(2020-07-23). Trump Administration Deploys Federal Forces into Major U.S. Cities. globalresearch.ca The repressive U.S. state's chickens have come home to roost with President Donald Trump announcing federal troops will be deployed to several U.S. cities. This comes after federal agents reportedly disappeared protesters last week off the streets of Portland, Oregon….
(2020-07-23). Defund the Police State, Before It's Too Late. globalresearch.ca The American police state is currently making its boldest test run to date in Portland, Oregon, escalating violence and lawlessness against the peaceful population of an American city. The people of Portland have responded with increased resistance, but support from …
(2020-07-23). Secret police in Portland violated human rights of peaceful protesters. indybay.org Videos showing U.S. Federal secret police(with no badges and riding in unmarked vehicles)inflicting massive violence on mostly peaceful protesters are running viral across the Globe. Yet the Federal governing regime brazenly avows that this will be the "new normal" in major cities from now on…
(2020-07-23). California: 700 health care workers at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital on five-day strike. wsws.org Workers are protesting understaffing at the hospital, inadequate access to personal protective equipment, and management's proposal to slash their benefits.
(2020-07-23). Stand with the resistance in Portland! fightbacknews.org Protesters grabbed off the streets by federal agents who refuse to identify themselves, placed unmarked vehicles, and taken to undisclosed locations. These same agents nearly killed a young man holding part of a sound system at a demonstration. This is the outrageous reality in Portland today, were Trump has deployed a paramilitary police force to carry out a wave of repression. The good news is that the resistance in Portland has been nothing short of heroic, as thousands have taken to the streets in a powerful display of opposition. | The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that it is deploying federal a…
(2020-07-23). Cities challenge Trump's dispatch of federal law enforcement officers. peoplesworld.org 
OAKLAND, Calif. — Outrage is growing throughout the country over Donald Trump's use of federal law enforcement against protesters in Portland, Oregon, and his threats to dispatch federal officers to other U.S. cities. On July 20, Trump told reporters he might send federal "law enforcement" to cities he claimed were experiencing heightened violence, naming cities …
(2020-07-23). Portland's Mayor Tear-Gassed By Militarized US Police. popularresistance.org The mayor of Portland, Oregon was tear-gassed by U.S. government agents as he stood outside a federal courthouse during another night of protests against the presence of federal police sent by President Donald Trump to quell the city's ongoing unrest. | Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, appeared slightly dazed and coughed and said Wednesday night it was the first time he'd been tear-gassed. | He put on a pair of goggles someone handed him and drank water but did not leave his spot at the front of the protest and continued to take tear gas as the demonstration raged — with protesters lighting a large fire betwe…
(2020-07-23). What Are Trump And His Goons Up To? popularresistance.org First and foremost, it is a political stunt to capture the law and order crowd and press on divides between the coastal cities and inland voters. But it's also more sinister than that. The use of federal forces is designed to weaken local accountability by freezing out local government that constituents can reach. Portland's mayor might not even have opposed some "help" from the feds, but he wasn't asked. In other words, this wasn't mutual aid. This was indeed an invasion. An alphabet soup of federal agencies have been employed to crack down on police brutality protests, including the National Guard, the US Marsh…
(2020-07-23). New Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against Federal Law Enforcement. popularresistance.org The Western States Center, the First Unitarian Church of Portland, two state representatives and an ACLU legal observer are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which alleges the federal government has violated protesters' 10th Amendment rights. It was filed Tuesday in federal court. | The 10th Amendment delineates the separation of powers between federal and state governments. | "The power to engage in ordinary law enforcement is one of the long-recognized powers that belong to the states and to their municipalities," said Cliff Davidson, an attorney with Snell & Wilmer, the firm filing the lawsuit. | The W…
(2020-07-23). Federal Agents Retreat To Portland Base As Protesters Control Streets. popularresistance.org The DHS officers dispatched by the president to put down the demonstrations have instead become prisoners of the building they are ostensibly there to defend. | "The feds don't have control of the streets," said a woman holding a sign "100% not a terrorist", who gave her name only as Shannon. "I think they're more scared than us. They're hiding in there. They don't know what they're doing." If the intent was to intimidate the protesters into abandoning the few square blocks of downtown Portland under their control, it backfired spectacularly. | Residents of a city with a long history of radical street protest wer…
(2020-07-23). In another night of unrest in Portland, tear gas hits mayor. yenisafak.com The mayor of the U.S. city of Portland, Ted Wheeler, was stung by tear gas early on Thursday morning after he joined demonstrators protesting against racial injustice and police brutality.Protests have rocked Portland every night for weeks, with security forces often tear-gassing and clubbing demonstrators.Visiting the protest site, Wheeler was jeered at by some demonstrators who called on him to resign and chanted "Shame on You". They said he should have done more to protect Portland's citizens.However, as he stood amongst the crowd outside Portland's Justice Center, Wheeler, who was wearing a face mask, was him…
(2020-07-23). Portland mayor cheers protesters & joins them to face tear gas, gets calls to resign anyway (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler failed to win over a crowd of angry anti-police protesters despite rooting for their cause. But rather than seeing him as an ally against federal agents, some said he's part of the problem and has to go.
