Daily Archives: July 23, 2020

2020-07-23: News Headlines

William Boardman (2020-07-23). Defund the Police State, Before It's Too Late. globalresearch.ca The American police state is currently making its boldest test run to date in Portland, Oregon, escalating violence and lawlessness against the peaceful population of an American city. The people of Portland have responded with increased resistance, but support from …

Black Alliance for Peace (2020-07-23). Trump Administration Deploys Federal Forces into Major U.S. Cities. globalresearch.ca The repressive U.S. state's chickens have come home to roost with President Donald Trump announcing federal troops will be deployed to several U.S. cities. This comes after federal agents reportedly disappeared protesters last week off the streets of Portland, Oregon….

DLI (2020-07-23). Secret police in Portland violated human rights of peaceful protesters. indybay.org Videos showing U.S. Federal secret police(with no badges and riding in unmarked vehicles)inflicting massive violence on mostly peaceful protesters are running viral across the Globe. Yet the Federal governing regime brazenly avows that this will be the "new normal" in major cities from now on…

Marilyn Bechtel (2020-07-23). Cities challenge Trump's dispatch of federal law enforcement officers. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif. — Outrage is growing throughout the country over Donald Trump's use of federal law enforcement against protesters in Portland, Oregon, and his threats to dispatch federal officers to other U.S. cities. On July 20, Trump told reporters he might send federal "law enforcement" to cities he claimed were experiencing heightened violence, naming cities …

Fight Back (2020-07-23). Stand with the resistance in Portland! fightbacknews.org Protesters grabbed off the streets by federal agents who refuse to identify themselves, placed unmarked vehicles, and taken to undisclosed locations. These same agents nearly killed a young man holding part of a sound system at a demonstration. This is the outrageous reality in Portland today, were Trump has deployed a paramilitary police force to carry out a wave of repression. The good news is that the resistance in Portland has been nothing short of heroic, as thousands have taken to the streets in a powerful display of opposition. | The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that it is deploying federal a…

_____ (2020-07-23). Federal Agents Retreat To Portland Base As Protesters Control Streets. popularresistance.org The DHS officers dispatched by the president to put down the demonstrations have instead become prisoners of the building they are ostensibly there to defend. | "The feds don't have control of the streets," said a woman holding a sign "100% not a terrorist", who gave her name only as Shannon. "I think they're more scared than us. They're hiding in there. They don't know what they're doing." If the intent was to intimidate the protesters into abandoning the few square blocks of downtown Portland under their control, it backfired spectacularly. | Residents of a city with a long history of radical street protest wer…

_____ (2020-07-23). What Are Trump And His Goons Up To? popularresistance.org First and foremost, it is a political stunt to capture the law and order crowd and press on divides between the coastal cities and inland voters. But it's also more sinister than that. The use of federal forces is designed to weaken local accountability by freezing out local government that constituents can reach. Portland's mayor might not even have opposed some "help" from the feds, but he wasn't asked. In other words, this wasn't mutual aid. This was indeed an invasion. An alphabet soup of federal agencies have been employed to crack down on police brutality protests, including the National Guard, the US Marsh…

_____ (2020-07-23). New Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against Federal Law Enforcement. popularresistance.org The Western States Center, the First Unitarian Church of Portland, two state representatives and an ACLU legal observer are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which alleges the federal government has violated protesters' 10th Amendment rights. It was filed Tuesday in federal court. | The 10th Amendment delineates the separation of powers between federal and state governments. | "The power to engage in ordinary law enforcement is one of the long-recognized powers that belong to the states and to their municipalities," said Cliff Davidson, an attorney with Snell & Wilmer, the firm filing the lawsuit. | The W…

_____ (2020-07-23). Portland's Mayor Tear-Gassed By Militarized US Police. popularresistance.org The mayor of Portland, Oregon was tear-gassed by U.S. government agents as he stood outside a federal courthouse during another night of protests against the presence of federal police sent by President Donald Trump to quell the city's ongoing unrest. | Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, appeared slightly dazed and coughed and said Wednesday night it was the first time he'd been tear-gassed. | He put on a pair of goggles someone handed him and drank water but did not leave his spot at the front of the protest and continued to take tear gas as the demonstration raged — with protesters lighting a large fire betwe…

yenisafak (2020-07-23). In another night of unrest in Portland, tear gas hits mayor. yenisafak.com The mayor of the U.S. city of Portland, Ted Wheeler, was stung by tear gas early on Thursday morning after he joined demonstrators protesting against racial injustice and police brutality.Protests have rocked Portland every night for weeks, with security forces often tear-gassing and clubbing demonstrators.Visiting the protest site, Wheeler was jeered at by some demonstrators who called on him to resign and chanted "Shame on You". They said he should have done more to protect Portland's citizens.However, as he stood amongst the crowd outside Portland's Justice Center, Wheeler, who was wearing a face mask, was him…

