Newsclick (2020-07-04). Economically, US is a declining power, China is a rising power. peoplesdispatch.org In this episode of Signs of Our Time, Marxist intellectual Aijaz Ahmad and Vijay Prashad of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research talk about the state of US-China relations and rising tensions in East Asia. Prof. Ahmad analyses the decline in US economic and strategic power and talks about the implications of the China-Russia partnership…

Marx Memorial Library (2020-07-04). What is 'post-capitalism'? mronline.org It's an empty phrase used by people who wish to bypass the necessity of struggle, says the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY.

Greg Palast (2020-07-04). Trump's Vote-Heist Dress Rehearsal. zcomm.org The hidden, ugly story of the new Jim Crow tactics tested in the recent primaries—and coming soon to a state near you…

Liberation Staff, Denver (2020-07-04). Thousands march for Elijah McClain, massive community blockade of police station ensues in Aurora, CO. liberationnews.org Elijah McClain's case has recently garnered national and international attention, ten months after his death, as the movement against police murder and racism grows around the country and the world.

Frederick Douglass (2020-07-04). øCuál, para el esclavo estadounidense, es tu 4 de julio? liberationnews.org Respondo: un día que le revela, más que todos los demás días del año, la gran injusticia y crueldad de la que él es la víctima constante.

Eds. (2020-07-04). Confederates in the Capital. mronline.org The National Statuary Collection announced the unification of the former slave economy's emotional heartland with the heart of national government.

Eliza Egret (2020-07-04). As Black Lives Matter protests continue on US Independence Day, Seattle police are accused of 'emboldening white supremacists'. thecanary.co Two women are in serious condition in a Seattle hospital after a man drove into them at high speed during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest. The women were part of a crowd which had blocked and closed a Seattle freeway in the early hours of 4 July. The devastating #seattleprotest this morning. I'm surprised anyone lived. | Victims: | 32 yr woman in serious/stable condition | 24 yr woman in critical condition | Suspect: | 27 yr male from Seattle

Andrew Harmer, Anja Leetz, Ben Eder, Remco van de Pas, Sophie Gepp (2020-07-04). [Correspondence] Time for WHO to declare climate breakdown a PHEIC? thelancet.com At the opening plenary of the World Health Assembly in May, 2019, Richard Horton urged member states and the Secretariat of WHO to recognise climate change as a planetary emergency. A few days later, during a side event on air pollution, climate change, oceans, and health sponsored by the Government of Sweden, the Minister of Health for the Seychelles Jean Paul Adam argued that climate change has to be recognised as a public health emergency at the international level. Johan Giesecke1 once stressed that as public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs) evolve into more complex forms, it becomes neces…

ahtribune (2020-07-04). Panic and the Pandemic 'Down Under': The Ultimate Unseen Enemy. ahtribune.com In the southeastern corner of Australia a State of Emergency has replaced what was known until recently only as the State of Victoria. The unseen enemy has been a fact of modern life since the 1950s but at least the red under the bed could be seen if found. COVID-19 is the ultimate unseen enemy, because it literally cannot be seen except through a microscope and noone knows where it is and when it will strike. | The panic generated by the spread of the virus is completely disproportionate to the risk of dying from it. Between late January and July 1, 2020, 2,505, 923 people were tested for COVID-19 in Australi…

Patricia Claus (2020-07-04). Ioannidis: 150-300 Million Already Had the Virus, Infection Fatality Rate for People Under 45 "Almost 0%" anti-empire.com Leading epidemiologist Dr. John Ioannidis of Stanford University estimates that about 150-300 million or more people have already been infected by COVID-19 around the world, far more than the 10 million documented cases. | In an interview with Greek Reporter, the Greek American scientist warns, however, that the draconian lockdowns imposed in many countries may have the opposite effect of what was intended. "Globally, the lockdown measures have increased the number of people at risk of starvation to 1.1 billion, and they are putting at risk millions of lives," he says. | It was just three months ago, soon after t…

_____ (2020-07-04). The University Community As A Microcosm Of The National Economy. popularresistance.org In sum, MMT suggests that the printing of money can be calibrated to the fulfillment of short and long term needs. Money could and should be provided for health care for all, support for education (K through university), structural renovation, transitioning away from fossil fuels, the creation of jobs for all and universal basic income programs, and support for a Green New Deal. These programs were vitally needed before the pandemic and are even more essential since its onset. Of course, cutting military spending, pork-barrel legislation, and creating a progressive tax system helps. But the human needs articulate…

Anand Naidoo (2020-07-04). The Heat: Iran arms embargo. america.cgtn.com The United States threatens Iran with military force to stop the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons.

RT (2020-07-04). From 'majestic' to 'monument for 2 slave owners': CNN makes about-face on Mt. Rushmore in its coverage of Obama & Trump. rt.com In its latest attempt to tar US President Donald Trump's event at Mt. Rushmore, CNN framed the iconic monument as a homage to slavery, despite previously dubbing it a salute to "four great presidents." | CNN correspondent Leyla Santiago took to the airwaves on Friday to report on the president's rally to mark Independence Day at the memorial later in the evening, putting heavy emphasis on its links to slavery and abuses of Native Americans while implying the site was chosen for those reasons. | "Kicking off the Independence Day weekend, President Trump will be at Mt. Rushmore, where he'll be standing in front…

RT (2020-07-04). Clinton says she could beat Trump in 2020, would have handled Covid-19 pandemic better. rt.com Despite losing to Donald Trump in 2016, Hillary Clinton maintains she could defeat him if she were standing in 2020, and would have done a better job handling the Covid-19 pandemic, setting off a ripple of mockery on social media. | Asked by the 'Awards Chatter' podcast about the possibility of a rematch against Trump in November and if she could theoretically win it, Clinton responded with a definitive "yes." | "You know, when he ran before, people who knew him mostly knew him from reality TV. He'd been in their living rooms, and he was a businessman, and he looked like a billionaire, and he rode around in hi…

RT (2020-07-04). Wacky Hollywood: Tim Robbins blasts ICE as 'SS' in charge of 'ethnic cleansing'. rt.com 'Shawshank Redemption' star Tim Robbins has compared US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Nazis, and claimed the agency's goal is to target people of color and give America an "ethnic cleansing." | "ICE are massively funded, militarized police whose function is to deport people of color. Ethnic cleansing in America," tweeted the actor in reaction to a story about President Donald Trump designating ICE a "security agency" in an effort to protect the identities of its employees. | "Now they are a massively funded, militarized SECRET police (SS) that don't have to identify themselves or answer to anyon…

RT (2020-07-04). Bone-chilling video shows speeding car hit 2 BLM protesters on freeway in Seattle. rt.com A speeding car, which drove around vehicles blocking a road in Seattle in an area where a Black Lives Matter protest was taking place, has hit and seriously injured two women. The terrifying moment was caught on camera. | The two victims of the hit-and-run were taken to the Harborview medical center, one of them with life-threatening injuries, Washington State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Rick Johnson The graphic video shows a white car maneuvering around a couple of vehicles blocking the road…

RT (2020-07-04). 'Must protect our history': Trump announces creation of 'National Garden of American Heroes' monument park. rt.com US President Donald Trump has announced a "vast" new monument park to house statues in tribute to "the greatest Americans to ever live," stating that a new executive order will set the project into motion. | "For the sake of our union, we must protect and preserve our history, our heritage and our great heroes," Trump told the crowd at a rally at South Dakota's Mt. Rushmore on Friday night, during a speech largely focused on preserving American history. | Today, under the authority vested in me as the president of the United States, I am announcing the creation of a new monument to the giants of our past. I a…

RT (2020-07-04). WATCH Antifa members brawl and erect barricades in downtown Portland on Independence Day. rt.com Activists were filmed fist-fighting and erecting barricades across the streets in central Portland, Oregon. They'd attacked the city's courthouse and clashed with US marshals the previous night. | Journalist Andy Ngo shared clips of protesters, whom he identified as local Antifa members, picking up fence sections and roadblocks and using them to erect barricades. | pic.twitter.com/UFEmfJkW9c— Andy Ngॠ(@MrAndyNgo) Antifa in downtown Portland are making their wall taller.

RT (2020-07-04). 'Grossly unconstitutional': California ban on singing at religious ceremonies stokes outcry as protests continue to draw thousands. rt.com The California state government has issued a directive barring singing and chanting at religious services, citing dangers posed by Covid-19. The order has been condemned as blatantly discriminatory, some even deeming it illegal. | The new

RT (2020-07-04). LA mayor warns citizens to cancel Fourth of July plans to 'save lives,' but supports Black Lives Matter protests. rt.com Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is warning citizens to avoid Fourth of July celebrations during the Covid-19 pandemic, yet is fully in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and was even pictured at one not wearing a mask. | "We're going to have to celebrate differently this year. Everyone should cancel plans with others for the 4th of July. You shouldn't gather with anyone who doesn't live in your household," Garcetti He followed up on the actual holiday with multiple tweets doubling dow…

RT (2020-07-04). Donald Trump Jr's girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle tests positive for Covid-19 after flying for president's Mt Rushmore event. rt.com Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of US President Donald Trump's eldest son, has been infected with coronavirus and is self-isolating. She attended numerous campaign events, including the president's Tulsa rally. | Guilfoyle, a former Fox News talk show host, has been "immediately isolated to limit any exposure," Sergio Gor, a chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, which Guilfoyle leads, said in a statement. | She's doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she's asymptomatic but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events. | CNN reported that Guilfoyle tes…

RT (2020-07-04). 'Wanted to cheer everyone up': 3 Colorado cops sacked after selfie mocking black chokehold victim. rt.com Three officers were fired by the Aurora Police Department in Colorado after taking smiling selfies mimicking a chokehold at a memorial for an unarmed young black man who died following an encounter with police. | Officers Erica Marrero, Kyle Dittrich and Jason Rosenblatt were fired from the police force following an internal investigation. Their follow officer, Jaron Jones, was about to be fired too but chose to resign during the probe. | Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said that, although their actions are not a criminal offense, they are a "crime against humanity and decency." | It shows a lack of morals…

RT (2020-07-04). 'Wanted to cheer everyone up': 3 Colorado cops sacked after selfie mocking black chokehold victim. rt.com Three officers were fired by the Aurora Police Department in Colorado after taking smiling selfies mimicking a chokehold at a memorial for an unarmed young black man who died following an encounter with police. | Officers Erica Marrero, Kyle Dittrich and Jason Rosenblatt were fired from the police force following an internal investigation. Their follow officer, Jaron Jones, was about to be fired too but chose to resign during the probe. | Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson said that, although their actions are not a criminal offense, they are a "crime against humanity and decency." | It shows a lack of morals…

RT (2020-07-04). 'The very definition of totalitarianism:' Trump unloads on 'cancel culture,' 'left-wing fascism' at Mt. Rushmore event. rt.com US President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on "cancel culture" — an in-vogue concept that has seen Americans ostracized for voicing views at odds with the mainstream — branding it the hallmark of totalitarianism. | Speaking at the 'Salute America' event to mark Independence Day at South Dakota's Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday, Trump pulled no punches tearing into the notorious phenomenon which has come to be known as "cancel culture." The idea has led to the "cancelling" of public figures and regular Americans alike, typically hounded out of polite society for their views…

RT (2020-07-04). 'Anybody need any ventilators?' Trump says huge US Covid numbers are due to testing but FAKE NEWS media won't tell the story. rt.com President Donald Trump has tweeted that the high number of Covid-19 cases in the US is actually a good thing as it is due to expanded testing, but the "fake news media" refuses to cover the shrinking mortality rate. | "Cases, Cases, Cases! If we didn't test so much and so successfully, we would have very few cases. If you test 40,000,000 people, you are going to have many cases that, without the testing (like other countries), would not show up every night on the Fake Evening News," the president tweeted on Saturday. | He continued, "In a certain way, our tremendous Testing success gives the Fake News Media al…

The Canary (2020-07-04). Three US officers fired for photos mocking Black police killing victim Elijah McClain. thecanary.co Three officers have been fired over photos showing them re-enact a chokehold used on Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man. Police stopped McClain on a street in Denver and put him in a chokehold, which eventually resulted in his death.One of those sacked is Jason Rosenblatt, a white officer who helped stop McClain in August 2019 for wearing a ski mask and "being suspicious".Police put McClain in a chokehold, paramedics injected him with a sedative, and he suffered cardiac arrest before later being taken off life support.Aurora interim police chief Vanessa Wilson told reporters that officers sent the offending…

Anatoly Karlin (2020-07-04). Massive Cringe as Apparatchiks Stuff the Ballot for Putin's Constitutional Amendments That Would Have Passed Anyway. anti-empire.com So the Russians Putin also gets the option of running for two more 6 year terms come 2024. | It also happens to be the case that this is

Wolf Richter (2020-07-04). Continued Unemployment Claims in the US Rise by Another 1 Million, Now at Eye-Watering 31.5 Million. anti-empire.com Normally, the jobs report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is released on the first Friday of the month. And the unemployment claims report is released Thursday every week. But this month, the monthly jobs report was also released today because of the 4th of July weekend. And now we have this delicious situation of both reports on the same day, with the Labor Department's unemployment insurance data — people who are actually receiving unemployment benefits under state and federal programs — calling the Bureau of Labor Statistics' survey-based report a liar. And we'll go through them. | What the L…

Michael Fumento (2020-07-04). 2010: Why the WHO Faked a Pandemic. anti-empire.com The World Health Organization has suddenly gone from crying "The sky is falling!" like a cackling Chicken Little to squealing like a stuck pig. The reason: charges that the agency deliberately fomented swine flu hysteria. "The world is going through a real pandemic. The description of it as a fake is wrong and irresponsible," the

Daniel Horowitz (2020-07-04). More Evidence That Most Coronavirus Cases Are Now Weaker Than the Flu. anti-empire.com Evidence continues to mount that the new infections throughout much of the country are extremely mild, with the exception of some D…

Jeffrey A. Tucker (2020-07-04). Society Is Infinitely Smarter Than Any One Individual but Lockdowns Kneecapped It. anti-empire.com We've lived through the most bizarre experience of human folly in my lifetime, and perhaps in generations. Among the strangest aspects of this has been the near universal failure on the part of regular people, and even the appointed "experts" (the ones the government employs, in any case), to have internalized anything about the basics of viruses that my mother understands, thanks to her mother before who had a solid education in the subject after World War II. | Thus, for example, are all governments ready to impose new lockdowns should the infection data turn in the other direction. Under what theory, precisely…

_____ (2020-07-04). The International Dimensions of 1776 and How an Age of Reason Was Subverted. strategic-culture.org This July 4th, a larger-than-usual shadow is cast upon America which has come face-to-face with some serious historic reckonings. While the existence of an oligarchy and international "deep state" should not be ignored as a political force of history- arranging wars, assassinations and promoting economic enslavement of people and nations throughout the centuries, the guilt cannot entirely be placed on this apparatus. As Shakespeare's Cassius once said to Brutus "our fate… is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." | The mob which Shakespeare mocked as a mindless instrument of tyrants in his…

John Bellamy Foster (2020-07-04). George Washington and genocide. mronline.org 'The immediate objects are the total destruction and devastation of [Iroquois Confederacy] settlements and the capture of as many prisoners of every age and sex as possible…. the country may not be merely overrun but destroyed.' —Commands from George Washington to General Sullivan on May 31, 1779…

_____ (2020-07-04). Seattle Activists Share Their Vision For Black Trans Pride. popularresistance.org In recent years, trans issues have broken into the mainstream. It didn't happen overnight; it's been a long time coming. Trans activists have been at the center of the fight for LGBTQ rights since before Stonewall, decrying discrimination and violence against their peers for decades. | Now, between Pride Month and protests centering on Black lives, these issues are in the spotlight again. Black trans activists have taken to social media and the streets, bringing attention in particular to the growing number of murdered Black trans women within their community. | For many who've criticized the commodification of P…

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-07-04). ICE Out Of Marin Action at Marin County Jail. indybay.org Activists demand County end cooperation with ICE and defunding of Sherriff's department.

