January 30, 2020

Baltimore area police officer charged with second degree murder in shooting death of handcuffed suspect after traffic stop. “(Michael) Owen fired his gun seven times, striking (William) Green multiple times, according to court documents. Video obtained by News4 shows officers dragging Green out of the squad car with his hands still cuffed behind his back. ” https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/arrest-of-md-officer-in-handcuffed-suspects-death-reopens-wound-for-family-of-man-killed-by-same-officer/2206062/

U.S. Embassy in China told stranded Americans that rumors of an evacuation flight were untrue, an estimated 800 left behind after entire Wuhan consulate staff flees. “Please be advised that reports of a chartered plane for U.S. citizens leaving tomorrow aren’t true. The embassy is exploring possible options to assist U.S. citizens.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-american-mothers-desperate-attempt-to-get-out-of-wuhan-with-her-daughter-11580320834 Sort of like the crew taking all the lifeboats and leaving the passengers behind. Reminds me of the nuclear holocaust doomsday bunkers for top U.S. officials and a few thousand key government employees. “Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself – While the Rest of Us Die” https://www.npr.org/2017/06/21/533711528/in-the-event-of-attack-heres-how-the-government-plans-to-save-itself

Washington Post reporter suspended after tweeting news story about Kobe Bryant rape allegation. “Felicia (Sonmez) did nothing more than what the Post’s own news stories have done when she shared an article about the past allegation against Bryant.” https://www.vox.com/2020/1/27/21083682/kobe-bryant-felicia-sonmez-tweets-washington-post-twitter Let’s just pretend that never happened.

Body of Mexican environmental activist found at the bottom of a well. “(Homero) Gómez was a tireless campaigner for the conservation of the monarch butterfly and the pine and fir forests where it hibernates.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-51304857

Harvey Weinstein accuser claims she was offered roles in three movies in exchange for sex, says Weinstein told her it was commonplace. “This is how the industry works.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/nyregion/harvey-weinstein-trial-tarale-wulff.html

Pro-Israel SuperPAC buys more than $680,000 worth of ads attacking Jewish candidate Bernie Sanders. “The new ad does not mention foreign policy — but the super PAC airing it is linked to Democratic Majority for Israel, which launched in 2019 to ‘strengthen the pro-Israel tradition of the Democratic Party’, it said in a statement last January.” https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/28/pac-heart-attack-ad-bernie-sanders-108239

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rejects Trump peace plan. “Jerusalem is not for sale; all our rights are not for sale…. We will not kneel and we will not surrender.” https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2103831/palestinian-president-rejects-us-peace-plan-jerusalem-not-sale

Israeli government drops plan to annex West Bank land. “(Prime Minister) Netanyahu had said the Cabinet would vote Sunday on extending Israeli sovereignty to dozens of Jewish settlements as well as the Jordan Valley…. But he appears to have put annexation on hold to explore the legal ramifications and to coordinate it with the United States.” https://www.courthousenews.com/israel-postpones-annexation-of-west-bank/

Lawyer who sued oil company over environmental damage in Ecuador under house arrest in New York. “Few news outlets covered the detention of Steven Donziger, who won a multibillion-dollar judgment in Ecuador against Chevron over the massive contamination in the Lago Agrio region and has been fighting on behalf of Indigenous people and farmers there for more than 25 years…. ‘I’m like a corporate political prisoner.'” https://theintercept.com/2020/01/29/chevron-ecuador-lawsuit-steven-donziger/

80% of asylum seekers waiting in Mexico say they have been victims of violence, kidnapping. “Nuevo Laredo is considered so insecure that the US government has issued a Level 4: ‘Do not travel’ alert to its citizens for the city and surrounding state of Tamaulipas – the same as war-torn countries like Syria and Afghanistan.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/29/migrants-mexico-trump-policy-victims-of-violence

Joe Biden gets fact-checked by 57 climate scientists after claiming “there’s not a single, solitary scientist” who thinks a Green New Deal can work. “The Green New Deal (Bernie Sanders is) proposing is not only possible, but it must be done if we want to save the planet for ourselves, our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Not only does your Green New Deal follow the IPCC’s timeline for action, but the solutions you are proposing to solve our climate crisis are realistic, necessary, and backed by science. We must protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the planet we call home.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/29/57-climate-scientists-object-after-biden-falsely-claims-not-single-solitary

California’s Department of Justice must release police misconduct files appeals court rules. “Enacted last year as Senate Bill 1421, the law amends Penal Code Section 832.7 to require the release of public records on police shootings, use of excessive force and confirmed cases of lying and sexual assault by on-duty officers under the California Public Records Act.” https://www.courthousenews.com/appeals-court-rules-california-must-release-police-misconduct-records/

FBI denies it has any Seth Rich records in response to FOIA requests, but Seth Rich related emails turn up in response to another FOIA request. “…the FBI was at this time supposed to be in the early stages of an investigation into how the DNC emails were leaked to WikiLeaks. The FBI (in these emails) believed WikiLeaks to be indicating the material had been leaked by Seth Rich, who had by then been murdered. Surely in any legitimate investigation, (wouldn’t) the investigators… have been absolutely compelled to check out the truth of this possibility, rather than treat it as a media issue?” https://consortiumnews.com/2020/01/29/the-fbi-has-been-lying-about-seth-rich/

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January 28, 2020

Democratic Party establishment is sweating a Bernie Sanders nomination. “I think there’s a concern among some, and I think it’s fairly widespread, that if Bernie is the nominee he may well lose and take other Democrats down with him.” https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/27/democrats-bernie-sanders-rise-105825 Which would NEVER happen if a centrist, like, say… Hillary Clinton, got the nomination!

