Daily Archives: June 6, 2020

2020-06-06: News Headlines

Joe Emersberger (2020-06-06). When did Venezuela's Economic Crisis begin? zcomm.org The starting point for Venezuela's current depression has been the subject of some debate. It can get a bit technical, so I'll weigh in on it here. Looking at Real GDP Inflation adjusted (i.e. real) Gross Domestic Product (GDP ) is essentially a country's aggregate income. I say "essentially" because there is an adjustment that

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-06-05). New U.S. military intervention subverts peace in Colombia and Venezuela. peoplesworld.org The United States Embassy in Bogotá announced on May 28 that the U.S. is sending 50 or so soldiers of the Army's 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) to Colombia. They would be carrying out consultations with Colombian Army commanders and providing them with technical assistance, both in order to fight narco-trafficking. The collaboration will …

Eds. (2020-06-05). What is the Bougaloo Movement? mronline.org There has been persistent speculation that peaceful protests against racism and police brutality may have been infiltrated by white provocateurs.

Staff (2020-06-05). Police Brutality Protesters Met With More Brutality: Is Martial Law Next? therealnews.com Police across the US have met protesters with violence, tear gas, and rubber bullets. We speak with Otto the Watchdog, injured by police in Denver, and Tawanda Jones, who has led peaceful anti-brutality protests since her brother's death in custody.

Monica Moorehead (2020-06-05). In response to George Floyd lynching, sports figures in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. workers.org "When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction. The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in Power George Floyd." Colin Kaepernick on . . . |

Vijay Prashad (2020-06-05). Goliath is not invincible. mronline.org Last year, I walked with Mariela Machado in her housing complex known as Kaikachi in the neighbourhood of La Vega (Caracas, Venezuela). After Hugo Chávez was inaugurated president in 1999, a group of working-class residents of the city saw an empty piece of land and occupied it. Mariela and others went to the government and …

Workers World staff (2020-06-05). WW statement in solidarity with rebellion. workers.org The following Workers World Party public statement was issued on June 4. In SOLIDARITY we demand: Withdraw the Police & National Guard! End Mass Arrests & Curfews! Drop All Charges! Hands Off Antifa! Stop Attacks on Anti-Racist Protesters! Smash White Supremacy! No Justice! No Peace! Black Lives Matter! Minneapolis protest . . . |

Paul Cantor (2020-06-05). Thank You, Peaceful Protesters! counterpunch.org Protest! No Justice No Peace. Sunday May 31st. Location: Stop & Shop. That was the message I received in my email Saturday. So Sunday I set out on a two mile walk to join the protest. And as I did so my mind took me on another trip entirely. First stop 2009. I am sitting

news.un (2020-06-05). Terrorist groups exploiting COVID-19 in Sahel, UN peacekeeping chief tells Security Council. news.un.org COVID-19 is complicating an already complex security situation in the Sahel, with terrorist groups exploiting the pandemic as they step up attacks on national and international forces, the UN's peacekeeping chief said on Friday.

Staff (2020-06-05). Watch: Police Pepper-Spray Black Filmmaker in Face at Peaceful Protest & Medics Help Him Survive. democracynow.org As the nationwide uprising in defense of Black lives continues, demonstrators are recording videos of police brutality on the streets. We speak with Chris Frierson, an African American documentary filmmaker and cameraman who was filming a Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, when police moved in on demonstrators. As Frierson filmed, police pepper-sprayed him directly in the face. Chris kept on filming as he struggled to the sidewalk crying in agony from the pain. Within seconds, someone took his arm and guided him to volunteer medics who came to his aid. We air his footage and speak about…

