Daily Archives: July 27, 2020

2020-07-27: News Headlines

Juan Lopez (2020-07-27). Trump threatens democracy with militarized police as polls suggest he's in trouble. peoplesworld.org By sending federal militarized units in fascist-like fashion into major cities to attack peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators, President Donald Trump is assaulting democracy and setting a dangerous precedent less than 100 days before the November elections. Clearly, it is a desperate move to shore up his far-right base and divert public attention away from …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-27). Romanian health workers demand improved working conditions. peoplesdispatch.org Health workers under the leadership of the Sanitas Federation of Romania are protesting lack of proper infrastructure in hospitals and have demanded the implementation of the promised wage hike…

Coco Das (2020-07-27). Three Questions for the "Resistance" counterpunch.org The Trump/Pence regime has sent a federal occupying army into Portland to "quell" ongoing protests. Overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and cobbled from a number of federal agencies, including Customs & Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, these anonymous thugs in camouflage, virtually indistinguishable from right-wing militias, have seized the authority to kidnap

Mike Hastie (2020-07-27). The Heart of Darkness in Portland. counterpunch.org Soon it will be 60 straight nights of demonstrations and ear shattering protests in Portland, Oregon. There is a continuous drum corps that is beating hypnotic rhythms that gives thousands of Portlanders a reason to be alive. The energy is electrifying, as people take turns chanting their built up frustrations of what they see as utter

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-07-27). Popular Movements Can Overcome Authoritarian Policing. dissidentvoice.org Portland protests say Go Home Feds as protests grow (by Noah Berger, AP) Today is the 60th day of protests since the murder of George Floyd. This weekend, people marched in cities across the country in solidarity with Portland and in opposition to the US becoming a police state. President Trump sending troops to cities added fuel …

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-27). Dr. Fauci: U.S. closed only half the country to battle the coronavirus. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The U.S. "shut down about 50% of the country" and is now paying the price in a rebound of daily coronavirus cases, the nation's top expert on such diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says. And in that respect, he adds, we lag far behind a bloc of nations in Europe, which have a comparable combined population, …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-27). Pressure for Sanctions Against Turkey Increases as Tensions with Greece Grow. globalresearch.ca Divided on how to deal with Turkey, some European leaders are calling for sanctions and others are calling for a reset in Euro-Turkish relations. French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the European People's …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-27). Militarizing Space: US Plans What Russia and Most Other Countries Oppose. globalresearch.ca Longstanding US plans call for waging wars from space. | In 1985, the US Space Command (USSPACECOM) was created. | In December 2018, Trump ordered it be made a unified combatant command for war under the US Strategic Command, saying: | "Pursuant to …

Shane Quinn (2020-07-27). The Folly of War, US Militarism Continues Apace. globalresearch.ca The First World War showed plainly that the resort to armed conflict is the most devious and damaging of all policies. Even in the heart of militaristic Europe, the folly of war had long been noted by prominent and shrewd …

WSWS (2020-07-27). WHO warns that COVID-19 pandemic is resurgent across Europe. wsws.org Even before the pandemic has been brought under control in Eastern Europe, the premature ending of lockdowns in Western Europe is leading to a surge in new cases.

WSWS (2020-07-27). Mounting US pressure on Europe to line up against China. wsws.org Pompeo condemned those that "simply don't have the ability, the courage to stand with us."

Eric Zuesse (2020-07-27). The U.S. Empire Is Ending? A Turning Point in World History. globalresearch.ca On July 26th, Germany's Die Welt (The World) Sunday newspaper headlined

Martha Rosenberg (2020-07-27). Eid Slaughter Sacrifice Is Sad Day for Animals. zcomm.org Eid observors buy animals to slaughter The lamb having its throat slit didn't want to die. "The animal tried to stand up but couldn't as the ground was slippery," said Christine Hafner of the International Fund For Animals on the Today's Zaman website. Hafner was monitoring the 2008 Eid animal sacrifices in Turkey, a

George Lakey (2020-07-27). Understanding Trump's game plan in Portland. zcomm.org Because the overwhelming majority of Portlanders have been demonstrating for Black Lives Matter in nonviolent ways, elected officials are mobilizing against Trump's intervention. If the majority had been violent, Trump's intervention would be welcomed by the center…

WSWS (2020-07-27). What is BORTAC and why is it patrolling the streets of Portland? wsws.org The special paramilitary arm of Customs and Border Protection has been deployed to intimidate and terrorize young people and workers amid the greatest health, economic and political crisis in modern American history.