World remembers 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. “…Russia was not invited to the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, even though the Soviet Army liberated the camp.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/world/europe/auschwitz-memorial-anniversary.html Some use the occasion to push their own political agenda, calling criticism of Israel a form of anti-semitism. “(Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress) said countries should stop casting votes in favor of what he called ‘the UN’s constant and shameful fixation on Israel’.” https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Antisemitism/Lauder-at-Auschwitz-Apathy-and-indifference-helped-Nazi-atrocities-615560 That’s right, let’s remember the Holocaust by NOT saying anything about military occupation and ethnic cleansing. (sarcasm)

U.S. diplomats are getting out of Wuhan, China, leaving hundreds of lowly, expendable U.S. citizens behind. “Officials secured the charter plane, which seats around 230 people, to transport US diplomats and their families, as well as an ‘extremely limited’ number of private citizens from the city’s closed airport, the outlet reported.” https://nypost.com/2020/01/27/us-scrambles-to-evacuate-americans-from-wuhan-on-chartered-flight/

12 more protesters killed in liberated, democratic Iraq, bringing the death toll to 600. “In Iraq, security forces and unidentified gunmen attacked anti-government protesters over the weekend, reportedly killing 12 people and burning protest camps in Baghdad and the southern city of Nasiriyah.” https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/27/headlines/deadly_crackdown_on_iraqi_protests_continue_as_100_000s_march_against_us_military_presence

Guantanamo trial witness says he saw CIA personnel using banned torture methods. “On his return (to the U.S., James Mitchell) said he complained to the CIA leadership (about what he had seen) but to no avail. (Charlie) Wise stayed in his job and Mitchell found he was giving courses at headquarters including the banned techniques more than four months later.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/25/some-folks-were-tearful-cia-waterboarding-on-trial-in-guantanamo

It’s like Uber for assassinations! “The Air Force’s top general says one of the designers of the ride-sharing app Uber is helping the branch build a new data-sharing network that the Air Force hopes will help service branches work together to detect and destroy targets…. ‘You match a vehicle with a target… and you can see it all happen.'” https://taskandpurpose.com/air-force-uber-battle-management

British citizen reportedly hangs himself in ICE custody. “In a statement to BuzzFeed, the agency identified the deceased man as Ben James Owen and clarified he had died at the Baker County Detention Center in Macclenny, Florida.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/27/british-death-us-immigration-ice

New book, Behind the One-Way Mirror, explains how companies harvest your data when you’re on-line. “As the report points out, when you visit a website, data associated with your online identity will be sent to anyone interested in bidding in an auction to show you a targeted advertisement.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/askjack/2019/dec/05/how-do-i-protect-my-online-privacy-from-surveillance-capitalism

Man accused of attacking the homeless in San Diego pleads guilty. “(Jon Guerrero’s) guilty plea includes four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder, five counts of assault and 2 counts of arson.” https://www.courthousenews.com/man-pleads-guilty-in-san-diego-homeless-killing-spree/

Democratic National Committee accused of stacking presidential nomination committee with centrists. “Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez has nominated dozens of lobbyists, corporate consultants, think tank board members, and former officials linked to Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns to serve on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) nominating committee this July.” https://consortiumnews.com/2020/01/27/dnc-leader-stacks-nominating-committee-against-bernie/

January 25, 2020

Local spectator arrested for covering her face at Richmond, Virginia gun rights protest says she was just trying to stay warm. “Despite the presence of numerous armed men who were covering their faces, the only person arrested near Monday’s pro-gun rally was a 21-year-old Richmond woman who police said refused repeated instructions to take a bandanna off her face.” https://www.virginiamercury.com/blog-va/police-arrest-21-year-old-richmond-woman-for-wearing-bandanna-near-pro-gun-rally/

Two more protesters killed in Iraq. “Iraq has been beset by unrest since Oct. 1…. More than 450 people have been killed.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-protests/protester-killed-as-iraq-police-struggle-to-stem-unrest-idUSKBN1ZK19Y

NPR reporter claims she was berated by Secretary of State Pompeo after interview. “Pompeo was displeased about the Ukraine questioning, and asked her, ‘Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?’ (Mary Louise) Kelly said, adding that he used the F-word in that sentence and many others.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/24/politics/mike-pompeo-interview-ukraine/index.html

New Space Force logo extremely similar to Starfleet Command logo from Star Trek TV series. “George Takei, star of the original 1960s Star Trek TV series, tweeted archly in response, ‘Ahem. We are expecting some royalties from this…'” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51245262

Life in a developed market economy: Massive explosion levels Houston business, destroying 50 homes and damaging another 160. “The two men who died in the blast were identified Friday evening by Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Pena as Frank Flores and Gerardo Castorena, both employees of the company.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/24/us/texas-houston-explosion/index.html

Life in a developed market economy: Raisin processing worker in California dies after being caught in machine. “Two other employees were nearby and immediately powered down the machine, but (Yaneth Lopez Valladares) died at the scene.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/25/us/woman-killed-raisin-machine/index.html

Young, African climate activist cropped out of Davos news photo. “Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate has called out racism in media after she was cropped out of a photo featuring prominent climate activists including Greta Thunberg, Loukina Tille, Luisa Neubauer and Isabelle Axelsson.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/24/whites-only-photo-uganda-climate-activist-vanessa-nakate

London police to add live facial recognition feature to city’s mass surveillance network. “Allan Hogarth, from Amnesty International UK, said, ‘The (Metropolitan Police Service’s) decision to introduce facial recognition technology poses a huge threat to human rights. This technology puts many human rights at risk, including the rights to privacy, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.'” https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/24/met-police-begin-using-live-facial-recognition-cameras

Top Wells Fargo bank executives fined millions but will face no jail time, Elizabeth Warren says that’s not fair. ““It’s not equal justice when a kid with an ounce of pot can get thrown in jail while a wealthy executive can walk away with a bonus after his company cheats millions of people.” https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2020/01/24/elizabeth-warren-wells-fargo-fines

Greeting card and stationery chain files for bankruptcy, will close all 254 stores. “The company operates 178 stores in the US and 76 in Canada under the Papyrus, American Greetings, Carlton Card and Paper Destiny brands, filings show.” https://nypost.com/2020/01/24/papyrus-closing-all-stores-after-parent-firm-files-for-bankruptcy/

