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2020-07-12: News Headlines

Ajamu Baraka (2020-07-12). Video: Race, Class and in the United States Today. globalresearch.ca American anti-war Ajamu Baraka has urged the public to stay vigilant against US "attempts to control the narrative" of the Black Lives Matter movement. | Speaking at an event organised by the Workers' Party, the national organiser of the Black …

Mitch Jones (2020-07-12). Better-Than-Before Climate Plans Still Aren't Good Enough. commondreams.org Sunrise Movement campaigners call on Democratic House members to back a Green New Deal. (Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/covid-crisis-gnd_0.jpg

Lawrence Wittner (2020-07-12). Humanity is an Endangered Species. zcomm.org Have you noticed recently that things are collapsing? Sure, the rightwing, nationalist rulers of many countries never stop telling us that they have made their nations "great" again. But we would have to be dislocated from reality not to notice that something is wrong―very wrong. After all, the world is currently engulfed in a coronavirus

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-07-12). From bad to worse Lebanon. thealtworld.com The US has deliberately engineered the country's economic collapse, but Hezbollah won't yield to it demands | UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet sounded the alarm on Saturday that the economic situation in Lebanon was spiralling out of control and that many thousands of its people face destitution and starvation. The warning was stark. But it wasn't surprising given the relentless US pressure the country faces, which has more than crossed every conceivable red line. | Bachelet listed a number of reasons why she feared economic collapse was looming: thousands of businesses bankrupted, the Leba…

Mike Whitney (2020-07-12). Looks Like Sweden Was Right After All. globalresearch.ca Why is the media so fixated on Sweden's coronavirus policy? What difference does it make? | Sweden settled on a policy that they thought was both sustainable and would save as many lives as possible. They weren't trying to 'show anyone …

Steven Sahiounie (2020-07-12). Palestinians Will Not Live in Until the Saudi Royal Family Is Gone. globalresearch.ca Palestine | 5 million Palestinians live under

Patrick Cockburn (2020-07-12). Trump's Defense of the South's Post Civil War Culture Goes Beyond Racism. zcomm.org Trump's defense of Confederate culture is not only a defense of racism, but also of other Old South born attitudes towards women, guns, abortion, evangelical Christianity, paramilitary policing, crime and punishment, and the role of government…

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-12). US Hostility Toward China. Military Encirclement, Visa Bans, Backlash on US Economy. globalresearch.ca Geopolitics of both right wings of the US war party is polar opposite what just societies cherish — seeking dominance over other nations by brute force if other tactics to achieve its aims fail. | Mutual cooperation and respect for the …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-12). 25th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre Big Lie that Won't Die. globalresearch.ca Big Lies and deception about what happened in Srebrenica a generation ago were part of the 1990s rape of Yugoslavia by the Clinton co-presidency and NATO killing machine. | Events of that time were and remain one of history's great crimes …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-12). Indictment of Kosovo establishment for war crimes has major implications for region. peoplesdispatch.org Recently, the Specialist Prosecutor's Office announced that it had filed indictments with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers against Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, former parliamentary speaker Kadri Veseli and others on charges of war crimes…

Robert Kuttner (2020-07-12). Biden's New Economic Nationalism. zcomm.org Better Than You May Think. And some of it seems to have been inspired by Elizabeth Warren…

Pepe Escobar (2020-07-12). Iran and China Turbo-charge the New Silk Roads. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published on Two of the US's top "strategic threats" are getting closer and closer within the scope of the New Silk Roads — the leading 21st century project of economic integration across …

teleSUR (2020-07-12). Colombia: Another FARC ex-Combatant Killed in Meta. telesurenglish.net Colombia's Revolutionary Alternative Force of the Common (FARC) political party Saturday announced the murder of another ex-combatant in the municipality of La Uribe, department of Meta. | RELATED: | "We denounce another murder. Fredy Fajardo Avila was killed in La Uribe, Meta. With this comrade, 217 signatories have been murdered in the last years," the political party announced on its Twitter account. | FARC deman…

Terry Everton (2020-07-12). You Have the Right to Keep Silent If You Want to Remain Employed. dissidentvoice.org One of the most effective weapons in the corporate employer's fuck you arsenal is the employment at will clause. It's the trump card that stacks the deck against you regardless of the winning hand you think you're holding, relegating you instead to the chump pile of players who stayed in the game one bet too …

Julie Hollar (2020-07-12). Corporate Media Team With Trump to Disparage Public Health Experts. commondreams.org As public health experts tirelessly work to unravel the mysteries of the Covid pandemic (and are increasingly burning out), the president of our country has constantly attacked and undermined them—and, lately, so have corporate media.