RT (2020-07-23). Portland mayor cheers protesters & joins them to face tear gas, gets calls to resign anyway (VIDEOS). rt.com Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler failed to win over a crowd of angry anti-police protesters despite rooting for their cause. But rather than seeing him as an ally against federal agents, some said he's part of the problem and has to go.

Staff (2020-07-23). Headlines for July 23, 2020. democracynow.org Trump to Send "Surge" of Federal Officers into Democrat-Run Cities, COVID-19 Hospitalizations in U.S. Near Same Level as Peak of Pandemic in April, Trump Falsely Claims Children Do Not Transmit COVID-19, McConnell to Unveil New $1 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package, Global COVID-19 Cases Top 15M as Deaths Reach New High in Brazil, U.N.: Israeli Threat to Annex West Bank Is Hampering Palestianian Response to Pandemic, Federal Judge Rejects Releasing Detained Immigrant Families, Report: U.S. Holding Immigrant Toddlers in Hotels for Weeks Before Deportation, Canada Court Rules United States Is Not Safe for Asylum Seek…

Staff (2020-07-23). Paramilitary-Style Tactics in Portland Mirror Decades of U.S. Violence on the Border & Abroad. democracynow.org The harrowing scenes of paramilitary-style units in the streets of American cities like Portland has shocked mainstream America, but award-winning independent journalist Todd Miller, who has reported on border security and immigration for over a decade, says it's a reflection of how the U.S. has operated around the world. We also speak with Cecilia Menjívar, UCLA sociology professor, who says the image of unmarked vans snatching people from the streets "brings back memories to Latin Americans who lived through disappearances of families and friends and co-workers."

Kathryn Shihadah (2020-07-23). Anti-Diplomacy: Danny Danon Ends Five Year Legacy of Israeli Hasbara at the UN. mintpressnews.com Kathryn Shihadah examines the legacy of Danny Danon, whose hawkish anti-diplomacy recently came to end after a five-year stint as Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.

Editor (2020-07-23). Defend Portland! Defend People's Resistance! No Police State! workers.org Despite the brutal attempt of the White House to crush the heroic Black Lives Matter movement by sending camouflaged federal agents ‚àí secret police ‚àí to Portland, Chicago and other U.S. cities, the movement and all who support it have been fighting back. The initial response to the threat of . . . |

Eds. (2020-07-23). As Trump threatens secret police deployment nationwide, Democrats debate expanding surveillance powers and new money for DHS. mronline.org The rogue deployment of secret federal police forces in Portland, Oregon, has added a new complication to negotiations over reauthorizing the Trump administration's vast surveillance powers and appropriating new money for the Department of Homeland Security.

RT (2020-07-23). Tehran says AMERICAN, not Israeli fighter jets endangered passengers of Iranian airliner over Syria. rt.com US Air Force, not Israeli, fighter jets were responsible for unsafely intercepting the Mahan Air plane over Syria, which resulted in injuries to several passengers traveling to Beirut, Iranian media reported. | Mahan Air Flight 1152 was en route from Tehran to Lebanon when it was intercepted by two F-15 fighters near the Syria-Jordan border. The approaching jets forced it to rapidly change course and altitude, resulting in several injuries among the passengers, the company said. | Initial reports from eyewitnesses on board spoke of Israeli planes, and were repeated by international media outlets. The captain…

Jeremy Ben-Ami, James Zogby (2020-07-23). It's Time for the Democratic Party to Mention the Occupation. thenation.com It's Time for the Democratic Party to Mention the Occupation…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-23). Why Palestinian-Israeli Prisoners Exchange Deal Could Happen Soon. dissidentvoice.org For the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is signaling its willingness to engage in negotiations regarding the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to be held by resistance groups in Gaza. But will another prisoner exchange similar to that …

