(2020-06-05). White House forced to retract claim viral videos prove Antifa is plotting violence. mronline.org 
THE WHITE HOUSE engaged in an extraordinary act of rumor-mongering on Wednesday, releasing a compilation of viral video clips posted on social media recently by people who believed, wrongly, that the piles of bricks they came across had been planted there by anti-fascist activists, known as Antifa, to inspire violence at protests.
(2020-06-05). Racist Rizzo statue taken down. workers.org 
Philadelphia Philadelphia city officials removed the hated Frank Rizzo statue, long the target of demonstrations against police brutality and white supremacy, during the night of June 3. Rizzo was Philadelphia police commissioner from 1968 to 1971 and mayor from 1972 to 1980. In both roles, Rizzo targeted Black activists, including . . . |
(2020-06-04). The American Empire Is Falling Apart. But Things Can Always Get Worse. globalresearch.ca The American empire is in decay, but that doesn't mean things can't get worse. Protests that erupted over the police killing of Each new day sees …
(2020-06-04). Why America's "Revolution" Won't be Televised. No one is Aiming at the Empire. globalresearch.ca Burning and/or looting Target or Macy's is a minor diversion. No one is aiming at the Pentagon (or even the shops at the Pentagon Mall). …
(2020-06-04). The Establishment Only Dislikes Trump Because He Puts An Ugly Face On The Empire. thealtworld.com Barack Obama has The former president talked about changes that need to be mad…
(2020-06-03). Armed Chicanos in Texas lead Black Lives Matter protest. fightbacknews.org Laredo, TX – On May 30, 200 mostly working-class protesters took to the streets and in front of their city hall to unite in solidarity with Black sisters, brothers and comrades around the U.S. The event was called for and led by Red Wing and was part of the National Day of Protest call made by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR). | The event began with a Fred Hampton chant, "I am! I am! A revolutionary! A revolutionary!" Continuing with the spirit of Hampton, Red Wing activists explained the importance of the Black revolutionary. | Dozens marched and chanted to demand justice an…
(2020-06-03). Assassination of social activists continues in Colombia despite lockdown. peoplesdispatch.org According to the Institute of Development and Peace Studies (INDEPAZ), 115 environmentalists, human rights defenders, Indigenous, peasant and social leaders, and more than 20 former combatants of the FARC guerrilla group have been killed so far this year…
(2020-06-02). Save the Life of Imprisoned Indian Public Intellectuals and Social Justice Activists. globalresearch.ca Chief Justice of India | 5, Krishna Menon Marg | New Delhi, 110011 | India | .. | We, the undersigned, demand the release of public intellectuals and social justice activists, Prof. G.N. Saibaba and Varavara Rao, who are imprisoned in fabricated cases and …
(2020-06-01). "America's Moment of Reckoning": Cornel West Says Nationwide Uprising Is Sign of "Empire Imploding" democracynow.org 
As thousands from coast to coast took to the streets this weekend to protest the state-sanctioned killing of Black people, and the nation faces its largest public health crisis in generations and the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression, professor Cornel West calls the U.S. a "predatory capitalist civilization obsessed with money, money, money." He also makes the connections between U.S. violence abroad and at home. "There is a connection between the seeds that you sow of violence externally and internally."
(2020-06-04). We Are Watching the Story of America Crash Headlong Into the Reality of America. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Once upon a time a brave nation liberated itself from the tyranny of the British empire and birthed freedom and democracy into the world. With the help of heroes like the abolitionists, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X it overcame systemic racial inequality, and now it is a shining exemplar of human rights, the respected friend of free democracies around the world and the hated foe of all tyrannical regimes. It is not without its faults and its past mistakes, but it is the best leader and protector of the liberal world order that we could possibly hope to have. | I also hav…
(2020-06-04). Turkey Rejoices at Deepening US-Chinese Cold War, Appreciating It Increases Its Value to Both. anti-empire.com 
Related:
| Turkish vice president Fuat Oktay said that the United States and Turkey have a "creative opportunity to understand each other" as U.S.-China tensions accelerate. | The
(2020-06-04). War Criminal Jim Mattis Opposes the Government Murder of People of Color. anti-empire.com 
President Donald Trump slammed former Secretary of Defense James Mattis late on Wednesday after Mattis released a controversial statement about the president's handling of the violent riots across the country. | "Probably the only thing Barack Obama & I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world's most overrated General," Trump wrote. "I asked for his letter of resignation, & felt great about it. His nickname was 'Chaos,' which I didn't like, & changed to 'Mad Dog.'" | "His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations," Trump continued. "I gave him a ne…