(2020-07-23). Paramilitary-Style Tactics in Portland Mirror Decades of U.S. Violence on the Border & Abroad. democracynow.org 
The harrowing scenes of paramilitary-style units in the streets of American cities like Portland has shocked mainstream America, but award-winning independent journalist Todd Miller, who has reported on border security and immigration for over a decade, says it's a reflection of how the U.S. has operated around the world. We also speak with Cecilia Menjívar, UCLA sociology professor, who says the image of unmarked vans snatching people from the streets "brings back memories to Latin Americans who lived through disappearances of families and friends and co-workers."
(2020-07-23). 'Turkish aid helps Venezuela fight virus effectively'. yenisafak.com Sevki Mutevellioglu told Anadolu Agency last week Turkish aid, including 25 ventilators, 40,000 testing kits, 150,000 masks and protective clothing, reached the capital Caracas.He noted that the aircraft was also carrying medical equipment donated to Venezuela as part of various health projects supervised by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).The ambassador said the Venezuelan side welcomed the aid as its economy is crippled by sanctions.Mutevellioglu praised the "fast, effective and accurate" response of President Nicolas Maduro's government.Noting that the ventilators and other supplies were…
(2020-07-23). Quick facts on China and COVID. workers.org 
This slightly edited talk was given at the July 16 Workers World Party webinar: "Why We Defend China." The webinar can be viewed at tinyurl.com/yxbbpwwy/. The U.S. ruling class has increasingly turned to misinformation and propaganda campaigns to maintain control of the country during the COVID-19 epidemic and to concoct . . . |
(2020-07-23). Defend Portland! Defend People's Resistance! No Police State! workers.org 
Despite the brutal attempt of the White House to crush the heroic Black Lives Matter movement by sending camouflaged federal agents ‚àí secret police ‚àí to Portland, Chicago and other U.S. cities, the movement and all who support it have been fighting back. The initial response to the threat of . . . |
(2020-07-23). As Trump threatens secret police deployment nationwide, Democrats debate expanding surveillance powers and new money for DHS. mronline.org 
The rogue deployment of secret federal police forces in Portland, Oregon, has added a new complication to negotiations over reauthorizing the Trump administration's vast surveillance powers and appropriating new money for the Department of Homeland Security.
(2020-07-23). Public must wear face coverings in sandwich shops says government. thecanary.co 
People will need to wear a face covering in sandwich shops in England under new regulations due to come into force on Friday.The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed face coverings will be needed in shops such as Pret a Manger if people intend to take their food and coffee away.If they sit down to eat or drink, they will be able to remove their face covering in that area.It is likely takeaway outlets will fall under the same criteria. | From Friday, face coverings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England. | However, remember that it's not possible for people with certain conditions to wear…
(2020-07-23). South Africa didn't use COVID-19 lockdown for mass awareness, testing. peoplesdispatch.org Lydia Cairncross of the People's Health Movement talks about the failure of the South African government to effectively tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and examines the reasons behind it, She says the failure to bring together the public and private sectors, the lack of adequate awareness and testing, as well as investment, has cost the country dear.
