2020-08-11: News Headlines

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-08-11). Era Of US Domination Of Latin America Coming To An End. dissidentvoice.org Marcha en Venezuela contra las sanciones de Trump (Reuters) Despite its failings at home, the United States intervenes in countries across multiple continents seeking to control their governments and resources. This week, we look at the US' latest efforts in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Bolivia to undermine their independence and force them to serve the interests of …

_____ (2020-08-11). New Alternative Left Alliance Forms In Venezuela. popularresistance.org Merida – Two major Venezuelan left-wing parties have announced that they will not be backing government candidates in the upcoming December 6 parliamentary elections. | For the first time, the Homeland for All Party (PPT) and Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) are set to lead a broad alternative coalition for the 277 seats up for grabs. Apart from the two parties, the inaugural Popular Revolutionary Alternative(APR) will look to incorporate trade unions, social movements, LGBTIQ groups, communes and campesinos organisations, as well as a range of smaller leftist currents.

Martha Hubert (2020-08-11). Saturday 8/15: Love, Peace and Justice. indybay.org Highland Avenue Bridge @ Arlington, over the San Jose Ave. exit/entrance to Interstate 280, in the Bernal/Mission/Noe/Glen Park vicinity.

_____ (2020-08-11). The AFL-CIO Aided US Interference in Venezuela. popularresistance.org The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Solidarity Center has a long history of working hand in glove with the U.S. government in undermining democracy and left labor movements throughout the world. | The center emphasizes it has shifted away from these Cold War tactics in recent years. But newly obtained documents show that the Solidarity Center has worked closely with the US to undermine the Venezuelan government in the recent past. Across much of the world, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) acted as an international a…

The Canary (2020-08-11). Police force use of facial recognition technology ruled unlawful. thecanary.co The use of facial recognition technology by police did interfere with privacy and data protection laws, the Court of Appeal has ruled. | Civil rights campaigner Ed Bridges brought a legal challenge against South Wales Police arguing their use of automatic facial recognition (AFR) had caused him "distress". | He had his face scanned while he was Christmas shopping in Cardiff in 2017 and at a peaceful anti-arms protest outside the city's Motorpoint Arena in 2018. | In a ruling on Tuesday, three Court of Appeal judges ruled the force's use of AFR was unlawful, allowing Bridges' appeal on three out of five grounds he…

Fight Back (2020-08-11). Philippines: Condemnation of the murder of Randall Echanis. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Jose Maria Sison, National Democratic Front of the Philippines Chief Political Consultant. | In the strongest terms, I condemn the murder of Randall (Randy) Echanis and his neighbor who were unarmed. Randall was a peaceful social activist. He was a mild-mannered man of 71 years. He had a consistent modest personality with a high level of education and intellect. He had long dedicated himself to his social advocacy and had made tremendous sacrifices for many decades. | He was outstanding as an advocate of genuine land reform, rural development and n…

_____ (2020-08-10). The 'Wall of Vets' Continues Long Legacy Of Veteran Activism. popularresistance.org Military veterans have long been resisting war, promoting positive peace, and defending human and civil rights against state violence and other forms of oppression. They have made significant contributions to the antiwar and peace and justice movements over many decades. | Their participation in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is no different. Veterans have been highly visible in supporting the racial justice demands of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The disturbing truth, which a great number of veterans recognize, is that white supremacy, systemic racism and police brutality at…

Kevin Zeese (2020-08-10). Era of US Domination of Latin America Coming to an End: Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia. globalresearch.ca Despite its failings at home, the United States intervenes in countries across multiple continents seeking to control their governments and resources. | This week, we look at the US' latest efforts in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Bolivia to undermine their independence and …

Marilyn Bechtel (2020-08-10). Virtual march on Livermore Lab caps Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing anniversaries. peoplesworld.org LIVERMORE, Calif.—As the world observed the 75th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, a virtual rally focusing on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory here kicked off two days of nationally broadcast virtual programming put together by over 160 peace and disarmament organizations under the auspices …

Vijay Prashad — Érika Ortega Sanoja (2020-08-10). How the U.S. Failed at Its Foreign Policy Toward Venezuela. counterpunch.org On August 4, 2020, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Venezuela. Appearing before the committee was U.S. State Department Special Representative Elliott Abrams. Abrams, who has had a long—and controversial—career in the formation of U.S. foreign policy, was assaulted by almost all the members of the Senate committee. The senators, almost

Manuela Solé (2020-08-10). Venezuela Sentences Former US Green Berets to 20 Years in Jail. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a third former soldier who orchestrated a failed coup attempt.

Paul Dobson (2020-08-10). Venezuela Parliamentary Elections: PCV & PPT Build 'Alternative' Left Alliance. venezuelanalysis.com The Popular Revolutionary Alternative (APR) looks to include grassroots movements but not the ruling PSUV.

