(2020-07-21). Headlines for July 21, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Spikes Across U.S. as Tensions Mount over Plans to Reopen Schools, Labs Show Promising Results in COVID-19 Vaccine as Cases Surge in Countries Around the World, Trump Threatens to Send More Feds into Cities Across U.S. to Crack Down on Protests, Georgia Dems Select State Senator Nikema Williams to Run for Late John Lewis's Congressional Seat, Suspect in Killing of NJ Judge's Son Is Found Dead, Was an "Anti-Feminist," Racist Lawyer, U.K. Suspends Extradition Treaty with Hong Kong, Iran Executes Man Convicted of Spying, After Halting Killing of Protesters Following Public Outcry, Rights Groups Call for…
(2020-07-21). State Dept-funded Transparency International goes silent on jailed transparency activist Julian Assange. thegrayzone.com For over a year, the West's top anti-corruption NGO, Transparency International, has not said a word about the world's most…
(2020-07-21). The Pro-Trump CIA Man: QAnon Madness and Upward Failure. counterpunch.org 
Michael Scheur is a pure product of the CIA. A career operations officer, he ran the first agency task force that hunted Osama bin Laden. Scheur authored the agency's rendition program, which kidnapped suspected terrorists (and sometimes innocent people) and tortured them. He combined a deep knowledge of Islamic jihadist movements with a willingness to use illegal methods to fight them. In that regard, he was in the mainstream of the CIA.
(2020-07-21). Trump Regime Blacklists More Chinese Firms. globalresearch.ca Days earlier at the Economic Club of New York, Pompeo continued his all-out war of words on China. | Ignoring endless US wars by hot and other means against nations on its target list for regime change, he accused China of …
(2020-07-21). Pompeo arrives in Downing Street for meeting with PM Johnson. yenisafak.com U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Downing Street on Tuesday for a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson."Welcome to Number 10," Johnson said to Pompeo as they sat in the Downing Street garden for an open air meeting."You look great," said Pompeo.Johnson quipped that the social distancing measures did not indicate any diplomatic distance."Social distance does not imply diplomatic or political distance," he said.
(2020-07-21). Vivienne Westwood is the canary in the coal mine for Julian Assange. thecanary.co This morning Vivienne Westwood took part in a bold demonstration as part of the campaign to prevent Julian Assange from being extradited to the United States. | To find out more about this issue, watch our film By
(2020-07-20). 'Joker' malware toys with victims by lurking in apps on Google's Play Store, tech experts warn. rt.com 
A prolific malware called 'Joker' has once again found its way onto Google's app store, hiding in legitimate-looking software and subscribing its unsuspecting victims to premium services without their consent. | Research by cyber threat intelligence service Check Point has When downloaded, Joker subscribes users to premium…
(2020-07-20). Democrats cry 'foreign meddling' in 2020 election in letter to FBI, reportedly over probe of Biden dealings in Ukraine. rt.com 
A probe into former VP Joe Biden's dealings in Ukraine is reportedly the 'foreign interference' in US elections that prompted Democrats to demand an urgent defensive briefing from the FBI for all members of Congress. | "We are gravely concerned, in particular, that Congress appears to be the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November," says a letter by four Democrats on the congressional 'Gang of Eight' that deals with intelligence matters. | The let…
(2020-07-20). US sanctions Chechen leader Kadyrov, his wife & daughters over 'gross human rights violations'. rt.com 
Washington has added the head of the Russian southern republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, to its sanctions blacklist, accusing him of "numerous" human rights violations. Restrictions were also imposed against his family. | The US State Department has banned Kadyrov from entering US territory, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a
(2020-07-20). Israel's Secret List Of Officials Who May Stand Trial At International Court. popularresistance.org Israel is drawing up a secret list of military and intelligence officials who might be subject to arrest abroad if the International Criminal Court in the Hague opens an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories. | Haaretz has learned that this list now includes between 200 and 300 officials, some of whom have not been informed. The great secrecy surrounding the issue stems from a fear that the mere disclosure of the list's existence could endanger the people on it. The assessment is that the court is likely to view a list of names as an official Israeli admission of these offic…
(2020-07-20). These claims about Johnson and his cronies must not be excluded from the ISC's 'Russia report'. thecanary.co The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) report on Russia was
(2020-07-20). Mike Pompeo Delineates Atlanticist Playbook To Target China, Russia and Iran. mintpressnews.com Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a teleconference call at the Economic Club of New York, where he spoke to the choir about the next phase of American foreign policy.
