2020-06-11: News Headlines

MBNJSD (2020-06-11). Defund the Police, defund the Military. dissidentvoice.org Defund the police, defund the military (Credit: CODEPINK) On June 1, President Trump threatened to deploy active-duty U.S. military forces against peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters in cities across America. Trump and state governors eventually deployed at least 17,000 National Guard troops across the country. In the nation's capital, Trump deployed nine Blackhawk assault helicopters, …

Palestinian BDS National Committee (2020-06-11). European Court of Human Rights Deals Major Blow to Israel's War on Palestine Solidarity. globalresearch.ca ECHR rules unanimously that French highest court's criminal conviction of Israel boycott advocates violates the European Convention on Human Rights' freedom of expression article | *** | The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)

teleSUR (2020-06-10). Dominican Republic: Police Put Down Anti-Racism Protest. telesurenglish.net Dominican Republic's Santo Domingo conservative organizations and police Tuesday confronted anti-racism activists who claimed justice for George Floyd in a demonstration. | RELATED: | "Those nationalists came and threw themselves at us and the police, instead of taking the attitude of protecting us, what they did was to stop us," said Reconocido (recognized) non-governmental organization leader Ana Maria Belique. | Reconocido…

Wendi C. Thomas (2020-06-10). The police have been spying on black reporters and activists for years. I know because I'm one of them. nationofchange.org Wendi C. Thomas is a black journalist who has covered police in Memphis. One officer admitted to spying on her. She's on a long list of prominent black journalists and activists who have been subjected to police surveillance over decades.

Jason Cohen (2020-06-09). One step closer to freedom for Ana Belen Montes. workers.org For close to 20 years Ana Belen Montes, a Puerto Rican woman, has been held hostage in a federal prison located in Fort Worth, Texas. Due to the hard work of dedicated activists an international movement in solidarity with Montes has forced the federal government to grant her early release . . . |

People's World Correspondents (2020-06-09). National uprising continues: Reports from around the country. peoplesworld.org During this national uprising against racist police violence, People's World is being inundated with correspondence from local reporters and activists around the country—more than we can possibly print. Presented here are just a few recent selections submitted from towns and cities across the United States. FREDERICK, MARYLAND Carl Gentile In an unprecedented show of solidarity, …

Ajit Singh (2020-06-09). Hong Kong's 'pro-democracy' movement allies with far-right US politicians that seek to crush Black Lives Matter. thegrayzone.com As a Hong Kong protest leader promotes far-right condemnations of US anti-racism demonstrations and activists shut down a Black Lives…

Elliot Sperber (2020-06-09). End Police, With the Utmost Respect for Farmers. counterpunch.org End Police, With the Utmost Respect for Farmers Perhaps you won't believe it Incredulous as you are But my father's father fought In the army of the Tsar In 1916 he deserted And would've been caught, and shot Lucky for us, though, Before they could get him The empire vanished — ha ha In 1921, with

Alastair Crooke (2020-06-08). For This to Slip Would Be the 'End of Empire'. thealtworld.com A hot humid day, but a gentle, warm breeze is blowing. The smoke and tear gas swirl gently to and fro, hanging in the dense, sweaty air, as shafts of dazzling sunlight scythe through the smokiness at sharp angles. A mass protest is forming. Youths are chattering; people moving aimlessly. It still has not solidified into purpose, yet the raw tenseness of the coming conflict hangs, as palpably as does the smoke in the air. It is evident — there will be violence today. | No, this is not America. This is the flashpoint crossroad between the radical Jewish settler outpost of Beit El in the West Bank, and its int…

Fight Back (2020-06-08). Minneapolis: 'Disband, defund,' or community control, of the police. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On June 7, Minneapolis officials tried to pull one over on the people again, in the guise of promising real change after the murder of George Floyd. Nine city council members declared a "commitment to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department." The announcement was made at community meeting held by Black Visions and Reclaim the Block, two grassroots organizations that have been calling on the council to divest from MPD since 2018. | Even if the proposal comes to pass, it will do little to deliver true justice and to avenge the victims who have been brutalized and murdered by the police over th…

Peter Phillips (2020-06-07). A Strategy for Global Democracy and Wealth Sharing. globalresearch.ca It is time for power to the people! | Global capitalist inequality contributes directly to health pandemics, environmental degradation, and mass poverty. Elite-corporate oligarchs control the governments and political parties. They use established militarized police states to protect their vast empires …