Daniel Larison (2020-08-10). The Jakarta Method: How the U.S. Used Mass Murder to Beat Communism. globalresearch.ca The so-called Long Peace after 1945 was covered in the blood of innocent people. Americans generally prefer to remember the Cold War as a mostly peaceful triumph punctuated by a handful of debacles, but for many of the people living …

Michael D. Knox (2020-08-10). After Nagasaki, the U.S. Did Not Choose Peace. counterpunch.org On August 9, 2015, the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, I attended a ceremony at Ashley Pond, Los Alamos, New Mexico. This is the place, geographically, where the first atom bombs were constructed. As I prepared my remarks, I realized a personal connection that had never registered before. On this date in 1945, our

Stephen Sefton (2020-08-10). Nicaragua — Singing in the Rain. The USAID Project to Destroy the Sandinista Movement. globalresearch.ca Only the most perverse kind of ideology-derived inertia explains the stupidity, incompetence and criminality of current US foreign policy towards Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Stupid for being based on the insane messianic 19th Century Monroe Doctrine vision of Manifest Destiny, …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-10). "Hormuz Peace Endeavor" can only be sustained strategically. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 10 (MNA) — Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute believes that "The "Hormuz Peace Endeavour" can only be sustained strategically.

Register Peace & Freedom or Green (2020-08-10). Social Security & Medicare Cut to Be Permanent if Nazi Trump Reelected. indybay.org Nazi Trump signed an illegal order on 8/8/20 to cut the payroll tax for Social Security and Medicare and promised on national TV to make it permanent if he is re-elected. This is a long-standing Republican Party program, outlined in their platform as they want to privatize both programs.

Robin Tress (2020-08-10). BP Plans to Keep It in the Ground, Sort Of. commondreams.org Greenpeace activists delivered 500 solar panels with a total area of over 800 square meters to BP's London headquarters in St. James Square Feb. 5, 2020. Activists locked to oil barrels blocked all six office doors around the building. (Photo: Suzanne Plunkett/Greenpeace) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bp_protesters.jpg

Tom Engelhardt (2020-08-10). It Could Have Been Different. commondreams.org "Why are peace and nonviolence impossible to embrace as national values?" (Photo: Rudi Riet/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/americanflag-peace-rudiriet-flickr-cc_0.jpg

_____ (2020-08-09). How The US Failed At Its Foreign Policy Toward Venezuela. popularresistance.org On August 4, 2020, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Venezuela. Appearing before the committee was U.S. State Department Special Representative Elliott Abrams. Abrams, who has had a long—and controversial—career in the formation of U.S. foreign policy, was assaulted by almost all the members of the Senate committee. The senators, almost without exception, suggested that Abrams had been—since 2019—responsible for a failed U.S. attempt to overthrow the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro.

RT (2020-08-09). Two killed, five injured in Kabul blast as govt navigates peace deal with Taliban. rt.com An explosion in Kabul has killed two people and left several others injured, according to local media citing officials. The violence comes amid an ongoing rocky peace process with the Taliban. | Two civilians and five policemen were killed in the explosion, Afghanistan's TOLO News reported. A spokesman for the Kabul police told the outlet that a mine had exploded after security personnel tried to diffuse it. A photograph purportedly taken at the scene shows bystanders gathered around a large fire on a busy street, with a plume of dark smoke rising from the blaze. | Two civilians were killed and five policemen…

yenisafak (2020-08-09). Afghanistan to free 400 Taliban to start peace talks. yenisafak.com The Afghan president, following a recommendation by a traditional Afghan council, pledged on Sunday to release the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners to pave the way for peace talks aimed at ending the nearly two-decade-long war."The Taliban must demonstrate they are not afraid of a comprehensive ceasefire… there is no great bravery required for war, but for peace," Ashraf Ghani told the Loya Jirga, which began on Friday.He promised to free the remaining prisoners on Aug. 19, Afghanistan's Independence Day.Over 3,000 public figures, who assembled in the capital Kabul, approved the release and called for an immedia…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-09). New US rep. for Iran indicates Trump's confusion. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 09 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela Hojjatollah Soltani said that the new US special representative for the Islamic Republic of Iran indicates Trump's confusion.

Robert Dodge, Vincint J. Intondi (2020-08-09). Our Moral Awakening in the Long Shadow of the Bomb. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/hiroshima-peace-_0.jpg

_____ (2020-08-08). CODEPINK Denounces Elliott Abrams' Appointment As US Special Representative For Iran. popularresistance.org The appointment of Elliott Abrams to replace Brian Hook as the next U.S. Special Representative for Iran is another low point for the Trump administration's disastrous policy towards Iran. The dangerous conflict resulting from Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement will be exacerbated by a man committed to Washington's failed policies of regime change, including in his present-day position as Trump's representative for Venezuela. | Elliott Abrams has made a career of lying and committing criminal acts that have led to the death and suffering of innocent people from Guatemala to Iraq.

Manuela Solé (2020-08-08). Venezuela's Maduro Demands Investigation into Landlord Violence. venezuelanalysis.com The Venezuelan president ordered the armed forces to protect campesinos from landowner attacks.

