(2020-07-11). [World Report] US Supreme Court upholds abortion rights, for now. thelancet.com The court's decision means that Louisiana's three abortion clinics will remain open. Susan Jaffe reports.
(2020-07-10). 'I Could Live With That': How the CIA Made Afghanistan Safe for the Opium Trade. strategic-culture.org Jeffrey ST. CLAIR | "I decided I could live with that." | — Stansfield Turner, Jimmy Carter's CIA director, on the extreme level of civilian casualties in the CIA's covert war in Afghanistan. | The first indelible image of the war in Afghanistan for many Americans was probably that of CBS anchorman Dan Rather, wrapped in the voluminous drapery of a mujahedin fighter, looking like a healthy relative of Lawrence of Arabia (albeit with hair that seemed freshly blow-dried, as some viewers were quick to point out). From his secret mountainside "somewhere in the Hindu Kush," Rather unloaded on his audience a barr…
(2020-07-10). "I Could Live With That": How the CIA Made Afghanistan Safe for the Opium Trade. counterpunch.org 
Jimmy Carter later confessed in his memoirs that he was more shaken by the invasion of Afghanistan than any other event of his presidency, including the Iranian revolution. Carter was convinced by the CIA that it could be the start of a push by the Soviets toward the Persian Gulf, a scenario that led the president to seriously consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
(2020-07-10). Headlines for July 10, 2020. democracynow.org Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Claim of Absolute Immunity, Court Says Much of Oklahoma Remains Indian Country in Landmark Indigenous Sovereignty Case, Hospitals Face Surge as U.S. Reports Record 65,000 New Coronavirus Cases, Surge in Cases Directly Tied to Early Reopenings in Florida, Arizona, Texas, Bolivia's Interim President Tests Positive; India, S. Africa & Mexico Report New Record Highs, 1.3 Million More File for Unemployment as GOP Rejects Extending Jobless Aid, Biden Unveils $700 Billion "Buy American" Economic Recovery Plan, St. Louis Police Break Up City Hall Protest Encampment, With Veto-Proof Majority,…
(2020-07-10). "Most Important Indian Law Case in Half a Century": Supreme Court Upholds Tribal Sovereignty in OK. democracynow.org 
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has ruled that much of eastern Oklahoma, constituting nearly half the state, is Native American land, recognizing a 19th century U.S. treaty with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump nominee, joined the court's liberal wing in a narrow 5-4 ruling that found state authorities cannot criminally prosecute Indigenous peoples under state or local laws. The court's bombshell decision — which also impacts the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole Nations — is a major victory for Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights. "It's a landmark case…
(2020-07-10). Supreme Court Rules Trump Is Not Above the Law, But Public Unlikely to See Tax Returns by Election. democracynow.org 
In a pair of 7-2 rulings, the Supreme Court rejected President Trump's claim of absolute immunity under the law. The court ruled a Manhattan grand jury could have access to the president's tax returns, but it remains unlikely any of Trump's tax records will be seen before the election. "Legally, Trump had a big loss," says investigative reporter David Cay Johnston, founder and editor of DCReport.org. "Politically, he got a big win out of this court."