Jonathan Cook (2020-07-23). Israel's Jewish National Fund is uprooting Palestinians — not planting trees. zcomm.org Palestinians have suffered forced displacement at the JNF's hands for more than a century, while watching it win plaudits from around the world for its work in improving the "environment"

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-23). Israeli forces raid Palestinian cultural institutes, arrest directors. peoplesdispatch.org The directors of three prominent Palestinian cultural centers have been arrested by the Israeli forces for an indefinite period on charges of funding terrorism, fraud and tax evasion…

Max Elbaum (2020-07-23). Guns? Yes. Masks? No. And Gestapo in Portland. zcomm.org The toxic mix of valuing gun ownership over protecting public health, conspiracism, and reactionary movements glued together by white supremacy and national chauvinism are too deeply rooted to be ended any time soon…

yenisafak (2020-07-23). Israel to conduct coronavirus tests on Indian patients. yenisafak.com Israel on Thursday announced that it will send researchers and medical equipment to India to carry out COVID-19 tests in one of the hardest-hit countries in the world due to the pandemic."A plane carrying a delegation of some 20 Israeli officials and scientists and tons of gear — including ventilators and novel devices that are not yet produced on a mass scale — is to depart for Delhi in the coming weeks," Israeli officials said, according to Times of Israel.The plane will also carry technologies in the developing stage to be tested on Indian patients."The four tech systems that will be tested are: vo…

sputniknews (2020-07-23). Video: Palestinians Accuse Israelis of Theft as IDF 'Returns' Baptismal Font to West Bank. sputniknews.com While Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) recently celebrated the return of a fifth-century baptismal font, Palestinian officials argue that Israeli forces "stole" the 1,500-year-old relic in an "abominable act of thuggery and cultural appropriation."

IMEMC News (2020-07-22). Israeli Soldiers Demolish A Carwash Facility In Beit Ummar. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, Tuesday, Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and demolished a carwash facility, under the pretext of being constructed without a permit. Mohammad Ayyad Awad, a local nonviolent media activist, said the carwash facility is in the al-Qarn area of Beit Ummar, …

Fight Back (2020-07-22). The Wisconsin District of FRSO condemns the deployment of federal agents to Milwaukee. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – Last week, unmarked federal agents in military uniforms grabbed protesters off the streets of Portland, Oregon, and threw them into unmarked black vans. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed responsibility for the shadowy operation, citing "graffiti" as their justification for snatching activists off the street and interrogating them. | Now, Milwaukee has been named by the Trump administration as one of the cities that would likely be targeted for deployment of Homeland Security Investigation agents. Some Milwaukee activists have reported spotting unidentified agents in military gear n…

Joan Walsh (2020-07-22). Another Long Day of GOP Disrespect for Women. thenation.com Attacks on AOC, Liz Cheney, and Portland's "Wall of Moms" make it seem like Republicans don't care about women. Except Ghislaine Maxwell.

Fight Back (2020-07-22). Federal officers seen dragging protesters into unmarked vans in Portland. fightbacknews.org Portland, OR – For weeks now, officers under the oversight of the Department of Homeland Security have been terrorizing the residents of Portland Oregon in new attempts to stamp out the protest movement that has been ongoing since the killing of George Floyd. These officers can be seen in various videos wearing nondescript camo fatigues with no markings indicating who they are or, or what agency they are working for. These same federal officers nearly killed a protester in Portland last week after shooting him in the head with a 'less-lethal' impact device. | In an intensification of an already overzeal…

Joshua Hanks (2020-07-22). Outrage over Trump attack: Portland movement fights back. workers.org Federal officers were deployed to "quell" Portland's protests beginning the weekend of July 10 and continuing the following week. Camouflaged unidentified agents arrested and detained demonstrators without even a pretext. The Trump administration has escalated the confrontation between the people and the state apparatus, bringing a whiff of fascism to . . . |

Alan MacLeod (2020-07-22). Portland: "Wall of Moms" mobilizes to protect protests from police violence. mronline.org Chanting, "Feds stay clear! Moms are here!," groups of women congregated at the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other locations in Central Portland. They were met with tear gas, flashbangs, and pepper round bullets, injuring many.