(2020-06-04). The State's Priority Is Protecting Itself, Not You. anti-empire.com 
Murray Rothbard pointed out in his book This, according to Rothbard, exposed as a myth the notion that the state exists to protect its citizens. | "We may test the hypothesis that the State is largely interested in protecting itself rather than its subjects by asking: which category of crimes does the State pursue and punish most intensely—those…
(2020-06-04). Across Colombia, Red Flags of Despair Fly as Harsh COVID Lockdown Is Extended for a Third Time. anti-empire.com 
Bogota, Colombia — Red flags hang draped from the doors, rooftops and windows of Bogota's impoverished southern neighborhoods. They symbolize the suffering wreaked by a now thrice-extended house-arrest and quarantine policy purportedly aimed at containing the Coronavirus. While the pandemic has infected only a few thousand people out of a population of more than thirty million in Colombia, the quarantine has caused prolonged unemployment, a wave of housing evictions, and rioting; fueling scourges like domestic violence while pushing many to the edge of starvation. | Colombia's tragedy mirrors those of the m…
(2020-06-04). Governor Cuomo Orders Nursing Homes to Admit Rioters. anti-empire.com 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered nursing homes to admit violent rioters and protesters throughout the state. | "If we are going to be compassionate, caring, and pro-science, we need to admit these oppressed individuals into every care facility available," he said at a press conference this morning. "I don't want to hear any talk of how this might hurt old people. This isn't the Dark Ages
(2020-06-03). US Navy Sails Into Russia's Barents Sea for the First Time Since the 1980s in What Is to Be "the New Normal" anti-empire.com 
The US and UK naval group leaves the Barents Sea Friday evening after five days in waters where Russia's Northern Fleet normally exercises. The voyage marks a new age with U.S. Navy surface warships sailing in the north. | The U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs office at the headquarters in Naples, Italy, confirms in a phone interview with the Barents Observer that the group of warships is now sailing west into the Norwegian Sea. | This was the
(2020-06-03). Lockdowns Saved No One, Made COVID Worse, and Sentenced Many More to Death From Non-COVID on Top. anti-empire.com 
: | 1. Lockdowns Saved No One: | When we were headed into lockdowns in March — when ironically there was in some ways actually more honesty and sobriety about the disease — nobody suggested they would result in fewer people contracting the infection in the final count. | All that was said was that they would slow down the rate of infection and prevent everyone from falling sick at once, which would supposedly overwhelm the health systems and cause people to die from lack of treatment (including for non-Covid ailments). | However in the event, we never came even close to exhausting hosp…
(2020-06-03). Extremely Well-Written Piece on How Much of the Nuclear Arsenal Is Nothing but an Unneeded and Dangerous Make-Jobs Program. anti-empire.com 
When you get to a certain age, you may need help in getting around. You know: canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. Same thing's true with nuclear bombers. To face ever-improving air defenses over countries they might have to attack, they're turning into lobbers, not bombers. They can fly close to their targets, but stay outside the range of enemy air defenses. That way, the thinking goes, they can "safely" lob atomic weapons, designed to kill millions, with minimal risk to the weapon or the people deploying it. | Bizarre world, this nuclear-war biz. | Just brand it "deterrence," the liturgy goes, and it's not only lo…
(2020-06-03). Susan Rice Blames Russia for George Floyd Riots: 'Right out of the Russian Playbook'. anti-empire.com 
Editor's note: So is CNN's Chris Cuomo (of the twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1267987525… |
| Former Obama adviser Susan Rice has blamed the violent protests that rocked major American cities over the weekend on "foreign actors," and even suggested that Russia could be involved in stirring them up. | "I'm not reading the intelligence today, or these days — but based on my experience, this is right out of the Russian playbook," Rice, who served as national-security advise…
(2020-06-05). 100,000 Covid19 deaths later, USA empire blames China instead. indybay.org After getting lots of info and warnings on then emerging global Covid19 pandemic in January & February, the USA ruling elite chose to ignore and sidestep best practice measures to combat the impending disaster. Instead, both White House and Congress continued bipartisan bickering, in addition to simply blaming China and the WHO for not getting the word out sooner. This is the typical m.o. of a serial global bully, who offers nothing but wild criticism of others while doing nothing to resolve urgent problems.
(2020-06-05). Enough Is Enough! Thousands Speak Out & Rally In SF Against Murder of George Floyd. indybay.org Ten to fifteen thousand youth, activists and fighters against racism rallied and marched against the murder of George Floyd.