_____ (2020-07-27). The Militarized Assault On Our Right To Protest. popularresistance.org The Trump Administration sent federal law enforcement, including the paramilitary squad of Customs and Border Patrol, BORTAC, which has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, to the streets of Portland, OR to stop the ongoing demonstrations against racist police violence. Federal law enforcement, working with local police, is also being sent to other cities where anti-racist protests are going on. We speak with constitutional lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard about the legality of this and how activists can fight back to protect the rights of everyone and end police violence and lawless impunity.

_____ (2020-07-27). More Federal Officers Deploying To Portland. popularresistance.org Several dozen additional out-of-town federal law enforcement officers are deploying to Portland as they look to make additional arrests in the coming days, while also shifting tactics from the use of tear gas, according to multiple federal law enforcement sources. | The federal response has so far sparked four civil rights lawsuits, a Department of Justice inspector general investigation, proposed legislation in Congress limiting the role of federal law enforcement in American cities, and has injured a number of protesters. Rather than quell the protests as was the intent, it's served to reenergize and strengthen…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Russia says it thwarted planned mass shooting attack in Moscow. yenisafak.com Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday it had thwarted a planned militant attack in Moscow and shot dead an unnamed man it said was plotting a mass shooting in a crowded public place.State TV channel Rossiya 24 showed a picture of the man, who the FSB said was from a Central Asian country, lying face down dead on the ground with a Kalashnikov assault rifle he had apparently been using nearby.The FSB said he had opened fire on them when they had tried to arrest him on the outskirts of Moscow and that they had shot him dead.State TV showed a sports bag nearby containing three hand grenades.The FSB s…

sputniknews (2020-07-27). Meet Eddy, 'War Correspondent' for High School Newspaper in US City of Portland. sputniknews.com PORTLAND (Sputnik) – The youngest journalist covering the protests in Portland writes for a high school newspaper. Press badges, slight build, and being 17 years of age has proven insufficient to protect Eddy Binford-Ross from police brutality. Yet, almost every night she ventures back to report from the frontline.

RT (2020-07-27). Portland Police say Molotov cocktails & rifle magazines found in bag as city reels from violent protests. rt.com A bag discovered in a park frequented by demonstrators contained Molotov cocktails and several loaded magazines, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has reported. Nightly protests in the city have become increasingly violent. | The PPB said they were tipped off about a suspicious bag in Lownsdale Square Park, which is located across the street from the federal courthouse that has been under siege by protesters for nearly two months. The pack reportedly contained loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails. The police force shared a photo of the bag's contents on Twitter. | Tonight Portland Police were near Lowns…

RT (2020-07-27). Where are the fact checkers? Rep. Jerry Nadler claims Antifa violence in Portland is a MYTH (VIDEO). rt.com Congressman Jerry Nadler has been raked across the coals by social media after insisting that there is no protester-instigated violence in Portland. The lawmaker has spearheaded efforts to discredit federal police in the city. | The New York Democrat was approached by pundit and internet personality Austen Fletcher, who asked the House member if he "disavows the violence from Antifa happening in Portland right now." | "That's a myth that's being spread only in Washington, DC," Nadler responded. | Clearly amused by the lawmaker's answer, Fletched clarified: "About Antifa in Portland?" | "Yes," the NY representa…

RT (2020-07-27). US police are wearing imaginary CGI armor to appease Putin, suggests acclaimed Russiagate huckster. rt.com Commentary on Donald Trump's decision to send federal police to riot-stricken cities has taken a creative turn: according to a celebrated Russiagate disciple, Putin has "ordered" US cops to wear cyberpunk armor that doesn't exist. | Cheri Jacobus, a popular #NeverTrump Twitter pundit and Russian collusion peddler, has joined the growing chorus of outrage over the use of federal law enforcement to help maintain order in Portland, Oregon, which has seen two months of increasingly violent demonstrations. | While most critics have focused on allegations that federal officers are too militarized and use excessive f…