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Antifa, YPG/PKK ties threaten national peace in West. yenisafak.com Many Western countries support the idea of backing the YPG/PKK in Syria but Turkish officials reject aiding a terror group to beat another, ISIS/Daesh. A recent report released by the Turkish National Police Academy warned that countries of origin might face serious security challenges once foreign fighters in Syria return home.The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror group that has the blood of tens of thousands of Turkish citizens on its hands. But warnings by Ankara have fallen on deaf ears and the YPG continues to recruit more and more foreign fighters. The report written by academics Murat Tinas and…

Register Peace & Freedom or Green (2020-07-04). Cal Democrats Not Paying Unemployment Claims; Pro-War Feinstein. indybay.org From the home front, with the California Supermajority Democratic Legislature & Governor contracting out to process millions of unemployment claims, many unpaid for months, to California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein voting to continue the blood for oil illegal occupation and war in Afghanistan, the Democratic Party insists with every move it is the same as the Republican Party.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-04). A wave of socialism is sweeping the United States. peoplesdispatch.org Eugene Puryear of BreakThrough News discusses the protests against racial injustice and police violence as the US celebrates independence day. He analyses the stage of the protests, the demand for defunding the police, and talks about socialism and class politics.

Fight Back (2020-07-04). National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression to join "We Can't Breathe" protest at RNC. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL -The National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) will be joining the massive demonstration that is set for August 27 at the Republican National Convention (RNC), in Jacksonville, Florida. The "We Can't Breathe" protest, organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC, will focus on stopping police crimes and advancing the demand for community control of the police. | Speaking about the need to march on the RNC, Frank Chapman, Executive Director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression states, "The Trump administration has been green-lighting police crimes…

Ali Salam (2020-07-04). Fifteen Palestinians Shot, Injured at Kufur Qaddoum Weekly Protest. imemc.org Fifteen Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli soldiers, Friday, at the weekly protest in the northern West Bank village of Kufur Qaddoum, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. Locals in Kufur Qaddoum village, in the Qalqilia governorate, have been organizing protests every Friday for several years, to express their …

teleSUR (2020-07-04). Chile: Police Shoots Dead Young Man During Protest in Santiago. telesurenglish.net A 21-year-old man Saturday was shot dead in Santiago de Chile by the police during a demonstration against President Sebastian Piñera's administration. | RELATED: | The Haitian-descendent man was shot during a manifestation in Melipilla municipality when the residents were carrying out a protest against the social and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. | The victim was taken to San Jose Hospital, where he died a…

Fight Back (2020-07-04). NYC Mayor's promise to defund NYPD falls short of the people's demands. fightbacknews.org New York, NY — The New York City Council voted Tuesday, June 30 in favor of a new budget proposal that will supposedly cut NYPD funding by $1 billion from the police department's current annual budget of $6 billion. This comes in response to recent protests demanding that the city defund the NYPD. While Mayor Bill DeBlasio claims that the budget plan answers protesters' calls, the proposed 'cuts' in funding are in truth no more than an illusion. | Mayor DeBlasio claims that several hundred million dollars cut from the NYPD will go to funding for education. However, the reality is that the money currently us…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-04). Unions hold coutrywide wide demonstrations against anti-people policies in India. peoplesdispatch.org Ten of thousands workers from different trade unions staged a countrywide protest on July 3, which also involved public sector employees, industrial workers, scheme workers and agricultural workers…

WSWS (2020-07-04). Trump gives fascistic rant at Mount Rushmore event held in defiance of health experts. wsws.org Trump sought to use recent attacks on monuments to leaders of the American Revolution and Civil War to brand protesters against police killings as "far-left fascists," while hailing the police and right-wing militia groups and pledging to crack down on opponents of his authoritarian and pro-corporate policies.

_____ (2020-07-04). Danny Sjursen: Fourth Of July Musings. popularresistance.org Once again, this Fourth of July, Americans will celebrate — to the unwitting militarist racist tune that is the "Star Spangled Banner" — more than just the nation's Independence Day. Though most folks will, if at a reasonable social distance, focus more on the backyard beer and brats, U.S. jingoism and exceptionalism will invariably be on the menu. | That last sentiment, particularly amidst the COVID- and mass protest-exposing era of forever war at home and abroad, deserves a closer and critical look. For exceptionalism is truly a national disease that ravages American bodies and democratic institutio…

_____ (2020-07-04). Native American Protesters Blocked The Road Leading To Mount Rushmore. popularresistance.org A group of mainly Native American protesters blocked the road leading up to Mount Rushmore for three hours before President Donald Trump gave a speech at the national monument Friday night. | When they refused to disband, the protesters faced off with the South Dakota National Guard, which shot close-range shells at their feet and sprayed some protesters with pepper spray, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. | By 7 p.m., 15 protesters who refused to leave the road had been arrested. | Trump went on to give a divisive speech at Mount Rushmore, saying the country was under siege by "far-left" fascists waging…

Labor Video Project (2020-07-04). Remember "Bloody Thursday" & Stop Racist Graffiti At SSA! Press Conf At Port Of Oakland. indybay.org ILWU Local 34, ILWU Local 34 and ILWU IBU Bay Area members held a press conference on July 3, 2020 to protest Ku Klux Klan racist graffiti put up at the SSA terminal following the Juneteenth | Action. They also announced plans for commemoration of July 5, 2020 "Bloody Thursday" at the SSA Terminal…

The Lancet (2020-07-04). [Editorial] Zoonoses: beyond the human—animal—environment interface. thelancet.com World Zoonoses Day on July 6 marks the day, in 1885, when a young boy received the first vaccine against rabies—a zoonosis, a disease caused by a pathogen transmitted from animals to humans. Rarely is a World Zoonoses Day so relevant to consider these diseases and their disruption of societies.

Rob J Hallifax, Edward McKeown, Parthipan Sivakumar, Ian Fairbairn, Christy Peter, Andrew Leitch, Matthew Knight, Andrew Stanton, Asim Ijaz, Stefan Marciniak, James Cameron, Amrithraj Bhatta, Kevin G Blyth, Raja Reddy, Marie-Clare Harris, Nadeem Maddekar, Steven Walker, Alex West, Magda Laskawiec-Szkonter, John P Corcoran, Stephen Gerry, Corran Roberts, John E Harvey, Nick Maskell, Robert F Miller, Najib M Rahman (2020-07-04). [Articles] Ambulatory management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: an open-label, randomised controlled trial. thelancet.com Ambulatory management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax significantly reduced the duration of hospitalisation including re-admissions in the first 30 days, but at the expense of increased adverse events. This data suggests that primary spontaneous pneumothorax can be managed for outpatients, using ambulatory devices in those who require intervention.

Terry McGovern (2020-07-04). [Correspondence] US Global Gag Rule increases unsafe abortion. thelancet.com The Trump administration issued the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy in 2017. This policy is an expansion of the Global Gag Rule that blocks US global health assistance to foreign non-governmental organisations that provide, counsel on, refer to, or advocate for abortion services; even if they do so with their own funding and in countries where abortion is legal. Following an additional policy expansion in 2019, foreign organisations that comply with the policy must now attach it to all subgrants that they give to other foreign organisations, including those that do not involve US global health…

Roger Kneebone (2020-07-04). [Perspectives] Maps and guides. thelancet.com Like many people, I use satnav when I'm driving to an unfamiliar address. I know that if I follow the instructions as they come up, I'll almost certainly get to my destination. But there are times when you need a broader sense of the territory you'll be passing through. If you're plotting a route from one part of the country to another in the car, a small-scale road atlas works well. If you're planning a cross-country hike, however, you'll need a map that shows the landscape in detail—contours, footpaths, points of reference.

Jane Regan (2020-07-04). [World Report] Collaborating on kidneys: Haiti's transplantation ambitions. thelancet.com Haiti lacks health programmes and facilities for kidney disease. Jane Regan reports on an ambitious collaboration between Haitian and US doctors to make kidney transplantation widely available.

Hashim Hashim, Jo Worthington, Paul Abrams, Grace Young, Hilary Taylor, Sian M Noble, Sara T Brookes, Nikki Cotterill, Tobias Page, K Satchi Swami, J Athene Lane, UNBLOCS Trial Group (2020-07-04). [Articles] Thulium laser transurethral vaporesection of the prostate versus transurethral resection of the prostate for men with lower urinary tract symptoms or urinary retention (UNBLOCS): a randomised controlled trial. thelancet.com TURP and ThuVARP were equivalent for urinary symptom improvement (IPSS) 12-months post-surgery, and TURP was superior for Qmax. Anticipated laser benefits for ThuVARP of reduced hospital stay and complications were not observed.

Richard Lane (2020-07-04). [Perspectives] Salome Maswime: dynamic leader in global surgery. thelancet.com As Associate Professor and Head of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, Salome Maswime is aware of the scale of the job in front of her. "For me the big problem is the disconnect between health systems and clinical care in low and middle income countries, especially concerning surgical care. Outcomes are often poor, there being not enough focus on the quality of surgery, and how it relates to integrated health care and overarching health systems performance", she explains.

Ophira Ginsburg, Richard Horton (2020-07-04). [Comment] A Lancet Commission on women and cancer. thelancet.com Over the past decade, the global health community has begun to acknowledge that cancer is an increasingly important public health and economic challenge in all countries.1 What is not acknowledged is the disproportionate impact of cancer on the lives and livelihoods of women, and the downstream impacts this creates for societies. In 104 countries, breast cancer has the highest age-standardised incidence rate of all cancers in both sexes combined; in 23 countries, it is cervical cancer.2 Of the 938‚Äà044 deaths from these two cancers in 2018, most were premature and preventable and occurred in a…

Catherine Anne Cluver, Philip Herbst, Stephanie Griffith-Richards, Muhammed Hassan, Brian Allwood (2020-07-04). [Clinical Picture] Coarctation of the aorta: a rare cause of severe hypertension in pregnancy. thelancet.com A 24-week pregnant 18-year-old woman was seen at her local health-care centre where she was found to have a respiratory rate of 38 breaths per min, a blood pressure of 250/90 mm Hg, and a heart rate of 39 beats per min. She collapsed and required intubation and ventilation. A chest x-ray showed bilateral infiltrates—pulmonary oedema—and she was treated with furosemide and nitroglycerin and transferred to our intensive care unit.

Giuseppe Magistro, Christian G Stief (2020-07-04). [Comment] Surgery for benign prostatic obstruction. thelancet.com Almost all men have some form of benign prostatic hyperplasia as they age, often resulting in lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic obstruction. Most patients with bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms are treated with drugs (eg, Œ± blockers or 5Œ±-reductase inhibitors) and surgery is usually reserved for patients who do not respond to drug treatment. Both the safety issues of medication and surgery-related morbidity must be weighed against the efficacy of these treatments. The main reasons for discontinuation of drug treatment are serious adverse effects, such as postur…

Desmond T Jumbam, Ché L Reddy, Emmanuel Makasa, Adeline A Boatin, Khama Rogo, Kathryn M Chu, Benetus Nangombe, Olufemi T Oladapo, John G Meara, Salome Maswime (2020-07-04). [Comment] Investing in surgery: a value proposition for African leaders. thelancet.com Globally, poor access to high-quality surgical, obstetric, and anaesthesia care remains a main contributor to global disease burden accounting for about a third of deaths worldwide.1 The need for strengthening surgical care systems is especially urgent in sub-Saharan Africa, where access is strikingly limited, leading to the highest mortality and morbidity from surgically preventable and treatable conditions in the world.2,3 Approximately 93% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to safe, affordable, and timely surgical care, compared with less than 10% in high-income countries.

Christopher Kapp, David Feller-Kopman (2020-07-04). [Comment] Ambulatory management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax: when less is more. thelancet.com Spontaneous pneumothorax is a pneumothorax that occurs in the absence of trauma or iatrogenic injury, and occurs in about 20‚Äà000 people per year in the USA.1 Primary spontaneous pneumothorax is typically defined as a pneumothorax that occurs in patients without evidence of underlying lung disease, and is estimated to affect about 3000 people per year in the UK,2 whereas secondary pneumothorax occurs in patients with known lung disease such as emphysema, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, or Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.

Christopher J L Murray (2020-07-04). [Correspondence] Methodology in the GBD study of China — Author's reply. thelancet.com The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2017 provides comprehensive assessment of population health for 195 countries and territories and subnational units for selected countries, including all province-level administrative units in China. It is important to point out that, as the GBD uses a hierarchical analytical framework, data input from all GBD 2017 analytical units, national or subnational, are integrated into a single modelling process to provide a set of estimates for all locations that are internally consistent and comparable across locations and over time.

Ping-I Lin, Stephen J Glatt, Ming T Tsuang (2020-07-04). [Correspondence] Methodology in the GBD study of China. thelancet.com We found the Article by Maigeng Zhou and colleagues1 intriguing. However, we have some concerns. Our major concern arises from mixing data from mainland China and Taiwan. These two regions have distinct health-care and social welfare systems; they also have different time trends of how socioeconomic conditions evolved during the past half century. Therefore, mixing the data from these two regions might lead to biased estimates, especially for the health outcomes shaped by health policies (eg, vaccination programmes as a prevention strategy).