Staff (2020-06-05). Trump Threatens Protests with Troops, But Police Have Already Been Militarized — With Deadly Results. democracynow.org The American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter announced Thursday they are suing President Trump and Attorney General William Barr for authorizing an "unprovoked and frankly criminal attack" on protesters at Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C., where the National Guard and officers dressed in riot gear fired tear gas, rubber bullets and flashbangs to disperse peaceful protesters on Monday so Trump could have a photo op with a Bible in front of St. John's Episcopal Church. We look at the increasing militarization of the police with Stuart Schrader, author of "Badges Without Borders: How Global Counterins…

Silence is Violence (2020-06-06). Saturday 6/6: Peaceful Protest and March: King Plaza Palo Alto. indybay.org In front of Palo Alto City Hall in MLK Jr. Plaza | 250 Hamilton Ave. | Palo Alto 94301…

Community (2020-06-06). Friday 6/5: Say No to Racism – Peaceful Solidarity Protest (Palo Alto). indybay.org Greer Park | 1127 Colorado Ave, Palo Alto…

JH (2020-06-06). Friday 6/5: Fire Jared Yuen – One Week After Peaceful Protest (San José). indybay.org San José City Hall | 200 E Santa Clara St.

One Richmond (2020-06-05). Thursday 6/4: We Demand Justice Caravan – Peaceful Protest. indybay.org Meet at JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park.

RT (2020-06-06). George Floyd protest is 'for the benefit' of 'democratic struggles' abroad, says US group known for promoting regime change. rt.com The National Endowment for Democracy, a soft-power group mostly known for splashing government dollars on pro-US influence campaigns overseas to enforce regime change, has endorsed protests against police brutality at home. | Also on rt.com | | In a statement on Friday, the NED came out in support of the protests against the police killing of unarmed black man George Floyd, which, while originally peaceful, spiralled into violence, wreck…

RT (2020-06-06). Texas CHAINSAW counter-protester: Man arrested after confronting demonstrators with infamous 'massacre' weapon (VIDEO). rt.com A chainsaw-wielding Texan has been detained after threatening a group of demonstrators with his lumber-cutting mechanical tool. Thankfully, the altercation did not devolve into Hollywood-inspired violence. | A small group of seemingly peaceful protesters in McAllen, Texas briefly found themselves in a real-life slasher film, after a man with a chainsaw rushed at them while shouting profanities. | Footage of the bizarre incident shows a man pointing the deadly tool at protesters as he shouts at them. | "Move! Go home!" he yells above his roaring chainsaw. | He then uses a racial slur while warning against prote…

RT (2020-06-06). George Floyd protest is 'for the benefit' of 'democratic struggles' abroad — US group NED, known for promoting regime change. rt.com The National Endowment for Democracy, a soft-power group mostly known for splashing government dollars on pro-US influence campaigns overseas to enforce regime change, has endorsed protests against police brutality at home. | Also on rt.com | | In a statement on Friday, the NED came out in support of the protests against the police killing of unarmed black man George Floyd, which, while originally peaceful, spiralled into violence, wreck…

RT (2020-06-06). Judge BLOCKS Denver police from using tear gas & plastic bullets on 'peaceful' protesters. rt.com A federal judge in Denver has barred police from using tear gas, plastic bullets, and any projectiles against demonstrators, saying the threat to protesters' physical safety and free speech outweighs the threat to property. | R. Brooke Jackson, a US district court judge in Colorado, has

RT (2020-06-05). US military launches airstrikes against Taliban as Afghanistan ceasefire ends. rt.com The US conducted its first airstrikes against the Taliban since a rare ceasefire between the insurgents and Afghan forces ended more than a week ago. The two assaults took place on Thursday and Friday, in Farah province in the west and in Kandahar in the south, spokesman Sonny Leggett tweeted on Friday. | "These were the 1st US airstrikes against (the Taliban) since the start of the Eid ceasefire," he wrote. "We reiterate: All sides must reduce violence to allow the peace process to take hold," he added. | The airstrikes were intended to foil the militant group's plan to launch attacks on Afghan security force…