Nathalia Santos Ocasio (2020-07-12). Chilean Arpilleras Sustain Political Momentum During Lockdown. zcomm.org As Covid-19 interrupts months of mass mobilizations in Chile, women continue creating political tapestries to resist state violence and systemic inequalities.

Colin Todhunter (2020-07-12). Covid-19, Hunger and Starvation in India. Globalist Takeover of India's Public Health Policy. globalresearch.ca Some might ask why India is in complete lockstep with global lockdown despite the very low COVID19-related

news.un (2020-07-12). A taxing problem: how to ensure the poor and vulnerable don't shoulder the cost of the COVID-19 crisis. news.un.org In the wake of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, tax systems should be reformed, and tax avoidance and evasion reduced, to ensure an economic recovery in which everyone pays their share, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Tamika C.B. Zapolski, Ukamaka M. Oruche (2020-07-12). Racism in the U.S. Healthcare System Is Costing Black Lives. commondreams.org As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the U.S., the virus hit African Americans disproportionately hard. African Americans are still contracting the illness—and dying from it—at rates twice as high as would be expected based on their share of the population.

_____ (2020-07-12). Ajamu Baraka: Race, Class And US s Today. popularresistance.org Speaking at an event organised by the Workers' Party, the national organiser of the Black Alliance for and the 2016 Green Party candidate for vice president said that: "The current ongoing capitalist crisis has created the most serious crisis of legitimacy since the collapse of the capitalist economy during the years referred to as the Great Depression. We are now seeing, within the economy, the genocidal implications of economic conditions in which young black workers have more value as human generators of profit locked up in prisons than as participants in the economy as low wage workers." | Founded in 20…

_____ (2020-07-12). On Contact: Collateral Murder Video. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to journalist, Dean Yates, who, 13 years ago, was the head of Reuters' Baghdad bureau. On July 12, 2007, Yates learned two of his employees, Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen, had been fired on and killed by the US Army. Their deaths, and those of others, were the focus of the now-infamous video Collateral Murder, leaked by Chelsea Manning and released by Wikileaks.

RT (2020-07-12). In biggest daily increase among ALL states since start of Covid-19 epidemic, Florida confirms over 15,000 new infections. rt.com The US state of Florida reported a record spike in coronavirus cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, officials announced on Sunday, as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms a record rise in global cases as well. | The US reported a massive 66,500 new cases in 24 hours, and, in Florida, 15,299 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Sunday. | Florida's record figure, the highest among all states reported since the start of the epidemic, would rank it fourth in the world after the US, Brazil and India, if it were a country. | The state's daily new cases have also passed the highest recorded daily rate…

RT (2020-07-12). 'Hannibal Lecter or Darth Vader'? Trump wears mask in public for 1st time, providing meme fodder for critics. rt.com US President Donald made his first public appearance wearing a mask (dressed up with a presidential seal), during a visit to a military hospital where he met wounded soldiers and healthcare workers. | On his way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center outside Washington, the US leader explained why he finally decided to don a face covering, arguing that he's "never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place." | So there's this video of trump finally wearing a mask, and I just had to add this song to it

RT (2020-07-12). Jake Tapper says Trump would have 'saved lives' if he'd worn mask earlier, is shown 'no need for masks' clip from his own show. rt.com CNN's Jake Tapper was confronted with coverage from his own show claiming masks were "not needed" during the Covid-19 pandemic, after he tweeted Donald Trump may have saved lives if he'd worn them in public months ago. | "Some day someone will do a study on how many lives might have been saved if this happened in February or March," Tapper tweeted, reacting to the president being pictured for the first time wearing a mask. | Shaming citizens for refusing to wear masks in public — despite many states and businesses requiring them — has become commonplace on social media, but in "February or March," he…

RT (2020-07-12). Gun store offers free rifle to Missouri couple seen guarding their home from BLM ers, after police confiscate theirs. rt.com Mark and Patricia McCloskey, now infamous for a video in which they're seen brandishing firearms at Black Lives Matter supporters, were offered a free AR-15 by a local gun store, after their own was confiscated by police. | "This couple did what they needed to do to protect private property, as the property was being ambushed. I've seen videos, and some of these so-called ers were carrying firearms, and they clearly broke the gate to make way on to the private property (A THREAT)," the owner of Alien Armory Tactical, in St. Charles, Missouri, posted on Facebook, asking followers to share his message so…