Richard Horton (2020-07-04). [Comment] Offline: It's time to convene nations to end this pandemic. thelancet.com A historic and calamitous milestone was reached this week. WHO reported more than 10 million cases of COVID-19 and over 500‚Äà000 COVID-19 deaths. The world's political leaders have been tested and they have been found wanting. It's hard to recall a more lamentable response to a global emergency. Even the climate crisis had its Kyoto and Paris agreements. But despite the urgency of this continuing human catastrophe, despite the immediacy of the economic collapse we are witnessing, there has still been no moment when nations have been convened to reflect on lessons to be learned, to coordinate ac…

Helena Hui Wang, Esther Lau, Richard Horton (2020-07-04). [Comment] The Wakley—Wu Lien Teh Prize Essay 2020: Chinese health workers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. thelancet.com "I feel deeply the burden of the honour placed upon me in being chairman of this Medical Conference, which is unique in our history, powerful in its representation, and which gives China a strong position amongst nations seeking the welfare of the people", wrote Wu Lien Teh in his first publication in The Lancet,1 on his inaugural address delivered at the International Plague Conference in Shenyang, China, in 1911. Wu was elected as the chair of the conference for his work in controlling the pneumonic plague epidemic outbreak in 1910—11 in northeastern China, which ultimately claimed about 60‚Ä&a…

WSWS (2020-07-04). Pandemic spirals out of control in South Africa, India, Brazil. wsws.org The official tallies in each country of daily confirmed coronavirus cases have become exponential, indicating that whatever containment measures were implemented to halt the spread of the virus have essentially collapsed.

WSWS (2020-07-04). Thousands of delivery workers strike across Brazil and other Latin American countries. wsws.org Thousands of delivery workers engaged in a strike on Wednesday to demand better working conditions in more than 10 Brazilian capitals, as well as in cities in Argentina and Mexico.

Steve Topple (2020-07-04). Armed Australian police just locked down 3,000 people in tower blocks. thecanary.co Authorities

William rivers Pitt (2020-07-04). Beware of Anti-Trump Republicans Who Endorse Joe Biden. zcomm.org I am forced to wonder, however, what the real intent is behind this sudden solidarity after three long years of near-silence from the deeply compromised "Never Trump" crew…

Common Dreams staff (2020-07-04). With New Infections Soaring, The Trumps Host a July 4th Pandemic Party at the White House. commondreams.org The White House is preparing to change its messaging on the coronavirus, to tell Americans it simply has to be lived with. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rushmore-trump-fireworks.jpg …

Gwyneth Bernier (2020-07-04). This Independence Day, Generation Z Celebrates its Moment of Radical Hope. commondreams.org Generation Z isn't afraid to admit we are uncertain of the specifics of what this new culture will look like or even exactly how we're going to get there. But we know that next Independence Day, we will be the same people on the same soil, but we hope to celebrate a different president, a different government, and a different culture—one that uplifts us all. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/radical_hope-955px.jpg …

Jeff Cohen (2020-07-04). Politicians of Color Should Not Be Immune From Criticism. zcomm.org As progressives in a country with a long, grim history of racism continuing to the present day, it's our responsibility to fight racism everywhere we see it…

_____ (2020-07-04). Week in Review 28th June — 4th July. truepublica.org.uk Editor's Review The new normal today is characterised by scandals that come and go so quickly, it's hard to keep up. No sooner is Robert Jenrick attempting to shrug off accusations that he 'fixed' the techincal consents for a £1bn building project, therefore saving a Tory donor some £45m when — he's immediately accused of …

Tony Norman (2020-07-04). The Day They Tore Old Dixie Down. commondreams.org A crown of onlookers watch as the Stonewall Jackson Monument in Richmond Virginia is being removed by a crane on July 1, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Mayor Levar Stoney ordered the removal of all Confederate statues from city land. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/stonewall_jackson_comes_down.jpg …

Extinction Rebellion (2020-07-04). The Rebellion Returns, September 1. zcomm.org 10 years ago, scientists identified 16 potential tipping points in the earth system that could spell disaster. Today, there is evidence that 9 of these are already active…

WSWS (2020-07-04). Trump holds Mount Rushmore event in defiance of health experts. wsws.org This criminally reckless action, virtually certain to result in a new eruption of infections and deaths, was carried out in defiance of warnings from members of Trump's coronavirus task force.

WSWS (2020-07-04). Zimbabwe nurses strike as economic crisis brings threat of second coup and military dictatorship. wsws.org Emmerson Mnangagwa's government is preparing to confront mounting opposition in the working class through dictatorial forms of rule and the abrogation of democratic rights—even as it is threatened by the possibility of a coup.

Ravi Mangla (2020-07-04). Policing is Not a Public Good. commondreams.org An 1839 woodcut depicts a slave patrol capturing a fugitive. (Anti-Slavery Almanac/Public domain) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/slave_patrols-955px.jpg …

teleSUR (2020-07-04). Puerto Rico's Secretary of Justice Resigns. telesurenglish.net Puerto Rico's Justice Department Secretary Dennise Longo Friday resigned after holding a heated discussion with Governor Wanda Vazquez. | RELATED: | According to local outlet El Nuevo Dia, their discussion would have occurred amid disagreements over the investigations Longo wanted to carry out. | The Puerto Rican governor accepted immediately Longo's resignation and named Wandymar Burgos as Acting Secretary of Justice. | Lo…

WSWS (2020-07-04). Naming new French prime minister, Macron coordinates austerity with unions. wsws.org Jean Castex is being brought in to coordinate with the unions the draconian austerity policies that Macron and the banks will impose amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emily Apple (2020-07-04). Thousands of people are heading to Cornwall. Please turn around and stay away. thecanary.co I'm watching But…

Joan Steinau Lester (2020-07-04). Why Defund the Police? A Story. commondreams.org Defund the Police. (Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/defund_the_police.jpg …

Tom Juravich (2020-07-04). They're Back: Concessions Are Coming. zcomm.org We must stand up against blaming downwards—the demonization of immigrants, poor folks, and people of color…

WSWS (2020-07-04). Millions in the US face catastrophe as federal unemployment relief set to expire amid surging pandemic. wsws.org The combined economic impact of the raging pandemic and the imminent cutoff of $600 weekly federal assistance is leading to a social catastrophe for millions across the US.

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Decisive, dissuasive will win in Libya: Analysis. yenisafak.com Following back-to-back successes of the Government of National Accord, Libya's UN-recognized legitimate administration, all sides seem to have reordered their positions. The safety of the capital Tripoli is no longer debated and the threats to the existence of GNA were eliminated. Gaining these achievements largely thanks to the support from Turkey, the GNA is working toward new achievements while also preparing for the restructuring of the country with the same support.The putschist Khalifa Haftar's forces have switched to a defensive stance, and their main purpose has been shifted to maintaining the territory t…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Why is Greece courting Haftar's militia in Libya? yenisafak.com Greece has been left in a tight corner after betting on East Libya-based warlord Khalifa Haftar, a Turkey-based scholar has said.After Haftar's 2019 military campaign to recapture the capital Tripoli failed, many of his allies gave up on him. More recently, he lost key cities following an operation by the Tripoli-based legitimate government of Libya.However, Greece officially maintains talks with eastern Libya.Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Wednesday paid a two-day visit to Tobruk, during which he met with Aguila Saleh, head of the pro-Haftar House of Representatives.According to a statement by the Tobr…

_____ (2020-07-04). UK Decision On Venezuelan Gold Condemned: 'It's Daylight Robbery!'. popularresistance.org The fact that the UK High Court cites the UK government's recognition of Juan Guaidó as the reason for blocking access to the gold is farcical. The UK government has formally recognised Guaidó as "interim president", but maintains full consular and diplomatic relations with Venezuela and its legitimate government. There is a Venezuelan ambassador in London and a British ambassador in Caracas. | Furthermore, the Venezuelan government had pledged that proceeds from the repatriation of the gold reserves would only be used, under supervision of the UN Human Development Program, in the fight against the COVID-19 pande…

_____ (2020-07-04). Release The Prisoners: Ohio Jail 100 Percent Positive For Covid. popularresistance.org In a recent report, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance stated that the Morrow County Correctional Facility in Mt. Gilead is the first county jail in the state to be 100 percent COVID-positive. The jail, holding local prisoners as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, is also the first 100 percent COVID-positive ICE detention center in the U.S. | The Alliance accuses jail authorities of failing to follow their own protocols as well as ICE standards. | According to the Alliance report, "None of the inmates and detainees at Morrow County have been seen by a doctor in the facility, despite their COVID diagn…

_____ (2020-07-04). Prisoners Mobilize For Black Lives And Against Brutality Behind Bars. popularresistance.org Prisoners say that abuse reminiscent of the "modern-day lynching" of George Floyd is common practice behind bars. Swift Justice, who is also incarcerated at Kilby Correctional Facility and prefers a pseudonym, tells Truthout: "What happens in here is just like the rhetoric police on the street used to justify killings." Outside of prison, the officers say, "'He had a gun or appeared to have a gun,'" Swift explains. In prison, they often say, "'he had a knife, or failed to comply with the direct order.' And in here it's hard to prove different and, we don't have cell phones to capture it. These guys in here know i…

_____ (2020-07-04). Would Slavery Have Ended Sooner If British Had Defeated Colonists' Bid For Independence? popularresistance.org Historians have long grappled with the contradiction of a revolution under the banner of "all men are created equal" being largely led by slave owners. Once free of England, the U.S. grew over the next 89 years to be the largest slave-owning republic in history. But the July 4th 1776 Declaration of Independence (DI) was in itself a revolutionary document. Never before in history had people asserted the right of revolution — not just to overthrow a specific government that no longer met the needs of the people, but as a general principle for the relationship between the rulers and the ruled: "We hold these truths…

_____ (2020-07-04). FCA Toledo Jeep Workers Support Call For Rank-And-File Safety Committees. popularresistance.org Anger is reaching a boiling point as workers continue to fall ill and management and the United Auto Workers union refuse to release information about the extent of COVID-19 cases. "It is ridiculous," Johnny, a worker at Fiat Chrysler's Toledo North Assembly Plant, said. "Threats and intimidation. People popping up positive left and right. I've been hearing we've had about 11 positive this week alone. All the different parts of the plants. Plus, there are several other potential cases." | Another worker at the FCA Toledo plant said that workers needed a rank-and-file safety committee at their factory, adding that…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Turkey issues arrest warrants over fireworks factory blasts in NW. yenisafak.com Turkey has issued arrest warrants over explosions at a fireworks factory on Friday that killed four people, according to judicial sources.Prosecutors in the northwestern Sakarya province issued warrants for the factory manager in charge and two foremen, said the sources on Saturday, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.The investigation of the incident continues, the prosecutors reportedly said.The blasts took place at a factory in the province's Hendek district.A total of 114 people were taken to the hospital and nearly 100 were discharged, Turkey's health minister said Friday.T…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Turkey sends 2nd batch of medical aid to Serbia. yenisafak.com A Turkish military plane carrying the second batch of medical supplies for Serbia left the capital Ankara on Saturday amid the coronavirus pandemic.An A-400M military plane departed from the Etimesgut Military Airport to carry the equipment including ventilators, masks, overalls, and safety goggles.The first set of supplies was sent on June 12.There are over 15,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 298 deaths in Serbia, according to data compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil and R…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Turkey's presence in Libya to do whatever int'l law requires: DefMin. yenisafak.com Turkey's presence in Libya is to do whatever the international law and justice require, the Turkish defense minister said on Saturday."Turkey is together with the Libyan brothers. No one should doubt it, we will not give up on it," Hulusi Akar said.Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler, who are on an official visit to Libya, met Turkish security forces in the country. They later visited Tripoli's Mitiga Hospital, which was frequently targeted by the attacks of warlord Khalifa Haftar's militias, and met the Turkish health care staff at the hospital."Our task here [in Libya] is providing military trainin…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Russia says China would be needed in expanded G7 summit. yenisafak.com Russia is not in talks with Washington about its potential role at an expanded Group of Seven summit later this year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday, insisting that China should also be included in the event.His comments to TASS news agency countered those of John Sullivan, U.S. ambassador to Russia, who told RBC TV on Friday that Washington was "engaged with the Russian Foreign Ministry and with the other G7 governments about whether there is an appropriate role for Russia at the G7."U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of Russia's return to the group, which includes the w…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia top 160,000. yenisafak.com The total number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asian countries has reached 161,441 as of Saturday, including 4,593 fatalities and 91,833 recoveries.The latest figures showed 3,143 new cases and 63 fatalities over the last 24 hours, with most cases reported in Indonesia and the Philippines.Indonesia, the worst-hit country among member states of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, reported 1,447 new infections, bringing the total to 62,142.The country's death toll rose to 3,089 with 53 more fatalities, while recoveries increased by 651 to reach 28,219.In the Philippines, the number of cases climb…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Turkish space team to send mini satellite into space. yenisafak.com A team of Turkish engineering students will send a miniaturized satellite into space at the end of the year."We started working on the PocketQube in 2016, a newly developed standard in space technologies, and developed Turkey's first PocketQube satellite Grizu-263A," Aytac Dursun, head of Grizu-263 Space Team, told Anadolu Agency."The satellite will be sent into space in December with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex in the US," he said.Established in 2016 by Bulent Ecevit University students in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, Grizu-263 aims to work on space and satellite…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Tunisia MPs reject motion to blacklist Brotherhood. yenisafak.com The Bureau of Tunisia's House of Representatives (parliament) has rejected a petition to blacklist the Muslim Brotherhood group.The opposition Free Constitutional Party (PDL), which holds 10 seats in the 217-member parliament, had submitted the petition to classify the Brotherhood as a "terrorist" organization.The petition, however, was turned down by the parliament's bureau, which is consisted of the parliament speaker, his deputies and 10 lawmakers representing all parties in parliament.Ennahda party, which holds 54 seats in parliament, earlier described the PDL draft as a "waste of time".Ennahda lawmaker Sayyi…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Europe unites against Israel's West Bank annex plan. yenisafak.com Encouraged by US President Donald Trump's so-called "Deal of the Century," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month announced his government would formally annex the Jordan Valley and all settlement blocs in the West Bank. | The annexation was scheduled to be declared by Netanyahu on Wednesday.But uncertainty surrounds Netanyahu's position in light of widespread international criticism of the plan along with differences with the US on its application. | Annexation "will certainly happen in July," but it has to be done in partnership with the US, Ofir Akunis, Israel's regional cooperation minister, to…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Barcelona's landmark Sagrada Familia reopens for key workers. yenisafak.com Barcelona's Sagrada Familia reopened on Saturday, giving frontline workers the chance to have the usually tourist-packed landmark to themselves in recognition of their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.People took photos and listened to audio guides after Archbishop of Barcelona Juan Jose Omella led representatives of healthcare workers into the church.The basilica, designed by architect Antoni Gaudi, closed almost four months ago. But for the next two weekends it will be open to essential workers, including those in healthcare, the police and NGOs, who will be able to explore without the usual crowds.The g…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Coronavirus deaths surge beyond 10,000 in Russia. yenisafak.com Coronavirus-related deaths in Russia crossed the 10,000 mark on Saturday.With 168 fatalities registered over the last 24 hours, the overall count went up to 10,027, the country's emergency task force said in a daily report.The daily growth in coronavirus cases remains below 7,000 for the ninth consecutive day, since 6,632 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the overall count to 674,515.Recoveries surged by 8,986 to reach 446,879, raising the share of recovered people to 66,2%.Earlier this week, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the country will continue increasing polymerase chain reaction…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Erdogan says Turkey sent virus aid to 138 countries. yenisafak.com Turkey to date has sent medical aid to 138 countries to help them combat the coronavirus pandemic, said Turkey's president on Saturday."We have sent medical equipment and supplies to 138 countries, regardless of religion, language, race, or region," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the inauguration ceremony for a new state hospital in Istanbul.Telling how Turkey's exemplary efforts against the virus laid the groundwork for new opportunities in medical tourism, he added, "We're determined to make Turkey the health center of three continents," meaning Asia, Europe, and Africa, with Turkey at their hub."Thanks to the meas…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Yemeni rebels say 3 oil tankers arrived in Hudaydah. yenisafak.com In a tweet, Yahya Sharaf al-Din, deputy chief of the Red Sea Ports Corporation, said the tanker Syosset loaded with 29,134 tons of gasoline had arrived at the port.The Sea Heart tanker, which carries 27,000 tons of diesel, and Hafiz tanker loaded with 26,953 tons of diesel, also docked at the port, he said.On Thursday, the Yemeni government agreed to allow the entry of four fuel vessels to the rebel-held port upon a request from UN special envoy Martin Griffiths.Last month, the Houthi-run oil company accused the Saudi-led coalition of seizing 15 fuel vessels carrying nearly 420,000 tons of fuel and fuel derivativ…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Egypt's opposition still seeking footing 7 years after coup. yenisafak.com The opposition in Egypt and abroad is in a forced absence due to the regime's extensive restrictions on opinion expression as well as extensive political arrests.The regime of the former President Hosni Mubarak suppressed freedom of expression that led to revolution in 2011 that called for equality, freedom and social justice.Mubarak, who ruled for three decades, was forced to step down by a popular uprising in early 2011.Mohamed Morsi won the first post-revolution presidential election in 2012, becoming the country's first democratically elected civilian president and fifth president of the republic. | Several t…