RT (2020-07-27). Antifa rioters call themselves journalists to avoid federal crackdown. rt.com Federal officers in Portland are forbidden by court order from targeting journalists filming the riots. For 'Antifa' rioters, the order opened up an opportunity: anyone with a camera can call themselves a "journalist." | Riots have raged in downtown Portland for 60 straight nights, and the threat of arrest by federal agents hasn't stopped crowds of rioters from laying siege to the city's Justice Center night after night. With Mayor Ted Wheeler reluctant to order a police crackdown on the violence, federal officers have filled the gap. Unlike their local counterparts, these officers have had no qualms about mak…

RT (2020-07-27). Portland sex worker who stripped in front of cops as 'Naked Athena' says her nakedness was 'POLITICAL'. rt.com The woman dubbed 'Naked Athena' is a sex worker, and her famous confrontation with Portland police, in nothing but a cap and a face mask, happened because she felt offended by the way they stood, she has revealed in an interview.

The Canary (2020-07-27). Spanish court to examine claims Julian Assange was spied on. thecanary.co Spain's National Court is due to hear evidence in an investigation into whether a Spanish company was hired to spy on Julian Assange during the seven years the WikiLeaks founder spent in Ecuador's embassy in London.The court is investigating whether David Morales, a Spaniard, and his Undercover Global S.L. security agency invaded the privacy of Assange and his visitors at the embassy by secretly recording their meetings.The intelligence that Morales's company collected is suspected of being handed over to third parties, according to court papers.Julian Assange during a press conference inside the Ecuadorian Embas…

The Canary (2020-07-27). Call for 'smarter' border checks after Spain removed from quarantine-free list. thecanary.co The government has been urged to introduce "smarter measures" at the border after holidaymakers in Spain were told they must quarantine when they return home.Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said there are "serious questions" about the blanket self-isolation requirement.He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The first is why we are still employing the… blunt tool of the 14-day quarantining rather than smarter measures, and secondly the chaotic nature of the decision-making which certainly hasn't bred confidence in the government's approach."Thomas-Symonds added: "I think you need a smarter se…

National Day of Action (2020-07-27). At Solidarity with Portland March, A "Wall of Moms" Ready. indybay.org On July 25, Oakland stood strong with Portland in opposition to Trump's invasion of cities. A recently formed Wall of Moms was ready to take up their place on short notice between police and protesters.

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-07-27). Oakland March In Solidarity With Portland. indybay.org Close to a thousand in Oakland protest for BLM and against hostile Federal occupation of cities.

Staff (2020-07-27). Seattle & Portland Activists: Protest Federal and City Police Crackdowns & Keep Focus on BLM Agenda. democracynow.org As nationwide protests against systemic racism and police violence stretch into their second month, President Trump has sent a team of federal agents to Seattle, following a controversial deployment of federal forces in Portland, Oregon. "We don't know exactly what the federal officers are doing. What we do know is we are in a situation where local police are welcoming those federal agents into our cities," says Seattle community organizer Nikkita Oliver, co-executive director of Creative Justice. We also speak with Pastor E.D. Mondainé, president of the Portland, Oregon, branch of the NAACP.