(2020-07-20). Why Our Analyses On Powell And Iraq Matter Today. popularresistance.org We are still living with the consequences of the Iraq War brought on, in part, by the testimony of Colin Powell before the UN. Iraq is still an unstable country. Extremist groups such as the Islamic State arose because of Iraq's instability. The invasion of Iraq is now universally seen in the U.S. as the nations' worst foreign policy blunder perhaps in history. To prevent another such crime of aggression, this needs to be repeatedly stated. | As Ray McGovern pointed out in his piece, the politicization of intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion manifested itself again in the Russiagate affair, when DNI J…
(2020-07-20). US officials defend Portland crackdown: 'We're not going to apologize'. yenisafak.com U.S. Homeland Security officials said on Monday they had no intention of pulling back in Portland, Oregon, after a federal crackdown on anti-racism protests that included the use of unmarked cars and unidentified officers in camouflage.Weeks of protests in Portland over police brutality and systemic racism intensified as federal officers began cracking down on crowds last week, using tear gas to disperse protesters and taking some into custody without explanation.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent law enforcement units to Portland to help guard U.S. government facilities after receiving intelligence a…
(2020-07-20). Defence Contractor iNovex Pays Nearly $1 Million to End Billing Row With NSA. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The defence contractor iNovex has agreed to pay almost $1 million to the US government to settle a dispute over alleged overbilling with the National Security Agency, the Department of Justice announced in a news release on Monday.
(2020-07-20). TikTok denies claims that user data could be accessed by China. thecanary.co TikTok has insisted that China's Communist Party does not have access to the personal information of its users. | US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has previously claimed that people should only use the social media app if they are happy for their data to be accessed by the Chinese state. | Asked about such claims, TikTok's head of public policy for Europe, Theo Bertram, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the allegation is "completely false". | "TikTok is not available in China. TikTok data is stored in the US," he said. | "TikTok is a company incorporated in the US. | "There is zero truth to the accusations…
(2020-07-19). Trump says he'd get '50 YEARS FOR TREASON' for what Obama & Biden did as he launches full-on attack on his rival. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh offensive on Joe Biden, suggesting his presidential rival should be punished for "spying" and "treason," and needs to be subjected to a cognitive ability exam. | Trump went on the warpath on Sunday, with Joe Biden the target of his rage. In a scathing tweet, he accused Biden of being "totally controlled" by the "radical left," referring to the leaders of Portland, where Black Lives Matter and Antifa rioters have battered and burned the city's Justice Center for more than 50 days. | The Radical Left Democrats, who totally control Biden, will destroy our Country as…
(2020-07-18). U.K. and Hong Kong: Mutually Reinforced Ignorance. dissidentvoice.org 
Three years ago, I visited Old Supreme Court Building in Hong Kong, also known as The Court of Final Appeal, together with my friend, an Afghan-British lawyer, who was on a personal mission of 're-discovering Asia.' Coming from a prominent, highly educated family in Afghanistan, my friend was extremely well aware that both the United …
(2020-07-18). Four German soldiers probed for links to Turkey's shadowy ultranationalist Grey Wolves group — media. rt.com 
The German army's counterintelligence service, MAD, is investigating four suspected followers of the Grey Wolves, a far-right, pan-Turkist youth organization the members of which were allegedly trained for urban guerilla warfare both at home and abroad. That's according to Germany's ARD broadcaster, citing a confidential government The document also reportedly discussed the supposed ties between the Grey Wolves' German branch…
(2020-07-18). What If All Native Treaties Were Upheld? zcomm.org The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision last week that altered the map of Oklahoma. The eastern half of the state, including much of Tulsa, is now, for legal purposes, Indian country…
(2020-07-18). UK MPs submit early day motion on Assange. wsws.org The signatories have all either hitherto kept a criminal silence over Assange's persecution, or, in the case of Corbyn, McDonnell, Abbott and Long-Bailey, found their voice only after losing leading positions in the Labour Party.