RT (2020-06-05). 'They don't do that': Governor Cuomo denies NYPD brutalized peaceful protesters despite video evidence. rt.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denied accusations that New York City police officers have used batons against people peacefully protesting against the death of George Floyd, even though multiple videos show them doing so. | During a press briefing on Thursday, Cuomo called the allegations "incendiary rhetoric," asking the reporter who brought them up: "Do you think there's any sensible police officer who believes their job is bludgeoning a peaceful person with a baton?" | "It's not a fact! It's not even an opinion! That is a hyper-partisan rhetorical attack!" he continued, adding that NYPD officers "don't do t…

RT (2020-06-05). ENTIRE emergency response team of Buffalo Police Department resigns over suspension of cops who pushed elderly protester. rt.com All 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department's Emergency Response Team have quit their unit in protest after two officers were suspended without pay over their unprovoked attack on an elderly peaceful protester. | The officers resigned from their positions en masse on Friday after their colleagues were suspended without pay the previous night as a "show of support and disgust," local media The Erie County District Attorney is investigati…

RT (2020-06-05). Venezuelan FM says Guaido is holed up in French Embassy in Caracas, calls on Paris to 'hand over the fugitive'. rt.com Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has taken refuge at the French Embassy in the country's capital, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said. Guaido previously sought to shoot down the rumors, insisting he is "with the people." | "We cannot enter the premises of any country's embassy whatsoever, in this case Spain or France," Arreaza said on Thursday, referring to both Guaido and fellow opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who fled to a Spanish diplomatic compound soon after a failed attempt to spark an insurrection in April 2019. Arreaza said this means that any arrest of the two men "is not possible." | We hop…

RT (2020-06-05). Paris denies that Guaido is hiding in French Embassy in Caracas as Venezuela demands he be handed over. rt.com France has rejected allegations that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has been holed up inside the nation's diplomatic mission in Caracas. Venezuelan authorities earlier labeled Guaido a "fugitive from justice." | "Juan Guaido is not at the French residence in Caracas. We have repeatedly confirmed this to the Venezuelan authorities," French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Agnes von der Muhll said. | Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza earlier claimed that Guaido, who was named 'interim president' by the opposition-controlled parliament last year, has been hiding inside the French Embassy, and deman…

sputniknews (2020-06-06). American Oil Company Chevron's Crude Cargo Gets Embroiled In US Anti-Venezuela Sanctions. sputniknews.com The day before, Reuters reported, citing unnamed US officials that the US Department of the Treasury was considering sanctioning more than 40 foreign oil tankers over their alleged involvement in the oil trade with Venezuela, which has been sanctioned by the US in its efforts to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

sputniknews (2020-06-06). Egyptian President Announces Cairo's New Peace Initiative for Libya Including Ceasefire. sputniknews.com CAIRO (Sputnik) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi announced on Saturday Cairo's peace initiative for Libya that envisages ceasefire and conditions for a political settlement of the conflict.

sputniknews (2020-06-05). US Carries Out First Airstrikes Against Taliban Since End of Afghan Ceasefire – Official. sputniknews.com A ceasefire, which was part of the peace deal negotiated between the Afghan government and the Taliban with the mediation of the United States earlier this year, expired on 26 May.

WSWS (2020-06-06). Protester explains how he was brutally assaulted by Secret Service officials in Washington, D.C. wsws.org The demonstrator explained how federal officials provoked and then assaulted peaceful demonstrators outside the White House last weekend as protests against police brutality swept the country.

