(2020-10-16). Greta Thunberg mocks US Supreme Court nominee as eco-activists paint judge's refusal to OPINE on climate change as DISQUALIFYING. rt.com 
Child enviro-prodigy Greta Thunberg is ripping US Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for declining to give her opinions about the cause of climate change, likening the judge's restraint to lacking a view on gravity. | "To be fair, I don't have any views on climate change, either," Thunberg said on Thursday on Twitter, mocking Barrett's answers in her Senate confirmation hearing. "Just like I don't have any views on gravity, the fact that the earth is round, photosynthesis nor evolution. But understanding and knowing their existence really makes life in the 21st century so much easier." | To be fair, I don…
(2020-10-16). Scheer Intelligence: How Big Oil Weaponized The Judicial System. popularresistance.org Steve Donziger has dedicated the latter part of his life to fighting oil companies' greedy destruction of indigenous lands and peoples in the Amazon. After a decades-long legal battle against Chevron, which Chris Hedges details in a recent column for Scheerpost, Donziger was charged with misdemeanor civil contempt for refusing New York Judge Lewis A. Kaplan's orders to turn over to Chevron his client communications—which would force him to violate attorney-client privilege— his personal electronics, his passport and to cease trying to collect the $9.5 billion from Chevron for his Indigenous clients.
(2020-10-16). David Price Takes on the CIA Over Its Secret Torture Program, But Is He Asking the Right Questions? mintpressnews.com 
A Congressman wrote to the CIA looking for answers about his state's role in an illegal program that unlawfully detained and tortured hundreds of Muslims, but his late and limited election-time appeal smacks of political showmanship.
(2020-10-16). Dark Money & Barrett Nomination: The Link Between Big Polluters & the War on ACA, Roe & LGBT Rights. democracynow.org 
During confirmation hearings this week for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island opted not to ask the judge any questions. Instead, he gave a 30-minute presentation on how right-wing groups, including the Federalist Society and Judicial Crisis Network, use dark money to shape the nation's judiciary. We air excerpts from his presentation and get reaction from Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
(2020-10-16). Deeply Troubling: Kristen Clarke on How Rush to Confirm Barrett Endangers Voting & Civil Rights. democracynow.org 
The Senate confirmation hearing for President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett ended Thursday with Republicans on the Judiciary Committee scheduling a vote on her nomination for October 22, with a full Senate vote to follow shortly thereafter — less than two weeks before the presidential election, in which the Supreme Court could play a decisive role. The right-wing judge's confirmation looks all but assured, after four rushed days of questioning in which Barrett refused to state her position on abortion rights, gay marriage, the Affordable Care Act, voting rights, climate change, and even if…
(2020-10-16). Preserving Roe: West Virginia Mom Tells Abortion Story in Heartfelt Speech Against Amy Coney Barrett. democracynow.org 
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony this week from Crystal Good, who spoke about her experience of having an abortion and expressed concerns that Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court would limit access to safe, affordable care. During three days of hearings, Judge Barrett has repeatedly refused to answer questions about her views on abortion and the future of Roe v. Wade, despite her public record opposing reproductive rights. "If confirmed, Judge Barrett will be a fifth vote to eviscerate the important protections that have been afforded by Roe v. Wade," says Kristen Clarke, president…
(2020-10-16). Headlines for October 16, 2020. democracynow.org COVID-19 Hospitalizations on the Rise Across U.S. as Confirmed Cases Hit 8 Million, French Police Raid Homes of Government Officials in Probe of Failed Coronavirus Response, WHO Finds Remdesivir Fails to Prevent COVID-19 Deaths, World Health Organization Warns Many Will Have to Wait Until 2022 for Vaccine, Senate on Track to Confirm Far-Right Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Oct. 26, Joe Biden Defends 1994 Crime Bill and Calls for More Police Funding, President Trump Refuses to Disavow Far-Right Anti-Semitic QAnon Conspiracy Theory, Trump Celebrates Apparent Extrajudicial Killing by U.S. Marshals Carryi…
(2020-10-16). British MPs back bill permitting secret agents to commit crimes. middleeasteye.net 
British MPs back bill permitting secret agents to commit crimes | Covert Human Intelligence Sources Bill prompts split in opposition Labour party after leader Keir Starmer orders MPs to abstain | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 11: 54 | UK spy agency MI5's headquarters in London (Reuters) | A controversial new law that would allow agents recruited by the UK's security agency, MI5, to commit crimes has been passed by memb…
(2020-10-16). 'Don't get yourselves caught': How the British state allowed its secret agents to commit crime. middleeasteye.net 
'Don't get yourselves caught': How the British state allowed its secret agents to commit crime | Fri, 10/16/2020 – 22: 39 | The Covert Human Intelligence Sources Bill marks the UK government's latest attempt to permit its intelligence and security agencies to break the law lawfully | In the early months of 2011, as Muammar Gaddafi and the people around him fought for their lives, significant numbers of youn…