(2020-07-10). Twitter data-mining tool Dataminr fed police real-time info on Black Lives Matter protesters, despite promises not to spy. rt.com 
An analytics firm parsing Twitter data in real time for law enforcement and media has been caught funneling detailed info on anti-police-brutality marches to the very agencies users are protesting, despite promises not to. | Dataminr, a CIA-funded artificial intelligence startup that mines Twitter's real-time content stream for behavioral patterns and other analytics, has been caught feeding info on police brutality protesters from that "firehose" stream back to law enforcement. While the developers had promised they wouldn't enable domestic surveillance after a series of scandals in 2016, Dataminr is once aga…
(2020-07-10). The Supreme Court's Public-Health Approach to Abortion Rights. thenation.com The Supreme Court's Public-Health Approach to Abortion Rights…
(2020-07-10). Supreme Court Rules Against Oklahoma In Creek Nation Case. popularresistance.org Above photo: BB/PA Images. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's reservation was not officially terminated at Oklahoma statehood, as justices issued a decision that may upend state jurisdiction in much of eastern Oklahoma. "The federal government promised the Creek a reservation in perpetuity," the 5-4 decision states. "Over time, Congress …
(2020-07-10). Scheer Intelligence: The Price Of Ignoring The Ferguson Uprising. popularresistance.org August 9 will mark six years since 18-year-old Michael Brown was murdered by policeman Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Miss. Since then, Wilson has walked free and the systemic issues that have plagued this nation throughout its history have gone unaddressed. That changed with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, which so thoroughly shocked Americans and established that the lessons from Ferguson and the Black Lives Matter movement that rose from it never had been absorbed. | Now, at a moment of heightened awareness about racism, Black Lives Matter leaders and Black activists and artists such as t…
(2020-07-09). The Global Reset — Unplugged. "The Deep State" globalresearch.ca Imagine, you are living in a world that you are told is a democracy — and you may even believe it — but in fact your life and fate is in the hands of a few ultra-rich, ultra-powerful and ultra-inhuman oligarchs. They may be called Deep State, or simply the Beast, …
(2020-07-09). Viagra? Yes. Birth Control? No. SCOTUS Sides with Trump & Limits Free Contraception Under Obamacare. democracynow.org 
The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to reproductive rights when it sided with the Trump administration in letting employers deny people access to free birth control based on religious or moral grounds, hollowing out a mandate under the Affordable Care Act that requires most private health insurance plans to provide cost-free birth control. "It's a really deeply disappointing ruling," says Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center. "These individuals are effectively on their own to find and pay for their contraception."
(2020-07-09). Racism in America: Police Choke-Holds Are Not the Issue. counterpunch.org 
While the abject inhumanity of slavery may have been legally mitigated to some extent, the institutions, practices and values of exclusion, exploitation and devaluation were not. Constitutional guarantees, and Supreme Court decisions, could be cleverly subverted by States. For example, Black people were denied the right to vote through poll taxes, arbitrary registration requirements, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, white primaries and so on. In 1940, 70 years after they had received the right to vote, only 3% of Blacks in the South were registered as voters. Less overt voter suppression efforts continue to t…
(2020-07-09). Supreme Court rules today: Trump is not above the law! peoplesworld.org 
President Trump took to Twitter in a rant today after the Supreme Court, in two 7-2 decisions. said the president is not entitled to immunity from congressional and grand jury subpoenas for his tax and financial information. In his rant, Trump called the rulings rejecting his claims that he is essentially above the law "unfair." …
(2020-07-09). SCOTUS decides 5-4 win for abortion rights. workers.org 
SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective Executive Director Monica Simpson speaking at reproductive justice rally in Georgia, June 28, 2019. On June 29, the Supreme Court issued a much anticipated decision in June Medical Services v. Russo, the first reproductive justice case since anti-abortion Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and . . . |
(2020-07-09). Manhattan next? US Supreme Court opens Pandora's box with ruling that half of Oklahoma is 'Indian country'. rt.com 
While critics of US President Donald Trump gloated over the Supreme Court ruling in the matter of his taxes, another verdict returning much of Oklahoma to the Creek Nation has far bigger implications for the country down the line. | "On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise," Justice Neil Gorsuch — a Trump appointee presumed to be a conservative textualist — declared at the start of the majority opinion in
(2020-07-09). Kavanaugh & Gorsuch rule against Trump in Supreme Court tax returns case. rt.com 
Trump's hotly-pursued tax returns may see the light of day, after the Supreme Court ruled that his financial records can be handed over to a New York grand jury in a decision supported by three conservative justices. | In a 7-2 ruling, the court found that a subpoena issued to Trump's accounting firm, Mazars LLP, can be enforced, and dismissed Trump's lawyers' argument that he is immune from criminal proceedings. The request was part of a criminal investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and years of Trump's tax returns will now have to be turned over to a grand jury. | Justices Neil Gorsuch a…