_____ (2020-06-06). Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective Wins Legal Victory. popularresistance.org On the morning of June 3, four U.S. citizens from the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective (EPC) who engaged in a two-week-long standoff with right-wing Venezuelan exile hooligans and members of Juan Guaidó's coup administration entered a plea agreement with the U.S. government. | The chief Judge for the U.S. District Court District of Columbia, Beryl Howell, sentenced David Paul, Margaret Flowers, Kevin Zeese, and Adrienne Pine to six months of probation and fines totaling $750 each. Additionally, Judge Howell ordered the four defendants to stay away from the building which formally served as Venezuela's emb…

Elizabeth Woodworth (2020-06-06). JFK, MLK, RFK, 50 Years of Suppressed History: New Evidence on Assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. globalresearch.ca Fifty years of research shows that three humane visions of global peace were thwarted by three covert assassinations. In each case eyewitness accounts were written out of history. In each case the "lone gunman" fiction denied society a true understanding of the deep politics of history…

Brenda Norrell (2020-06-05). Lakota and Navajo respond as police blind and beat reporters and peaceful protesters. indybay.org Lakota and Navajo respond, as news reporters and peaceful protesters are shot, blinded and beaten during Black Lives Matter protests. In Albuquerque, The Red Nation group was stalked and confronted by white vigilantes working with Albuquerque Police officers.

Staff (2020-06-05). Pandemic and Digital Divide Threaten Accurate Census Count of Native Populations. truthout.org Every 10 years, the U.S. government undertakes the largest peace-time mobilization effort to count the nation: the U.S. census. People from marginalized communities are…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-05). Russia backs Iran's peaceful satellite launch. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 05 (MNA) — Russia has defended Iran's right to launch a satellite, dismissing US claims that Tehran was defying the UN resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers by sending it into space.

news.un (2020-06-05). First Person: Countering COVID-19 misinformation in Venezuela. news.un.org The virus of false information and fake news which has proliferated globally as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, has not spared the crisis-wracked South American country, Venezuela. But the United Nations there is countering the misinformation by making sure that Venezuelans receive trustworthy and reliable information about the deadly virus.

_____ (2020-06-05). Push Back: US Police State Faces Revolt. popularresistance.org Dr. Gerald Horne on the George Floyd protests, the black freedom struggle, and Trump's expansion of the US police state at home and around the world. | Historian and author Gerald Horne discusses the US uprisings against police brutality and systemic racism sparked by George Floyd's killing; the devastating impact of the US government's decades-old war on the black freedom struggle; the ongoing "Russia-baiting" of the protests; and how, amidst the suffering and repression at home, the U.S. government, in bipartisan fashion, continues to attempt to impose its will on countries abroad, from China to Venezuela. | Gu…

Dave Lindorff (2020-06-04). Calling Trump 'Brave' for Ordering Soldiers to Attack Peaceful Protesters So He Can Do a Photo Op is Pathetic. dissidentvoice.org 'Hero' Trump brandishes a Bible to frighten away devilish protesters his DC National Guard may have missed in their brutal assault on them clearing the way for his photo-op. The wretched and ignorant former governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, has praised President Trump for his "courage" in supposedly "braving" protesters in the nation's capital to …

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2020-06-04). Venezuelan Government and Opposition Reach Deal to Fight Coronavirus. venezuelanalysis.com Spain has agreed to transfer $10 million in frozen Venezuelan funds to the Pan American Health Organization's medical efforts in the country.

RT (2020-06-04). The Great Screen Robbery: Chicago looters make off with TVs & other expensive goods from MOVING TRAIN in broad daylight (VIDEO). rt.com Video has emerged online purporting to show looters audaciously stealing flat screen TVs and other electronics from a slow-moving freight train in Chicago, as mass protests raged across the US. | As the wave of peaceful anti-police brutality protests continue across the US — along with violent and chaotic rioting — in the wake of the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, reports of looting have been widespread. | Unverified footage posted to YouTube showing screen recordings of a Facebook Live, allegedly taken in Chicago on Sunday, shows dozens of people pilfering a moving…

