Daily Archives: June 18, 2020

2020-06-18: News Headlines

Red Friday (2020-06-18). Military COIN Experts Claim They Can End US Unrest in Just 17 Years. anti-empire.com Military experts in counterinsurgency and nation-building claim they can bring nationwide protests against police brutality under control in just 17 years, sources report. | "The unrest in our country is something we can fix, no problem," Bob Egon, CEO of the Center for Perpetual War, said today. "We have a civilian population upset at their government. They're overwhelmingly peaceful, and they have a positive view of the US Military. This is a situation we've dealt with many times before." | "If we send in the troops now, we can have these protesters making IEDs inside a week." | "We had some random guy in the o…

R. Robertson (2020-06-18). "Equality Is the Soul of Liberty" Peaceful Protest in Palo Alto Pt. II. indybay.org At a rally in Palo Alto's King Plaza on June 6, protesters called out loudly for defunding the Palo Alto Police Department. After the rally of thousands, they marched a 4.6 mile route through the city.

Staff (2020-06-18). Headlines for June 18, 2020. democracynow.org Former Atlanta Police Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks Charged with Murder, Rayshard Brooks Described Struggles with Criminal Justice System in Video Recorded Before His Killing, Trump Calls Protesters "Anarchists, Terrorists and Looters" as Vigilantes Attack Peaceful Marches, George Floyd's Brother Calls on United Nations to Probe U.S. Racism and Police Brutality, Coronavirus Infection Rate Hits Record in States That Eased Social Distancing, Florida COVID-19 Cases Surge as Gov. DeSantis Promises to Keep Restaurants Open, Tulsa Mayor "Not Positive That Everything Is Safe" as 19,000 Plan to Attend Trump Rally, Bra…

Staff (2020-06-18). "Tear Gas Is a Weapon": Amnesty Report Reveals Police Use of Tear Gas Fuels Rights Abuses Worldwide. democracynow.org As police officers in nearly 100 U.S. cities and towns have fired tear gas on protesters in recent weeks and left many with severe injuries, a new Amnesty International report finds the use of tear gas continues to grow each year, and fuels police human rights violations against peaceful protesters on a global scale. "Everywhere we look, police are just very quick to use tear gas, which is not a safe product and can cause real injuries," says Brian Castner, senior crisis adviser on arms and military operations for Amnesty International.

Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner (2020-06-18). Venezuelan Oil Output Continues Decline as Refinery Resumes Operations. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan crude exports on track for 70 year low as Washington continues to target tankers and shipping companies.

Adriaan Alsema (2020-06-17). US monitors urge Colombia to accelerate slowed down peace process. colombiareports.com Scholars monitoring Colombia's peace process urged the government of President Ivan Duque to accelerate the country's peace process that has slowed down under his watch. The Kroc Institute of the…

WSWS (2020-06-17). New Mexico protester wounded by far-right shooter. wsws.org Encouraged by President Trump and working in concert with local police departments, far-right elements have been allowed to attack and intimidate peaceful protesters across the country.

Muhammed Shabeer (2020-06-17). "The Netanyahu government is a betrayal of the people's mandate" peoplesdispatch.org The Communist Party-led Hadash has emerged as a major force among the leftist groups in Israel. Hadash has displaced the exhausted Israeli left bloc of the Labour and Meretz in the recently concluded elections to the Knesset. Here, Peoples Dispatch (PD) talks to Arafat Bdarny, Secretary-General of the Israeli Communist Youth, regarding the relevance of the communist movement in contemporary Israeli politics and the peace process. | Peoples Dispatch (PD): What has been the status of the COVID-19 spread in Israel and what has its impact been on the people, especially the working class? How effective has been the go…

RT (2020-06-17). NATO squabbling over Libya continues, as France accuses Turkey of 'hostile and aggressive' acts in blocking UN arms embargo. rt.com France and Turkey are at loggerheads over Libya. After a confrontation between their navies off the coast of the country, France is now calling Ankara's "hostile and unacceptable" behavior an obstacle to peace. | Though it was a NATO bombing campaign that reduced Libya — once an oil-rich and prosperous nation — to rubble and civil war, the alliance is split on how to rebuild the shattered country. Turkey backs the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, while France claims to be a neutral party in the GNA's war against the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA). | French Foreig…

Medea Benjamin (2020-06-17). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. zcomm.org Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade…

ahtribune (2020-06-17). After the West Bank When (How Soon) Will the East Follow? ahtribune.com Whatever percentage of the West Bank Israel begins to annex in July, it will eventually annex the rest. Will it then turn to the east bank of the Jordan river? | Since the 19th century, the Zionist project was based on the seizure of all Palestine, including territory east of the Jordan. The map of 'Israel' presented to the Paris peace conference in 1919 extended northwards into what is now Lebanon and included the city of Sidon; in the northeast, all the Golan Heights and Syria almost as far as Damascus; in the southeast the entire Jordan River valley, with the territory it desired extending almost to the tow…