Retired general testifies that Salvadoran troops massacred more than 1,000 villagers during campaign against leftists. “Juan Rafael Bustillo, a former commander of the Air Force, told a court the elite Atlacatl Battalion carried out the El Mozote massacre in eastern El Salvador in which unarmed villagers, most of them women and children, were slaughtered.” https://sg.news.yahoo.com/salvadoran-general-admits-army-carried-230400878.html

Neo-nazi group was infiltrated by FBI and Antifa. “The Guardian has obtained chat records, audio recordings and videos provided by an anti-fascist whistleblower who spent more than a year charting the inside workings of the Base.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/25/inside-the-base-neo-nazi-terror-group

Pro-choice groups slam President Trump for attending anti-abortion March for Life. “We didn’t need any more confirmation that the sitting president of the United States is dead-set on doing all he can to end access to safe, legal abortion in this country.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/24/marchforlies-reproductive-justice-advocates-counter-trumps-dangerous-rhetoric-anti

Outrage after Brazil’s president says the country’s indigenous peoples are gradually evolving into human beings. “In a video posted to social media Thursday, Bolsonaro said Indigenous people in Brazil are ‘evolving and becoming more and more, a human being like us. What we want is to integrate him into society so he can own his land,’ (Jair) Bolsonaro added.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/24/indigenous-people-brazil-vow-defeat-bolsonaro-after-perverse-attack-claiming-tribes

January 24, 2020

iCloud phone backups reportedly not encrypted to please Feds, Apple allegedly decided to stop ‘poking the bear’. “In the first half of last year, the period covered by Apple’s most recent semiannual transparency report on requests for data it receives from government agencies, U.S. authorities armed with regular court papers asked for and obtained full device backups or other iCloud content in 1,568 cases, covering about 6,000 accounts.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-fbi-icloud-exclusive-idUSKBN1ZK1CT

Manhattan district attorney has a $10 million phone hacking lab. “The lab’s supercomputer is able to create up to 26 million passcode guesses a second…” https://9to5mac.com/2020/01/21/10-million-dollar-iphone-cracking-lab/

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses law enforcement of double standard on protest policing after Richmond gun rights protest. “When we go out and march for the dignity and the recognition of the lives of people like Freddie Gray and Eric Garner, the whole place is surrounded by police in riot gear, without a gun in sight. And, here are all of these people flying Confederate flags with semi-automatic weapons, and [there are] almost no police officers at that protest.” https://www.foxnews.com/media/aoc-virginia-gun-rally-police-confederate-flags

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama reportedly plotting to block Bernie Sanders from receiving the Democratic Party presidential nomination. “Clinton isn’t the only high-profile Democrat to air concerns about Sanders — according to reports from Barack Obama’s inner circle, the former president said that he would try to stop Sanders if he were poised to clinch the nomination.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/21/hillary-clinton-barack-obama-want-stop-bernie-sanders-can-they-actually-do-it/ Go ahead, throw another election away!

Black Detroit man who tried to deposit discrimination settlement check claims his bank called the cops. “(Sauntore) Thomas, who had an account at the bank for nearly two years, sued TCF Bank on Wednesday, alleging racial discrimination by the bank for calling police, prompting four cops to respond to the branch, the newspaper reports.” https://nypost.com/2020/01/23/bank-calls-cops-on-black-man-trying-to-cash-check-from-discrimination-lawsuit/

High school orders black student to cut his dreadlocks to comply with dress code banning male students from having long hair. “You don’t tell girls they can’t have short hair. It’s so much bigger than DeAndre.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/23/us/barbers-hill-isd-dreadlocks-deandre-arnold-trnd/index.html Guys have to wear ties in the office, while women get to wear t-shirts….

U.S. refuses to extradite American woman who killed British motorcyclist. “The (UK’s) Home Office said it was ‘disappointed in this decision which appears to be a denial of justice’.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-51228262 You could always… refuse to extradite Julian Assange. Just a suggestion.

Presidential Inaugural Committee sued over rental of ballroom at Trump International Hotel. “(D.C. Attorney General Karl) Racine’s lawsuit specifically targets a $1 million deal made between the committee and the Trump Organization for the ballroom during four days around the inaugural, which he alleges was a knowing waste of the nonprofit’s resources to benefit the Trumps.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/dc-attorney-general-sues-trump-inaugural-committee-over-1-million-booking-at-presidents-hotel/2020/01/22/aa4ffab6-3c90-11ea-b90d-5652806c3b3a_story.html

Hillary Clinton sued by Tulsi Gabbard over Russia comments. “Gabbard in the lawsuit claims she has ‘suffered significant actual damages, personally and professionally, that are estimated to exceed $50 million—and continue to this day’ because of Clinton’s comments.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/01/22/tulsi-gabbard-sues-hillary-clinton-defamation-over-russia-comment/4542174002/ These comments? “She’s the favorite of the Russians, they have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far, and that’s assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she’s also a Russian asset,” Clinton said. “Yeah, she’s a Russian asset, I mean totally. They know they can’t win without a third party candidate.” It’s never a good idea to drink before an interview. (That’s supposed to be a joke, not an accusation. I am in no way suggesting that Hillary Clinton was drunk during the interview. I’m just saying that, IN GENERAL, if you WERE to do an interview after having a few drinks, and you WERE an embittered politician who refused to admit that maybe those Wall Street fundraisers were a bad idea (for example), that you MIGHT say something like this to a reporter.)