Staff (2020-07-27). Headlines for July 27, 2020. democracynow.org Florida, Texas and California Grapple with Mounting Infections as U.S. Caseload Tops 4.2 Million, Protesters in Puerto Rico Call for Halt to Tourism to Curb Mounting Coronavirus Cases, Judge Denies Trump Request to Delay Deadline for Releasing Immigrant Children, Senate to Unveil New Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Cutting Unemployment Benefits, U.K. Reinstates Spain Quarantine; N. Korea Declares Emergency; Cases Mount Across Latin America & Africa, BLM Protesters Face Attacks from Federal Agents, Police, and Other Violence in Cities Across the U.S., John Lewis Crosses Edmund Pettus Bridge for Last Time as Family and S…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Hagia Sophia Turkey's internal matter, says FM. yenisafak.com Several countries, including Spain, agree that Hagia Sophia is Turkey's internal matter, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday."Reopening of Hagia Sophia for worship is not a one-upmanship against any country or belief," Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a joint news conference with his Spanish counterpart Arancha Gonzalez Laya in the capital Ankara.Cavusoglu said Turkey respects the thoughts and pieces of advice to protect Hagia Sophia which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.Spanish Foreign Minister Laya said that Turkey's intention of observing UNESCO criteria regarding Hagia Sophia was praisewor…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). China: US claims on Houston consulate 'not factual'. yenisafak.com China denied Monday that its staff at the consulate in Houston stole information from American companies doing COVID-19 research."US officials' accusations alleging that the Chinese Consulate General in Houston undertook illegal activities have no factual evidence and are completely slanderous," said China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin addressing a news conference in Beijing.Last week, the US in an abrupt move asked China to shut its consulate in Houston — a decision US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said was taken because China was "stealing American and European intellectual property".In a tit-for-t…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Turkey rescues 23 irregular migrants in Aegean. yenisafak.com Turkey has rescued 23 irregular migrants including children in the Aegean Sea, according to security sources on Monday.Acting upon an intelligence tip off that there was a dinghy stranded off the coast of Tasburun in the Aydin province, the Turkish Coast Guard launched a search operation and rescued the migrants.After routine checks, they were referred to the provincial migration authority.Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.The country earlier this year opened its gates to irregular migrants seeking to c…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Dozens of irregular migrants stranded in Mediterranean. yenisafak.com Dozens of irregular migrants have been stranded in the Mediterranean Sea in Malta's search and rescue zone for over 30 hours, the UN migration organization said Monday.Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), cited a tweet by Alarm Phone, a group monitoring migrant crossings across the Mediterranean Sea, calling on authorities to rescue the 95 migrants fleeing from Africa to Europe."Let's remember that these boats are unsafe and unfit for navigation and that they should be always considered as boats in distress, since they can sink at any moment," wrote Giacomo, who w…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). WHO says COVID-19 by far its worst global health emergency. yenisafak.com The new coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 16 million people is easily the worst global health emergency the World Health Organization (WHO) has faced, its director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.Only with strict adherence to health measures, from wearing masks to avoiding crowds, would the world be able to beat it, Tedros added at a virtual news briefing in Geneva."Where these measures are followed, cases go down. Where they are not, cases go up," he said, praising Canada, China, Germany and South Korea for controlling outbreaks.

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Germany rejects US proposal for Russia's return to G7. yenisafak.com Germany on Monday opposed Russia's return to the G7 group of nations, amid US President Donald Trump's proposal to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the group's next summit.German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas underlined that Russia's readmission to the group would not be possible if Moscow remains reluctant to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine."The reason behind Russia's suspension was the annexation of Crimea and its intervention in eastern Ukraine. As long as we don't have a solution here, I don't see a chance for this," Maas said in an interview with German daily General Anzeiger.Trump has repeat…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Spanish hotels offer to pay for tourists' coronavirus tests. yenisafak.com Spain's CEHAT tourism association on Monday offered to pay for foreign tourists to take coronavirus tests in an effort to encourage visitors to come after Britain imposed a quarantine on the country.Describing the quarantine as "illogical" and "unfair," CEHAT said widespread testing of travellers was a better guarantee of safety for tourists, workers and residents.

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Turkish forces seize arms, ammunition, illicit drug. yenisafak.com Security forces in Turkey seized arms, ammunition and a huge cache of heroin in the southeastern Hakkari province, the provincial governor's office said on Monday.The office said Yildirim-2 Cilo Operation, launched against the PKK terror group, continued with determination.It said a RPG-7 rocket launcher, rockets, anti-tank ammunition, 3 AK-47 rifle magazines, hand grenades and ammunition buried underground were seized in Yuksekova district.The office said in a separate statement that 80.6 kilos (177 pounds) of heroin, planned to be sold to finance the terror group's activities, were also seized in Semdilli distr…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Turkey restores 2,700-year-old Urartian temple. yenisafak.com Turkish archaeologists are restoring stone carvings of a 2,700-year-old castle in the country's east.The Ayanis Castle atop a hill overlooking the Lake Van was built by Urartian King Rusa II.The excavation and restoration work has been ongoing for 31 years as the castle is among the most magnificent structures of the Iron Age Kingdom of Urartu with its mudbrick walls and stone engravings.This year a team of 30 experts are taking part in the excavation under the direction of Mehmet Isikli, an archeology professor at Ataturk University.The engraved stones are being placed at its original place in the Haldi Temple,…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-27). Ukraine's 3 scenarios for further fight PS752 talks with Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 28 (MNA) — Ukranian Deputy FM unveiled three scenarios for holding further talks with Iran about the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 crashed outside Iran's capital on January 8.

