simply don't have the ability, the courage to stand with us."

yenisafak (2020-07-27). China: US claims on Houston consulate 'not factual'. yenisafak.com China denied Monday that its staff at the consulate in Houston stole information from American companies doing COVID-19 research."US officials' accusations alleging that the Chinese Consulate General in Houston undertook illegal activities have no factual evidence and are completely slanderous," said China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin addressing a news conference in Beijing.Last week, the US in an abrupt move asked China to shut its consulate in Houston — a decision US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said was taken because China was "stealing American and European intellectual property".In a tit-for-t…

_____ (2020-07-27). VIDEO: If Anyone is Involved in Forcing Nations to Pick Sides it is Pompeo and His State Department. strategic-culture.org China is "making" Europe choose between a "free world" and an "authoritarian vision", said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to his European counterparts. But is it really China forcing the world to make moral "choices" at the barrel of a soft power gun? Watch the video and read more in the Editorial article.