Livermore, California police officers open fire on motorist who they say aggressively drove towards them during a traffic stop. “(Police spokesperson Taylor) Burress said it appeared (Matthew) Kelly ‘made a deliberate and overt turn’ toward the officers and the driver (they had been questioning) and that he was ‘attempting to intentionally run over’ them.” https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/23/man-shot-by-livermore-police-after-interrupting-traffic-stop-identified/

‘Hundreds of thousands’ march through Baghdad demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops. “Families and children held aloft signs that read ‘no, no to America’ and ‘no, no to occupation’ amid a sea of Iraqi flags.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/24/middleeast/iraq-protests-us-troops-intl/index.html

CIA officials reportedly agreed to end waterboarding of prisoners after witnessing a ‘dialed-back’ torture session. “They said that we were pussies, that we had lost our spine,” (psychologist James) Mitchell testified…. Mitchell told the officers he would continue only if they came and witnessed application of the waterboard, to “bring their rubber boots and come on down…. Their decision after witnessing this is that we don’t need to do this.” https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-22/ksm-waterboarding-guantanamo-testimony

Criminalization of dissent: New UK anti-terror guide lists Greenpeace and PETA as extremist groups. “They appear alongside a number of extremist right-wing groups including Combat 18 and the National Front, as well as National Action, which has been banned for terrorist violence.” https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/17/greenpeace-included-with-neo-nazis-on-uk-counter-terror-list

Mexican feminist murdered. “In Mexico, 26-year-old artist, activist and feminist Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre has been assassinated in the border city of Juárez.” https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/23/headlines/mexican_feminist_activist_isabel_cabanillas_de_la_torre_killed_in_juarez

Egypt accused of holding an estimated 60,000 political prisoners. “Since coming to power in a military coup in 2013, President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi has overseen a broad crackdown on political activity and free speech, detaining journalists, NGO workers and even the mildest critics. Egypt has built at least 19 new prisons since 2011…” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/24/threat-of-jail-shapes-egyptian-lives-nine-years-after-uprising

Intercept founder Glenn Greenwald gets “Assanged” by Brazilian government, hit with cybercrime charges after publishing hacked phone messages. “…a number of observers noted the similarity to the U.S. prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and called for both men to receive solidarity from their peers and supporters.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/22/brazils-greenwald-prosecution-evokes-assanges-continued-imprisonment-uk-say

President Trump says he will consider cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – after the election. “KERNEN: (Will) entitlements ever be on your plate? TRUMP: At some point they will be…. it’ll be toward the end of the year.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/22/hobnobbing-billionaires-davos-trump-admits-if-reelected-he-will-seek-cut-social

January 20, 2020

U.S. consulting and accounting firms accused of helping loot Angola. “When the Western advisory firms came into Angola almost two decades ago, they were viewed by the global financial community as a force for good: bringing professionalism and higher standards to a former Portuguese colony ravaged by years of civil war. But ultimately they took the money and did what their clients asked…” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/world/africa/isabel-dos-santos.html

Bernie Sanders tries to clarify his position on the viability of female presidential candidates. “…Sanders said… that he has ‘always believed and believe today that a woman can be elected president’. ‘I think everybody has their own sets of problems,’ he added when asked whether gender is an obstacle for female candidates, citing being 78 years old as his own problem to overcome.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-progressives/sanders-says-being-a-woman-age-could-be-problems-for-2020-candidates-idUSKBN1ZI0LV However, according to polling, Warren doesn’t do as well against Trump as Biden or Sanders. Is that because of gender? Hard to say.

Number of injured in Beirut protests rises to more than 370. “Human Rights Watch said riot police had fired tear gas canisters at the heads of some protesters and rubber bullets at their eyes.” https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/More-than-330-people-wounded-in-Beirut-protest-clashes-614627

Norway opens massive new oil field, touts fact that fossil fuel will be extracted using renewable energy! “‘That’s good news for our investors, for Norway — and for emissions,’ boasts the official website of Equinor, the Norwegian state company that operates the field. Its critics, however, see Norway’s third-biggest oil field ever as a perfect symbol of the Scandinavian country’s climate hypocrisy.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/19/business/norway-oil-field-climate-change-intl/index.html If any country can afford to ‘leave it in the ground’, it’s Norway, which some have ranked as the best place in the world to live.

Majority of those polled world-wide have a negative view of capitalism. “The poll contacted over 34,000 people in 28 countries, from Western liberal democracies like the United States and France to those based on a different model such as China and Russia, with 56% agreeing that ‘capitalism as it exists today does more harm than good in the world’.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-davos-meeting-trust/capitalism-seen-doing-more-harm-than-good-in-global-survey-idUSKBN1ZJ0CW Note that both China and Russia are now operating under the capitalist system.

Wealthy people in the U.S. and U.K. live about 9 years longer than poor people. “The paper shows that at (the age of) 50, the wealthiest men in England and the US lived about an additional 31 healthy years, compared with about 22 to 23 (more) years for those in the poorest wealth groups.” https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jan/15/being-wealthy-adds-nine-years-to-life-expectancy-says-study

U.N. human rights committee says governments should not send climate change refugees back to their countries. “The committee heard evidence of overcrowding on the island of South Tarawa (in Kiribati), where (Ioane) Teitiota lived, saying that the population there had increased from 1,641 in 1947 to 50,000 in 2010 due to sea level rising, leading to other islands becoming uninhabitable, which had led to violence and social tensions.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/20/climate-refugees-cant-be-returned-home-says-landmark-un-human-rights-ruling

January 19, 2020

Thousands take part in 4th annual Women’s Marches. “While D.C.’s Women’s March was the largest in the country, more than 180 cities planned protests on Saturday as well.” https://wtop.com/dc/2020/01/thousands-expected-in-dc-for-4th-womens-march/ Best sign featured in article: (Picture of Donald Trump) “Does this ass make my country look small?”