David Davidian (2020-07-27). Flare-up between Armenia and Azerbaijan; as the fog of war lifts. indybay.org The reality of Armenian sovereignty over themselves and the region of Nagorno-Karabakh is in stark contrast to Azerbaijani zero-sum land claims.

Solidarity with Indymedia (2020-07-27). Massive DDoS Attacks Against Indymedia in Germany (de.indymedia.org). indybay.org In the last six months more and more funds were raised to silence us (de.indymedia.org). They, the aggressors (the far-right and their party friends, up to federal authorities and government representatives), apparently see it as a possibility to use malicious technical means to silence one of the voices of the counter-public view.

Rise Up Now (2020-07-27). J25 Stand with Portland March, Quanah Parker Brightman Address. indybay.org video by Micky Souza, Pro Bono Photo. Please give credit. | 2 min 23 second video…

Rise Up Now (2020-07-27). J25 Stand with Portland March, Call and Response. indybay.org One min 15 second video by Micky Souza, Pro Bono Photo. | Please give credit.

Commonwealth Club (2020-07-27). Friday 8/7: The Battle for Portland & the Implications Nationwide. indybay.org Online via livestream…

_____ (2020-07-27). VIDEO: If Anyone is Involved in Forcing Nations to Pick Sides it is Pompeo and His State Department. strategic-culture.org China is "making" Europe choose between a "free world" and an "authoritarian vision", said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to his European counterparts. But is it really China forcing the world to make moral "choices" at the barrel of a soft power gun? Watch the video and read more in the Editorial article.

Fight Back (2020-07-26). NYC rallies to defend Portland. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Over 40 people gathered in Union Square in New York City, July 24, to stand in solidarity with Portland against the recent targeting of activists there. The action was called in response to viral videos of protesters in Portland being picked up by unmarked vans and brought to undisclosed locations, all just for speaking out against racist violence. | The action was called by the Workers World Party and included speakers from New York Community Action Project, Code Pink, Peoples Power Assemblies, Veterans for Peace, A Call to Action on Puerto Rico, and The Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum. | The speeches…

_____ (2020-07-26). Transparency International Silent On Jailed Transparency Journalist Assange. popularresistance.org Berlin, Germany – On a cool July day, the Berlin neighborhood where Transparency International's global headquarters is situated feels a thousand miles away from London's Belmarsh Prison. But it is not just the pleasant setting a few blocks from the Spree River that makes the influential NGO seem so detached from the maximum security penitentiary's most famous inmate, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. | Transparency International has been vocal in defending jailed opposition activists in states like Zimbabwe, Russia, and Venezuela.

RT (2020-07-26). Police declare riot in Portland after protesters pull down courthouse fence (VIDEOS). rt.com Law enforcement officers have begun pushing protesters away from Portland's federal courthouse after demonstrators pulled down a fence surrounding the building. | Activists used wire cutters, power saws, and ropes to attack the fence on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning. Videos show a group of demonstrators rocking the chainlink barrier back and forth, ultimately pulling it down. Projectiles and tear gas flew across the sky, in what one observer described as a scene resembling a battlefield. Several fires were then lit outside the courthouse before police declared a riot and emerged fro…

South Front (2020-07-26). Anti-Armenian Foreign Policy of Armenian Nationalists. globalresearch.ca On July 23, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented Yerevan's position on the tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. | "The co-chairs countries of the OSCE Minsk group have made a great …