(2020-07-23). Green belts protection law, a road to food sovereignty in Argentina. peoplesdispatch.org A coalition of social and peasant movements are promoting a bill in the Argentine Congress that seeks to protect and strengthen green belts in Argentina. Green belts are strategic production areas close to big cities, where small-scale rural agricultural producers produce 80% of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the country. The Green Belts Protection bill is being promoted by national deputy, Federico Fagioli, from the ruling left-wing coalition of Frente de Todos. | The bill aims to organize urban expansion, protecting green spaces where fresh, healthy and accessible food is supplied to the Argentine popula…
(2020-07-23). Guns? Yes. Masks? No. And Gestapo in Portland. zcomm.org The toxic mix of valuing gun ownership over protecting public health, conspiracism, and reactionary movements glued together by white supremacy and national chauvinism are too deeply rooted to be ended any time soon…
(2020-07-23). Mexico struggles to fight COVID-19. peoplesdispatch.org Mexico emerges as the third worst-hit country in the Latin American and Caribbean region and the seventh nation in the world with most confirmed cases of coronavirus. With a population of about 129 million, Mexico has the second-highest death toll in the region and the fourth-highest in the world, after the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom. | The first coronavirus case in Mexico was recorded on February 28 and the first fatality on March 19. As of July 22, the country has registered 362,274 confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection, 41,190 deaths due to the disease and 231,403 recoveries. | The gov…
(2020-07-23). LA County OKs Coronavirus 'Health Councils' To Watch Worker Safety. popularresistance.org The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 21, approved a proposal to facilitate worker-led "health councils" to monitor business compliance with public health orders. | Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Mark Ridley-Thomas co-authored the motion recommending that the county reach out to labor leaders and business representatives and quickly come up with effective ways to monitor compliance with mandates to wear facial coverings, install protective shields and disinfect workplaces. | Essentially, the workers themselves would monitor conditions within their workplace, Kuehl said, noting recent reports…
(2020-07-23). Iraq resumes international flights after four months. yenisafak.com Iraq on Thursday resumed international flights after four months of travel suspension due to COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic related restriction.Like many other countries, Iraq decided to suspend flights due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in March. The travel restrictions were extended several times, since then.Last week, the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety in Iraq decided to reopen the airports in the country.Iraq has five international airports: Baghdad, Najaf, Basra, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah.Baghdad International Airport opened its gates on Thursday morning to passengers, for the first time…
(2020-07-23). COVID-19 fatalities, cases continue to rise in Eurasia. yenisafak.com KazakhstanAccording to Kazakhstan's Health Ministry, at least 1,646 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, bringing the total tally to 76,799.The count of recoveries rose to 48,220 with 1,430 new additions.Country's death toll stands at 610 whereas, the number of patients undergoing treatment in intensive care units declined by 12% over the past two weeks. Also, the occupancy rate at hospitals stand at 56%.- KyrgyzstanAynura Akmatova, an official of country's Health Ministry, said coronavirus cases in the country rose to 30,326, with 967 new cases reported over the past 24 hours.According to the offici…
(2020-07-23). Raised iron levels linked to reduced life expectancy. imperial.ac.uk Having too much iron in the body puts your long term health at risk but it could also take years off your life.
(2020-07-23). Brazil Exclusive: the Money Laundering Scandal From Hell No One Wants to Talk About. strategic-culture.org Two decades after the fact, a political earthquake that should be rocking Brazil apart is being met with thunderous silence. | What is now described as the Banestado leaks and the CC5gate is straight out of vintage WikiLeaks: a list, published for the first time in full, naming names and detailing what is one of the biggest corruption and money laundering cases in the world for the past three decades. | This scandal allows for the healthy practice of what Michel Foucault characterized as the archeology of knowledge. Without understanding these leaks, it's impossible to place in the proper context the sophisticate…
(2020-07-22). The Wisconsin District of FRSO condemns the deployment of federal agents to Milwaukee. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – Last week, unmarked federal agents in military uniforms grabbed protesters off the streets of Portland, Oregon, and threw them into unmarked black vans. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed responsibility for the shadowy operation, citing "graffiti" as their justification for snatching activists off the street and interrogating them. | Now, Milwaukee has been named by the Trump administration as one of the cities that would likely be targeted for deployment of Homeland Security Investigation agents. Some Milwaukee activists have reported spotting unidentified agents in military gear n…
(2020-07-22). "Where is the money," Hondurans ask government as health care system collapses. peoplesdispatch.org 
Recent revelations regarding massive corruption are the latest indicator of the rotten state of the health system on Honduras. Meanwhile, the forced disappearance of 4 Garifuna leaders has caused outrage with social movements launching protests…
(2020-07-22). Outrage over Trump attack: Portland movement fights back. workers.org 
Federal officers were deployed to "quell" Portland's protests beginning the weekend of July 10 and continuing the following week. Camouflaged unidentified agents arrested and detained demonstrators without even a pretext. The Trump administration has escalated the confrontation between the people and the state apparatus, bringing a whiff of fascism to . . . |
(2020-07-22). Portland: "Wall of Moms" mobilizes to protect protests from police violence. mronline.org 
Chanting, "Feds stay clear! Moms are here!," groups of women congregated at the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other locations in Central Portland. They were met with tear gas, flashbangs, and pepper round bullets, injuring many.