Joe Biden says social media sites should be held responsible for what people post there. “Section 230 should be revoked, immediately should be revoked, number one. For Zuckerberg and other platforms,” Biden said in the interview published Friday…. “Section 230 obviously benefits not just Facebook,” Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone told CNBC. “It’s not just foundational to the internet, it’s what allows The New York Times to host reader comments on their websites.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/17/biden-wants-to-get-rid-of-techs-legal-shield-section-230.html

Nashville police officer faces murder trial after gunning down fleeing man mistaken for a suspect. “Police officer Andrew Delke shot Daniel Hambrick, 25, three times in the back during a July 2018 foot chase in North Nashville.” https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2020/01/16/trial-set-nashville-police-officer-charged-daniel-hambrick-murder/4489388002/ “Delke pulled into an apartment parking lot after seeing a car he mistook for one he had been following, an arrest affidavit from the July 2018 confrontation said. Hambrick was in the area at the time and began to run, according to the document.” https://www.phillytrib.com/news/across_america/trial-date-set-for-officer-charged-with-killing-daniel-hambrick/article_1dc541f3-9b11-5304-b547-6ea03b9301f6.html

Some companies hoping to replace most of their employees with automation. “People are looking to achieve very big numbers,” said Mohit Joshi, the president of Infosys, a technology and consulting firm that helps other businesses automate their operations. “Earlier they had incremental, 5 to 10 percent goals in reducing their work force. Now they’re saying, ‘Why can’t we do it with 1 percent of the people we have?’” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/technology/automation-davos-world-economic-forum.html

Germany shuts down testing lab after animal rights group exposes extreme mistreatment of animals. “LPT is a family-owned contract-testing laboratory carrying out toxicity testing for pharmaceutical, industrial and agro-chemical companies from all over the world in order to meet the requirements of governments and regulatory authorities.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7899167/Laboratory-monkeys-strapped-horrific-metal-harnesses-SHUT-DOWN.html

More than 150 reportedly injuring during violent protests in Lebanon. “The protesters blame politicians for widespread corruption and mismanagement in a country that has accumulated one of the largest debt ratios in the world.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/riots-lebanon-s-capital-leave-more-150-injured-n1118461

Belgian police arrest 185 climate protesters. “Police detained 185 protesters in central Brussels on Saturday after the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion staged demonstrations at a car show in protest at the auto industry’s role in CO2 emissions that cause climate change.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-autos-protests/police-detain-185-climate-protesters-at-brussels-car-show-idUSKBN1ZH0NN

Raleigh, North Carolina police release video of motorist being beaten after refusing to get out of his car. “The second video, from January 14, shows officers pulling Braily Batista-Concepcion from the front seat of a car and hitting and kneeing him as another cop restrained him. Blood drips down Batista-Concepcion’s arm as the officers placed cuffs on him, the side of his face red with blood, which left stains on the pavement.” https://indyweek.com/news/wake/raleigh_police-body-camera-footage-beating-shooting/

Georgia police officer fatally shoots man armed with chair during scuffle in a Wendy’s. “Lawrenceville Police Lt. Jake Parker said two officers responded to the scene Wednesday around 5:21 p.m. after an employee of the restaurant called and reported a man, now identified as (Albert) Hughes, had entered the restaurant and started drinking a beer in the dining area.” https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/local/man-dies-after-officer-involved-shooting-at-lawrenceville-wendy-s/article_6dbfaa2c-37ec-11ea-a09d-1b5e96e59557.html

Austin, Texas police officer gets 10 day suspension for hitting suspect with his police cruiser. “During the bust a suspect fled the scene on a bicycle. Manley said that while in pursuit (Sergeant Eric) Cleveland drove his cruiser onto the sidewalk hitting the suspect’s bicycle.” https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/memo-apd-officer-suspended-for-10-days-after-case-of-excessive-force/

Albuquerque, New Mexico settles excessive force lawsuit, will pay plaintiff $675,000. “Officers fired five bean bag rounds and a wooden-baton round at (Tony) Nelson, launched a ‘flash bang’ to disorient him, released a police dog that bit him, then shot him with a Taser, with one officer shocking him six times in 37 seconds…. (Then-Chief U.S. District Judge Bruce D. Black) wrote that ‘no reasonable person could believe that an inhibited, slow-moving 60-year-old individual who made no physical or verbal threats and wielded no weapons could constitute a threat to the safety of the 47 armed and shielded police officers who stood 20 feet away’.” https://www.abqjournal.com/1409203/city-settles-2010-excessive-force-lawsuit-for-675k.html

January 18, 2020

Three more alleged neo-Nazis arrested in Georgia after FBI infiltrates group, are accused of plotting to murder suspected Antifa couple. “According to an arrest affidavit, (Luke) Lane spearheaded the plot to kill the couple with the help of (Jacob) Kaderli and (Michael) Helterbrand, however, the operation was delayed, in part because Helterbrand said he had a bad back.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/17/virginia-gun-rally-3-more-suspected-neo-nazis-base-arrested/4499733002/ Meanwhile, the three other men, arrested previously on gun and immigration charges, are alleged to have discussed opening fire at upcoming Richmond gun rights rally to create political turmoil. “‘These threats are real—as evidenced by reports of neo-Nazis arrested this morning after discussing plans to head to Richmond with firearms,’ the governor said Thursday.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/men-discussed-opening-fire-at-pro-gun-rally-in-richmond-officials-say-11579291691

Any presidential candidate who wins one pledged delegate during the Iowa caucuses will reportedly get to participate in February 7th Democratic Party debate. “The slightly modified criteria for the debate, which is sandwiched evenly between the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3 and the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11, includes the previous criteria of qualifying through the polling and grassroots thresholds but it also includes a new, second pathway to qualify.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dnc-outlines-qualifying-criteria-abc-news-debate-adds/story?id=68337999

Mississippi’s supreme court upholds 12 year sentence for man caught with cell phone at county jail after asking a deputy to charge his phone. “Justice James D. Maxwell II, writing for the court, said in the court document that while Nash’s sentence of 12 years was harsh it fell within the statutory range for that offense.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mississippi-man-got-12-years-prison-possessing-cellphone-county-jail-n1117951 I think I saw this in a movie. It was about a guy in France who was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, right before the French Revolution.

Proposed changes to USDA school lunch rules would allow substitution of french fries and hash browns for fruits and vegetables. “Some school districts and food lobbies, such as the potato industry, have long sought to weaken standards put in place under the Obama administration that mandated more wholegrain foods, fruit and vegetables in school meals.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/17/trump-administration-school-lunch-michelle-obama-rules-roll-back The Trump diet! Reminds me of the Reagan administration’s proposal that would have allowed schools to classify ketchup and pickle relish as a vegetables.