Middle East Eye (2020-06-17). Israel Increases Secretive Nuclear Stockpile to 90 Warheads: Report. globalresearch.ca Israel may have increased its nuclear stockpile from 80 warheads in 2019 to 90 in 2020, according to a new report by a leading global arms watchdog. | The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in its

Middle East Eye (2020-06-17). Israel Increases Secretive Nuclear Stockpile to 90 Warheads: Enough to Blow Up the Planet… globalresearch.ca Israel may have increased its nuclear stockpile from 80 warheads in 2019 to 90 in 2020, according to a new report by a leading global arms watchdog. | The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in its

_____ (2020-06-17). Will Moscow Save The West Bank From Annexation? popularresistance.org Palestinian efforts against Israel's plans to annex Palestinian territory are being exercised on three levels. Locally, Palestinians have severed all relations, including security coordination, with Israel and the United States. Regionally, Jordan has been spearheading the Arab response to the Israeli plan, including efforts by the only two Arab countries that have a peace plan with Israel: Jordan and Egypt. | On the international level, Palestinian energy has been largely focused on three members of the Middle East Quartet — the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia. The focus is on these three in…

RT (2020-06-17). Trump saw Venezuela as 'really part of the US,' thought invasion was 'cool' — but backtracked because of Putin, Bolton claims. rt.com US President Donald Trump thought it would be "cool" to invade Venezuela but was persuaded not to by "Soviet-style propaganda" from Moscow, claims former national security adviser John Bolton in book excerpts leaked to the press. | Trump said invading Venezuela would be "cool" and described the South American country as "really part of the United States," according to the Washington Post, one of three publications that were given access to some content from Bolton's memoir, 'The Room Where It Happened.' | | So Bolton says in his boo…

Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner (2020-06-17). US Rejects Venezuela Legislative Elections as TSJ Intervenes in Two Opposition Parties. venezuelanalysis.com The new leadership of Democratic Action and Justice First confirmed that their parties will contest the National Assembly later this year.

Zero Hedge (2020-06-17). IRGC Gears Up For 'Routine' Fuel Shipments To Venezuela, Defying Trump. iranian.com Here we go again — Iran is prepping a round two of major sanctions-busting gas delivery to fuel-starved Venezuela, which is of course rich on heavy crude oil but currently lacks the capacity to refine it based on its derelict and badly in need of repair facilities. Amid continued White House threats of military intervention to uphold a sanctions …

en.mehrnews (2020-06-17). Maudro warns EU not to interfere in Venezuela's internal affairs. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 17 (MNA) — President Nicolas Maduro has warned the European Union (EU) against interfering in Venezuela's domestic affairs.

Lu Aya (2020-06-16). Buffalo Police Assault 75-Year-Old Longtime Peace Activist. zcomm.org Now Trump is attacking him too…

Vijay Prashad (2020-06-16). Who deserves the Nobel Peace Prize in a time of pandemic? mronline.org A few weeks ago, I was talking to Noam Chomsky about the state of the world. At one point, Noam smiled and said that he is not aware of any German doctors in Italy, even though both countries are in the European Union; instead, Cuban and Chinese doctors went to Italy to help the Italians …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-16). Why Cuban doctors should receive the Nobel Peace Prize? peoplesdispatch.org Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to nations hard-hit by the virus. So far, they have sent medical brigades to 27 countries to assist in the fight against coronavirus. Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade. | On the

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-16). Why should Cuban doctors receive the Nobel Peace Prize? peoplesdispatch.org Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has taken an active role in extending international solidarity to nations hard-hit by the virus. So far, they have sent medical brigades to 27 countries to assist in the fight against coronavirus. Due to Cuba's extraordinary commitment to humanity, to public health and to internationalism, a group of human rights organizations and social movements across the world have launched a campaign to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Cuba's Henry Reeve medical brigade. | On the

RT (2020-06-16). Good vibes by day, wild west by night: CHAZ is an anarchist camp with a split personality (VIDEO). rt.com The Left says it's a peaceful community of activists and rebels. The Right says it's an anarchic dystopia ruled by a warlord. The truth is that the experience in Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone differs from day to night. | For more than a week now, a collection of Antifa types, anarchists, 'Black Lives Matter' activists and leftists of all stripes have occupied a six-block area around an abandoned police precinct in downtown Seattle. The 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,' or CHAZ, is a district without police, in which the ideas of the radical Left can bloom, and in which the occupiers hope to demonstrate…