(2020-06-04). Uprisings Are Driving a Surge in Mutual Aid in Minneapolis and Beyond. truthout.org Mutual aid is flourishing in south Minneapolis, where the police killing of an unarmed Black man and a revolt against state violence has left a community hungry for connection and racial justice. The alleged murder of George Floyd and the ensuing powerful uprisings have made the need to forge material support networks among neighbors all the more apparent, say activists — and they are up to the challenge. | A hotel along the Lake Street corridor that saw clashes and fires after four police off…
(2020-06-02). Anti-Fascist Activists Speak Out Against Trump's "Terrorist" Label. truthout.org The sight of burned police stations and looted corporate shopping centers sent right-wing media into a tailspin as protests escalated the weekend of May 29. Those media and right-wing politicians quickly concocted a narrative that deemed anti-fascists (or "antifa") the enemy of choice. The aggressive protest tactics were said to be the work of "outside agitators," a common theme used to delegitimize protests. Instead of understanding that the vast majority of protesters were taking up aggressive protests…
(2020-06-04). 'He never threw a brick:' Muhammad Ali's widow claims boxing legend would have warned crisis-hit America 'we have run out of time'. rt.com 
Muhammad Ali would have been "heartbroken" by the "pandemic of racism" that has led to mass protests in the US, but would have called for immediate change and supported peaceful activists, his wife, Lonnie, has said. | Ali's wife of 30 years at the time of his death in 2016 has suggested that "many inquiries" are required over the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, who she named among "many others" as victims of racially-motivated police brutality following their recent deaths which have sparked protests across the US. | Pointing to Ali's own civil rights activism that dominated the he…
(2020-06-03). Catch and release: Rioters jailed in St. Louis and New York set free by local prosecutors. rt.com 
Even as US police crack down on riots and looting, authorities from St. Louis to New York City are simply releasing everyone arrested in connection with the unrest, due to the reform championed by social justice activists. | Retired police captain David Dorn was gunned down by looters and four active duty police were shot in St. Louis, Missouri, as protests over last week's death of George Floyd in Minnesota turned into violent riots on Monday. The 25 people arrested in connection with the unrest were released by circuit attorney Kim Gardner, however. | "It's unfathomable that every single person arrested that…
(2020-06-04). Turkey, Azerbaijan mark 102 years of diplomatic ties. yenisafak.com Shortly after the foundation of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic (ADR) on May 28, 1918, it inked the Treaty of Batumi with the then-Ottoman Empire on June 4, 1918, thus marking the friendly relations in political, legal, commercial and military fields.With the treaty, the Ottoman Empire recognized the independence of Azerbaijan, which could in turn apply to the Empire for military help in the case of any threat.The agreement was signed by Halil Bey Mentese, the head of the Ottomans' Chamber of Deputies. and the Commander of the Caucasian Front of the Ottoman Army, Mehmet Vehip Pasa, and the President of the Az…
(2020-06-03). "Total Domination": Popular Rebellion in the Shadow of Trumpism-Fascism. counterpunch.org I joined a decent-sized civil and human rights march in Iowa City two nights ago. It started with mostly young and white people milling around, quietly chalking and talking at City Hall. When the numbers got big enough and two young Black sparkplug activists showed up, we took to (and took over) the downtown streets and had a rally at the Old Capital building on the University of Iowa's scenic, tree-filled Pentacrest. Then we headed over to the Johnson County Jail, the headquarters of racist mass incarceration in Johnson County (which is named after a former U.S. Vice President reputed to have killed the great Na…
(2020-06-04). Climate Activists: Here's Why Your Work Depends On Ending Police Violence. popularresistance.org We live in a world where government agents can kill hundreds of people a year, without the whole system being held accountable. When the crisis presents the opportunity for billionaires to extract even more wealth from people and the planet, how can we expect that same government to be accountable to climate change? | To win on climate, we need to reinvent the power structures that haven't functionally changed since slavery. To win on climate, we need to pry our economic systems away from the legacies of colonialism, slavery, genocide, and violence on which our country is founded and push it towards liberation, f…
(2020-06-04). As Protests Rage Over George Floyd's Death, Climate Activists Embrace Racial Justice. popularresistance.org Friends of the Earth tweeted #BlackLivesMatter, and the head of the NRDC promised: "to be fully and visibly committed to the fight against systemic racism." | When New York Communities for Change helped lead a demonstration of 500 on Monday in Brooklyn to protest George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis, the grassroots group's activism spoke to a long-standing link between police violence against African Americans and environmental justice. | Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE, Brooklyn's oldest Latino community-based organization, said she considers showing up to fight police brutality and racial vi…
(2020-06-04). Protectors Of The Venezuelan Embassy Victorious After Federal Charges Are Dropped. popularresistance.org Federal charges against the four protectors of the Venezuelan Embassy, who defended the building in Washington DC against violent opposition crowds for several weeks between April 10 and May 16 of 2019, were completely dropped in a case that was brought directly by prosecutors of the Trump administration. | After several months of proceedings that produced a mistrial in February 2020, the four activists expressed in a public statement that "Today's sentence marks yet another victory in the effort to protect the Venezuelan Embassy. The Embassy Protection Collective broke through the blockade and got supplies to th…
(2020-06-01). Amid lockdown, dissenting voices choked in Indian universities. peoplesdispatch.org Two student-activists of the Aligarh Muslim University were apprehended by the police in the State of Uttar Pradesh on May 28. With a growing number of such arrests, human rights defenders in India are raising concern about the ongoing COVID-19 crisis being used to target critics of the government and control dissent…
(2020-06-01). Activists demand end to illegal confinement of Sahrawi human rights defender. peoplesdispatch.org Moroccan authorities have kept prominent Sahrawi activist Mahfouda Lekfir illegally confined in her father's house after she was released on May 15 following six months of political detention…