Government watchdog says withholding federal funds as leverage for political favors from Ukrainian government was illegal. “The (Government Accountability Office), a nonpartisan watchdog that reports to Congress, said that the White House budget office violated the Impoundment Control Act, which limits the White House from withholding funds that Congress has appropriated.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/16/opinions/trump-gao-report-bombshell-military-aid-ukraine-illegal-bociurkiw/index.html

Federal appeals court throws out Juliana v. US lawsuit, which asserted that children have a right to a safe climate and that the government is responsible for not taking action to preserve it. “However, District Court Judge Josephine Staton thought otherwise and did not mince words in her dissent…. ‘Seeking to quash this suit, the government bluntly insists that it has the absolute and unreviewable power to destroy the Nation.'” https://www.vox.com/2020/1/17/21070810/climate-change-lawsuit-juliana-vs-us-our-childrens-trust-9th-circuit

Federal court rules that FBI can’t keep dossiers on people simply because of their First Amendment protected activities. “It cannot be that maintaining a record of purely protected First Amendment activity is relevant to an authorized law enforcement activity simply on the representation that maintaining the record would ‘serve to inform ongoing and future investigative activity.’” https://www.rcfp.org/fbi-antiwar-privacy-act/

Wall Street banks received huge, swampy windfall from Trump tax cuts. “A new Bloomberg analysis shows that six banks — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — avoided paying a combined total of $18 billion worth of taxes last year as a result of President Trump’s tax cuts.” https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/17/headlines/report_six_banks_reaped_18_billion_last_year_from_trump_tax_cuts

Anti-poverty group demands Democratic Party presidential debate on poverty. “Led by Reverend William Barber, demonstrators carried a coffin to honor the 250,000 people who die every year from the impacts of poverty. According to the Poor People’s Campaign, 140 million Americans — over 43% of the population — can’t pay basic living expenses.” https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/16/rev_william_barber_poor_peoples_campaign

Vacant home occupied by homeless Oakland families is reportedly owned by national house-flipping company. “This week, after the mothers lost a court battle to stay in the home, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department descended with armored vehicles and AR-15 rifles, arresting two of the women and two of their supporters.” https://theintercept.com/2020/01/17/moms-4-housing-eviction-wedgewood/

Trump administration moves court hearings for California immigration detainees from San Francisco to suburban Los Angeles, evading Bay Area legal aid. “(Valerie) Zukin said that in 2017, only about 2% of these hearings in San Francisco’s court were being attended by an attorney to assist detainees. Today, her network of 35 legal aid groups covers more than 80% of hearings.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/17/us-immigration-hearings-trump-san-francisco-california

White voice actor says he will no longer do Simpsons caricature of Indian convenience store owner. “…in an interview with USA Today, the show’s creator, Matt Groening, was asked if he had anything to say about the criticisms. ‘Not really,’ Groening said. ‘I’m proud of what we do on the show. And I think it’s a time in our culture where people love to pretend they’re offended.'” https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/18/simpsons-actor-hank-azaria-says-he-will-no-longer-voice-character-of-apu It’s hard to relate to this unless you’ve lived overseas and seen similar caricatures of Americans.

Brazil’s secretary of culture channels Joseph Goebbels in speech. “Brazilian art in the next decade will be heroic and national,” said (Roberto) Alvim, to the music from Wagner’s Lohengrin, said to be Hitler’s favourite opera, with a portrait of the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, and a Brazilian flag in the background. “It will be endowed with a great capacity for emotional involvement and will be equally imperative, since it is deeply linked to the urgent aspirations of our people, or else it will be nothing.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/17/brazil-culture-minister-goebbels-roberto-alvim-nazi

Pete Buttigieg accused of taking second-hand fossil fuel money. “Buttigieg, said (New Hampshire Youth Movement spokesperson Griffin) Wingate, ‘hosted a fundraiser in a wine cellar or wine cave with Craig Hall, who runs a firm that funds fossil fuel infrastructure projects’.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/18/pete-takes-money-fossil-fuel-billionaires-climate-activists-disrupt-buttigieg-rally

Head of International Monetary Fund worries income inequality will lead to second Great Depression. “The trend of rising inequality within countries, (IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva) said, ‘is reminiscent of the early part of the 20th century, when the twin forces of technology and integration led to the first Gilded Age, the Roaring Twenties, and, ultimately, financial disaster.'” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/17/imf-head-gives-stark-message-looming-inequality-fueled-global-financial-disaster

National Archives reportedly censored photo of 2017 Women’s March on Washington. “Changes included blocking out the name ‘Trump’ in a sign that read ‘God Hates Trump’…. The word ‘pussy’ was removed from another message reading: ‘This Pussy Grabs Back’.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/national-archives-womens-march_n_5e22ba72c5b6321176140359

January 17, 2020

CNN debate moderators bashed for pushing an agenda. “In an era of endless war abroad, painfully and often prohibitively expensive health care and education at home, and a climate crisis that threatens to make the planet inhospitable to its 7 billion human inhabitants, the challenges of change were treated as paramount or even insurmountable, while the costs of maintaining the status quo barely mentioned.” https://www.newsweek.com/cnn-debate-blatantly-targeted-bernie-sanders-anti-establishment-opinion-1482620 That’s actually a quote from a cited Rolling Stone article, but it’s the best line in the article. Here’s one that’s actually from the authors of the article: “It’s important to remember that CNN’s blatant insertion of its own point of view into the presidential debate doesn’t reflect a mere personal dislike of Sanders, but rather a consistent ideological orientation. Warren, despite being used as a blunt object with which to bash Sanders, was also given questions that likewise painted her as a champion of way-out ideas…”

FBI arrests three men accused of being neo-Nazis, allegedly in possession of a fully automatic assault rifle. “We’re real (expletive) Nazis and they can’t do s—- to us but wait for us to put ’em against the wall.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51142752 CBS Evening News broadcasts neo-Nazi propaganda during its national evening news broadcast. “SAVE YOUR RACE, JOIN THE BASE” https://www.cbsnews.com/video/011620-cbs-evening-news/ (at about 7:35 on the video)

