2020-09-07: News Headlines

Staff (2020-09-07). Cornel West & Ben Jealous on Whether Progressives Can Push Joe Biden Leftward If He Defeats Trump. democracynow.org In a Democracy Now! special, Harvard professor Cornel West and Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way and former president of the NAACP, discuss the 2020 DNC, Joe Biden's vow to fight systemic racism and "overcome this season of darkness in America," the historic nomination of Kamala Harris as his partner on the ticket, and how the convention was a showcase for a broad anti-Trump coalition, including prominent Republican figures given plum speaking slots, but few voices from the party's insurgent left wing. "At this moment, with the decline and fall of the American empire, it looks as if the system…

Max Blumenthal (2020-09-07). 'Green' billionaires behind professional activist network that led suppression of 'Planet of the Humans' documentary. thegrayzone.com The Michael Moore-produced 'Planet of the Humans' faced a coordinated suppression campaign led by professional climate activists backed by the same 'green' billionaires, Wall Street investors, industry insiders and family foundations skewered in the film. By Max Blumenthal "We must take control of our environmental movement and our future from billionaires and their permanent war …

Staff (2020-09-07). Freedom Struggle: Angela Davis on Calls to Defund Police, Racism & Capitalism, and the 2020 Election. democracynow.org In a Democracy Now! special, we revisit our June 2020 interview with the legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis about the uprising against police brutality and racism launched in May after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The protests have helped dramatically shift public opinion on policing and systemic racism, as "defund the police" becomes a rallying cry of the movement. Davis is professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. For half a century, she has been one of the most influential activists and intellectuals in the United States and an icon of the Black liberation mo…

WSWS (2020-09-07). The Silence of Others: The victims of Spanish fascism then and now. wsws.org Timely and moving, the Spanish documentary details the efforts of activists and torture survivors to prosecute Francoite officials for crimes against humanity.

Dirk Adriaensens (2020-09-06). Channelling EU Money to the Military industry Under the Guise of 'Industrial Policy'. globalresearch.ca On 23 July, the vast majority of the Left Group (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament approved, together with the social democratic (S&D), Green and rightist (EPP, Renew) parties, a resolution which opposes the 'European deal' of 21 July, in which …

_____ (2020-09-06). The Anarchist Assassination of U.S. President William McKinley and Its Links to the Murder of Tsar Alexander II. strategic-culture.org In 1901, there was a political coup d'etat in the United States that transformed the world and nobody noticed. | A beloved and twice-elected nationalist president was assassinated and replaced by a passionate supporter of the British Empire and America was on its disastrous path to empire in Asia and war in Europe. | The strategic context of the murder of William McKinley is seldom discussed. The extraordinary and deeply disturbing parallels between his murder and the sadistic slaughter 20 years before of Russia's heroic Tsar Alexander II, friend of Abraham Lincoln and liberator of 24 million slaves has, to my kn…

Will Bunch (2020-09-06). The Real 'Hoax' in America Is Record Wall Street Profits as Nation's Jobless Millions Cannot Afford Rent. commondreams.org Tenants and housing activists gathered at Maria Hernandez Park for a rally and march in the streets of Bushwick, demanding the New York City administration cancel rent immediately as many New Yorkers remain strapped for cash and out of work. (Photo: Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

The Canary (2020-09-05). Refugee rights activists gather in Dover amid fears of disruption from far-right. thecanary.co Protesters have gathered at the port of Dover to show their support for refugees reaching the UK in small boats.There were fears of violence ahead of Saturday 5 September with right-wing anti-immigrant groups also announcing their intention to assemble in the Kent town.It comes despite pleas from local MP Natalie Elphicke to "stay away" to prevent a second wave of coronavirus (Covid-19)."Refugees welcome": On Friday 4 September, the words "Rise above fear. Refugees welcome" were beamed onto the White Cliffs of Dover by humanitarian charity Freedom From Torture.A heavy police presence is in place in the tow…

The Canary (2020-09-05). Activists protest against press's 'failure to report on the climate & ecological emergency'. thecanary.co More than 100 Extinction Rebellion (XR) protesters used vehicles and bamboo lock-ons to block roads outside the Newsprinters printing works at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, and Knowsley, near Liverpool on Friday 4 September.By Saturday morning, police said some 30 people had been arrested.Failings: Under a banner reading "Free the truth", XR tweeted that it was using the disruption to expose the newspapers' "failure to report on the climate & ecological emergency, and their consistent manipulation of truth to suit their own agendas". The group said: Coverage in many of the newspapers printed here is polluting…

_____ (2020-09-05). Springfield Says "No" To Biomass Power Plant. popularresistance.org Springfield, MA – More than 75 people gathered on the steps of City Hall on Thursday calling for an end to a long-proposed biomass project in East Springfield, saying it is a threat to public health and an environmental hazard. | Some of those speaking used he phrase "we can't breathe" in expressing their strong opposition to the wood-to-energy plant proposed by Palmer Renewable Energy LLC at 1000 Page Blvd. | Verne McArthur, of the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition, led the activists and residents in chants against the biomass project, including, "We will, we will, block you, block you."