Philip Giraldi (2020-06-04). Operating Outside the Rule of Law: Washington Pressures International Criminal Court. thealtworld.com There is apparently no limit to what the United States and Israel can get away with without any consequences. | There is apparently no limit to what the United States and Israel can get away with without any consequences. The United States has been waging devastating economic warfare against Iran and Venezuela while also blaming China for a global health crisis that it is unwilling to help address

acTVism Munich (2020-06-04). Exposing Canada's Foreign Policy. dissidentvoice.org In this episode of Know Your Stuff we speak with author and journalist Yves Engler about Canada's foreign policy and the impact it has globally. Is Canada's image as a peaceful actor and force for good a real reflection of its policy or is it just that, an image? To watch more videos on this …

Fight Back (2020-06-04). Hundreds protest racist violence in New Orleans, police attack demonstrators. fightbacknews.org New Orleans, LA – The night of June 3, hundreds of New Orleans protesters climbed the Crescent City Connection to fight racist violence and demand justice for police murders. The Connection is a highway bridge that crosses the Mississippi River to connect the East and West banks of New Orleans. The protesters fought as part of the Black Lives Matter and Justice for George Floyd movements, rallying behind various calls to abolish prisons and police. | "No justice, no peace!" and "Black Lives Matter!" rang up and down the highway. Black participants came right up to the mic to express their disgust for the police.

news.un (2020-06-04). Vital UN peace and security work continues amid COVID-19 challenge. news.un.org The military chiefs at three UN missions in Africa and the Middle East have shared how they are protecting peacekeepers from COVID-19 while also fulfilling their mandates in rapidly changing environments.

news.un (2020-06-04). Security Council extends peacekeeping mission in Darfur, forges new presence in Sudan. news.un.org The Security Council on Thursday extended the deployment of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and set out the parameters for a follow-on mission that will start its work on 1 January next year.

Fight Back (2020-06-04). Minnesota: Student protest demands justice for George Floyd. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – June 1 marked the fourth of a planned eight days of protest by University of Minnesota students in Dinkytown, a university neighborhood, following the death of George Floyd. Chanting slogans such as "I can't breathe" and "No justice, no peace," dozens of students blocked a road at the intersection of 15th Avenue SE and 4th Street SE. | The protest was organized by the unofficial student group, UMN Student Workers. One organizer explained that their intention was to give those students who lacked transportation a chance to protest nearer to their homes. They said that, while the protest was plann…

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-06-04). "When They Say We Don't Have the Right to Protest," Says Naomi Klein, "That's the Moment to Flood the Streets" commondreams.org As Trump declares "law and order" clampdown against peaceful demonstrations, author and activist reminds people of most important lesson she's learned studying history of shock doctrine tactics. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rise_up.jpg

David Thul Kitten (2020-06-04). Detailed (non-patent stuff) Views of interior and exterior of Riot Cars, Suvs, Tanks APCs. indybay.org Yesterday, I uploaded these books (digitals). Today, with the deployments of so many wonderful, smiling, Peace Officerz spreading "safety" by rolling around shouting and menacing Americans and all life forms living here, I thought it prudent to upload two books for your 1ST AMENDMENT READING and educational use (legal). Enjoy both covering all sorts of makes and models of Police and Military SUVs, armored cars, so on.

_____ (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…

Staff (2020-06-03). Headlines for June 3, 2020. democracynow.org Minnesota Opens Human Rights Probe of Minneapolis Police Department, Minnesota AFL-CIO Calls on Police Union President to Resign over George Floyd's Killing, George Floyd's Family Members Join Protest March of 60,000 in Houston, Arrest Warrants Issued for Six Atlanta Cops Who Tased Black Students, Army's 82nd Airborne, Armed with Fixed Bayonets, Deploys to Washington, D.C., AG William Barr Personally Ordered Assault on Peaceful Protesters Outside White House, Australian Ambassador to Investigate Police Assault on Journalists Near White House, Mayor Warns Against Military Deployment in Streets of New York, Thousan…

Anya Parampil (2020-06-03). Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective wins legal victory in face of hostile Obama-appointed judge & govt prosecution. thegrayzone.com The sentencing of the final four from the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective marked another defeat for Juan Guaidó and his…

Tanya Wadhwa (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…