Fight Back (2020-07-22). Trump deploying 150 federal agents in Chicago to repress our movement. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | What we have watched in Portland is the dress rehearsal for what Trump is preparing for Chicago: an effort to squash the Black Lives Matter protests flowing from this uprising by violent military means. He claims he is targeting the cities controlled by Democrats because of the chaos caused by the largest rebellion in U.S. history. | In truth, broad democratic forces have come together to exercise their right to protest against police murder and violence. We've had signals this was…

sputniknews (2020-07-22). Over 100 US Lawmakers Ask Barr to Explain Unidentified Federal Officers in Portland. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US law enforcement chiefs need to explain the activities of unidentified federal personnel in Portland, Oregon, during the protests there, 114 members of the House of Representatives wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Wednesday.

RT (2020-07-22). 'We won't retreat': DHS chief defends 'proactive arrests' amid Portland riots, stokes Minority Report dystopia outcry (VIDEOS). rt.com The head of the Department of Homeland Security set off alarms after saying that federal agents were making 'proactive' arrests in Portland amid heated protests, drawing comparisons to the dystopian "pre-crime" of Minority Report. | Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf appeared on a Fox News segment on Tuesday night, discussing the ongoing protests and rioting across Portland, which he says have continued for "52 nights in a row" as federal officers there are stretched to the limit. | "Because we don't have that local law enforcement support, we are having to go out and proactively arrest individuals, and we need…

The Canary (2020-07-22). Israelis block entrance to parliament amid intense protests. thecanary.co A night of intense protests against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government has seen dozens of Israeli demonstrators chain themselves together and briefly block the entrance to parliament.Police arrested four and broke up the gathering, which was called to protest against an upcoming vote to grant the government sweeping authority to bypass parliament in enacting measures to combat coronavirus.It came against the backdrop of a fresh outpouring of discontent with Netanyahu. Protests outside his residence have become a weekly occurrence, with police increasingly taking harsher measures against…

Staff (2020-07-22). Philadelphia DA Says Trump's Police Will Be Arrested If They Assault Protesters. truthout.org As President Donald Trump defends his questionable use of federal agents to arrest and detain protesters in Portland, Oregon, in recent weeks, suggesting also that such actions could happen in other places across the country, one district attorney of a city Trump said might be next said he'd take direct action against any federal officers that unlawfully detained individuals. | Trump appeared to cite partisan politics on Monday as part of the reason he felt the need to take action against c…

Alan Macleod (2020-07-22). Anger Over Israeli Decision to Demolish Palestinian COVID-19 Hospital Ahead of Deadly Second Wave. mintpressnews.com "This shows clearly that Israel doesn't care about Palestinian lives…They can't even give us our basic rights to healthcare so we can treat our people from the coronavirus." –Tayseer Abu Sneineh, Mayor of Hebron…

Staff (2020-07-22). Headlines for July 22, 2020. democracynow.org As U.S. Records 1,000 More COVID-19 Deaths, Trump Admits "It Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better", California Surpasses New York in Total Coronavirus Cases, COVID-19 Death Toll at San Quentin State Prison Reaches 12, HRW: 14 Egyptians Have Died of COVID-19 in Overcrowded Prison, Brazilian COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 80,000; Bolivian Police Recover 400 Bodies, Israel Authorities Demolish Coronavirus Testing Center in West Bank, U.S. Military Infection Rates Soar, Raising Concerns for Areas Near Overseas Bases, Trump Moves to Exclude Counting Undocumented People in Drawing Congressional Districts, Massachusetts…

Ron Jacobs (2020-07-22). Trumpfen Sturmabteilung (Trump's Stormtroopers). counterpunch.org It is not hard to see the forces kidnapping individuals and teargassing Portland's streets as the Trump administration's private stormtroopers. Although they are operating under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the truth is it is the Executive Branch that issued their orders.

Mike Hastie (2020-07-22). Tear Gas, Beatings and Projectiles in Portland. counterpunch.org The last couple of nights I have been heavily involved in demonstrations in Portland, Oregon. ( July 18-19, 2020.) As most of you probably know these demonstrations have been going on in front of the Federal Justice Center for over 50 straight nights. Since Trump called in the Feds, the turmoil and violence has escalated. We