(2020-10-16). West Virginia Mom Tells Her Abortion Story in Speech Against Amy Coney Barrett. truthout.org The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony this week from Crystal Good, who spoke about her experience of having an abortion and expressed concerns that Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court would limit access to safe, affordable care. During three days of hearings, Judge Barrett has repeatedly refused to answer questions about her views on abortion and the future of Roe v. Wade, despite her public record opposing reproductive rights. "If confirmed, Judge Barrett will be a…
(2020-10-16). Outnumbered on Supreme Court Nomination, Democrats Campaign for ACA. truthout.org Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee know that, barring something unexpected, they lack the votes to block President Donald Trump from installing his third justice in four years on the Supreme Court and creating a 6-3 conservative majority. | They also know that, in a normal year, by mid-October Congress would be out of session and members home campaigning. But 2020 is obviously no normal year. So, while the rest of Congress is home, Democratic Judiciary members are trying something very differe…
(2020-10-16). Barrett Is Poised to Become the Most Radical Right-Wing Member of Supreme Court. truthout.org During her Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Amy Coney Barrett refused to say that voter intimidation is illegal, that armed poll watchers are intimidating, that voter discrimination exists, whether the president could deny someone the right to vote based on race or that Congress has a constitutional duty to protect the right to vote. | She refused to affirm that Medicare is constitutional; that married couples should not lose their right to contrace…
(2020-10-16). Why You Won't Find Us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. strategic-culture.org Dear readers of the Strategic Culture Foundation website, | In September 2020, the Strategic Culture Foundation was banned from Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube following unsubstantiated claims that it was connected with Russian intelligence services and interfered in the US presidential elections on their orders. It means that you can't find us on these platforms and, moreover, if you try to post any links leading to SCF on your personal page, you will most likely not be allowed to do that. This case provides a glimpse into the dystopian future of suppressing dissident voices by governments previously known as dem…
(2020-10-15). OPCW Syria whistleblower and ex-director attacked by U.S., UK, France at UN. mronline.org 
Ian Henderson, a veteran OPCW inspector who challenged a cover-up of his organization's investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria, recently testified before the United Nations Security Council.
(2020-10-15). Brazil Carried Out War Games on the Border With Venezuela. telesurenglish.net During the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Brazil in September, President Jair Bolsonaro's administration conducted war drills in the jungles of the state of Amazonas on the border with Venezuela. | RELATED: | The military games cost US$1.1 million, involved 3,600 men, and carried out the launching of artillery rockets with a range of 80 kilometers. | Under the Access to Information Law, the loc…
(2020-10-15). The Trial of Julian Assange featuring Roger Waters, John Pilger, Ray McGovern & hosted by Miko Peled. thealtworld.com Recently, U.S. prosecutors indicted WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange on seventeen espionage charges stemming from the disclosure of atrocities committed by the U.S. armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. With global consequences directly affecting the freedom of the press, Assange stands to be extradited from the UK to trial to the U.S. under the Espionage Act. In this upcoming online event, author and activist, Miko Peled, speaks with three prominent activists who have persistently advocated for Assange's release and freedom. | Roger Waters — Cofounder of Pink Floyd, Songwriter & Musician, Activist | John…
(2020-10-15). Phone Hacking & Julian Assange. strategic-culture.org Catherine Brown explores how the wrong journalists escaped prosecution in one case while the wrong one is being subjected to it in the other. | Catherine BROWN | The U.K. phone hacking scandal started around 2005 and peaked in 2012. The journalistic malpractices and illegal practices on which it focused long pre-date 2005, however, and continue today. | It came to light through the testimony of victims and the investigative journalism of publications such as The Guardian that several newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International (U.K. subsidiary of News Corp), as well as others including Daily Mirror an…
(2020-10-15). Amy Coney Barrett Won't Say Climate Change Is Real; Forgets 1st Amendment Protects Right to Protest. democracynow.org 
We air highlights from the second day of questioning of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, who faced eight hours of questions on Wednesday about her views on issues ranging from climate change to voting rights to gay marriage and abortion, as Republicans race to confirm her ahead of the election and secure a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court for conservatives.