yenisafak (2020-07-04). Qatar hails strategic relations with Turkey. yenisafak.com Qatari Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has hailed his country's strategic relations with Turkey."Strategic relations between Qatar and Turkey are growing day by day, particularly in the fields of economic, investment, commercial, energy and defense cooperation to serve the common interests of our nations," bin Abdulrahman said on Twitter on Friday.On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Qatar for talks with emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.Erdogan was accompanied by Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, along with Communications…

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Iran triggered JCPOA DRM on at least 6 occasions: Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 05 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that Iran has triggered JCPOA DRM on at least 6 occasions.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Over 2 tons of drugs busted in SE Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — The police forces of the Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran, have busted 2.246 tons of illegal drugs in an armed clash in Saravan County.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Iran confirms 2,449 infections,148 deaths in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Iran's Health Ministry announced that 2,449 new cases of infections with the novel coronavirus disease have been confirmed in the past 24 hours.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Fire in power plant in SW Iran contained. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Firefighters of Khuzestan province have extinguished the fire in the Zargan power plant on Saturday afternoon.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). VIDEO: Beauties of Arasbaran forest in NW Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 05 (MNA) — Arasbaran Forest includes a vast green area extended from Ahar City to Aras River. It is a UNESCO registered biosphere in East Azarbaijan province.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Iran sues US for effect of sanction on spread of COVID-19. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Iranian Vice-President for Legal Affairs Laya Joneydi said on Saturday that Iran has filed a complaint regarding the effect of sanctions on the fight against COVID-19.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Head of Interpol in Iran holds talk with S Korean envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Director General of Interpol in Iran met and held talks with South Korean Ambassador to Tehran, conferring on boosting bilateral ties.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). It's time to fuel fight against US: Rezaei. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei said that given the international and domestic conditions, it's a good opportunity to fuel the fight against the US.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Hezbollah denounces Saudi media's insult to Ayat. Sistani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Lebanese Resistance Movement Hezbollah condemned, in a statement issued on Saturday, the insult of a Saudi Arabia's newspaper, Asharq al-Awsat, against Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani, top Iraqi Shia leader.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). FAO shares knowledge with Iran in Early Warning Action system. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — FAO, in collaboration with its national counterparts in Iran and Mongolia, facilitates the sharing of good practices and lessons learned in Disaster Risk Reduction and resilience-building between the two countries.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Saudi media's insult to Ayat. Sistani, 'a vicious act'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Head of Supreme Council of Ahl-ul-Bayt World Assembly on Sat. condemned Saudi Arabian media's insult to leading Iraq Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and called it a 'vicious act'.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Zarif to address virtual MED2020 on Mon. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif is to deliver a speech at the Mediterranean Dialogues (MED2020), which is planned to be held via a video conference on Monday, July 6.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-04). Martyrdom of Lt.Gen. Soleimani biggest US gift to terrorism. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said that the assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani was the biggest US gift to terrorism.

Southern Alameda County Resistance Network (2020-07-04). Monday 7/6: Occupy Tri-City. indybay.org In Fremont, exact address to be disclosed on day of event. Contact me on signal for exact details prior to Monday | 425-749-6678…

Harvey Smith (2020-07-04). Monday 7/13: LaborFest 2020: New Deal Art – Anita Brenner & Cultural Bridge-Builders. indybay.org This is a free Zoom based event. You can be anywhere to view and participant. Please visit the LaborFest 2020 website URL to register and to receive a Zoom invitation to the event.

Craig Baldwin (2020-07-04). Friday 7/3: Plague-Time Play-Time. indybay.org ATA GALLERY, 992 Valencia Street…

Laborfest (2020-07-04). Sunday 7/12: LaborFest 2020: Technology, Lawsuits & How to Fight Union Busting. indybay.org This is a free Zoom based event. You can be anywhere to view and participant. Please visit the LaborFest 2020 website URL to register and to receive a Zoom invitation to the event.

PETA (2020-07-04). Monterey Zoo Faces Scrutiny Over Elephant Deaths. indybay.org Salinas, Calif. [June 30, 2020] — PETA has just obtained necropsies for two elephants, Paula and Kristy, who died at the Monterey Zoo in 2019—and the reports raise serious questions about the level of care that the animals received prior to their deaths.

Dan Bacher (2020-07-04). Newsom Administration Rushes Forward with Delta Tunnel Project During A Pandemic. indybay.org "The decision to move forward with trying to obtain a federal permit using a set proposal, intakes and tunnel corridor so soon after the scoping period ended, and during a Pandemic, shows that state never had any intention of considering stakeholder input," said Regina Chichizola, co-director of Save California Salmon.

Toby Blomé (2020-07-04). Friday 7/3: "BLACK LIVES MATTER" / Anti-War Light Brigade. indybay.org I-80 Pedestrian pedestrian bridge, south of University Ave. | Gather at 8: 50 pm in open parking area, southwest corner of University Ave. Short walk to get up to the bridge. | Accessed by west side frontage road.

John Malkin (2020-07-04). Community Safety Without Police: Interview with CAHOOTS / White Bird coordinator Tim Black. indybay.org Interview with Tim Black, operations coordinator at CAHOOTS / White Bird Clinic in Eugene, Oregon discussing 30 years of community-based safety and security instead of policing.

Michael Petrelis (2020-07-04). Patients Demand SF General Remove Zuckerberg Name. indybay.org Zuckerberg's name on SF General Hospital must be deleted…

Paddle Out for Tamario Smith (2020-07-04). Saturday 7/11: Paddle Out for Tamario Smith. indybay.org Cowells Beach, 21 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz…

_____ (2020-07-04). Why Russians Don't Want to Be Europeans. strategic-culture.org Pravda lied to us about the USSR, but it told the truth about the West. | — Contemporary Russian joke | In a

_____ (2020-07-04). The Malign Russians and Chinese Are Coming. strategic-culture.org A feeble Russiagate 2.0 attempt coincides with hypocritical attacks on the new Hong Kong national security law | Pepe ESCOBAR | In Russia, 78% have just Among these, we find the paramount Atlanticist obsession: the possibility that Vladimir Putin will be able to run for two more presidential terms. | Predictably, anguished cries of "Dictator! Dictator!" have been lobbed like deadly shells all across the Beltway. | They might even silence the echoes of the latest CIA press release to the New York Times, ba…

_____ (2020-07-04). Independence Day in the Midst of Dictatorship. strategic-culture.org James BOVARD | How many Americans will greet July 4th Day with gratitude that their governor is no longer compelling them to "shelter in place" or "stay at home" so they can celebrate their freedom? Most of the media is ignoring the fact that this Independence Day is occurring under the most dictatorial restrictions of the modern era. But anyone who values their liberty must recognize the Great Political Unleashing that has occurred this year makes a mockery of the Founding Fathers' intentions. | Earlier this year, more than 300 million Americans were constrained by "stay-at-home" decrees by governors and mayors.

Alan MacLeod (2020-07-03). Twitter targets accounts of MintPress and other outlets covering unrest in Bolivia. mronline.org MintPress News, along with a number of independent Bolivian news outlets and journalists covering the unrest there, were all targeted for suspension at the same time.

Andrew McCormick (2020-07-03). A Russian Bounty Is Bad. What's Shocking and Outrageous Is the War. thenation.com A Russian Bounty Is Bad. What's Shocking and Outrageous Is the War.

Lee Camp (2020-07-03). Connecting the Dates — US Media Used To Stop The 'Threat' of Peace. counterpunch.org This is not a column defending Donald Trump. Across my career I have said more positive words about the scolex family of intestinal tapeworms than I have said about Donald Trump. (Scolex have been shown to read more.) No, this is a column about context. When The New York Times reports anonymous sources from the intelligence community

Kshama Sawant (2020-07-03). Socialists Are Beating Jeff Bezos in Seattle (Again). thenation.com Socialists Are Beating Jeff Bezos in Seattle (Again)…

Louis Proyect (2020-07-03). Smearing Black Lives Matter…From the Left. counterpunch.org Over the past fifty-three years as a socialist, I have seen repeated calls for purifying the left of capitalist influences, both governmental and corporate. The latest flare-up was a Jacobin article titled "Don't Let Blackwashing Save the Investor Class" by Cedric Johnson, a black African American studies professor. Just as Deep Throat advised Bob Woodward

Victor Wallis (2020-07-03). On Contact: Ecosocialism with Victor Wallis. mronline.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to writer, teacher and activist Victor Wallis about the prospect and need for ecosocialism. Wallis' book is entitled 'Red-Green Revolution: The Politics and Technology of Ecosocialism'.

Lucas Koerner (2020-07-03). UK Court Denies Venezuela $1bn in Gold Needed to Fight Virus. globalresearch.ca The United Kingdom's High Court has blocked the Venezuelan government's effort to recover 31 tons of the nation's gold held by the Bank of England (BoE). | In a ruling handed down on Thursday, the court said it "unequivocally recognised opposition …

Paul Street (2020-07-03). The Racist Counter-Revolution of 1776. counterpunch.org This essay originally appeared six years ago on Telesur English as a review of Gerald Horne's important book The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America (New York, 2014). I offer it for re-publication and hopefully wider readership in the wake of the great 2020 George Floyd uprising, which

Ralph Nader (2020-07-03). Trump and Pence — Step Aside for Professional Pandemic Scientists and Managers. zcomm.org Major changes in society can be accomplished by a fast-emerging, broad-based civic jolt so obvious and persuasive that it overwhelms the entrenched powers…

Chris Wright (2020-07-03). Adjudicating the Chomsky-Greenwald Dispute on Lesser-Evil Voting. zcomm.org There are, at long last, so many newly awakened leftists in this country that in the aggregate they can have a tangible effect on the elections…

Martha Grevatt (2020-07-03). Another reason to tear down the walls: Ohio jail 100% COVID-positive. workers.org Cleveland, Ohio In a recent report, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance stated that the Morrow County Correctional Facility in Mt. Gilead is the first county jail in the state to be 100 percent COVID-positive. The jail, holding local prisoners as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, is also the first . . . |

Mnar Muhawesh (2020-07-03). Podcast Panel: Israeli Annexation Could Turn the West Bank Into a Gaza-Style Open Air Prison. mintpressnews.com Palestinian academic Ramzy Baroud, Israeli activist Miko Peled and documentary filmmaker Robert Inkalesh join MintPress to discuss the implication of Israel's coming annexation of the Palestinian West Bank.

Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo (2020-07-03). Will the ICC Investigation Bring Justice for Palestine? dissidentvoice.org In the past, there have been many attempts at holding accused Israeli war criminals accountable. Particularly memorable is the case of the late Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, (known, among other nicknames, as the 'Butcher of Sabra and Shatila') whose victims attempted to try him in a Belgian Court in 2002. Like all other efforts, …

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-03). Tearing Down the Idols of Colonialism: Why Tunisia, Africa Must Demand French Apology. counterpunch.org The visit by newly-elected Tunisian President Kais Saied to France on June 22 was intended to discuss bilateral relations, trade, etc. But it was also a missed opportunity, where Tunisia could have formally demanded an apology from France for the decades of French colonialism, which has shattered the social and political fabric of this North

Fight Back (2020-07-03). More than 1000 at Day of Rage against Israeli annexation in NYC. fightbacknews.org Bay Ridge, NY – On Wednesday, July 1, over 1000 people gathered in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to rally and march against the planned Zionist annexation of the West Bank. The international Day of Rage was locally organized by Within Our Lifetime and the NY4Palestine coalition. | The rally began at 4 p.m., but the crowd had already started growing before the start time. As the crowd swelled, Palestine flags waving by the dozens, a motley handful of counter-protesters gathered across the street. They had a few Israeli flags and none of them were wearing masks. While they attempted to chant, the pro-Palestine crowd easily…

Richard D. Wolff (2020-07-03). Could U.S. Capitalism Turn Nationalist? zcomm.org Will we see a transition to a post-capitalist global system of quite differently organized enterprises, political institutions (including nation-states), and movements of productive resources and products across its geography?>

Richard D. Wolff (2020-07-03). Revolutionary Possibilities: Could U.S. Capitalism Turn Nationalist? counterpunch.org The Trump administration has turned sharply toward economic nationalism. It attacks and undermines the World Trade Organization, NATO, and the UN. Trump and other top officials explicitly insult many world leaders. He imposes high tariffs. Official statements renew and sustain Cold War-type attacks on China, Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran. Trump flirts openly with nationalists who

South Front (2020-07-03). Video: Syria Prepares for Military Confrontation with Turkey in Northeast. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces have put their forces on high alert in response to the new round of aggressive actions by the Turkish Army and its proxies in northeastern Syria. | Several convoys of government forces, including …

Eds. (2020-07-03). COINTELPRO: How the U.S. state dealt with the last radicalization. mronline.org Twenty-one-year-old Black Panther Party deputy chair Fred Hampton and his comrade Mark Clark were assassinated in a 1969 pre-dawn raid in Chicago. Arguably the most talented and politically astute of the Panther leaders, Hampton was renowned for inspiring activists of all colours. But he was betrayed by William O'Neal, his bodyguard and the Panthers' head …

Martin Schoots-McAlpine (2020-07-03). Anatomy of a counter-insurgency. mronline.org The defanging of the George Floyd Uprising was not accidental but was rather a deliberate attempt on the part of the American ruling class to regain social control in the wake of the largest and most militant protests in recent memory. This article examines the dimensions of how this defanging took place: how, within the …

_____ (2020-07-03). UK Denies Venezuela Access To Its Gold For Food And Medicine. popularresistance.org The United Kingdom's High Court Thursday decided that opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido can access 31 tons of Venezuelan gold held in the Bank of England, which prevents President Nicolas Maduro's administration from using those resources to fight the pandemic. | The ruling about this monetary reserve valued at over US $ 1 billion occurs after months of disputes between Venezuela and the Bank of England, which denied the constitutionally constituted government access to its own resources | On May 14, the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) sued the Bank of England to obtain and sell the Venezuelan gold bars. | The Sout…

_____ (2020-07-03). 100 Jewish Lawyers And Judges Call On Israel To Halt Annexation Plans. popularresistance.org Palestine Legal joins widespread international condemnation of Israel's annexation attempts in the West Bank and highlights legal resources for protesters participating in Wednesday's Day of Rage against annexation in the U.S. | We recognize that this is the latest move in 70+ years of Israel's efforts to annex — or fully colonize — Palestinian land. We also recognize that the failure of international law to protect Palestinians or hold Israel accountable further highlights the importance of grassroots efforts to resist Israel's colonization and ethnic cleansing plans, including mass protests. | We sh…

_____ (2020-07-03). Australian Journalist Threatened With Prosecution For Exposing War Crimes. popularresistance.org In another major assault on press freedom, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) journalist Dan Oakes has been threatened with prosecution for his role in exposing war crimes committed by the country's Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan. | The Australian Federal Police (AFP) issued a statement last night, confirming that they had sent a brief of evidence to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), following a protracted investigation targeting the ABC. | The AFP indicated that the probe began after it received "a referral on 11 July, 2017, from the Chief of the Defence Force and then-Acting…

_____ (2020-07-03). Bounty-Hunter Hoax to Kill U.S.-Russia Relations. strategic-culture.org Relations between the United States and Russia have already been badly wounded during recent years, largely as a result of baseless allegations such as Moscow interfering in American elections, colluding with President Donald Trump, or regarding other international developments, from the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine, to purported war crimes in Syria, to the alleged poisoning of British double-agent Sergei Skripal in England. | But the latest U.S. media effort claiming Russian military intelligence involvement in sponsoring Taliban assassins or "bounty hunters" to target American troops in Afghanis…

_____ (2020-07-03). India's Modi Terminates His Weibo Diplomacy. strategic-culture.org What started out as a promising relationship with China is now one struggling to find a direction | MK BHADRAKUMAR | The common perception among Indian analysts, widely articulated in the country's media, is that the government's options to "hit back" at China for whatever has happened in eastern Ladakh during the past two months are very limited. | The reported erasure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "official page" on the Chinese social media website Weibo can only reinforce that impression. It simply doesn't add up. | If reports are to be believed, Modi's official page on Weibo "went blank" on Wednesday with…

Staff (2020-07-03). "America's Moment of Reckoning": Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Cornel West on Uprising Against Racism. democracynow.org Scholars Cornel West and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor respond to the global uprising against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "We're seeing the convergence of a class rebellion with racism and racial terrorism at the center of it," said Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. "And in many ways, we are in uncharted territory in the United States."

Staff (2020-07-03). Angela Davis on Abolition, Calls to Defund Police, Toppled Racist Statues & Voting in 2020 Election. democracynow.org Amid a worldwide uprising against police brutality and racism, we discuss the historic moment with legendary scholar and activist Angela Davis. She also responds to the destruction and removal of racist monuments in cities across the United States, and the 2020 election.

Staff (2020-07-03). "What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?": James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass's Historic Speech. democracynow.org In a Fourth of July holiday special, we hear the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, he gave one of his most famous speeches, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro." He was addressing the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society. This is actor James Earl Jones reading the speech during a performance of historian Howard Zinn's acclaimed book, "Voices of a People's History of the United States." He was introduced by Zinn.

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-07-03). Roaming Charges: Mutiny of the Bounties! counterpunch.org + If I recall, there were serious discussions inside the White House about turning the Afghan War into a bounty hunting operation led by mercenaries on contract with Erik Prince. I'm pretty sure many elements of that scheme have been in place since 1979 at the beginning Carter's secret war and have continued in one

Global Research News (2020-07-03). Selected Articles: Annexation of Palestine. Crime against Humanity. globalresearch.ca We hope that by publishing diverse view points, submitted by journalists and experts dotted all over the world, the website can serve as a reminder that no matter what narrative we are presented with, things are rarely as cut and …

Sunil Freeman (2020-07-03). What do 6 months of COVID-19 pandemic tell us about USA? liberationnews.org Given the government's catastrophic profit-driven response and the lack of a vaccine, it's possible this pandemic is only in its early stages.

Philippe Marlière (2020-07-03). Challenging the French Republic's Color-Blindness. counterpunch.org George Floyd's killing by a policeman in Minneapolis reverberated across the world in an unprecedented fashion. On all continents, young people took to the streets to pay tribute to Floyd. They protested against police brutality which they regarded as 'systemic'. Citizens expressed their anger at the racial profiling of Black people by the police. Those

Peter Linebaugh (2020-07-03). Police and the Wealth of Nations: Déjà Vu or Unfinished Business? counterpunch.org In the 1960s there was a wave of rioting, municipal rebellion, and challenges to property in the USA. In order to see that wave from a working-class point of view I went over to England to study riots and crime. In those days the theory was that the working-class could bring an end to capitalism, but historically before the working-class was "made," it consisted of a mob of the poor given to crimes. The horrid ones against people — assault, rape, murder — were relatively few. The ones against property – highway robbery, burglary, shop-lifting, house-breaking, pocket-picking – tended to be new, i.e., f…

A Guest Author (2020-07-03). Leeds, England: Black Lives Matter. workers.org By Kadesh Anderson Kadesh Anderson is a Black Lives Matter activist and journalist in Leeds, England. Leeds, England — On June 21 in Hyde Park, over 5,000 people came out in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protest. With social distancing measures in place, people came together with their banners . . . |

Richard Falk (2020-07-03). When Rogue States Sanction the International Criminal Court. counterpunch.org Even Orwell would be at a loss to make sense of some of the recent antics of leading governments. We would expect Orwell to be out-satirized by the American actions to impose penalties and sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court, not because they are accused of acting improperly or seem guilty of some

G. Dunkel (2020-07-03). Haiti: U.S. deports mortgage fraudster, backs repression. workers.org Emmanuel "Toto" Constant was in charge of FRAPH (the Revolutionary Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti) during the 1991-94 coup against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide when this death-squad organization killed 3,000 people and wounded and maimed many more. During that time, he was also on the CIA's payroll. In . . . |

John Davis (2020-07-03). A Requiem for George Floyd. counterpunch.org However complicit we may be in sustaining the historical-racial schema in this country, we can all now agree that, 'Black Lives Matter', but the tag's emblazonment across the country, and internationally, remains a hollow gesture unless there is meaningful collective action to create a social environment in which all black lives can indeed flourish – and matter.

Pippa Bartolotti (2020-07-03). 'Help raise our voice': Dialogue with Dr. Medhat Abbas, Gaza. workers.org Dr. Medhat Abbas has been director general of primary health care in Shifa Hospital and Al Aqsa in Gaza. He spent time in the Ministry of Health International Relations Department and has extensive experience in Health Services Management. Dr. Abbas is at the forefront of community health services and management . . . |

Chris Banks (2020-07-03). PSL gains ballot status in New Mexico. liberationnews.org The U.S. electoral system is rigged to give only the two ruling-class parties a competitive chance to win.

CounterSpin (2020-07-03). Jessica González on Facebook's Promotion of Hate. fair.org Media…

Bill Willers (2020-07-03). The Mask as a Symbol of Subjugation. dissidentvoice.org We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. — The New England Journal of Medicine, May 21, 2020 (T)hey told us exactly what was coming, and advised us to shut up and follow orders. Tragically, most people have done just that. — CJ Hopkins, 2020 It's …

Liberation staff (2020-07-03). 'Day of Rage' protests annexation of Palestinian land. liberationnews.org In the U.S.,Palestinians and their supports found ways in the midst of a pandemic to make clear that the Palestinian struggle for liberation will continue, and support for it will grow.

Lau Kin Chi (2020-07-03). Tokyo olympics and Fukushima 'revival'. mronline.org At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics a young man born on the day of Hiroshima nuclear bombing was selected to be the last torch bearer on the relay, to signify that Japan had stood up from nuclear ruin. In an attempt to replicate the 1964 Olympic theme, the Abe government has constructed the idea of a …

AEAWRWA (2020-07-03). Why are Certain Christians Democratic and Others Authoritarian? counterpunch.org Why are certain Christians democratic and other Christians authoritarian, yet both profess belief in the same Bible and God? Why do some Christians emphasize personal authenticity and others biblical authority? Why do certain Christians want to empower people, and other Christians want to gain power over people? Why do some Christians believe that the goal

Staff (2020-07-03). What Happens When Wildfires and Covid Collide? therealnews.com COVID-19 may make the impacts of the west's wildfire season more deadly, hitting aging and vulnerable communities the hardest.

Mirinda Crissman (2020-07-03). Behind the walls: a summary. workers.org Case numbers in the thousands At least 48,764 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among prisoners. The data suggest that even these numbers may be underreported. Texas leads in the number of cases with 7,757, followed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons with 6,621 cases. Ohio, Michigan, California and Tennessee . . . |

Staff (2020-07-03). Cop Pulled A Gun On Woman's Unarmed Son, Then Used Facebook Posts Against Her In Court. therealnews.com PAR investigates police use of Facebook posts in the cases of Korryn Gaines, Arturo Adame, and Michael Avery, and follows Erica Hamlett's fight for accountability for an off-duty officer who pulled a gun on her child while he waited for a bus.

Pratyush Chandra (2020-07-03). India Unlocked: World's "Biggest Lockdown" and Workers' Long March. dissidentvoice.org At times, states compete to showcase merchandise and relative productive capacities. Other times, many of these states sell misery to gain access to economic packages, charities and loans. Today is the time when they compete to show off their capacity to impose the most efficient lockdown on their citizenry. Of course, the priority is to …

a guest author (2020-07-03). On the Road to Justice with im/migrant TPS holders. workers.org By G. Lechat Inspired by the great Civil Rights Movement and in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, immigrant Temporary Protected Status recipients organizing with Alianza TPS Nacional are forging a "Road to Justice." This is the name they gave their 200+ car caravan that converged on Washington, D.C., June 23-24 . . . |

Staff (2020-07-03). Whose Freedom Do We Celebrate On The Fourth of July. therealnews.com What, to the descendants of those left out of the Declaration of Independence, is the Fourth of July?

Jon Skolnik (2020-07-03). Hollywood and the Pentagon are cheating on the American public. mronline.org Most propaganda machines are not observable to the naked eye, but the military-entertainment complex hides in plain sight. Long have Hollywood and the Pentagon worked together in what has been called a relationship of "mutual exploitation," producing war agitprop for the masses. Who is the victim amid all this exploitation?>

Eric Zuesse (2020-07-03). Countries Ranked on "Democracy" in 2020. dissidentvoice.org NATO and its supporters and member-nations are hiding the fact that the predominant belief in many of these nations is that they're dictatorships that merely pontificate 'democracy' to other nations. NATO, which is America's propagandistically 'pro-democracy' military alliance against Russia and against China, polled the people in 53 countries — some of which are in …

Eds. (2020-07-03). Green structural adjustment in the World Bank's resilient cities. mronline.org Cities across the world are facing a double-barreled existential problem: how to adapt to climate change and how to pay for it.