RT (2020-07-12). Burning barricades, 'sound weapon': at Oregon courthouse continues as arrests, injuries mount. rt.com The now-nightly standoff between BLM ers and officers guarding the courthouse in downtown Portland remains intense. On Saturday, s attempted to block the area, and accused their opponents of using a 'sound weapon.' | The Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland, Oregon has been in the focus of s against racism and police brutality for more than 40 days, with tension escalating into violence on numerous occasions. On Saturday night, the demonstrators used benches to block streets around the courthouse and lit several small fires. | #BlackLivesMatter RT (2020-07-12). 'KKK number behind white power gesture' spotted by Portland er was actually poster celebrating basketball star. rt.com A sharp-eyed er in Portland claimed she spotted a white supremacist hate symbol taunting her from a window of the BLM-besieged federal court. Further investigation, though, showed it was actually a basketball fan's poster. | The picture showing a hand gesturing "OK" was spotted inside the Hatfield Courthouse by one of the people ing against racism and police brutality in downtown Portland, Oregon. It may seem innocent enough, but the gesture stands for "White Power,"

_____ (2020-07-12). The Fall of Plahotniuc and a New Hope for Moldova. strategic-culture.org In June 2019, the small landlocked nation of Moldova found itself in a life or death struggle between two opposing futures: Oligarchs like the notorious Vladimir Plahotniuc had worked diligently for years to bring this nation into the hull of the collapsing NATO-EU Titanic while nationalists sought to re-align Moldova's future with the new emerging Multipolar Alliance led by China and Russia. | The greatest moment of decision (until now) occurred in June 2019 when elections resulted in a three-way split between a pro-Russian Socialist Party, the pro-EU ACUM and another pro-western Democratic Party run by the arch…

The Canary (2020-07-12). Poland holds momentous presidential election run-off. thecanary.co Voting is under way in Poland's knife-edge presidential election. It's set to be a run-off between the conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda and liberal, pro-European Union (EU) Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski.Duda is backed by the ruling right-wing party and the government, as he seeks a second five-year term. Meanwhile, Trzaskowski, a former European Parliament politician, is running for the main opposition Civic Platform party.A close race: Latest polls show that the race may be decided by a very small margin. Both sides are calling to some 30 million eligible voters to cast their ballots. Turnout is expec…

The Canary (2020-07-12). Following evictions in France, refugees risk hypothermia and worse in Channel crossings. thecanary.co Refugees rescued after their boat capsized were among several groups to have tried to cross the English Channel on 11 July.The four individuals were spotted by a passing passenger ferry and were picked up by the French navy. They were found to have severe hypothermia and were taken to the French port of Calais.Nowhere to go: French authorities say they are now safe and well, but repeated warnings about the dangers of crossing the narrow strait. Meanwhile, evictions are leaving refugees with few other options.Crossings have continued as risk to refugees in the French camps considerably worsened in the wake…

teleSUR (2020-07-12). Russia Successfully Completes COVID-19 Vaccine Trial. telesurenglish.net Russia's health authorities Sunday announced that the country has successfully concluded the clinical trial of a vaccine against COVID-19 in a group of volunteers, becoming the first country to successfully complete this fase. | RELATED: | "At this stage, the safety of the vaccine was demonstrated. It corresponds to the safety of vaccines that are currently on the market, " First Moscow State Medical University Sechenov's Institute o…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-12). Tens of thousands of Greeks agitate against law curbing s. peoplesdispatch.org Over the past few weeks, s have been held across Greece against a law introduced by the New Democracy government that will impose strict restrictions on demonstrations. The Communist Party of Greece and leftist trade unions have been in the forefront of these s.

Stephen Karganovic (2020-07-12). The ICTY Srebrenica Trials: The Unseen Evidence. globalresearch.ca Srebrenica: July 11, 1995. Twenty-five years ago | One of the key evidentiary issues that arose during several ICTY Srebrenica trials was the right of the accused to conduct an independent examination of the forensic evidence used against them. That right …

Carlos Martins Branco (2020-07-12). Was Srebrenica a Hoax? Eye-Witness Account of a Former United Nations Military Observer in Bosnia. globalresearch.ca The mass graves are filled by a limited number of corpses from both sides, the consequence of heated battle and combat and not the result of a premeditated plan of genocide.