(2020-07-22). Another Long Day of GOP Disrespect for Women. thenation.com 
Attacks on AOC, Liz Cheney, and Portland's "Wall of Moms" make it seem like Republicans don't care about women. Except Ghislaine Maxwell.
(2020-07-22). Federal officers seen dragging protesters into unmarked vans in Portland. fightbacknews.org Portland, OR – For weeks now, officers under the oversight of the Department of Homeland Security have been terrorizing the residents of Portland Oregon in new attempts to stamp out the protest movement that has been ongoing since the killing of George Floyd. These officers can be seen in various videos wearing nondescript camo fatigues with no markings indicating who they are or, or what agency they are working for. These same federal officers nearly killed a protester in Portland last week after shooting him in the head with a 'less-lethal' impact device. | In an intensification of an already overzeal…
(2020-07-22). Trump deploying 150 federal agents in Chicago to repress our movement. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | What we have watched in Portland is the dress rehearsal for what Trump is preparing for Chicago: an effort to squash the Black Lives Matter protests flowing from this uprising by violent military means. He claims he is targeting the cities controlled by Democrats because of the chaos caused by the largest rebellion in U.S. history. | In truth, broad democratic forces have come together to exercise their right to protest against police murder and violence. We've had signals this was…
(2020-07-22). Over 100 US Lawmakers Ask Barr to Explain Unidentified Federal Officers in Portland. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US law enforcement chiefs need to explain the activities of unidentified federal personnel in Portland, Oregon, during the protests there, 114 members of the House of Representatives wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Wednesday.
(2020-07-22). 'We won't retreat': DHS chief defends 'proactive arrests' amid Portland riots, stokes Minority Report dystopia outcry (VIDEOS). rt.com 
The head of the Department of Homeland Security set off alarms after saying that federal agents were making 'proactive' arrests in Portland amid heated protests, drawing comparisons to the dystopian "pre-crime" of Minority Report. | Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf appeared on a Fox News segment on Tuesday night, discussing the ongoing protests and rioting across Portland, which he says have continued for "52 nights in a row" as federal officers there are stretched to the limit. | "Because we don't have that local law enforcement support, we are having to go out and proactively arrest individuals, and we need…
(2020-07-22). Philadelphia DA Says Trump's Police Will Be Arrested If They Assault Protesters. truthout.org As President Donald Trump defends his questionable use of federal agents to arrest and detain protesters in Portland, Oregon, in recent weeks, suggesting also that such actions could happen in other places across the country, one district attorney of a city Trump said might be next said he'd take direct action against any federal officers that unlawfully detained individuals. | Trump appeared to cite partisan politics on Monday as part of the reason he felt the need to take action against c…
(2020-07-22). Alameda Highland Hospital Workers Fight Covid, Privatization, Bullying & Union Busting. indybay.org Alameda County Highland hospital workers and supporters protested the privatization, lack of health and safety and union busting by the private operator.