RT (2020-07-22). Jewish human rights group urges Uruguay to sell NAZI eagle to museum to prevent purchase by Hitler admirers. rt.com A symbol of Nazi Germany — an eagle holding a swastika in its talons — should not fall into the hands of Hitler devotees and should instead go to a public-owned museum, the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles has urged.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-22). Israel demolishes COVID-19 testing facility in Hebron, Palestine. peoplesdispatch.org On July 21, Tuesday, Israeli armed forces demolished a Palestinian COVID-19 testing facility in Hebron in the south of occupied West Bank. The testing facility was doubling up as a quarantine center for Palestinians suspected of having contracted COVID-19. Construction at the drive-through facility was still in the process of being completed when the Israeli authorities carried out the demolition citing lack of Israeli construction permits. | The owner of the land and the testing facility told Turkish Anadolu Agency that prior to the demolition on Tuesday, construction was underway for the last three months. Acco…

Ali Salam (2020-07-22). PLO Member Condemns Israel's Theft of 1600 Year old Religious Artifact. imemc.org Executive Member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official condemned, on Monday, the Israeli expropriation of an ancient baptismal font, from Teqoua' town, southeast of Bethlehem city, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. "Israel's theft of a baptismal font dating back to the Byzantine era from Bethlehem, overnight Sunday, is …

yenisafak (2020-07-22). Tally of coronavirus deaths in Bahrain tops 130. yenisafak.com Health authorities in Bahrain recorded additional deaths from the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, while Palestine reported fresh cases. | The Bahraini Health Ministry said two people died from the virus over the past 24 hours, while a total of 894 fresh infections were recorded. | The Gulf state's tally to date now stands at 37,316 cases, including 130 deaths, and 33,455 recoveries. | In Palestine, the Health Ministry said 356 new infections were registered, bringing the total to 11,279 cases, including 67 deaths, and 2,124 recoveries. | The given figures cover the occupied West Bank, the blockaded Gaza Strip and…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-07-22). Could a New Palestinian-Israeli Prisoner Exchange Be in the Works? mintpressnews.com Various signs indicate that a prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestinian groups is drawing near. The question is, will Netanyahu unleash his winning political card now, or will he wait till later, when he needs it most?

South Front (2020-07-22). Video: Israel Responds with Force to Iranian Plans to Deploy Air Defense Systems in Syria. globalresearch.ca Late on July 20, the Israeli Air Force carried out a new wave of airstrikes on the southern countryside of the Syrian capital of Damascus. According to Syria's state-run news agency SANA, Israeli warplanes launched missiles from the airspace over …

IMEMC News (2020-07-22). Detainee Remains Under Solitary Confinement For 130th Day. imemc.org The Palestinian Detainees' Committee has reported, Wednesday, that the Israeli authorities continue to force a detainee under solitary confinement for the 130th consecutive day, under extremely bad conditions. The Committee stated that the detainee, Mohammad Omar Kharwat, was forced into solitary confinement instantly after he was moved from Ramon prison …

PCHR (2020-07-22). Palestinian Civil Society Organisations Welcome the Report of the Special Rapporteur addressing Israel's Collective Punishment Policy. imemc.org The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): Date: 19 July 2020:…

The Palestinian News & Info Agency (2020-07-22). Israeli Navy Attacks Gaza Fishermen, Farmers. imemc.org WAFA News: Gaza, Wednesday, July 22, 2020 (WAFA) — Israeli navy Wednesday morning opened fire towards Palestinian fishermen sailing offshore As-Sudaniya, northwest of Gaza city, and farmers, southeast of Gaza city, WAFA correspondent reported. He confirmed that the fishermen were sailing only three nautical miles offshore the area when Israeli naval …

Jonathan Cook (2020-07-22). An Israeli Charity Group is uprooting Palestinians not planting Trees. dissidentvoice.org The Jewish National Fund, established more than 100 years ago, is perhaps the most venerable of the international Zionist organisations. Its recent honorary patrons have included prime ministers, and it advises UN forums on forestry and conservation issues. It is also recognised as a charity in dozens of western states. Generations of Jewish families, and …

The Palestinian News & Info Agency (2020-07-22). WAFA: "Israeli Police Storms East Jerusalem Cultural Centers, Seize Documents" imemc.org JERUSALEM, Wednesday, July 22, 2020 (WAFA) — Israeli police today stormed two Palestinian-run cultural centers in the occupied city of Jerusalem and seized document, said local sources. They said Israeli police and intelligence officers stormed the East Jerusalem residence of Rania Elias, director of Yabous Cultural Center, and Suheil Khoury, …