Stephen Karganovic (2020-07-12). War in the Balkans, Srebrenica: The Memoirs of a Portuguese keeper. globalresearch.ca War pretext incidents. First published by SCF and Global Research in July 2017. Today July 11, 2020. 25 years ago Srebrenica, July 11, 1995 | Featured image: Gravestones at the Potoƒçari genocide memorial near Srebrenica (Source: Wikimedia Commons) | General Carlos Martins …

Tony Cartalucci (2020-07-12). The UK Reading Stabbings: Al Qaeda LIFG Terrorists Supported by UK. Product of British Foreign Policy. globalresearch.ca It should surprise no one paying attention that the suspect in the recent stabbing spree in Reading, UK was not only known to British security agencies as an extremist and security threat, but that he comes from the pool of …

Ali Salam (2020-07-12). Seven Palestinians Abducted by Israeli Soldiers, Including those Assaulted by Settlers. imemc.org The Israeli forces, at dawn Saturday, stormed several Palestinian-owned homes and abducted Palestinian civilians during invasions into different occupied West Bank towns, the Palestinian Information Center reported. Local sources said, Israeli soldiers stormed the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, in the northern West Bank and abducted two Palestinian young men …

Ted Snider (2020-07-12). How Many Ways Can Israel Wage War on Iran Before the Media Reports Israel Is Waging War on Iran? commondreams.org Satellite images of Natanz Nuclear Plant. (Photo: Google [before] and Iran International [after]) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/natanz-iran_5031346-1024×576.jpg

teleSUR (2020-07-12). Iraq: US Military Convoy Attacked, No Casualties. telesurenglish.net A U.S. military convoy operated by Iraqi citizens was set on fire Saturday night in Al Diwaniyah city, Iraq. | RELATED: | "A group of attackers forced the four trucks in the convoy to stop," according to official sources. | The drivers were taken out of the vehicles as the attackers set the convoy's trucks on fire. | The convoy's operators were Iraqi citizens transporting supplies from Basra to one of the U.S. bases in I…

Newsclick (2020-07-12). US quitting WHO will hit global responses to pandemics, vaccine development. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha talks about the US decision to leave the World Health Organization. He points out that this is yet another instance of US exceptionalism and describes how the country iis one of the largest beneficiaries of WHO's vaccine program.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-12). Emirates may lay off 9,000 employees due to pandemic. peoplesdispatch.org Emirates president Tim Clark said that nearly 15% of the 60,000 staff would be laid off due to the pandemic-induced economic crisis. He said that already, a tenth had lost their jobs…

teleSUR (2020-07-12). Trump Suggested To Sell Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria. telesurenglish.net Former U.S. Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Elaine C. Duke revealed that President Donald Trump suggested selling Puerto Rico to avoid the US from having the burden of helping it recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria in September 2017. | RELATED: | "In the face of the devastation in Puerto Rico Island, Trump thought like a businessman. He asked if it was possible to 'sell the island or outsource the electricity ¥,…

teleSUR (2020-07-12). Petition to UN on Afro-Bolivian Union Leader Elena Flores. telesurenglish.net A recent petition to the United Nations has called for attention to the political imprisonment and human rights abuses against Afro-Bolivian union leader Elena Flores. | RELATED: | Flores is the President of the Departmental Association of Coca Producers (Adepcoca) union of coca growers in her home territory of Yungas, where she's been a labour organizer since her youth. | The leader has been held as a political p…

Unicorn Riot (2020-07-12). MN Freedom Fighters Form A Community Safety Net. unicornriot.ninja Minneapolis, MN — An armed security force, the MN Freedom Fighters, are now a regular sight providing security at s and patrolling Broadway Avenue. | It started via a call out for a community patrol group for the Northside from Minneapolis NAACP's President, Leslie Redmond, a…

