2020-08-20: News Headlines

Staff (2020-08-20). The Tight Rope #DemConvention Watch Party Ro Khanna Zephyr Teachout Howie Hawkins. therealnews.com Cornel West and Tricia Rose bring you live coverage and commentary of the final night of the 2020 #DemConvention featuring Joe Biden's speech from Wilmington, Delaware and confirmed guests Congressman Ro Khanna, Zephyr Teachout, Howie Hawkins, and Angela Walker.

RT (2020-08-20). LA Mayor Garcetti crowned Covid-19 'dictator' after shutting off utilities at TikTok star's Hollywood party mansion. rt.com Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti has been labeled a despotic hypocrite by social media, after he cut off water and power at a TikTok influencer's residence where gatherings were held in violation of coronavirus orders. | In a tweet, Garcetti The residence in question has reported…

RT (2020-08-20). Journalism professor melts down after seeing Trump ads on Washington Post website, accusing the paper of SELLING ITS SOUL. rt.com Seeing the front page of his beloved Washington Post plastered with campaign ads for President Donald Trump sent one journalism professor into a fit of rage. And the angrier he got, the more people in the comments laughed. | "No, @washingtonpost, no, no NO. How dare you? Were these pieces of silver worth the price of your soul?" City University of New York journalism professor Jeff Jarvis tweeted on Thursday, after seeing an ad slamming Joe Biden emblazoned across the banner of the Washington Post's website. | No,

RT (2020-08-20). 'We believe in law enforcement': Texas governor pledges to financially punish cities that attempt to defund the police. rt.com Governor of Texas Greg Abbott has issued a stark warning to left-leaning cities in the Lone Star State, saying he will withdraw funding from municipalities that try to defund law enforcement agencies. | The Republican politician sent the unambiguous message after Austin's city council slashed its police budget by $150 million last week. "Texas will defund cities that try to defund their police. We support law enforcement in Texas," Abbott tweeted late on Wednesday. | Discussing the issue on Fox News, Governor Abbott accused liberal precincts of "caving to socialism," and argued that the violence that's erupted…

RT (2020-08-20). Trump's pardon for Susan B. Anthony SNUBBED as museum rejects it on her behalf, gives president pointed to-do list it would prefer. rt.com A museum ostensibly dedicated to honoring the memory of women's-rights hero Susan B. Anthony has instead chosen to score partisan political points by rejecting a pardon from President Donald Trump on her behalf. | The National Susan B. Anthony Museum in Rochester, New York, snubbed the pardon on Twitter, taking the liberty of channeling what it supposed would be Anthony's thoughts 114 years after her death. "On news of the presidential pardon for Susan B. Anthony on August 18, 2020: Objection, Mr. President. Susan B. Anthony must decline your offer of a pardon today!" | Anthony wrote in her diary in 1873 that…

pip.hinman (2020-08-20). University workers discuss how to become strike-ready. greenleft.org.au

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-20). Great strides taken in Iran's nuclear industry. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (MNA) — AEOI, in a tweet on Thursday, said with or without the activation of the trigger mechanism against Iran, the body has taken major steps in empowering its nuclear industry and providing 90,000 SWU.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-20). 'US shouldn't try its luck, it'll only be humiliated again'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (MNA) — Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi in his Thursday tweet said the US should not try its luck for it will only be humiliated again.

CrimethInc. Ex-Workers Collective (2020-08-20). On Facebook Banning Anarchist and Antifascist Pages & the Digital Censorship to Come. indybay.org Today Facebook deleted a variety of far-Right militia and Qanon accounts along with anarchist and antifascist pages, including It's Going Down and CrimethInc. The following is a joint statement in response.

_____ (2020-08-20). On Facebook Banning Anarchist And Antifascist Pages. popularresistance.org Facebook has taken down multiple Facebook pages they believe to be connected with crimethinc.com and itsgoingdown.org, among other anarchist and anti-fascist publishing projects, officially on the pretext that they "support violence." This has nothing to do with stopping violence and everything to do with cracking down on social movements and everyday people getting organized in their communities. | Facebook has always promoted itself as seeking to assist people in creating networks to meet their needs.

yenisafak (2020-08-20). Doctors offer contradictory information on condition of Russia's Navalny. yenisafak.com Medics on Thursday provided contradictory information about the health of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, saying his condition had stabilised, but that there was still a threat to his life.His spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said on Twitter he was in a serious but stable condition.She had earlier said that he was in a coma in a Siberian hospital after drinking a cup of tea that she said she believed was laced with poison.