Staff (2020-06-16). Militia Member Opens Fire on Protester Demanding Removal of Conquistador Statue. truthout.org A demonstrator at a peaceful protest in Albuquerque demanding the removal of a statue of a controversial Spanish conquistador was shot by a right-wing militia group member on Monday night. | The militia group, whose members

Ricardo Vaz and Lucas Koerner (2020-06-16). Venezuelan Attorney General Orders Arrest of Tupamaro Party Leader, Indicts FAES for Extra-Judicial Killings. venezuelanalysis.com Jose Pinto called the death a "false positive" orchestrated by the party's enemies.

teleSUR (2020-06-15). UN to Hold Hearing Over 'Systemic' US Racism, Police Brutality. telesurenglish.net The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) agreed Monday to hold an emergency debate Wednesday on "systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests" in the United States and elsewhere. | RELATED: | UNHRC's decision followed a request last week by Burkina Faso on behalf of 54 African countries in response to the killing on May 25, of George Floyd, a black U.S. citizen, under the knee of…

WSWS (2020-06-15). Germany's Social Democrats, Greens and Left Party organise police violence against peaceful demonstrators. wsws.org The police attacks are part of an effort to criminalise anti-capitalist tendencies.

teleSUR (2020-06-15). Colombia: 200 FARC Ex-Combatants Killed Since Peace Agreements. telesurenglish.net The Alternative Revolutionary Force of the Commons (FARC) party denounced Monday that the ex-combatant Mario Tellez Restrepo was murdered in North Santander, Colombia, marking 200 killed ex-fighters since the peace agreements were signed on Sept. 26, 2016. | RELATED: | Restrepo, a father of three, was working on the field when he was shot down by people who have not been identified yet. This killing marks the 26th alone in 2020 so fa…

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-06-15). The Joys of Diversity and Multicullturalism Have Come Home to Roost. thealtworld.com Hi Dumbshit American. Have you had enough of diversity and multiculturalism? If not, vote a Democrat president, and the second wave of peaceful protests will loot and burn down your homes and neighborhoods. Be sure you understand that diversity means no more white statues and white history, because they are racist. Multiculturalism means no more white civilization, which is racist. You may have to give up your language as well, because English is racist. | I have been telling you for years that you are living The Camp of the Saints. Having failed to become aware, you have no idea what is happening. When it finall…

yenisafak (2020-06-15). Israel owns 90 nuclear warheads: Report. yenisafak.com Israel is believed to possess between 80 and 90 nuclear warheads, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said on Monday. | In a report, SIPRI said Israel continues to pursue a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear program. | It said that the number of nuclear warheads in Israel rose to 90, up from 80 warheads in 2019. | "The nine nuclear-armed states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)—together possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020," the S…

_____ (2020-06-15). Unfinished Revolution: Where Do The George Floyd Protests Go From Here? popularresistance.org Will we release some steam for a few days, be satisfied with the prosecution and (if we're lucky) conviction of a few cops, accept a few reforms of a police system that will never be accountable to anyone else but their maker — the ruling class? Will we settle for mere survival, be content not to be killed, so that we can live under the peace of everyday violence and robbery forced upon our communities, our health, and our lives? | Will we hang onto illusions that equate equal opportunity with being as exploited as a vanishing group of white, middle-class workers are or as a few black and brown faces rising…

Andrew Korybko (2020-06-15). Pragmatic Advice For Peaceful Protests. thealtworld.com It's imperative that all protests, whether about anti-racism or any other issue, remain peaceful and within the realm of the relevant laws of whichever country they're occurring in otherwise people could get hurt or worse. | The anti-racism protests that have erupted all throughout the West since the death of George Floyd in police custody at the end of last month have unfortunately transformed into a

_____ (2020-06-15). President Maduro: United States Is Living An Anti-Racist Spring. popularresistance.org President Maduro said that the US is experiencing an anti-racist spring, in reference to the massive protests for the murder of George Floyd. | "People on the street are saying who Donald Trump is every day," said the Venezuelan president during his participation on Monday in the TV show "Between Values," in which he also asserted that the American people "live an anti-racist spring". | On the other hand, he stressed that historical figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are more present today than ever among Americans who fight for their rights. "They are the martyrs for a future hope, for a new societ…

teleSUR (2020-06-15). Bank of England Infringes Human Rights: Venezuelan Central Bank. telesurenglish.net The Bank of England (BoE) is "putting lives at risk" by denying access to gold reserves, Legal representatives of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) denounced Monday. | RELATED: | BoE refuses to release around US$1.13 billion of gold reserves which the South American nation could use to fight the health emergency derived from the COVID-19 outbreak. Venezuela is seeking to get a court order for the urgent release of abo…