RT (2020-07-03). Fortnite goes woke? Hit game to host new series of conversations about 'race in America'. rt.com Epic Games, the developer of the massively popular Fortnite, has announced that it will air a series of conversations about race, featuring "prominent" black voices from various sectors. | The hit game, estimated to be played by a staggering 350 million people worldwide, will host the conversation series titled 'We The People' on Saturday. The program will be aired in the game's Battle Royale game mode. | Viewers will hear from speakers who include Elaine Welteroth, former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. | Welteroth headed the magazine until September 2017 and was praised for injecting more social justice and p…

RT (2020-07-03). Scuffles break out as National Guard moves in to disperse protesters blocking entrance to Trump's Mt. Rushmore event (VIDEOS). rt.com It has come to a face-off between the National Guard and protesters blocking the road to Mount Rushmore, which is set to host US President Donald Trump's rally, after they refused to back down. Arrests have been reported. | With several hours left until Trump's 'Salute America' event to mark Independence Day at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota on Friday, an estimated 200 to 300 protesters effectively made the road leading into the venue impassible. | pic.twitter.com/og0DND5FHH— Jordan Parker (@jordanparker_) pip.hinman (2020-07-03). CFMMEU places green ban on Parramatta Museum historic sites. greenleft.org.au

RT (2020-07-03). No more slaves and masters: Twitter engineers BAN whole range of terms in fight for 'more inclusive language'. rt.com Twitter's engineering team will systematically purge a list of offensive terms from its source code and internal documents in the name of political correctness. Terms like "master" and "slave" will go, as will gendered pronouns. | "We're starting with a set of words we want to move away from using in favor of more inclusive language," Twitter Engineering announced on Wednesday. | Among the terms to be terminated are "whitelist" and "blacklist," "master" and "slave," which will be replaced with "allowlist" and "denylist," and "leader" and "follower" respectively. Gendered pronouns such as "guys" will be swapped…

RT (2020-07-03). France to probe ex-PM & minister over handling of Covid-19 — prosecutors. rt.com France's former prime minister Edouard Philippe and its health officials will be the targets of a probe into the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, prosecutors say. | Health minister Olivier Véran and his predecessor Agnès Buzyn will be investigated, along with Philippe, the attorney general said. | The probe comes after nine complaints were found to be admissible by the Court of Justice of the Republic "on the sole count of abstention from fighting a disaster." | | Edouard Philippe arrives for a meeting at the Elysee Palace. © Reuters / Christian Hartmann | Philippe resi…

RT (2020-07-03). 'Racist' elk statue targeted by mob to be removed, after inferno causes 'severe' damage to Portland landmark (PHOTOS). rt.com A sculpture of an elk that has graced downtown Portland, Oregon, for 120 years is to be taken down by city authorities, after protesters set the statue on fire. Police have asked the public to help identify the vandals. | On Wednesday night, demonstrators defaced the seemingly benign statue and lit a series of fires around its base, quickly engulfing the horned effigy in flames. | Portland Police said in a statement that the city's Regional Arts Council had determined that the damage to the base was "so severe" that the landmark would have to be removed for public safety reasons. Officials fear the statue coul…

RT (2020-07-03). Germany joins tiny host of European nations by making 'upskirting' punishable crime. rt.com German MPs have followed their UK and French colleagues, backing legislation that carries a fine or even a prison term for taking unsolicited photos under somebody's clothing. | The Bundestag voted in favor of a law on "improving privacy protection" this Friday, thus outlawing the practice. | From now on, anyone trying to film under somebody's clothing in order to see their underwear or private parts will face a fine or a maximum prison term of up to two years. Under existing laws, upskirting was deemed a minor offence punishable only by a small fine. | Minister Christine Lambrecht, who championed the legislat…

RT (2020-07-03). British MoD taught Saudi troops how to 'stay popular with the press,' as 100s trained in UK last year — report. rt.com Amid the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, some of its soldiers were taught in the UK how to look good in front of the world's media in case of any "potential wrongdoing," a new report says. | Ministry of Defence data published by Declassified UK reveals that hundreds of Saudis entered the country for training at six Royal Air Force (RAF) sites in 2019. As the Saudis arrived, their country's campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels entered its fourth year, and a ban on UK-made weapons exports to the desert kingdom came into effect, in response to growing human-rights concerns. | Although the UK's training of…

RT (2020-07-03). US govt providing unsterile Covid-19 screening supplies amid surge in testing demand, claims Washington state. rt.com Medical supplies sent by the federal government to help with coronavirus testing have been too slow to arrive and have failed quality control checks, according to Washington state's top health official. | A US government program aimed at supporting nationwide testing efforts has been "beset by logistical problems that impede our pandemic response and undermine our shared goals," Washington state Secretary of Health John Wiesman wrote in a letter to US Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir. | Wiesman claimed that his state had received around 250,000 bulk-packaged swabs from the federal government…

RT (2020-07-03). 'Great news!' Trump hails falling coronavirus daily death counts, brushes off concerns over spike in cases. rt.com US President Donald Trump has argued that the recent surge in coronavirus cases is explained by "massive" and ramped up screenings for the illness, while celebrating the fall in daily fatalities as "great news." | The president took to Twitter late on Thursday night to repurpose what has been widely deemed gloomy news about the course of the pandemic, saying the case spike is, in fact, a function of expanded testing around the country. | "There is a rise in coronavirus cases because our testing is so massive and so good, far bigger and better than any other country. This is great news, but even better news is…

RT (2020-07-03). The right time to defund cops? NYC gun crime hitting new heights as city culls police budget by $1bn. rt.com Three people were murdered in New York overnight into Thursday, in line with a grim trend that saw police responding to the highest number of shootings in over 20 years last month amid a leftist push to divest from the force.

RT (2020-07-03). WATCH: Police 'army' blasts non-lethal rounds at BLM protesters in Portland as riot declared. rt.com For the second night in three days, Portland police have declared a riot in the city, opening fire on protesters with non-lethal munitions outside the Multnomah County Justice Center. | The demonstration had remained peaceful throughout the night but then all hell broke loose when, at 11: 45pm local time, a group of protesters set fire to a piece of wood, prompting a police response which escalated as people refused to leave the area and continued protesting. | @PortlandPolice central precinct, police responded and were promptly surrounded by an angry mob. pic.twitter.com/y…

RT (2020-07-03). Vandals spray-paint and BURN Portland's 'Promised Land' statue (VIDEOS). rt.com Rioters in Oregon used fireworks to torch the 'Promised Land' statue depicting a pioneer family at the end of the Oregon Trail. The vandals also laid siege to the city's Justice Center in what police deemed a "riot." | The city of Portland is known nationwide as a hotbed of left-wing activism, and protesters there have embraced the 'Black Lives Matter' cause with gusto. After

RT (2020-07-03). Civil rights groups sue N.Carolina town over protest ban – but where were they when 3 other states banned pipeline protests? rt.com The ACLU and other groups have sued Graham, North Carolina, calling the city's ban on "demonstrations of two or more people" while under a declared emergency unconstitutional. They've remained silent on similar laws, though. | Graham violated protesters' First Amendment rights to freedom of assembly and speech with the law, which bars two or more people (or even a single person carrying a sign) from assembling without a protest permit during a declared state of emergency, the suit, filed on Thursday, states. The Alamance County Sheriff's Office announced last Friday that no further protest permits would be iss…

The Canary (2020-07-03). Wales and Scotland hit out at UK government's 'shambolic' actions on quarantine. thecanary.co The UK government's handling of the easing of quarantine restrictions for international arrivals has been "shambolic", according to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales.Following weeks of speculation, transport secretary Grant Shapps announced on 3 July that people returning to or visiting England from around 60 countries and overseas territories deemed to have low rates of coronavirus, such as Spain and France, will not need to self-isolate.His department was unable to convince the devolved administrations to sign off on the plan before it was made public.Grant Shapps said the announcement was good…

The Canary (2020-07-03). Germany agrees plan to phase out coal as energy source by 2038. thecanary.co German politicians have finalised the country's long-awaited phase-out of coal as an energy source, backing a plan that environmental groups say is not ambitious enough.Bills approved by both houses of parliament on 3 July envision shutting down the last coal-fired power plant by 2038 and spending some 40 billion euros to help affected regions cope with the transition.The plan is part of Germany's "energy transition", an effort to wean Europe's biggest economy off planet-warming fossil fuels and generate all of the country's considerable energy needs from renewable sources.Achieving that goal is made harder than…

The Canary (2020-07-03). After thousands of coronavirus deaths in care homes, government announces regular testing programme for staff and residents. thecanary.co Staff and residents in care homes for people over 65 or with dementia will be regularly tested for coronavirus (Covid-19) from week beginning 6 July, the government has announced.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced a new social care testing strategy on 3 July. As part of the strategy, staff will be tested weekly, while residents will receive a test every 28 days. This is in addition to intensive testing in any care home facing an outbreak or at increased risk of a flare-up, the department added.The repeat testing programme will be rolled out over the next four weeks to all care homes for the…

_____ (2020-07-03). #DefundThePolice the Real Strategy Behind the Hashtag. strategic-culture.org The demands of revolutionaries are purposely vague. They always have to do with some feelings-based desire like "freedom" or ending "oppression". The government can create a law, remove a tax, or do all sorts of specific things, but there is nothing that they can do to make you feel freedom or non oppressed. In today's America regardless of any factual evidence there are some who feel like they live in a freedom packed utopia while others claim that they are living under the heel of Hitler 2.0. Both of these positions are based on intuition and feelings not a universal rational freedom scale, which simply could n…

Brian Cloughley (2020-07-03). Britain's Disorder and Decline. counterpunch.org The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is no longer united, as most recently illustrated by the vastly dissimilar tactics to control the Covid-19 pandemic taken by England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This follows the differences of opinion in each region concerning the disastrous Brexit decision to quit the European Union, as

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-03). The China-India Trade War: Indian Boycott of Chinese Goods. globalresearch.ca The level of India's economic boycott against Chinese imports will depend on how the two countries resolve their border conflicts and if Indian industry is capable of offsetting the shortage of Chinese goods entering the country. Although the call to …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-03). US Imposes Additional Economic Sanctions Against Venezuela and Iran. globalresearch.ca The US government is seeking to economically drown Venezuela and Iran by wanting to seize fuel that Tehran is sending to Caracas. This is part of a sustained aggressive and illegal policy against both countries. The US Attorney's Office requested …

Jeff Cohen (2020-07-03). Politicians of Color Should Not be Immune From Criticism. counterpunch.org To me, being an anti-racist activist means that one consistently challenges the structures of racist exclusion, exploitation, repression and incarceration It does not mean that one must defend or praise establishment politicians of color. Forty years ago, I was an activist and leader in the battle against police racism, brutality and repression in Los Angeles.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). Over 800 Afghan civilians have lost their lives in six months: UN Assistance Mission. peoplesdispatch.org In a recent spate of at least 56 violent incidents, members of Afghanistan's civil society, religious leaders, healthcare workers, members of the judiciary, civil society activists, non-governmental organizations and journalists have been deliberately attacked…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Copenhagen's Little Mermaid labelled 'racist fish'. yenisafak.com Denmark woke up on Friday to the words "racist fish" scrawled across the base of the "Little Mermaid", the bronze statue honouring Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale that perches on a rock in the sea off a pier in Copenhagen.Police said it had not yet identified the perpetrators. The 107-year-old sculpture, which is visited by one million tourists each year, has been vandalised before, including by anti-whaling campaigners and pro-democracy activists, twice suffering decapitation."We consider it vandalism and have started an investigation," a spokesman for the Copenhagen police said.Protesters of the Bla…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). 'Attempt to instigate civil war in Ethiopia foiled'. yenisafak.com The Ethiopian prime minister on Friday said violence in the country over the past three days was an attempt to instigate a civil war and that it has now been foiled.Abiy Ahmed was speaking at a meeting with senior civil and army officials in the capital Addis Ababa, according to state channel ETV.So far, "87 people lost their lives in the violence including four police officers," ETV quoted Oromia police commissioner as saying.Abiy said instigators of the violence have been arrested thanks to security forces.Violence started in the Horn of Africa country on Tuesday following the death of Ethiopian activist and ar…

Rod Driver (2020-07-03). The Incredible Stitch-up of Julian Assange. zcomm.org What the US and Britain are attempting is not a legal form of extradition, it is extraordinary rendition — the ILLEGAL transfer of a person from one country to another…

Register Peace & Freedom or Green (2020-07-03). Cal Democrats Not Paying Unemployment Claims; Pro-War Feinstein. indybay.org From the home front, with the California Supermajority Democratic Legislature & Governor contracting out to process millions of unemployment claims, many unpaid for months, to California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein voting to continue the blood for oil illegal occupation and war in Afghanistan, the Democratic Party insists with every move it is the same as the Republican Party.

Eugene Puryear (2020-07-03). From rebellion to revolution. peoplesdispatch.org A profound rebellion against racism has been sweeping the country for a month. Millions have taken to the streets in every part of the country, shaking public opinion. Elite institutions, individuals and corporate brands are scrambling to offer symbolic sacrifices at the altar of racial justice in the hopes they will be spared from the righteous wrath in the streets. | At the same time the police are wantonly attacking protestors and continuing to murder Black people, making a mockery of all the "official" declarations of "anti-racism." | Hidden in just this fact is the most important lesson: The capitalist syste…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). New York City's police budget cut falls short. peoplesdispatch.org In New York City, protests have continued almost daily, one month after the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis. Similar to cities across the country, protesters and movements have raised the demand that the city administration cut all funding for the police department, or defund the police. On June 30, the city council passed the budget for the 2021 fiscal year and despite sustained protests and a one week protest occupation outside city hall, councillors resolved to only cut 1 billion from the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget. | The budget cuts, even though significant, still leaves…

Frank Joyce (2020-07-03). Give Me Liberty, Give You Death. counterpunch.org So, here we are again at the granddaddy of all of the official U.S. celebrations of militarism and white power. Only the hard won observances of Labor Day and MLK's birthday are exceptions. Independence Day this year though is different. That's because of COVID 19 and the eruption of protest over the ongoing murders of

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). Chileans carry out a two-day national protest against Piñera's government. peoplesdispatch.org The national strike has been called in rejection of the national government, its mishandling of the health and economic emergencies and the lack of food and aid for vulnerable population…

Arun Gupta (2020-07-03). Seattle's CHOP Went Out With Both a Bang and a Whimper. zcomm.org "Greed drowned out the protests.Everyone is fighting to be a leader because they want to be in the meeting with the mayor and say, 'Defund the police and fund my organization.'"