(2020-07-09). Demand Justice Statement on Supreme Court Case Regarding Trump's Financial Records. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-09). Racism in America: Police Choke-hold is Not the Issue. counterpunch.org While the abject inhumanity of slavery may have been legally mitigated to some extent, the institutions, practices and values of exclusion, exploitation and devaluation were not. Constitutional guarantees, and Supreme Court decisions, could be cleverly subverted by States. For example, Black people were denied the right to vote through poll taxes, arbitrary registration requirements, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, white primaries and so on. In 1940, 70 years after they had received the right to vote, only 3% of Blacks in the South were registered as voters. Less overt voter suppression efforts continue to t…
(2020-07-09). Supreme Court's Decision in Trump v. Mazars Underscores Costs of Rep. Neal's Delays. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-09). US Supreme Court decisions attack separation of church and state and workers' rights. wsws.org The court's assault on workers takes the form of an assault on secularism.
(2020-07-09). Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Arguments for Withholding Financial Records From NY Prosecutors and Congress. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-09). US Supreme Court Ratifies Native American Territory in Oklahoma. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday ruled that almost half of the Oklahoma state is a Native American reservation before the criminal justice system. So the state's authorities do not have the power to process cases involving Native Americans. | RELATED: | The decision is one of the most important legal victories for this group in decades. It was written by conservative judge Neil Gorsuch and it obtained five votes in favor and four against.
(2020-07-09). Supreme Court ruling denounced as 'dangerous and serious' attack on women's right to contraceptive care. nationofchange.org "No employer is welcome into the exam room when I talk to patients about their contraception options, why should they be able to dictate the method from their corner office?" asked one physician.
(2020-07-09). Supreme Court Rejects Effort To Greenlight Keystone XL Construction. popularresistance.org The Supreme Court late Monday upheld a federal judge's rejection of a crucial permit for Keystone XL and blocked the Trump administration's attempt to greenlight construction of the 1,200-mile crude oil project, the third such blow to the fossil fuel industry in a day—coming just hours after the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the court-ordered shutdown of the Dakota Access Pipeline. | While the ruling was not a total victory for the climate—the high court said other pipeline projects can proceed as environmental reviews are conducted—green groups applauded the delay of Keystone…
(2020-07-09). A Bad Day for Trump Is a Good Day for the Country. truthout.org If you were hoping to see Donald Trump's financial records before the 2020 election, today was not your day. If you were hoping to go to bed tonight in a nation with a president and not a sovereign, sleep tight, because you won. | In two Supreme Court decisions freighted with the potential for generational impact —
(2020-07-09). Supreme Court Affirms Tribal Jurisdiction on Oklahoma Reservation Lands. truthout.org The United States Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that nearly half the entire state of Oklahoma, as far as federal criminal law is concerned, is still under the jurisdiction of Native American tribes. | The plaintiff in the case, Jimcy McGirt, is a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Although charged and convicted in state courts,
(2020-07-09). 'No One Is Above the Law': Supreme Court Allows New York Prosecutor to Subpoena Trump Financial Records. commondreams.org The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Manhattan prosecutor Cyrus Vance can obtain President Donald Trump's financial records as part of an investigation into hush-money payments made to women during the 2016 election, but blocked Congress from seeing the records for the time being. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/tax_returns_0_0_0_0.jpg …
(2020-07-09). Holding US Government to Its Treaty Promises 'For Once,' Supreme Court Rules Nearly Half of Oklahoma Still Native American Territory. commondreams.org Indigenous leaders in Oklahoma hailed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in McGirt vs. Oklahoma as a victory for tribal sovereignty, as the court affirmed that nearly half of the state falls within a Native American reservation. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/supremecourt_3.jpeg …
(2020-07-09). In Wake of Supreme Court Ruling, Powerful House Democrat Richard Neal Faulted as 'Biggest Obstacle' to Getting Trump Tax Returns. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/richie.jpg …
(2020-07-09). Pompeo says US continuing to work to establish dialogue with North Korea. yenisafak.com U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Washington is continuing to work to establish dialogue with North Korea and is very hopeful the conversation can continue, though he declined to comment on timing or specifics."We continue to work to establish dialogue and have substantive conversations about how we might deliver this really good outcome, this outcome of delivering peace and stability to the entire peninsula," Pompeo told reporters following U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun's three days of talks in Seoul.