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2020-06-08). Time Served and $25 a Month in Fines in First Sentencing of Kings Bay Plowshares Anti-Nuclear Activists. commondreams.org "I don't apologize for it," said sentenced activist Elizabeth McAlister. "I think the weapons are completely destructive of life." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Robert Halfon (2020-06-11). Children More Likely to Be Hit by Lightning Than Die of Coronavirus, Oxford-Cambridge Analysis Finds. anti-empire.com School children under the age of 15 are more likely to be hit by lightning than die from coronavirus, new figures suggest, amid Scientists from the universities of Cambridge and Oxford have called for "rational debate" based on the "tiny" risk to children and have suggested that it might be better for youngsters to be exposed to the virus early so they are protected in later life when…

Pien Huang (2020-06-11). WHO Believes That Mass Protests Are Important Even in a 'Pandemic' Provided They're More Popular Than WHO. anti-empire.com In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization took time at its daily press conference to address another pressing issue: the wave of protests against police violence and racial injustice. The demonstrations began in the U.S. when George Floyd died on May 25 after a police officer had pressed a knee into his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while detaining him in Minneapolis. | The protests are now spreading around the world to Europe, Africa and other regions. | "WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds," said WHO director…

CJ Hopkins (2020-06-11). Everything Was Ready for a Color-Revolution Coup Against Trump but He Refused to Bite. anti-empire.com So, the GloboCap-Resistance Unfortunately for the Resistance, Trum…

Marko Marjanoviƒá (2020-06-11). The Powers That Be Are Ecstatic That the Left Believes the Biggest Problem Right Now Are Statues of Dead White Men. anti-empire.com In the US and the EU both, we've witnessed the biggest monetary heist in history. We're sailing into a depression that central banks have set up for us over the past two decades. And we're doing so in the worst possible condition thanks to the Draconian, harebrained and unnecessary lockdowns that the politicians imposed on us. | Several of Empire's wars and occupations continue in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Syria. Tension is being needlessly cultivated with China and Russia, and the entire architecture of nuclear arms control is just about done being thrown in that trash bin of history. | Simultaneously the…

Michael Sasso (2020-06-10). OOOPS: Black Business Ownership Collapses by 41% in US Lockdowns. anti-empire.com The Covid-19 economic shutdown has hurt African American businesses the most among racial and ethnic groups in U.S., with a 41% decline of black owners from February to April, a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows. | While the pandemic has hit entrepreneurs across the board, closing some 3.3 million small businesses at least temporarily, the sidelining of

Matt Taibbi (2020-06-10). America's Stats-Obsessed "Broken Window" Policing Brings Occupation to Poor Neighborhoods. anti-empire.com Editor's note: Taibbi bats it off the court with this one. Fantastic work. |
| Watching all the terrible news in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, it's been hard not to think about Eric Garner. The cases have so many similarities. Once again, an unarmed African-American man in his forties has been asphyxiated in broad daylight by a police officer with a history of abuse complaints. He and his fellow officers ignore cries of "I can't breathe," and keep subduing their target even after he stops moving, unconcerned that he's being filmed. | Five years ago, while sketching the outline for a book ab…

Elle Reynolds (2020-06-10). South Dakota's Kristi Noem Runs a Victory Lap Having Steered State Through Coronavirus Without a Lockdown (VIDEO). anti-empire.com Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has faced harsh criticism from the mainstream media for refusing to shut her state down in response to Covid-19, outlined some lessons South Dakota has learned from her unique approach to the crisis. | "My approach to this virus was to provide South Dakotans with all the information that I could, and then trust them to exercise their freedom to make the best decision for themselves and for their families," Noem said Monday. "The mainstream media has spent many hours and nearly endless column inches attacking me for that, but countless South Dakotans have thanked me fo…

The Babylon Bee (2020-06-10). In Braveheart Re-Release William Wallace Just Tells the Scottish to Stay Home, Stay Safe. anti-empire.com LOS ANGELES, CA — Mel Gibson's classic film Braveheart has been deemed problematic since William Wallace encourages the Scottish to fight for their freedoms. So, Paramount Pictures announced the new Braveheart: At Home Edition, where the offending scenes have been edited to show the brave freedom fighter encouraging everyone to just "stay home" and "save lives." | "Every man dies

John Pilger (2020-06-08). CIA's Forgotten Coup Against 'The Most Loyal Ally'. anti-empire.com The Australian High Court has ruled that correspondence between the Queen and the Governor-General of Australia, her viceroy in the former British colony, is no longer "personal" and the property of Buckingham Palace. Why does this matter? | Secret letters written in 1975 by the Queen and her man in Canberra, Sir John Kerr, can now be released by the National Archives. On November 11, 1975, Kerr infamously sacked the reformist government of prime minister Gough Whitlam, and delivered Australia into the hands of the United States. | Today, Australia is a vassal state bar none: its politics, intelligence agencies,…