(2020-10-15). How Hitler Found His Blueprint For A German Empire. popularresistance.org Native peoples in the United States continue to struggle for justice. While this year brought some important victories, such as Washington's NFL team finally dropping its racist name and logo, and a landmark win in the Supreme Court for Native rights in McGirt v. Oklahoma, the difficult work of recognizing and redressing the country's legacy of oppressing its first inhabitants continues. | Efforts by Native and allied activists to spread observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day as an alternative to Columbus Day is an important part of this work.
(2020-10-15). Add voting rights to list of questions ducked by Barrett. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Add voting rights, both at the polls and who has the right to vote, to the list of key issues which U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is ducking. And as for the presidential election this fall, "occasions where courts decide elections should be [cases] where courts protect the right to vote," she said—and …
(2020-10-15). How the Christian Right Won the Culture Wars. counterpunch.org 
The likely appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court may mark the end of this round of the culture wars. For half-a-century, the U.S. has been a battleground over "moral" and sexual values. Key issues like abortion, health care (i.e., the ADA), gay rights and the meaning of "family" have been contested. With Barrett's appointment,
(2020-10-15). Running Out of Time… October Surprise Redux? thealtworld.com If either party has an October Surprise up its sleeve it had better produce it soon. Only about three weeks to go until the election. | There is considerable speculation in Washington about a so-called October Surprise being engineered by either party to change the outcome of the upcoming election. The original October Surprise took place in 1980, when Ronald Reagan's campaign manager William Casey conspired with several senior CIA officers in Europe to convince the Iranian government to delay the release of the American Embassy hostages until after the November election against Jimmy Carter. Casey believed th…
(2020-10-15). Amy Coney Barrett Is Not Pro-Life. progressive.org Trump's Supreme Court nominee has no regard for Americans protected by the Affordable Care Act.
(2020-10-15). Lindsey Graham Called Out for Illegal Campaign Soliciting in Senate Building. truthout.org Locked in a tight race with Democratic opponent Jamie Harrison, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday urged South Carolinians who are "excited about Judge Barrett" to contribute to his reelection campaign — a blatant violation of Speaking to reporters following the third day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee…
(2020-10-15). Graham Tells Democrats, "Y'all Have a Good Chance of Winning the White House" truthout.org During the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) seemed to acknowledge that President Donald Trump, his own party's nominee, was far from guaranteed to win a second presidential term. | Graham made the comment while speculating on how Americans will vote this year based on judicial nominations to the Supreme Court made by presidents belonging to each party. | "Republicans generally look at people of a disposition like Judg…
(2020-10-15). Amy Coney Barrett Says Climate Change Is a "Very Contentious Matter" truthout.org We air highlights from the second day of questioning of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, who faced eight hours of questions on Wednesday about her views on issues ranging from climate change to voting rights to gay marriage and abortion, as Republicans race to confirm her ahead of the election and secure a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court for conservatives. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I'
(2020-10-15). Amy Coney Barrett Hearing Reveals Senate's Misplaced Priorities. commondreams.org Most people in America believe the next president should fill the Supreme Court vacancy. (Photo: Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-10-15_at_9.45.32_am.png …
(2020-10-15). The Supreme Could Put the LGBTQ Community at Risk for Decades. telesurenglish.net With less than 20 days before the election, President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled senate are holding the vote for a second COVID-19 relief package hostage. | RELATED: | This policy tool would also free nearly a billion dollars for countries suffering from the pandemic. Why? So he can rush through a vote on his Supreme Court nominee in time to steal yet another election as the Republicans did in 200…
(2020-10-15). Trump vs Deep State: Will Trump Upend Neocolonial World Order? globalresearch.ca Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney released an extraordinary statement on Tuesday, decrying a political scene he said "has moved away from spirited debate to a vile, vituperative, hate-filled morass, that is unbecoming of any free nation." "The world is …
(2020-10-15). The 2020 Election Bamboozle: We Are All Victims of the Deep State's Con Game. globalresearch.ca "We're run by the Pentagon, we're run by Madison Avenue, we're run by television, and as long as we accept those things and don't revolt we'll have to go along with the stream to the eventual avalanche…. As long as …
(2020-10-15). Command (C2) Systems Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Pentagon's AI 'Ghost Fleet' Is More than Just Scary — It's Unwise. globalresearch.ca In an October
(2020-10-15). Nicaragua Attacked For Using Same US Policies Against Foreign Meddling. popularresistance.org US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched another attack on Nicaragua's Sandinista government last month, accusing President Daniel Ortega of being a "dictator" who is "doubling down on repression and refusing to honor the democratic aspirations of the Nicaraguan people."[1] The State Department openly supports what it calls "a return to democracy in Nicaragua", saying that "the people of Nicaragua rose up peacefully to call for change."[2] | Pompeo's accusations came in a month in which Nicaragua's National Assembly made three new legislative proposals…
(2020-10-15). Iran nuclear scientists ready to face US coercion: AEOI. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 15 (MNA) — In reaction to to Pompeo's new claim about Iran's use of nuclear energy, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said that Iran nuclear scientists are ready to face the coercion and unilateralism of the US government.