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-12). Propaganda Brainwashing, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com ~ | The focus shouldn't just be on bad things done by individual plutocrats — Gates did X, Bezos did Y etc. The primary focus should be on how we shouldn't have a system which allows any individual to have that much power over our world. No individual should have that much power to do that much harm. | ~ | You couldn't create a more perfect profit-generating scheme than war. Entire civilizations can be streamlined into the task of cranking out top-of-the-line, name-brand killing machines at the drop of a false flag. War will continue as long as human behavior is driven by profit. | ~ | If you want more of s…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-12). Iraqi MP urges for issuing intl. arrest warrant for Trump. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — Iraqi lawmaker Hassan Salem has called for issuing an international arrest warrant for US President Donald Trump over his order to assassinate Lieutenant General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-12). Tehran-Dubai tourist flights resumed amid outbreak. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 13 (MNA) — The tourist flights of Tehran and Dubai have been resumed since July 09 during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, by observing health protocols.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-12). Iran confirms 2,186 infections,194 deaths in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has infected 2,186 people and claimed 194 lives in Iran in the past 24 hours, a senior health official said.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-12). Air Force opens new hospital in Tehran for COVID-19 patients. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — Deputy Coordinator of the Iranian Army Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari cut the ribbon on a new hospital in Tehran on Sunday, which has been established by tIslamic Republic of Iran Air Force for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-12). Parl. to pursue 'look to East', diversifying trade partners. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that having a look to the East and diversifying trade partners of Iran are on the Parliament's agenda as factors that can solve the country's economic problems.

2020-07-11: News Headlines

RT (2020-07-11). 'Another phony hit job': Trump slams NYT for 'made up' story about alleged Russian bounties in Afghanistan. rt.com A sensational New York Times report which alleged that Russia paid the Taliban to target US forces in Afghanistan was pure fabrication, Donald Trump has claimed after the Pentagon and intel agencies dismissed the story. | The claim that Moscow had placed bounties on US and coalition troops operating in Afghanistan, first reported by the Times last month, has been widely discredited by senior military and intelligence officials. Defense Secretary Mark Esper testified earlier this week that "all the defense intelligence agencies have been unable to corroborate that report." | Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gener…

Gareth Porter (2020-07-11). How the Pentagon failed to sell Afghan government's bunk 'Bountygate'. zcomm.org Another New York Times Russiagate bombshell turns out to be a dud, as dodgy stories spun out by Afghan intelligence and exploited by the Pentagon ultimately failed to convince US intelligence agencies…

RT (2020-07-11). Anti-Trump camp in meltdown over VIDEO of dancing Roger Stone after his prison term's commuted. rt.com Political huckster Roger Stone celebrated the commutation of his prison sentence in typically flamboyant style: by gyrating to music in a video that went viral and hit a raw nerve with his opponents and those of President Trump. | Ensnared by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 'Russiagate' probe, Stone was sentenced in February to three years in prison for interfering with the investigation and tampering with witnesses — charges the long-time Republican maintained were baseless. Trump commuted his sentence on Friday — a move that doesn't overturn his conviction, but spares him a stint behind bars. | Fa…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-11). The Hypocrisies of Recognition: The Supreme Court, Native Americans and the McGirt Case. dissidentvoice.org The Supreme Court of the United States has barely had time to gather its collective breath this last few days. Among its decisions, including those dealing with President Donald Trump's financial records, was that of McGirt v Oklahoma. The case furnishes a detailed discussion on the extent Native American self-governance survived the assaults of the …

Susan Jaffe (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.

Sarah Deer (2020-07-11). "Most Important Indian Law Case in Half a Century" zcomm.org Supreme Court Upholds Tribal Sovereignty in OK…

Staff (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."

Staff (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…

Staff (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 Encampment, With Veto-Proof Majority,…

_____ (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…

Jeffrey St. Clair (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.

WSWS (2020-07-10). The collapse of the New York Times' "Russian bounties" campaign. wsws.org Less than two weeks after it kicked off a media frenzy, the Times published an editorial effectively conceding that there was no factual basis for its reporting that Russian military intelligence had paid bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers.

RT (2020-07-10). Twitter data-mining tool Dataminr fed police real-time info on Black Lives Matter ers, 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 ing, 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 ers 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…

RT (2020-07-10). New evidence shows FBI knew General Flynn was not 'agent of Russia' but prosecuted him anyway. rt.com President Donald Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn was "not acting as an agent of Russia" by the FBI's own determination, yet the Mueller probe was based on that claim and his legal odyssey still continues. | New evidence provided by the Justice Department to Flynn's legal team this week, and made public on Friday as part of a court filing, shows that the FBI determined Flynn wasn't a Russian agent, and believed he did not deliberately lie to agents during his January 2017 interview. | A handwritten document shows the officials believed there were no reasonable grounds for prosecution under…