Rudy Giuliani’s Ukraine operative, Lev Parnas, claims President Trump, VP Pence and AG Barr, Sec. of State Pompeo and Sec. of Energy Perry were all involved in political pressure scheme. “President Trump knew exactly what was going on. He was aware of all my movements. I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani, or the president.” https://apnews.com/708b81d4c77038eb0b751c30f72ff315

Computer security expert Logan Lamb claims computer server used for Georgia’s 2016 election had everything before November 10th, 2016, two days after the election, erased. “I can think of no legitimate reason why records from that critical period of time should have been deleted.” https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/478711-expert-finds-signs-of-tampering-on-georgia-election-server

Virginia passes Equal Rights Amendment, hitting 3/4 majority threshold. “The measure to officially prohibit discrimination based on sex was approved by Congress back in 1972, but only 35 states passed it before the 1982 deadline, three short of the three-fourths majority needed for ratification.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/equal-rights-amendment-approved-in-virginia-reigniting-hope-for-ratification/

Florida’s supreme court says felons must pay all fines and fees owed before voting. “If (the ruling) remains in place, this could disenfranchise an estimated 80% of the newly enfranchised Floridians who had won the right to vote through Amendment 4, a constitutional amendment that passed with majority support in 2018.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/16/florida-amendment-4-ruling-voting-rights Democracy, Florida style!

Jeffrey Epstein accused of luring girls to his private islands up until 2018. “As the prosecutors tell it, his associates would locate young women and lure them with the promise of advancing a modeling career, pursuing educational opportunities or landing other work.” https://www.npr.org/2020/01/16/797011139/u-s-virgin-islands-officials-epstein-trafficked-girls-on-private-island-until-20

Life in a developed market economy: Milwaukee woman walks out of emergency room after 2 1/2 hour wait, goes home and dies. “At 7:35 p.m., Tashonna Ward wrote on Facebook that she’d been told she might have to wait two to six hours to see a doctor.” https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/01/11/after-waiting-froedtert-er-milwaukee-woman-leaves-and-later-dies/4422064002/ But, but… Canada! People have to wait 7 years to get stitches! (sarcasm)

Life in a developed market economy: Dallas school district charges mother $600 to see one video of her daughter being hit and bullied on the school bus. “(Audrey) Billings said she reached out to the school district after her daughter said students were hurting her.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/16/us/dallas-schoolgirl-bus-video/index.html

New prime minister in Russia after Putin proposes ‘constitutional reforms’. “The Russian presidency is one of the strongest in the world, that has powers that can be unchecked, so (President Putin) is creating these checks (on power), but in many ways he’s actually simply ensuring that, post his 2024 departure (due to limit of two consecutive terms), that he can maintain a voice in the government and have a weak presidency that cannot overshadow that voice.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/16/heres-what-putins-reforms-and-russias-political-upheaval-means.html

President Trump knocks environmental standards for household appliances at rally. “‘Remember the dishwasher? You’d press it, boom! There’d be, like, an explosion. Five minutes later you open it up, the steam pours out,’ he said. Trump then criticized newer models, claiming women – just women – across the country have to now wash their dishes ’10 times’.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/15/trump-rails-against-refrigerators-promises-cleaner-dishes-milwaukee-rally And let’s go back to using DDT on mosquitoes too! Remember that? One little squirt and every mosquito within a mile – dead immediately! Along with the honeybees, fish and birds. (Yes, I’m exaggerating.)

Mainstream media tout China’s weakest economic growth in 29 years – at 6.1%! “China’s economy grew at its slowest pace in nearly three decades in 2019.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/16/economy/china-economy-trade/index.html What the story doesn’t tell you is the rate of economic growth in the U.S. and E.U., for example. This is from an unrelated Washington Post story on a U.N. global economic forecast: “The report said that in the United States, the world’s largest economy, GDP growth of 2.9% in 2018 slowed to 2.2% in 2019 and is projected to fall further to 1.7% in 2020 with a slight increase to 1.8% in 2021. …steady growth in private consumption…. will allow a modest rise in GDP in the EU from 1.4% in 2019 to a projected 1.6% in 2020 and 1.7% in 2021.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/un-global-economic-growth-in-2019-was-lowest-of-the-decade/2020/01/16/cb4fc8a4-38c1-11ea-a1ff-c48c1d59a4a1_story.html Hmm, 6.1% sounds pretty good to me!

Intelligence agencies ask Congress to cancel public hearings on their global threat assessment, because they don’t want to upset the president. “In their last public threat briefing to Congress, in January 2019, the intelligence chiefs testified that Iran was abiding by the nuclear deal signed by former President Barack Obama, that North Korea would never surrender all of its nuclear weapons, that ISIS continued to ‘stoke violence’ in Iraq and Syria, and that Russian cyber-operations still posed a threat to America’s elections and infrastructure. …Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, and his deputy, Sue Gordon, were fired a few months later…” https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/01/intelligence-agencies-want-to-get-out-of-their-annual-congressional-briefing-so-they-wont-have-to-contradict-trump.html

2020 to see increase in political turmoil say analysts, after 25% of the world’s countries experienced unrest in 2019. “Nearly 40% of the world’s 195 countries will see civil unrest during 2020, according to Verisk Maplecroft.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/16/40percent-of-countries-will-witness-civil-unrest-in-2020-report-claims.html

U.S. troops resume operations in Iraq, despite Iraqi government’s efforts to make them leave. “The Pentagon says U.S. troops have resumed joint operations with Iraqi soldiers, ending a 10-day pause that came after President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani…. This comes less than two weeks after the Iraqi parliament ordered all U.S. troops to leave Iraq.” https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/16/headlines/us_troops_resume_iraq_operations_despite_parliaments_expulsion_order

Swamp creatures taking over Washington. “More than a dozen former lobbying clients of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt have spent nearly $30 million convincing the Trump administration to do the bidding of the fossil fuel industry, according to a new report by Public Citizen.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/16/bernhardt-running-trumps-interior-dept-former-corporate-clients-lavishing-tens