(2020-10-15). Progressives Warn Against Accepting—Let Alone Applauding—Twitter Ban of "Garbage" NY Post Story. commondreams.org "Look carefully at what Twitter is saying to justify censoring the Biden story. If applied consistently, it'd mean that some of history's most consequential journalism—the Pentagon Papers, WikiLeaks' war logs, Snowden docs, Panama Papers, our Brazil Archive—would be banned." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/twitter_banning_ny_post.jpg …
(2020-10-15). US Secretary of State Pompeo to visit Sri Lanka amid rising anti-China provocations. wsws.org Pompeo's visit is another step in Washington's policy of pushing its Asian regional partners into direct military confrontation with Beijing.
(2020-10-14). The Show Trial of Julian Assange Is an Attack on the Right to Dissent. globalresearch.ca Wikileaks' ascendancy has led to a revolution in publishing and politics that has been felt across the world, and was synonymous with the hope of the Arab spring. But a crackdown is now in full swing. The sudden, shocking ascendancy …
(2020-10-14). Ten Reasons Why The Assange Trial Threatens Freedom Of Speech. popularresistance.org At the end of the hearings that seek to extradite journalist Julian Assange to the United States, on October 1, his defense team should have felt triumphant. Because with more than 30 witnesses and testimonies, throughout the whole month of September, they gave a beating to the prosecution representing the U.S. | If the case in London were decided solely on justice, as it should in a state based on law, this battle would have been won by Assange. | However, this "trial of the century" is, above all, a political trial, and there remains the feeling that the ruling was made beforehand, regardless of the law.
(2020-10-14). Dahlia Lithwick: Amy Coney Barrett May Claim Neutrality, But Her Record Is "Extremely Conservative" democracynow.org 
In the second day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, the federal judge's refusal to answer basic questions on voter intimidation and whether a president can delay elections did her "no favors" and was part of an aim to "present herself as neutral; she's an open book; whatever she was before, whatever she ruled on the bench before, is immaterial," says Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter for Slate.com. "There are some issues that don't need to be approached with an open mind. … She could have allayed a lot of fears."
(2020-10-14). Making the Supreme Court Safe for Democracy: Samuel Moyn on Reforming an Undemocratic Institution. democracynow.org 
As Republicans race to confirm President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett prior to Election Day and cement a conservative majority on the top court for a generation or more, calls are growing for Joe Biden to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court if elected president. But Yale legal scholar Samuel Moyn argues that beyond "packing the court" and other measures commonly proposed to rebalance the Supreme Court's ideological makeup, the institution as a whole must be weakened in order to safeguard democracy. "This country was founded on minority rule and the rejection of democracy, and t…
(2020-10-14). Headlines for October 14, 2020. democracynow.org White House Pursuing "Herd Immunity" Strategy Condemned by WHO as "Unethical", Trump Holds Packed Campaign Rallies in Defiance of Social Distancing Orders, "Potential Safety Concern" Halts Clinical Trial of Eli Lilly Antibody Treatment, Amy Coney Barrett Won't Commit to Recusing Herself If 2020 Election Is Decided by SCOTUS, FBI Says Far-Right Anti-Government Group Plotted to Kidnap Virginia Governor, More Witnesses Corroborate Claims of Extrajudicial Killing by U.S. Marshals, Trailing in Polls, Trump Appeals to White Suburban Women and Farmers, Supreme Court Will Allow Trump Admin to Halt Census Count a Month Ea…
(2020-10-14). Can Trump Delay Election or Reject Peaceful Transition of Power? Amy Coney Barrett Refuses to Say. democracynow.org 
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett faced 11 hours of questioning in the Senate Tuesday but refused to provide clarity about her views on the Affordable Care Act, Roe v. Wade, voting rights and even if President Trump could delay the election. Republicans are racing to confirm the 48-year-old federal judge before Election Day, which would give conservatives a commanding 6-3 majority on the high court. We air highlights from the marathon session.