(2020-07-09). Iran denies US seizure of Iranian arms on way to Houthis in Yemen. yenisafak.com Iran on Thursday denied that U.S. forces had seized a boat carrying Iranian weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the charge was aimed at extending a U.N. arms embargo on Tehran.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington on Wednesday that U.S. and unidentified allied forces had interdicted a vessel off Yemen's coast on June 28 that was carrying Iranian arms to the Houthis."Lying, accusations and spreading hatred are key elements of America's foreign policy, especially in the current regime," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, quoted by state television. "Pompeo's remarks stem fr…
(2020-07-08). Tyranny Without a Tyrant: The Deep State's Divide-and-Conquer Strategy Is Working. globalresearch.ca "In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left with whom one can argue, to whom one can present grievances, on whom the pressures of power can be exerted. Bureaucracy is the form of government in which everybody is deprived …
(2020-07-08). Democratic Candidate James Averhart Personally Oversaw Solitary Confinement of Chelsea Manning. mintpressnews.com Alabama congressional candidate James Averhart led a campaign to punish soldiers who deserted the Vietnam war and personally oversaw the brutal imprisonment of whistleblower Chelsea Manning.
(2020-07-08). How the Pentagon failed to sell Afghan government's bunk 'Bountygate' story to US intelligence agencies. thegrayzone.com Another New York Times Russiagate bombshell turns out to be a dud, as dodgy stories spun out by Afghan intelligence…
(2020-07-08). Canada's membership in the Five Eyes alliance promoting conflict with China. mronline.org 
It is time Canadians debate whether they want to be part of an intelligence group driving hostile relations with China.
(2020-07-08). Illinois Supreme Court rules Chicago police can't destroy disciplinary records. peoplesworld.org 
CHICAGO—"No matter whether th' Constitution follows th' flag or not, th' Supreme Court follows th' election returns," Chicago Daily News columnist Finley Peter Dunne, speaking as his favorite character, Mr. Dooley, told his friend Hennessy in 1900. Dunne was talking of the U.S. Supreme Court, but his line could just as easily have applied to …
(2020-07-08). TikTok violates children's privacy & feeds them with Nazi memes, media and NGOs wail — just in time to justify US ban. rt.com 
TikTok has failed to protect children's privacy and can't even keep them safe from froth-mouthed Nazis, US NGOs and media have declared, just in time to give Washington a reason to ban the popular Chinese-made app. | The US Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department are reportedly probing accusations that TikTok failed to protect children's privacy in keeping with a 2019 agreement, according to representatives of tech policy groups whose anti-Tiktok grievances neatly coincide with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's hints earlier this week that Washington is seeking to ban the wildly popular micro-vlogging p…
(2020-07-08). 'God made you impotent for a reason': Viagra rises to top Twitter trend after SCOTUS ruling on birth control healthcare mandate. rt.com 
If pregnancy is God's will, so is erectile dysfunction, argued critics of the new US Supreme Court ruling that allowed employers to exclude birth control from health insurance plans on religious or moral grounds. | On Wednesday, the court upheld a Trump administration rule which allows employers to opt out of an Obamacare mandate to cover birth control in their insurance plans. Amid an impassioned social media outpouring from both supporters and detractors, came a flood of comments pointing out that erectile dysfunction drug Viagra will still be covered. | Many critics seized on that to argue that SCOTUS favor…
(2020-07-08). NARAL Pro-Choice America Responds to Supreme Court's Reckless Decision to Green Light Trump's Attacks on Birth Control Access. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-07-08). Supreme Court's ruling delays Keystone XL Pipeline construction furthermore. nationofchange.org "No oil pipeline is safe, and TransCanada's record over the past decade does little to assuage concerns of a spill."