_____ (2020-07-03). US Exposed For Funding Last Year's Hong Kong Protests. popularresistance.org Imagine how the American government would react if multiple Chinese state agencies such as Xinhua were exposed secretly helping protest groups across the United States to evade surveillance and crackdowns by law enforcement agencies. | Washington would probably threaten China with war. Roughly, though, the little-known but powerful US Agency for Global Media has been doing just that in Hong Kong. It oversees funding for various news and information operations around the world, including Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. | About US$2 million was earmarked for the protest movement in Hong Kong, but has now been…

_____ (2020-07-03). Lawyers Get No Bail In Property Damage Case, Face 45 Years In Prison. popularresistance.org The Center for Constitutional Rights and a coalition of other civil rights organizations are calling on federal prosecutors to release on bail two New York attorneys who are accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into an empty New York police car during protests in Brooklyn on May 30. The lawyers — Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman — are facing a minimum of 45 years in prison if convicted on the federal charges. The two were initially released on bail, but then the federal government challenged the bail conditions, sending them back to pretrial detention — a move that shocked many in the legal co…

Black Lives Matter SLV (2020-07-03). Saturday 7/11: San Lorenzo Valley: Black Lives Matter Protest. indybay.org Meet at San Lorenzo Valley High School, 7105 Hwy 9, Felton…

_____ (2020-07-03). The Trouble With 'White Privilege'. strategic-culture.org In the wake of the tumultuous Back Lives Matter protests, "white privilege" is the phrase of the day. Everyone uses it, and everyone seems to know what it means. | After all, whites could attend better public schools back in the days of Jim Crow, they could live in better neighborhoods, and they could go to colleges and universities from which blacks were expressly barred. They could enter a store or walk down a street without having to worry about being lynched if they said something wrong to a member of another race, and they could vote without fear of someone burning down their house. | So isn't this the "w…

Nigel Lee, Yu Gao, Sally L. Collins, Lena B. Mà•rtensson, Wendy Randall, Toni-Marie Rowe, Sue Kildea (2020-07-03). Caesarean delivery rates and analgesia effectiveness following injections of sterile water for back pain in labour: A multicentre, randomised placebo controlled trial. thelancet.com Compared to placebo, injections of sterile water did not reduce rates of caesarean delivery. For the main secondary outcome of pain relief the intervention did result in significantly more women reporting at least 30% and 50% reduction in pain for up to 90 min. Water injections have no effect on birth outcomes though can be an effective treatment for the relief of labour-related back pain.Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Yufeng Shang, Tao Liu, Yongchang Wei, Jingfeng Li, Liang Shao, Minghui Liu, Yongxi Zhang, Zhigang Zhao, Haibo Xu, Zhiyong Peng, Fuling Zhou, Xinghuan Wang (2020-07-03). Scoring systems for predicting mortality for severe patients with COVID-19. thelancet.com Old age, CHD, LYM%, PCT and DD were independently related to mortality. CSS was useful for predicting in-hospital mortality and complications, and it could help clinicians to identify high-risk patients with poor prognosis.

Asma Khalil, Erkan Kalafat, Can Benlioglu, Pat O'Brien, Edward Morris, Tim Draycott, Shakila Thangaratinam, Kirsty Le Doare, Paul Heath, Shamez Ladhani, Peter von Dadelszen, Laura A. Magee (2020-07-03). SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical features and pregnancy outcomes. thelancet.com The risk of iatrogenic preterm birth and caesarean delivery was increased. The available evidence is reassuring, suggesting that maternal morbidity is similar to that of women of reproductive age. Vertical transmission of the virus probably occurs, albeit in a small proportion of cases.

Elijah J. Magnier (2020-07-03). No Israeli War on Lebanon Before the Next US Elections. globalresearch.ca There is no doubt that, since Ben Gurion, the Zionist

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2020-07-03). Trump's decision to celebrate 4 July at Mt Rushmore is a big 'f**k you' to Indigenous people and anti-racism campaigners. thecanary.co The police

Elizabeth Woodworth (2020-07-03). Remdesivir for Covid-19: $1.6 Billion for a "Modestly Beneficial" Drug? globalresearch.ca The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recently "bought" all of Gilead Science's Remdesivir for $1.6 billion. "500,000 doses at $3,200 per patient — to be available to American hospitals but not for other countries"[6] | That's $1.6 …

Joseph Natoli (2020-07-03). Drawn Away from Reality in Plain View. counterpunch.org "By wearing a mask, the exhaled viruses will not be able to escape and will concentrate in the nasal passages, enter the olfactory nerves and travel into the brain," several false posts on Facebook and Twitter stated." "An extremely credible source has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud."

William rivers Pitt (2020-07-03). As COVID Burns Through the South and West, Trump Fans the Flames. zcomm.org Donald Trump would step on the dead faces of his own supporters in the street if he believed doing so would carry him closer to victory in November…

WSWS (2020-07-03). US unemployment rate dips, but millions remain jobless or face wage cuts. wsws.org Despite Trump's claims that the "economy is roaring back," joblessness remains at depression levels while the reopening of businesses has produced a surge of COVID-19 cases.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). Family of 65-year-old Kashmiri civilian says he was killed by security forces. peoplesdispatch.org A civilian was allegedly killed by the Indian security forces in the Sopore district of Kashmir, according to his family. Following the incident, pictures of the deceased's grandson sitting on top of his dead body drenched in blood went viral on social media, triggering widespread condemnation…

Newsclick (2020-07-03). US Buys Up Remdesivir: We Must Break Patents for Access to COVID-19 Drug. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha points out that countries must use the compulsory licence clause to make sure the drug is available to all. He also analyses how this might be a prelude to similar acts once a vaccine is available.

John Feffer (2020-07-03). In the U.S., the Second Wave Is Already Here. zcomm.org While Europe and Asia track down three-digit infection spikes at worst, the U.S. is dealing with over 40,000 a day…

Lawrence Weschler (2020-07-03). Imagining a New Mount Rushmore. thenation.com Imagining a New Mount Rushmore…

news.un (2020-07-03). Protecting migrant workers in Kuwait: a Resident Coordinator's blog. news.un.org In Kuwait, the UN has played an important role in countering xenophobic rhetoric, falsely blaming the spread of COVID-19 on migrant workers. In this opinion piece, Tarek El Sheikh, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country, highlights the efforts being made to safeguard the rights of foreign residents.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). Colombians march for dignity against state violence. peoplesdispatch.org Despite the national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Colombian people continue to suffer at the hands of security forces and far-right armed groups. A series of assassinations of social leaders shook Colombia last weekend. In less than 24 hours, 4 Indigenous, peasant and social leaders were killed. The news of the rape of a 13-year-old Indigenous Embera girl by 7 soldiers has also sparked mass outrage.

J.B. Gerald (2020-07-03). Cameroon and Nigeria: the Risk of Breathing. dissidentvoice.org There is a long history of human rights violations by Cameroon's government against its Anglophone people. Brutalized by war with Boko Haram, the Cameroon military is now engaged in low intensity warfare against militant Anglophone separatists. On May 15, 2019 for instance, Cameroon's military attacked Anglophone Separatist Bamenda, burning 70 dwellings and stores in retaliation …

Ellen Taylor (2020-07-03). The US Military Has Its Knee on the Throat of the World. counterpunch.org The 2021 Defense Budget is making its way through Congress. The annual drama of this event has always been of particular interest to residents of the north Pacific Coast, as the US Navy's nursery lies only twelve miles off our coast. This is where many of the weapons purchased by Congress take their first baby

Meagan Day (2020-07-03). The Coming Pandemic-Induced Eviction Crisis. zcomm.org If federal unemployment benefits are not extended when they expire next month, millions of households will be facing both steep rent and unemployment with no assistance. And that means mass evictions…

Jonah Raskin (2020-07-03). My Adventures in the Matriarchy. counterpunch.org I'm not talking about a fairytale matriarchy from long ago and far away. I'm talking about a matriarchy here and now in northern California. I live in one, though I imagine that some might say that it's not a true matriarchy. Maybe not, but as far as I'm concerned it's as close to a true

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-07-03). Criminalising Journalism: Australia's National Security Craze. asia-pacificresearch.com …

Michael Jansen (2020-07-03). Security Council, General Assembly Never Held Israel Accountable for Violations of UN Principles. globalresearch.ca Seventy-five years ago, 50 countries signed the UN Charter at a conference in San Francisco in ceremonies attended by 3,500 delegates and 2,500 media representatives and observers from non-governmental organisations. Representing 80 per cent of the world's population, the signatories …

Robert Koehler (2020-07-03). Is the nation opening its soul? zcomm.org The ghosts of the past that are returning to the present moment could be the harbingers of unimaginable change…

Daniel Hilton (2020-07-03). Israel's Annexation Plans Explained in Nine Questions. globalresearch.ca The Israeli government has suggested that plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank could be revealed from 1 July. | Such a move has been condemned by Israel's allies and rivals alike as a dangerous escalation that could destabilise …

David Rosen (2020-07-03). White Nationalists on the Attack. counterpunch.org On Monday, June 22nd, Pvt. Ethan P. Melzer, 22, was charged with planning an ambush of members of his unit during an upcoming deployment with the help of an "occult-based neo-Nazi" group known as the "Order of the Nine Angles" and a related group known as the "RapeWaffen Division." Melzer was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, and

Dean Baker (2020-07-03). Profit Shares Soared After the Great Recession: News You Can't Get at the New York Times. cepr.net Apparently Steven Rattner, a regular columnist at the New York Times, is unable to get government data on corporate profits. That is what readers must conclude from his column on the strength of the stock market in spite of a plunging economy. While Rattner rightly points to the fact that interest rates on bonds are …

Westenley Alcenat (2020-07-03). Is the Fourth of July Worth Celebrating? thenation.com Is the Fourth of July Worth Celebrating?

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). Unions Fight to Save South African Airways. peoplesdispatch.org The Spokesperson of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, talks about the ongoing struggle to ensure that the national carrier, South African Airways, can be saved. She explains why the unions have stridently opposed a plan to 'rescue' the airline presented by Business Rescue Practitioners and questions the logic of the plan. She also details the proposals the unions are putting forward to make sure that the airline and its employees' interests are safeguarded.

George Ochenski (2020-07-03). Trump's Contagion Road Show Heads West. zcomm.org The last thing any thinking person would do when faced with this crisis is take steps to make it worse. Yet, that's just what's happening as Trump seeks to halt federal funds for testing when the medical professionals are advising just the opposite…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-07-03). Israel Awaits US Authorization to Annex West Bank. globalresearch.ca Since the beginning of June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to annex the West Bank, even calling on the armed forces to prepare for an invasion. Netanyahu's plan, he said, was to annex the territory of the West …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-03). Communist youth in Austria resist fascist mobilizations. peoplesdispatch.org On July 1, Wednesday, the Communist Youth of Austria (KJO) brought out a statement calling for resistance against the rising fascist and racist manifestations in Vienna and other Austrian cities. The statement by the Vienna committee of the KJO was made in the backdrop of an attack by right-wing Turkish nationalists against a Kurdish gathering in Vienna on June 24, and the clashes that followed it. Last week's events have also led to some diplomatic hostility between Austria and Turkey. | According to reports, a group called Grey Wolves comprising right-wing sections within the Turkish diaspora in Vienna was resp…

Phil Miller (2020-07-03). Hundreds of Saudi and Gulf Military Personnel Trained in Britain as Yemen War Continues. globalresearch.ca New data shows Britain's Royal Air Force trained Saudi personnel in 2019 on fighter jets used to bomb civilians in Yemen — a country on the brink of famine — while UK soldiers coached other forces in the Saudi-led coalition …

Center For Biological Diversity (2020-07-03). House Democrats Set to Give 850,000 Acres of Nevada Wildlife Refuge to Military. globalresearch.ca In a stunning development in the ongoing controversy over proposed military bombing range expansion in Nevada, the Democrat-led House Armed Services Committee today approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would give the U.S. Air Force jurisdiction …

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-07-03). Nigeria third worst COVID-19-affected African country. peoplesdispatch.org According to official data, Nigeria has 6.3% of the COVID-19 cases on the African continent, while South Africa accounts for around 37%. However, Nigeria has conducted only 0.67 tests per 1,000 people, when the figure in South Africa stands at 27.48 tests every 1,000 people…

Diana Adjadj (2020-07-03). How might Covid-19 change our schools long-term? nationofchange.org What happens in the short-term will certainly be determined within the next several weeks. How institutions will deal with the longer-term impacts of this crisis are yet to be seen.

Shane Quinn (2020-07-03). US Downing of Iranian Airliner Gone From History. globalresearch.ca This article was first published on July 2, 2018, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 on July 3, 1988. Having found

Sasha Abramsky (2020-07-03). As Infection Rates Soar, Trump Says Virus Could Just 'Disappear'. thenation.com As Infection Rates Soar, Trump Says Virus Could Just 'Disappear'

Peter Bolton (2020-07-03). Perhaps it's time those accusing the left of antisemitism look in the mirror. thecanary.co Labour leader Keir Starmer recently

Jon Rappoport (2020-07-03). Huge COVID Case-counting Deception at the CDC. globalresearch.ca For this piece, we have to enter the official world (of the insane)—where everyone is quite sure a new coronavirus was discovered in China and the worthless diagnostic tests mean something and the case numbers are real and meaningful. Once …

Rosemary Frei (2020-07-03). "No One Has Died from the Coronavirus" globalresearch.ca A high-profile European pathologist is reporting that he and his colleagues across Europe have not found any evidence of any deaths from the novel coronavirus on that continent. | Dr. Stoian Alexov called the World Health Organization (WHO) a "criminal medical …

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Erdogan says Turkey to 'keep a close watch' on developments in Libya. yenisafak.com "Work between Turkey and Libya's legitimate government must continue very seriously and decisively," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.Erdogan also underlined that Ankara wants to "keep a close watch" on the developments in Libya as he informed that Turkish defense minister arrived in the civil-war-torned northern African country on Friday.Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Chief of General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler arrived in Libya to review the activities carried out under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries.Following the military ceremony at the Mitiga International A…

Alison Bodine (2020-07-03). The U.S. Military Is the World's Biggest Climate Destroyer. No to War and Occupation! No to Environmental Degradation. globalresearch.ca Talk by Alison Bodine at the United National Antiwar Coalition National Conference held from February 21—23, 2020, at the People's Forum in New York City. | *** | To begin, I hope everyone has been able to see actions across Canada in …

yenisafak (2020-07-03). As tourists trickle back to resorts, Greeks have modest expectations. yenisafak.com Shops shuttered and streets abandoned, the island of Rhodes is pinning its hopes on a trickle of tourists to salvage what is left of a holiday season decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.One of Greece's busiest resort islands, the cobbled streets of the imposing medieval city of Rhodes town were empty this week. At this rate, only a few hotels will open this year, locals say."We have never experienced anything like this, not at least for the past 50 to 60 years," said Manolis Markopoulos, head of the hoteliers association in Rhodes.Greece opened its regional airports, including in Rhodes, to travellers this week…

_____ (2020-07-03). Shell: Latest Oil Company To Do A Belly Flop. popularresistance.org We're halfway through 2020, and I think we can all safely say it's been a pretty terrible year. There's been so much terrible stuff in the past two months alone, I can't even remember the bad stuff that happened in January. But I'm sure it sucked. | So I'll take minor bits of good news where I can get it. And the latest is Shell writing down $22 billion on its balance sheets, making it the latest oil company to acknowledge that things are probably not going back to the way they were. | The company announced it expected the dip in value to be driven by both its oil and gas sides of the business on Tuesday. The pro…