(2020-10-14). Pompeo encourages Saudi Arabia to normalise ties with Israel. middleeasteye.net 
Pompeo encourages Saudi Arabia to normalise ties with Israel | US Secretary of State thanks kingdom for assisting in normalisation deals between two Gulf Arab countries and Israel | Wed, 10/14/2020 – 17: 50 | Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deliver remarks at State Department (AFP) | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Saudi Arabia to normalise…
(2020-10-14). Barrett dodges questions, refuses to say Trump can't delay election. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Duck, dodge, and weave. Frustrating Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, that was the common "response" federal appellate judge Amy Coney Barrett produced on issue after issue during the second day of the panel's hearings on her nomination to the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. On everything from revisiting the legality of gay marriage to …
(2020-10-14). Trump's Weaponization of the National Security State. counterpunch.org 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump's most vocal loyalist and a serial violator of the Hatch Act, carried out the president's order to release Hillary Clinton's emails sent through her home server between 2009 and 2012. Trump said that he was "not happy" with the way the secretary was "running the State Department" and that he should "get them out." Pompeo immediately announced he would do so on Trump's network, Fox News.
(2020-10-14). Merriam-Webster labels 'sexual preference' OFFENSIVE after uproar over LGBTQ terminology during SCOTUS confirmation hearing. rt.com 
Merriam-Webster has been accused of politicizing its dictionary after it flagged the term 'sexual preference' as offensive, mirroring a complaint leveled against Amy Coney Barrett during her SCOTUS confirmation hearing. | The curious edit was spotted hours after Barrett was lambasted for using the phrase "sexual preference" to refer to LGBTQ Americans' sexual orientations as she answered questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. | Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono berated the conservative Supreme Court nominee for using the term, claiming that it was "offensive and outdated." The senator alleged…
(2020-10-14). An Open Letter to Judge Amy Coney Barrett, From Your Notre Dame Colleagues. counterpunch.org October 10, 2020 Dear Judge Barrett, We write to you as fellow faculty members at the University of Notre Dame. We congratulate you on your nomination to the United States Supreme Court. An appointment to the Court is the crowning achievement of a legal career and speaks to the commitments you have made throughout your
(2020-10-14). Michigan Supreme Court overturns governor's executive orders on COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org The rulings coincide with the demands of the ruling elite that workers return to work under dangerous conditions so that profitability can be restored.
(2020-10-14). Controversy Over the Alleged Abortion Views of Amy Coney Barrett Misses Wider Issues. dissidentvoice.org The nomination to the United States Supreme Court of Amy Coney Barrett has raised again the issue of access to abortion, legalised in the United States in the decision in Roe v Wade 410 US 113 (1973) 47 years ago. If Ms Barrett is confirmed as a member of the Supreme Court it will make …
(2020-10-14). Day two of hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett: Democrats maintain silence on White House plot to overturn election. wsws.org At Tuesday's hearing, the Democrats adopted a posture of cringing respect for the far-right judge, echoing Biden's remark in last month's presidential debate that she is "a very fine woman."
(2020-10-14). Packing the Court: Why Joe Biden Can't Commit. strategic-culture.org The latest issue roiling the U.S. presidential race is the Supreme Court and what to do if it bucks the wishes of the ruling party. The reason is the Amy Coney Barrett nomination, which, assuming it goes through, could result in a 6-3 conservative majority lasting well into the 2030s. | Since this would spell doom for a Biden-Harris administration, Democrats have come up with what they think is a perfect solution. It's called packing the court, and it entails expanding "the Supremes" from nine to fifteen members in order to fill the ranks with liberals guaranteed to toe the party line. | It's neat, clean, and con…