Yves Engler (2020-08-08). Trudeau government remains silent on corruption and repression in Haiti. mronline.org One way to evaluate the seriousness of the Trudeau government's stated objectives in seeking to oust Venezuela's elected government is to examine their policies elsewhere in the region.

RT (2020-08-08). Georgian actions amounted to declaration of war on Russia — former President Medvedev has no regrets about 2008 conflict. rt.com Russia had to intervene to protect people in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 2008, when Georgia shelled civilians and "peacekeepers," former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, calling the move a 'difficult decision." | At the time, Georgia was led by Mikhail Saakashvili, who later fled to Ukraine and remains wanted on criminal charges back home. Medvedev called the behavior of Saakashvili "criminal," and criticized the "scoundrels" who ordered troops to open fire on the houses of civilians and Russian "peacekeepers." | "I made a difficult, but the only possible decision — to stand in defense of Abkhazi…

RT (2020-08-08). 'Lebanese people have suffered too much': US encourages 'peaceful' regime change as protests rage in blast-ravaged Beirut. rt.com The US Embassy has expressed its solidarity with anti-government protesters in Lebanon, urging all sides to "refrain from violence," after clashes in blast-devastated Beirut left around 500 people injured. | Thousands of people gathered in Beirut on Saturday, demanding the government resign over corruption and negligence, which they believe led to the horrific explosion this week. | Also on rt.com | | Amid clashes with riot police, protesters stormed sev…

RT (2020-08-08). 'This is a peaceful protest!' Trump rebukes journalist who mask-shamed crowded press conference. rt.com US President Donald Trump sparred with a reporter who observed that dozens of people at a press conference in New Jersey were flouting the state's health guidelines, arguing the crowd was engaged in a "protest against fake news." | During a presser at Trump's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey on Friday, a journalist challenged the president's contention that the coronavirus is "disappearing," pointing out that even the crowd attending the press event was not adhering to the state's restrictions. The question drew audible groans from the audience. | "No, they don't have to, this is a political activity. You…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-08). UN experts renew call for removal of US anti-human sanctions. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 08 (MNA) — A group of UN experts has once agian called for unilateral US sanctions to be lifted on countries including Iran, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, and Cuba.

_____ (2020-08-08). Venezuela And Trump's Irrational Electoral Policy. popularresistance.org Caracas, Venezuela – Elections always have an interesting effect on public policy, in particular if the person in charge of designing and implementing a certain policy is up for reelection. In politics, it is logical that an incumbent candidate decides to show successful policies and accomplishments while minimizing failures or shortcomings. However, what is irrational is that a candidate insists on presenting, preserving and deepening a policy that has proven to be a failure and that the candidate himself only supports half-heartedly.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-07). America had first Contemplated Nuclear War against both China and North Korea in 1950. globalresearch.ca America's use of nuclear weapons on a first strike basis is no longer considered as a weapon of total annihilation. Quite the opposite, the preemptive use of nukes is upheld as a means to ensuring global peace and security. This is the doctrine which prevails today under Trump's "fire and fury"

teleSUR (2020-08-07). Venezuela Ratifies Commitment Against Drug Trafficking. telesurenglish.net The President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro ratified on Friday Venezuela's commitment in the fight against drug trafficking, on the 15th anniversary of the expulsion of the United States (U.S.) Agency for Drug Control (DEA). | RELATED: | "On a day like today 15 years ago, Commander Hugo Chavez (1954-2013) cut off relations with the largest drug cartel on the continent, the DEA. Since then, we have reinforced th…

Jeff Jurgens (2020-08-07). Meet the Candidates — Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). peaceaction.org Wednesday, August 5th 2020, Peace Action kicked off our new series of "Meet the Candidates" webinars with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). Sen. Markey has provided steadfast leadership on issues of peace and justice and has been among our strongest allies in Congress. A long-time advocate for nuclear arms control and nonproliferation, he has stepped up …

Nicky Reid (2020-08-07). When the Chickens Came Home to Roost In Portlandistan. counterpunch.org Well folks, it's official, Donald Trump has declared war on America. Probably should have saw that coming. After all, I've long argued that our dayglow duce isn't an isolationist but merely the world's shittiest imperialist. After trying and failing miserably to bring fascism to Nicaragua and Venezuela, Trump has set his sites on targets much

Peace Action, PPC, & peace partners (2020-08-07). Friday 8/7: 75th Anniversary Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembered Ceremony (PPC & Peace Action). indybay.org Online via livestream…

yenisafak (2020-08-07). Turkey's first martyred pilot: Cengiz Topel. yenisafak.com The first martyr of the Turkish Air Force, Pilot Captain Cengiz Topel, was remembered on Friday, 56 years after his plane was shot down on Aug. 7, 1964, during a warning flight on Greek Cypriot soldiers opening fire on Turkish civilians on the island.Topel was among the Turkish civilians' first line of defense against the Greek Cypriot soldiers, amid attacks that would escalate over the coming decade until Turkey's peace intervention against a Greek Cypriot coup attempting to topple the internationally recognized government of the Republic of Cyprus.Topel's legacy lives on both in Turkey and the Turkish Republic…