Citizens United status report: Almost half of the $3 billion in SuperPAC (Political Action Committee) donations came from 25 families. “Oligarch Overload found that since the Supreme Court’s ruling, ‘just 25 ultrarich individual political donors, including numerous billionaires, have poured nearly $1.4 billion into super PACs.'” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/15/top-megadonors-and-corporations-have-poured-almost-2-billion-politics-citizens

January 15, 2020

Delta flight dumps jet fuel over low-income area of Los Angeles, spraying school kids. “Sixty people were treated after a plane dumped jet fuel while returning to the Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, hitting five elementary schools and one high school.” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/14/us/jet-fuel-dump-elementary-school-trnd/index.html

Democrats demand confidential briefing on Soleimani assassination due to shifting Trump administration justifications. “It is vital for the American public to know if intelligence is being manipulated or inaccurately represented by their government to justify an assassination of a foreign official.” https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/478288-democrats-request-briefing-on-intel-behind-trumps-embassy-threat-claim

Black St. Louis prosecutor sues police department and police union, alleging obstruction of her progressive agenda. “The suit, filed in the Eastern District of Missouri, claims to take aim at ‘entrenched interests’ that (Kim) Gardner said have tried to prevent her reforms through a ‘broad range of collusive conduct’, including the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate her office.” https://abcnews.go.com/US/black-prosecutors-back-st-louis-state-attorneys-lawsuit/story?id=68268836

CNN’s presidential debate moderators worried about cost of national health insurance but not cost of endless wars. “None of the candidates who said they support keeping troops in Iraq were asked how they were going to pay for it.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/14/cnn-moderators-alarmed-cost-medicare-all-ignore-price-tag-endless-war

Democrats demand that Trump administration releases Puerto Rico aid for hurricane and earthquakes victims. “The letter called on Trump to immediately approve a major disaster declaration submitted by the Puerto Rican government on January 12; to release aid money previously approved by Congress for humanitarian relief; and to direct FEMA to undertake an urgent response to the ongoing disaster.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/14/unconscionable-puerto-rico-suffers-earthquake-aftermath-aoc-sanders-and-velazquez

Appeals court temporarily blocks Wisconsin’s pre-election voter purge. “The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin filed a separate federal suit in December seeking to block the purge, arguing deactivation of the registrations would be a violation of constitutional due process protections.” https://www.courthousenews.com/wisconsin-appeals-court-blocks-voter-purge-for-now/

Federal judge rules South Dakota law regulating petition-passers is unconstitutional. “If you favor the status quo and oppose change, you are not regulated. If you favor change of one sort or another, you are extensively regulated.” https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-judge-blocks-south-dakota-petition-law/

January 14, 2020

UK anti-terror police list Extinction Rebellion as an extremist group. “It says that issues to look out for include people who speak in ‘strong or emotive terms about environmental issues like climate change, ecology, species extinction, fracking, airport expansion or pollution’.” https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/10/xr-extinction-rebellion-listed-extremist-ideology-police-prevent-scheme-guidance

Judge orders Wisconsin to purge 209,000 voters. “Saying in his ruling that ‘time is of the essence’, Judge Paul Malloy said that there is no time to wait for the case to make its way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and ordered that the state pay $50 a day until it starts removing people from the voter rolls.” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wisconsin-judge-orders-election-commission-to-purge-up-to-209k-names-from-rolls-in-battleground-state Wouldn’t want any of these registered voters to actually vote in the 2020 election.

Cory Booker no longer running for president. “I will carry this fight forward — I just won’t be doing it as a candidate for president this year.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cory-booker-ends-campaign-presidential-race-today-2020-01-13/

U.S. citizen dies in Egyptian jail after being imprisoned for six years. “(Moustafa) Kassem’s lawyers say he happened to be changing money at a shopping center near (an anti-government) sit-in when he was stopped by Egypt military officials.” https://www.npr.org/2020/01/13/796034052/u-s-citizen-dies-in-egyptian-prison-state-department-says

Iranian security forces reportedly opened fire on protesters. “On Sunday, security forces appeared to fire live ammunition to disperse crowds in Tehran, according to footage circulated on Twitter. The clips, which VICE News was unable to independently verify, appeared to show gunshots ringing out, bleeding victims, and blood on the streets.” https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/z3bx7j/witnesses-say-iranian-security-forces-opened-fire-on-protesters-chanting-death-to-the-dictator

Australia accused of cloaking its arms sales in secrecy. “If Australia is complying with all its legal obligations, as defence claims, what have they got to hide? This claim that they are protecting the commercia”l interests of weapons sellers is woefully insufficient justification for the blanket secrecy surrounding Australian weapons sales to nations accused of war crimes.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/14/blanket-secrecy-surrounds-australian-weapons-sales-to-countries-accused-of-war-crimes

150 climate change protesters arrested at U.S. Capitol. “Let us remember that we are not the criminals,” Naomi Klein told a crowd of protesters. “The criminals are the people who are letting this world burn for money.” https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/13/jane_fonda_fire_drill_fridays_washington

Joe Biden accused of long-term support for freezing or cutting Social Security benefits and supporting raising the retirement age. “As early as 1984 and as recently as 2018, former Vice President Joe Biden called for cuts to Social Security in the name of saving the program and balancing the federal budget.” https://theintercept.com/2020/01/13/biden-cuts-social-security/

Detroit man released after 30 years in prison. “Gerry Thomas, 62, who was helped by law schools in Michigan and New York, has long maintained his innocence. The conviction integrity unit in the Wayne County prosecutor’s office agreed that his conviction should be set aside.” https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2020/01/13/detroit-man-cleared-after-nearly-30-years-in-prison.html

Retired U.S. Army Colonel: ‘America exists today to make war’. “How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight? It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what the American Empire is,” says (former State Department chief of staff Lawrence) Wilkerson. “We are going to cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex.” https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/13/lawrence_wilkerson_american_empire_war

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