RT (2020-07-10). New evidence shows the FBI knew General Flynn was not 'agent of Russia' but prosecuted him anyway. rt.com President Donald Trump's first national security adviser Michael Flynn was "not acting as an agent of Russia" by the FBI's own determination, yet the Mueller probe was based on that claim and his legal odyssey still continues. | New evidence provided by the Justice Department to Flynn's legal team this week, and made public on Friday as part of a court filing, shows that the FBI determined Flynn wasn't a Russian agent, and believed he did not deliberately lie to agents during his January 2017 interview. | A handwritten document shows the officials believed there were no reasonable grounds for prosecution under…

RT (2020-07-10). Google vows to ban companies profiting from secretly spying on people, but doesn't think to include itself. rt.com In an effort to combat the monitoring of people's activities without their knowledge, Google is changing its policies to prohibit the advertising of spyware products. The spy-happy tech giant evidently failed to grasp the irony… | In a published update, Google Although Google doesn't explicitl…

WSWS (2020-07-10). Supreme Court rules against Trump on releasing tax returns, but allows delay. wsws.org While Trump failed in his effort to assert absolute presidential immunity, the court rulings will push back any release of his financial documents until after the election.

Steven R. Shapiro (2020-07-10). Supreme Court Correctly Rules that Trump is Not Above the Law. aclu.org Donald Trump, who often behaves as though he has never read the Constitution, received an important civics lesson from the Supreme Court yesterday when it ruled in two cases involving his personal financial records, including tax returns that he has long sought to conceal, that there is an important difference between being president and king. As the Supreme Court emphatically — and on this point, unanimously — reminded us all, the president may occupy the highest office in the land, but he is not above the law. , , Chief Justice Roberts wrote the Court's opinion in both cases. The first case, Tru…

Rachel Rebouché (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 …

teleSUR (2020-07-10). UN Calls Soleimani's Killing an Arbitrary Execution, US Rejects. telesurenglish.net U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Friday rejected a United Nations report accusing Iranian General Qasem Soleimani's assassination as illegal. | RELATED: | The UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Agnes Callamard also called Soleimani's death an "arbitrary execution" given that Washington has not yet provided evidence to justify the Iranian general was planning attacks against the U.S. | "The at…

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-07-10). Has the Durham Investigation of the Russiagate Hoax Been Deep-Sixed? thealtworld.com I never had any expectation that the Trump Justice (sic) Department would investigate the Obama DOJ, FBI, and CIA officials who commited felonies while creating the Russiagate hoax that was intended to drive President Trump from office. The Washington Establishment never lowers the boom on its own. | Attorney General William Barr and US Attorney John Durham are establishment figures. So are the alleged targets of their investigation. But Trump is not an establishment figure. He challenged the establishment openly in his inaugeration speech, and the establishment has been after him ever since. | The alleged invest…

_____ (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 s and artists such as t…

Staff (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."

Sue Davis (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 . . . |

Ahrar Ahmad (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…

Mark Gruenberg, John Wojcik (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." …

RT (2020-07-09). Grumpy Trump hits out at Supreme Court decision, calls New York a 'hellhole'. rt.com President Donald Trump has branded his home state a "hellhole," after the Supreme Court ruled a Manhattan prosecutor can subpoena his financial records. To Trump, the decision was just another move in the "witch hunt" against him. | In a 7-2 ruling on Thursday, the court found that a subpoena issued to Trump's accounting firm may be enforced, dismissing Trump's legal team's argument that the president is immune to criminal proceedings. The subpoena was issued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, after allegations of 'hush money' payments to porn star Stormy Daniels surfaced in 2018. | Also on rt.com

RT (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…

RT (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

Peter Koenig (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, …

teleSUR (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.

WSWS (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.

commondreams (2020-07-09). Demand Justice Statement on Supreme Court Case Regarding Trump's Financial Records. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2020-07-09). Supreme Court's Decision in Trump v. Mazars Underscores Costs of Rep. Neal's Delays. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Julia Conley (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.

commondreams (2020-07-09). Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Arguments for Withholding Financial Records From NY Prosecutors and Congress. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Ahrar Ahmad (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 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…

Staff (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,

Staff (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 —

Julia Conley, staff writer (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

Julia Conley, staff writer (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

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (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

yenisafak (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…

yenisafak (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 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.

Gareth Porter (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…

Yves Engler (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.

Mark Gruenberg (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 …

RT (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…