(2020-07-22). Anger Over Israeli Decision to Demolish Palestinian COVID-19 Hospital Ahead of Deadly Second Wave. mintpressnews.com "This shows clearly that Israel doesn't care about Palestinian lives…They can't even give us our basic rights to healthcare so we can treat our people from the coronavirus." –Tayseer Abu Sneineh, Mayor of Hebron…
(2020-07-22). As COVID Spikes in California, Latinx Workers Who "Keep the State Going" See Up to 5x the Deaths. democracynow.org 
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across the United States, the Latinx community has been hit especially hard in places like California, where many Latinx workers fill essential jobs as farmworkers and meatpackers. "Latino and people of color basically do the scut work that keep the state going, its economy going, but get very little of the resources," says Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His recent study shows Latinx Californians between the ages of 50 and 64 have died at more than fiv…
(2020-07-22). COVID-19 Lays Bare South Africa's Rampant Inequality & Fault Lines of Post-Apartheid Society. democracynow.org 
COVID-19 infections are skyrocketing in South Africa, now fifth in the world for coronavirus cases, with an already fragile hospital system. "I really think it's our inequality reckoning moment," says Fatima Hassan, a human rights lawyer with the Health Justice Initiative. "All of the fault lines of South Africa's post-apartheid democracy, and its inequality and its violence, is actually coming to the fore."
(2020-07-22). "Silence the Guns": Africa's CDC Head on Delayed Pandemic, Health Equity & Dangers of War. democracynow.org 
The African continent has mostly escaped the worst of the pandemic, but the World Health Organization is now warning of an impending acceleration of its spread. "We have always been very clear that the pandemic in Africa was a delayed pandemic, that the continent wasn't spared," says Dr. John Nkengasong, director for Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
(2020-07-22). People of color face mass homelessness as eviction moratoriums end. peoplesworld.org 
This article about coronavirus evictions was originally published by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington, D.C. It was written by CPI reporters Sarah Kleiner, Joe Yerardi, and Pratheek Rebala. WASHINGTON—Latoyia Lorraine is about to lose the one thing that has kept her family safe during a global health pandemic: her home. "We're a family …
(2020-07-22). Save the Saffel Wolf Pack. counterpunch.org 
There's an old saying about the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In the West, this could easily apply to public lands ranching and predator management. Ranchers want the predators gone to protect their bottom line but predators are a key part of ecosystem health and are
(2020-07-22). Defunding police and challenging militarism, a necessary response to their "battle space" mronline.org 
The excessive use of force and killings of unarmed Black Americans by police has fueled a popular movement for slashing police budgets, reimagining policing, and directing freed funds to community-based programs that provide medical and mental health care, housing, and employment support to those in need. This is a long overdue development.
(2020-07-22). Colleges layoff underpaid adjuncts then challenge their unemployment claims. mronline.org 
Unemployment insurance laws were developed prior to the widespread use of contingent faculty, and were designed to prevent K-12 teachers and full-time college professors from collecting unemployment during scheduled term breaks and summer vacations when they weren't teaching. In nearly all states, these laws are being used to prevent adjuncts, who have since become the …
(2020-07-22). Trumpfen Sturmabteilung (Trump's Stormtroopers). counterpunch.org 
It is not hard to see the forces kidnapping individuals and teargassing Portland's streets as the Trump administration's private stormtroopers. Although they are operating under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the truth is it is the Executive Branch that issued their orders.
(2020-07-22). Tear Gas, Beatings and Projectiles in Portland. counterpunch.org 
The last couple of nights I have been heavily involved in demonstrations in Portland, Oregon. ( July 18-19, 2020.) As most of you probably know these demonstrations have been going on in front of the Federal Justice Center for over 50 straight nights. Since Trump called in the Feds, the turmoil and violence has escalated. We
(2020-07-22). British Columbia officially endorses GLORY HOLES for safer sex in coronavirus times. rt.com 
British Columbia's health authority has released tips for engaging in safer sex amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The advice turned out to be quite kinky, as the public was urged to avoid sharing sex toys and use glory holes instead. | The list of tips, titled 'COVID-19 and Sex', was
(2020-07-22). Hulu becoming Hillary network: Second series about Clinton will explore 'alternative history' where she never married Bill. rt.com 
Streaming service Hulu is working on their second Hillary Clinton series, this time exploring an "alternative history" where the former first lady never marries Bill, and how that would have affected her "extraordinary mind." | The idea is based on the The show, muc…