David P. Goldman (2020-06-08). America Is trying to Ban Korea, Taiwan and China (!) From Selling Chips to Huawei If They've Been Made With US-Made Tools. anti-empire.com Editor's note: In the long run why would anyone continue buying American machine tools? |
| South Korea has told Washington that restrictions on semiconductor sales to Huawei and other Chinese companies are "unacceptable," according to industry sources. | Seoul is trying to mediate between Beijing and Washington following the US Commerce Department's May 18 announcement that sales of computer chips to companies on its "entity list" will require a license if they are produced with US technology, even if they are produced overseas by foreign companies. | After the US temporarily banned exports of high-end smar…

Dan Diamond (2020-06-08). Couldn't Bury Your Father Because of Lockdown? Public Health Experts Have a New Exciting Message for You: "ACAB!" anti-empire.com For months, public health experts have urged Americans to take every precaution to stop the spread of Covid-19—stay at home, steer clear of friends and extended family, and absolutely avoid large gatherings. | Now some of those experts are broadcasting a new message: It's time to get out of the house and join the mass protests against racism. | "We should always evaluate the risks and benefits of efforts to control the virus," Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins epidemiologist, tweeted on Tuesday. "In this moment the public health risks of not protesting to demand an end to systemic racism greatly exceed the ha…

The Washington Times (2020-06-08). Lego Halts Advertising for Its Donut Shop Set in Light of US Protests. anti-empire.com Editor's note: This is not satire. | Trade website The Toy Book first

Addison Blu (2020-06-08). Syria Sends Advisors to Aid US Rebels. anti-empire.com WASHINGTON — As the United States works through its immense internal challenges with human rights, equality, and government use of force, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad seeks to help the US in the same way the US helped during the recent Syrian civil war. | "We're sending advisors from our elite special operations units to, you know, help foster peace," Assad told reporters while hiding a smirk. "I can't tell you how valuable it was to have a foreign influence stoking the fires during a period of violent unrest. The least we can do is return the favor." | Assad's aides exchanged high fives in a symbol of…

Staff (2020-06-10). We Won't Win the Climate Fight Without Youth Leadership. truthout.org Jamie Margolin, 18, youth climate lawsuit litigant and founder of youth-led climate activist group By noon on a typical day in school, as Margolin chronicles in her guide for youth activists,

Staff (2020-06-09). Activists Catalog Nearly 600 Videos of Officer Violence Against Protesters. truthout.org President Donald Trump on Monday

RT (2020-06-09). Anarchists & 'Antifa' occupy Seattle police station abandoned by 'regime' forces, set up 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone'. rt.com After police in Seattle, Washington retreated from the Capitol Hill neighborhood, protesters took over the abandoned 'regime' precinct and erected barricades to mark an 'autonomous zone' for several blocks around it. | Six blocks of downtown Seattle have been declared the 'Free Capitol Hill Zone' or 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' (CHAZ), according to area activists that have taken control of Seattle PD's East Precinct, on 12th Avenue and E. Pine Street. | Journalist Julio Rosas tweeted photos from the 'zone,' including flyers demanding that Seattle PD be defunded, and declaring that police "will always be raci…

RT (2020-06-08). White residents wash black priests' feet during George Floyd vigil in US. rt.com Several white locals washed the feet of black pastors during a prayer for George Floyd in North Carolina, invoking a religious rite that sparked a flurry of divisive comments online. | The ritual, which was organized by pastors Faith and Soboma Wokoma in Cary, North Carolina, was part of a prayer walk for black Minnesota man George Floyd, who died in police custody in late May. | Protesters, which included Black Lives Matter activists, first observed eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence to mark the length of time that a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd's neck before he died. | In addition to…

_____ (2020-06-10). The Police Have Been Spying On Black Reporters And Activists for Years. popularresistance.org On Aug. 20, 2018, the first day of a federal police surveillance trial, I discovered that the Memphis Police Department was spying on me. | The ACLU of Tennessee had sued the MPD, alleging that the department was in violation of a 1978 consent decree barring surveillance of residents for political purposes. One of the first witnesses called to the stand: Sgt. Timothy Reynolds, who is white. To get intel on activists and organizers, including those in the Black Lives Matter movement, he'd posed on Facebook as a "man of color," befriending people and trying to infiltrate closed circles.