(2020-07-18). Raab's attack on Corbyn fails to mention the real source behind alleged Russian interference in UK election. thecanary.co On 16 July, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab The timing of Raab's recent intervention is interesting. It comes only days before the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is expected to publish its long delayed report on Russian i…
(2020-07-18). EU Court Again Rules That NSA Spying Makes U.S. Companies Inadequate for Privacy. commondreams.org The message to the U.S. government is simple: Fix U.S. mass surveillance, or undermine one of the United States' major industries. (Photo: Screenshot) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-07-17_at_4.55.47_pm.png …
(2020-07-18). Assange's Father Speaks Out. popularresistance.org Well we fight against the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States, and to a certain extent Australia. They have marshaled all of their forces and broken every law in human rights and due process in order to send Julian to the United States and destroy him. | Before our eyes, we have watched the gradual murder of Julian through psychological torture, through ceaseless breaking of procedures and due process. So that is what we fight against. | During the latest hearing, the judge Barrett asked Julian to prove that he was unwell, that he didn't come onto the video. So again, we see a process that we witness over a…
(2020-07-18). Trade Unionists Back Campaign To Free Assange. popularresistance.org In Birmingham, Plymouth, and Newcastle trades councils have voted to join the campaign to halt the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States where he could face 175 years in jail. | In recent weeks the three metropolitan trades councils, which are attended by delegates from all the local unions, have voted overwhelmingly to support Assange. | Even in Plymouth where a similar motion was defeated last year the National Union of Journalists' inspired resolution sailed through last week. | Both Birmingham and Plymouth meetings invited a speaker from the Don't Extradite Assange campaign to a…
(2020-07-18). Is America Up for a Naval War With China? strategic-culture.org Patrick BUCHANAN | Is the U.S., preoccupied with a pandemic and a depression that medical crisis created, prepared for a collision with China over Beijing's claims to the rocks, reefs and resources of the South China Sea? | For that is what Mike Pompeo appeared to threaten this week. | "The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire," thundered the secretary of state. | "America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources … and (we) reject any push to impose 'might makes right' in the South China Sea." | Thu…
(2020-07-17). The Downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17: The Quest for Truth and Justice. Review of the Evidence. globalresearch.ca The MH17 Inquiry has been conducted in an insidious fashion. Important pieces of evidence including eye witness reports, audio & video material transmitted through Ukraine Intelligence (SBU) have been manipulated or excluded from the Dutch inquiry, which largely endorses Washington's accusations directed against Moscow.
(2020-07-17). On the Separation of Church and State. counterpunch.org 
Once again, the Supreme Court showed its undemocratic and misogynist colors. It came down against women, encouraging employers not to pay for birth control services. The Supreme Court is obviously catering to the fashionable superstitions of religious preachers who resent the struggle of women for dignity and equality. The judges are also woefully ignorant the planet has
(2020-07-17). Good News from Washington: AIPAC, Israel Losing to Progressive Democrats. counterpunch.org 
While the US administration of President Donald Trump remains adamant in its support for Israel, the traditional democratic leadership continues to employ underhanded language, the kind of 'strategic ambiguity' that offers full support to Israel and nothing but lip service to Palestine and peace. Trump's policies on Israel and Palestine have been damaging, culminating in
(2020-07-17). Roaming Charges: The Meaning of BB King in the Age of BLM. counterpunch.org 
In the summer of 1998, Alexander Cockburn and I spent a few days in North Richmond, California, a battered industrial city just outside of Berkeley. We had just published our book Whiteout on the CIA and drug trafficking and had been invited to speak at a black church about the horrific toll of the drug
(2020-07-17). From trans rights to treaty rights, the U.S. Supreme Court breaks progressive? nationofchange.org While American progressives will need a laser focus on the courts in the years ahead, these four decisions will likely reverberate around the world and create new possibilities for justice in many places beyond the country's borders.
(2020-07-17). Supreme Court declines to overturn lower court decision that bars Floridians with felony convictions and unpaid fines from voting. nationofchange.org Voting rights advocacy groups called the Supreme Court's decision "deeply disappointing."
(2020-07-17). Supreme Court Stopped One Million Floridians From Voting In November. popularresistance.org The Supreme Court all but guaranteed that nearly 1 million Floridians will be unable to vote in the 2020 election because of unpaid court debts in a shattering order handed down on Thursday. Its decision will throw Florida's voter registration into chaos, placing a huge number of would-be voters in legal limbo and even opening them up to prosecution for casting a ballot. The justices have effectively permitted Florida Republicans to impose a poll tax in November. | Florida's ex-felons have a right to vote under both the state and federal constitutions. In 2018, a supermajority of residents approved a constitution…
(2020-07-17). Russia Denies British Allegations Of COVID-19 Vaccine Hacking. telesurenglish.net The Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov Friday rejected London's claims that Russian intelligence services allegedly hacked a coronavirus vaccine research. | RELATED: | Early this week, the British National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) stated that the Russians were linked to a hacker group called APT29, which was accused of being the main actor in a cyberattack aimed at R&D organizations working on the making of COVID-19 vaccines in the…
(2020-07-17). America Declaring China's Territorial Claims Illegal Is All Bark & No Bite. The US Is Militarily & Economically Impotent. globalresearch.ca Mike Pompeo's statement that Beijing's claims in the South China Sea are unlawful was seen by some as a dramatic step toward war. But it's little more than bluster as the US knows it is not yet capable of taking …
(2020-07-17). Documents Undercut Mueller Probe Claims Used to Spy on 2016 Trump Campaign, Senator Graham Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Two recently declassified documents released by the US Senate Judiciary Committee further undercut the reliability of the Steele dossier that became the basis for warrants to spy on members of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, committee Chair Lindsey Graham said in a press release on Friday.