_____ (2020-09-05). Group That Helped Draft Anti-BDS Laws In US Didn't Disclose Grant From Israel. popularresistance.org There's been a lot of talk about foreign governments intervening in our political process over the last few years, but some stories certainly don't permeate mainstream discourse. | A case in point was on display this week. The Forward reported that the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) received a grant from the Israeli government for more than $100,000 last year. The IAF is a nonprofit that was established in 2007 to foster cooperation between pro-Israel forces and governments around the world. In 2014, the group helped develop South Carolina's anti-BDS law, which prohibits state entities from contracting with group…

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-09-05). As violence subsides in eastern Sudan, activists allege vested interest behind conflict. peoplesdispatch.org The political and economic interests of many powerful people in the eastern Kassala State are reportedly pitted against the transfer of administrative authority from the military to the newly appointed civilian governor, Saleh Ammar…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-09-05). 'We Need a Free Press But Do Not Have It': UK Climate Campaigners Defend Blockade of Murdoch's Destructive Media Empire. commondreams.org The real story, according to Extinction Rebellion UK, is that humanity is facing "an emergency of unprecedented scale and the papers we have targeted are not reflecting the scale and urgency of what is happening to our planet." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2020-09-04). Richard Wolff: The Declining Empire With Chris Hedges. popularresistance.org On this week's Economic Update, Prof. Wolff discusses the following: Denmark's new taxes on banks and rich people to help workers doing dangerous jobs; West Virginia AG sues Walmart and CVS for complicity in opioid scandal; and US State Department urges universities to sell shares in Chinese corporations. On the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff interviews author and journalist Chris Hedges on signs of the declining US empire.

Ted Kelly (2020-09-04). Prison-industrial complex: Harvard students demand divestment. workers.org A student-led organization called the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign is fighting to dismantle the prison-industrial complex, starting with their own school's administration. Research has exposed that portions of Harvard University's $39 billion endowment are invested in the notorious prison profiteers GEO Group and Core Civic. The website of the campaign, . . . |

Saul Foster (2020-09-04). Killing in Kenosha: 'Blue Lives' terror comes of age. mronline.org The killing of two Black Lives Matter protesters by a vigilante represents a new departure for violent reaction, argues Wisconsin activists Michael Billeaux.

Staff (2020-09-04). He exposed police corruption, now cops won't leave him alone. therealnews.com The story of cop watcher Otto The Watchdog reveals how American law enforcement uses the criminal justice system to retaliate against critics and their families. But Otto is not alone, First Amendment activists, auditors and protesters all around the U.S. are feeling the blue backlash.

_____ (2020-09-04). Black-Led Resistance Movements Are Paving The Way For Reparations. popularresistance.org Months after the police killing of George Floyd sparked racial justice protests around the world, Black Lives Matter activists are once again flooding the streets — this time in response to the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Among the demands that continue to ring out is the call for reparations, or payment to people of African descent. Several African countries — including Namibia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — have also joined the call, demanding reparations from European countries for the perpetration of genocide under colonialism.

news.un (2020-09-04). Mystery surrounds Algeria article branded 'complete fabrication' by UN rights office. news.un.org The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) is dismissing as a "complete fabrication" an Algerian news report claiming that a UN tribunal has rejected a complaint by a group of political activists.

_____ (2020-09-04). Germany: Extreme Right Marches Under Anti-Lockdown Banner. popularresistance.org The large Berlin demonstration and rally against the federal government's corona policy on August 29 was a moral victory for the right and neo-Nazis. Pictures of fascists occupying the stairs to the Reichstag building with the Reichsflag (symbol of the empire overthrown by the revolution in 1918 and the Nazi dictatorship 1933-45) are circulating around the world and trigger alarms, especially among anti-fascists. | Such symbolic images also serve to weld the right scene together. After all, more members of the extreme right are likely to have marched through the federal capital unified and unmolested on this day…

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-09-03). Russiagate Or Impeachment, Because Those Were Fake Things. indybay.org Caitlin Johnstone writes about the end of illusions. | "Peace is not everything, but without it, everything becomes nothing" (Willy Brandt). You can have peace or the US empire. You can't have both.

Eliza Egret (2020-09-03). Rest in power, David Graeber. thecanary.co Anarchist anthropologist David Graeber has died at just 59-years-old. His books Debt: The First 5000 years and Bullshit Jobs: A Theory have influenced countless radicals and activists. | Yesterday the best person in a world, my husband and my friend . — Nika Dubrovsky (@nikadubrovsky) American-born anthropologist and activist David Graeber — credited with the rallying cry "We a…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-03). Kerala rises against political murder of communist youth activists. peoplesdispatch.org Tens of thousands of people took part in the protest against the murder of two Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists Haq Muhammed and Mithilaj in the Indian State of Kerala.