(2020-07-08). Supreme Court Ruling Means 126,000 May Lose Contraception Coverage. truthout.org The United States Supreme Court delivered a blow to reproductive rights on Wednesday, siding with the Trump administration in a case that gave employers across the country more leeway in denying contraception to workers if it goes against the company's morals. | In a 7-2 decision,
(2020-07-08). Supreme Court Ruling Fails LGBTQ Youth and Students With Disabilities. truthout.org The separation between church and state got a bit murkier last week with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that may lead to more
(2020-07-08). Sanders, Khanna Say SCOTUS Ruling on Contraceptives Just One More Reason to Demand Medicare for All. commondreams.org The U.S. Supreme Court's Wednesday decision on birth control access offered the latest evidence that the U.S. government must expand Medicare coverage to all Americans, eliminating the for-profit system in which employment is tied to people's ability to obtain medical care. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/medicareforall.png …
(2020-07-08). Macri is further implicated in the case investigating an illegal spying network. peoplesdispatch.org Former Argentine president Mauricio Macri is eagerly watching the progress of a lawsuit in which 22 people were arrested on June 30, including former officials of his government, which links intelligence agents to political power…
(2020-07-08). FBI chief says China greatest threat to future prosperity of US. yenisafak.com Joining the anti-China chorus in the country with blistering remarks, the FBI Director Christopher Wray has designated China as the greatest future threat to economic prosperity of the US."The greatest long-term threat to our nation's information and intellectual property, and to our economic vitality, is the counter intelligence and economic espionage threat from China," Wray said at the US-based think tank Hudson Institute on Tuesday.China denies allegations of intellectual property theft and slams the US for interfering in its internal affairs from Hong Kong to South China Sea.Wray explained that confronting t…
(2020-07-07). The Deep State's Divide-and-Conquer Strategy Is Working. dissidentvoice.org In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left with whom one can argue, to whom one can present grievances, on whom the pressures of power can be exerted. Bureaucracy is the form of government in which everybody is deprived of political freedom, of the power to act; for the rule by Nobody is not …
(2020-07-07). Iran Vows Retaliation Against Cyber or Other Attacks on Its Legitimate Nuclear Facilities. globalresearch.ca Iran's legitimate nuclear facilities have no military component, according to the IAEA nuclear watchdog organization and annual US intelligence community assessments of global threats. | Days earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif explained that legitimate Iranian nuclear sites are subject to unprecedented …
(2020-07-07). Private: Why the High Dudgeon over Alleged Russian Bounties for Taliban Slaying of US Troops. counterpunch.org Democratic politicians like presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and liberal media pundits are all screaming for "action" against Russia based on an article in the New York Times that relies on anonymous sources in the "military" and "US intelligence." The article, picked up by most major media unquestioningly, asserts base on
(2020-07-07). US 'certainly looking' at banning TikTok & other Chinese social media apps, says Pompeo. rt.com 
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed Washington is considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, including the ultra-popular TikTok, apparently inspired by a similar ban in India and Australia's threat to do the same. | Speaking with Fox News, Pompeo affirmed "we're certainly looking at" banning TikTok and other Chinese apps, following the lead of India, which banned 59 Chinese apps after border skirmishes with Beijing, and Australia, which has threatened to do the same. Americans should download the apps "only if you want your information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party," he smirked.