_____ (2020-07-03). Black Immigrants On The Front Lines Of COVID-19. popularresistance.org As the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Black immigrants — immigrants who identify as Black regardless of country or region of birth — are playing an important role on the front lines in healthcare, food supply, education, and biomedical industries. Black immigrants make up a significant portion of healthcare workers. In 2018, there were more than 560,000 Black immigrant workers in the healthcare sector. These workers made up 3.4 percent of all healthcare workers, a share almost three times their share of the U.S. population. In the food industry at large, there are over 223,000 Black immigrant…

_____ (2020-07-03). Trump Used Looted Venezuelan Public Money To Build Border Wall. popularresistance.org Since the United States initiated a coup attempt against Venezuela's elected leftist government in January 2019, up to $24 billion worth of Venezuelan public assets have been seized by foreign countries, primarily by Washington and member states of the European Union. | President Donald Trump's administration has used at least $601 million of that looted Venezuelan money to fund construction of its border wall with Mexico, according to government documents first reviewed by Univision. | During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump insisted countless times that he would "make Mexico pay" to build a gargantuan wall…

_____ (2020-07-03). World Rebukes US Over Iran. popularresistance.org Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday sought to reassert America's waning influence on the world stage, challenging the U.N. Security Council to extend a U.N. arms embargo that is due to expire in October. Instead, America's top diplomat received a scolding from friends and foes alike in the 15-nation council, which roundly criticized Washington for withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal two years ago without a clear plan to limit Tehran's nuclear activities. | On a day when the European Union pointedly excluded the United States from a "safe list" of countries permitted to travel to the 27-member bloc, the c…

_____ (2020-07-03). Cuba's Two Pandemics: The Coronavirus And The US Embargo. popularresistance.org As soon as the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in Cuba, our country mobilized all its resources to contain the spread of the virus. | Our healthcare workers go door to door checking people for possible symptoms. Those with symptoms are transferred to specially designated centers to receive treatment, mostly with medication developed by Cuba's own pharmaceutical and biotech industry. The medical examinations and treatments are all provided free of charge. | As of June 20, 85 people have died of COVID-19 in Cuba. Our mortality rate of 3.9 percent is very low compared to the rest of the world. We reached the p…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). 'Top-level visit shows importance EU attaches to Turkey'. yenisafak.com EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's upcoming visit to the Turkish capital reflects the importance the EU places on its relations with Turkey, the bloc's chief foreign policy spokesperson said on Friday. | Borrell will meet Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday in Ankara, Peter Stano confirmed. | The top diplomats will "discuss the overall relations and in particular the recent developments and tensions in our relations between the EU and Turkey, and between Turkey and individual member states," Stano explained. | He stressed that "the trip and the exchanges are the expressions of the importance…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Top Iran security body says cause of incident at Natanz nuclear site identified. yenisafak.com Iran's top security body said on Friday the cause of an incident and fire at the Natanz nuclear site had been determined and will be announced later, semi-official news agency Tasnim reported."Investigations by the relevant agencies have accurately determined the cause of the incident… at the Natanz nuclear complex," spokesman Keyvan Khosravi said, according to Tasnim. "Due to security considerations, the cause and manner of the incident will be announced at a convenient time."Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation initially reported an "incident" had occurred early on Thursday at Natanz. It later published a photo…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Indigenous leaders angry about coronavirus risk from Brazilian military visit. yenisafak.com Leaders of an isolated indigenous Yanomami community in Brazil have complained that a military mission to protect them from the coronavirus brought greater risk of infection to their people through contact with outsiders including journalists.Federal prosecutors said they were investigating the visit for ignoring the wishes of Yanomami communities to remain isolated from society, violating rules of social distancing and distributing chloroquine to indigenous people.On Tuesday and Wednesday, soldiers brought medical supplies by helicopter to outposts on the border with Venezuela and assembled Yanomami families to…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Pakistan: 15 Sikh pilgrims die in van-train collision. yenisafak.com At least 15 killed when a passenger van collided with a train near the northeastern Punjab province on Friday, said a railway official. The van was carrying a total of 25 Sikh Pilgrims when it crashed with Shah Hussain Express at 52 number railway crossing in Sheikhupura, near Lahore, the provincial capital, said Qurat ul Ain, a spokeswoman of the country's railway authorities, in a statement.Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the accident and offered condolences to the victims' families.

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Macron names Jean Castex as prime minister in government overhaul. yenisafak.com French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named Jean Castex, a top civil servant and local mayor who orchestrated France's exit from its coronavirus lockdown, as prime minister in a high-stakes cabinet reshuffle.Castex will be tasked be forming the next government, the Elysee Palace said in a short statement. He replaces Edouard Philippe, who resigned earlier on Friday.

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Turkey condoles with Myanmar over deadly landslide. yenisafak.com The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Turkey was deeply saddened that the landslide at a jade mining site in northern Myanmar has resulted in loss of at least 162 lives, while more than 54 were injured and unknown number of people went missing."We extend our heartfelt condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives and to the friendly people of Myanmar, wish speedy recovery to those injured, and hope that the missing will be safely found soon," the ministry added.The landslide in the state of Kachin was caused by heavy rains, triggering a "muddy wave" which buried the miners collecting…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Russia to reopen embassy in Libya. yenisafak.com Russia has decided to reopen its embassy in Libya, the Interfax news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Friday.Lavrov said a ceasefire in the Libyan conflict, proposed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi alongside Libya's eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in Cairo on June 6, fitted into decisions taken at an international conference in Berlin regarding the situation in the North African country.Lavrov was speaking at the start of a meeting with the speaker of Libya's pro-Haftar eastern parliament, Aguila Saleh.

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Pakistani FM Qureshi tests positive for COVID-19. yenisafak.com Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, according to reports.'This afternoon I felt a slight fever and immediately quarantined myself at home. I have now tested positive for Covid 19. By the grace of Allah, I feel strong and energetic," Qureshi said on Twitter.He said he will continue to carry his duties from his home and requested the public to keep remember in their prayers.Previously, the country's two former prime ministers, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, several cabinet members, lawmakers, and politicians ha…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). EU grants conditional clearance to COVID-19 antiviral remdesivir. yenisafak.com The EU executive said the drug, produced by Gilead Sciences Inc, was the first medicine authorised in the European Union for treating COVID-19 following a "rolling review" begun by the European Medicines Agency at the end of April.The agency reviews data as they become available on a rolling basis, while development is still ongoing.The Commission said on Wednesday it was in negotiations with Gilead to obtain doses of remdesivir for the 27 European Union countries.However, that may prove difficult after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it had secured all of Gilead's projected production…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Russia reports less than 7,000 cases for 8th day in row. yenisafak.com Russia on Friday reported less than 7,000 new coronavirus for the eight consecutive day.A total of 6,718 cases were reported over the past 24 hours, raising the tally to 667,883, with active cases making up about a third of the total, the country's emergency task force said in a daily report.The virus claimed 176 lives over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 9,859 while recoveries went up by 8,915 to reach 437,893, it added.Earlier this week, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the country will continue increasing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests despite declining case numbers, to "identify new…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). China's COVID-19 complex to produce over 100M vaccine. yenisafak.com China has completed the construction of a research laboratory and workshop complex in the city of Wuhan for producing vaccines to combat COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic, the state-run media said on Friday.While the laboratory is capable to research and study pathogenic virus vaccines, the workshop will produce over 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine annually, reported Xinhua news agency, quoting the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).The complex was earlier hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in Wuhan city located in Central China's Hubei province last December.China National…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Close to 50 organized crime suspects remanded in Turkish custody. yenisafak.com As many as 49 people in Turkey were remanded in custody on Friday for their alleged links to organized crime.On June 26, Turkish security forces had arrested 75 suspects in the western Izmir province during an operation against an organized crime group.The suspects were sent to the Izmir Courthouse.Forty-nine of them were remanded in custody by the court for their alleged involvement in organized crime, including drug trafficking and forming a crime syndicate.While 21 of the suspects were released by the court under judicial control, five others were released.* Writing by Fahri Aksut…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Turkey accuses France of committing crimes in Libya. yenisafak.com Turkey's ruling party spokesman on Friday accused France of committing crimes in civil war-torn Libya."France has committed crimes in Libya," said Omer Celik, spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party.Celik said as France's crimes have surfaced with mass graves, it is posing as a human rights defender to get away with the crimes by blaming Turkey.Recalling France's colonial history, he said: "France is guilty.""[France] cannot cover those mass graves by excessive attacks on Turkey or on our president."Libya has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country's…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Growing number of mercenaries to Sirte deepens conflict in Libya: Analysis. yenisafak.com By Ferhat Polat – The writer is a researcher at the TRT World Research CentreOver the past two months, there has been a drastic change on the ground in Libya as forces loyal to the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) have pushed Haftar's self-declared Libyan National Army (LNA) to the borders of the coastal city of Sirte, some 450 km east of Tripoli, and Al-Jufra airbase in central Libya.Since January this year, Turkey has intervened determinedly in the Libyan conflict, providing air support, weapons, and technical assistance to the UN-backed government, and this Turkish support has rec…

yenisafak (2020-07-03). Erdogan dispels accusations about Hagia Sophia. yenisafak.com Turkey's president said Friday that accusations against the country about Hagia Sophia directly target its sovereignty.Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of a mosque in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey will always protect the rights of Muslims and the minorities living in the country.A Turkish court is about to announce its verdict on converting the 6th-century structure to a mosque.The Hagia Sophia was used as a church for 916 years. In 1453, it was converted into a mosque by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II when the empire conquered Istanbul.Following the restoration work during the Ottoman era and…

en.mehrnews (2020-07-03). Iran, Iraq discuss expansion of defense coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 03 (MNA) — Iranian and Iraqi military officials discussed on the ways to expand security and defense cooperation between the two countries.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-03). Armed forces ready to respond to any US despicable move. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 03 (MNA) — Iranian Minister of Defense (MoD) Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that Iran's Armed forces is ready to respond to any US malicious move authoritatively.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-03). 105 recorded violations by US-Saudi aggression in Yemen. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — The US-Saudi aggression has committed 105 violations of truce against Yemen's Hodeidah during the past 24 hours.

en.mehrnews (2020-07-03). Khaf-Herat railway to come on stream in Nov. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) — Khaf-Herat Railway will become operational before the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2021).

en.mehrnews (2020-07-03). Tehran hosts 12th Doors & Windows Exhibition. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 03 (MNA) — The 12th Specialized Doors & Windows Technology International Exhibition was inaugurated at Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds on Thu July 02.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-07-03). Exploring the sun and targeting cancer: News from the College. imperial.ac.uk Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial.

The Canary (2020-07-03). Tory government splashes £400m of taxpayers' cash on a bankrupt satellite company. thecanary.co The government has taken a major stake in the failed satellite company OneWeb, in a drive to develop a sovereign UK space capability. | The UK is part of a consortium with India's Bharti Global which won a bidding war for the company, which went bankrupt earlier this year while trying to develop a space network to deliver broadband. | Ministers hope it will compensate for the loss of access to the EU's Galileo programme in the wake of Brexit. | The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the UK and mobile operator Bharti are each investing 500 million US dollars ( £400m), with Britain a…

Craig Baldwin (2020-07-03). Friday 7/3: Plague-Time Play-Time. indybay.org ATA GALLERY, 992 Valencia Street…

Michael Petrelis (2020-07-03). Patients Demand SF General Remove Zuckerberg Name. indybay.org Zuckerberg's name on SF General Hospital must be deleted…

PETA (2020-07-03). Monterey Zoo Faces Scrutiny Over Elephant Deaths. indybay.org Salinas, Calif. [June 30, 2020] — PETA has just obtained necropsies for two elephants, Paula and Kristy, who died at the Monterey Zoo in 2019—and the reports raise serious questions about the level of care that the animals received prior to their deaths.

John Malkin (2020-07-03). Community Safety Without Police: Interview with CAHOOTS / White Bird coordinator Tim Black. indybay.org Interview with Tim Black, operations coordinator at CAHOOTS / White Bird Clinic in Eugene, Oregon discussing 30 years of community-based safety and security instead of policing.

Santa Cruz for Abolition (2020-07-03). Saturday 7/4: Fuck the Fourth, Love Your Friends. indybay.org Clocktower, Pacific Avenue and Water Street, Santa Cruz…

Dan Bacher (2020-07-03). Newsom Administration Rushes Forward with Delta Tunnel Project During A Pandemic. indybay.org "The decision to move forward with trying to obtain a federal permit using a set proposal, intakes and tunnel corridor so soon after the scoping period ended, and during a Pandemic, shows that state never had any intention of considering stakeholder input," said Regina Chichizola, co-director of Save California Salmon.

cynthia papermaster (2020-07-03). Saturday 7/4: 4th of July: "Defund Police, Defund Pentagon, Fund Community & Life!" indybay.org 1: 00 – SF City Hall | 1: 30 – 762 Fulton, Black Lives Matter street mural | 2: 00 – Divisadero & Broadway, Nancy Pelosi's House | 3: 00 – Bayview Hunters Point, 11 Innes Court, Lennar office…

Toby Blomé (2020-07-03). Friday 7/3: "BLACK LIVES MATTER" / Anti-War Light Brigade. indybay.org I-80 Pedestrian pedestrian bridge, south of University Ave. | Gather at 8: 50 pm in open parking area, southwest corner of University Ave. Short walk to get up to the bridge. | Accessed by west side frontage road.

Simon Ortiz (2020-07-03). Acoma Pueblo Simon Ortiz: Trump's Self-Celebration Reflected in Mount Rushmore Imperialism. indybay.org Acoma Pueblo poet, professor and author Simon Ortiz reflects on the egotism and arrogance of Trump and his self-celebration, as Trump plans to inject himself into the Black Hills during the coronavirus pandemic.

_____ (2020-07-03). Seriously, Get the Hell Out of Afghanistan. strategic-culture.org The continued Afghanistan occupation is like if the police stormed a house, shot a bunch of people, realized they got the wrong house and they'd never find the guy they were looking for by staying there, stayed anyway, moved in, and then years later said they can't move out because they heard a rumor that the neighbors are trying to make them leave.

Jay Walker (2020-07-03). 51 Years After Stonewall, New York's Queer Liberation March Faces Police Violence. thenation.com 51 Years After Stonewall, New York's Queer Liberation March Faces Police Violence…