Staff (2020-08-19). Headlines for August 19, 2020. democracynow.org Joe Biden Formally Wins Democratic Presidential Nomination, Postmaster General Promises to Suspend Service Cuts Until After Election, Notre Dame Cancels In-Person Classes Amid COVID-19 Outbreak Linked to Party, Coronavirus Death Toll from U.S. Prisons and Jails Tops 1,000, World Health Organization Says Young People Are Driving Coronavirus Outbreaks, Malian President Deposed in Military Coup Following Weeks of Protests, Senate Intelligence Committee Alleges Trump Campaign Associate Was Russian Agent, Far-Right Activist, Banned from Twitter over Racism, Wins Florida House GOP Primary, RNC to Feature St. Louis Coup…

RT (2020-08-19). Facebook purges & restricts THOUSANDS of QAnon, Antifa & militia accounts, stretching definition of 'dangerous individuals'. rt.com Facebook has removed thousands of groups and pages related to the QAnon conspiracy after expanding its concept of 'dangerous individuals' to include those who merely 'celebrate violent acts.' Streisand effect, meet slippery slope. | The social media behemoth announced a sweeping crackdown on militia groups, "offline anarchist groups that support violent act amidst protests" (i.e. Antifa), and the pro-Trump psy-op QAnon in a Explaining that groups which "ha…

RT (2020-08-19). Facebook purges & restricts THOUSANDS of QAnon accounts — plus antifa & militia — stretching definition of 'dangerous individuals'. rt.com Facebook has removed thousands of groups and pages related to the QAnon conspiracy after expanding its concept of 'dangerous individuals' to include those who merely 'celebrate violent acts.' Streisand effect, meet slippery slope. | The social media behemoth announced a sweeping crackdown on militia groups, "offline anarchist groups that support violent act amidst protests" (i.e. antifa), and the pro-Trump psy-op QAnon in a Explaining that groups that "hav…

RT (2020-08-19). Goodyear backpedals on diversity virtue-signaling after Trump calls for boycott — but it's too late. rt.com Tire maker Goodyear is scrambling to do damage control after a leaked diversity-training slide suggested it'd fallen in with Black Lives Matter corporate virtue brigade, triggering calls for a boycott from President Donald Trump. | The company attempted to distance itself from the offending slide — which warned of "zero tolerance" for Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats or slogans such as "All Lives Matter" and "Blue Lives Matter," while deeming "Black Lives Matter" and LGBT pride attire acceptable — in a frantic tweet on Wednesday. | Cautioning that the slide had "created some misconceptions about…

RT (2020-08-19). FBI slammed after tweeting out ZION PROTOCOLS, history's most notorious anti-Semitic pamphlet. rt.com An FBI Twitter account has raised eyebrows after linking to the 'Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,' a century-old virulently anti-Jewish pamphlet, without any comment or context. | The FBI Records Vault tweets out documents from the bureau's archives. On Wednesday afternoon, it sent out a | A copy of the notorious pamphlet had previously been published on the FBI's archive website, vault.fbi.gov. | Thousands of people like…

RT (2020-08-19). Biden plays president, demands Russia fall in line on Belarus. rt.com Joe Biden may be an uncertain election away from becoming president, but he's already tweeting like one. Following an entirely predictable script, Biden demanded that Russia "be told not to interfere" in Belarus' affairs. | "The brave citizens of Belarus are showing their voices will not be silenced by terror or torture," Biden tweeted on Wednesday. "The U.S. should support Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's call for fair elections. Russia must be told not to interfere—this is not about geopolitics but the right to choose one's leaders." | The brave citizens of Belarus are showing their voices will not be silenc…

RT (2020-08-19). WATCH: Huge blaze at Texas plastic facility following major explosion. rt.com A huge contingent of police and fire fighters have been deployed following an apparent explosion and subsequent fire at the Poly America plant in Grand Prairie,Texas. | There was a huge response by emergency services shortly after midnight local time. Eyewitness video from the scene shows huge flames licking the night sky as vast plumes of smoke fill the area. | #PolyAmerica in flames – Grand Prairie, Texas #GrandPrairie #TX RT (2020-08-19). 'Low Bar 2020': Twitter users roll their eyes at Biden saying that ALL Latino kids speak Spanish. rt.com Democratic nominee for US president Joe Biden appeared to have said that all Latino kids speak Spanish during his speech about the community's importance. It provoked online outrage, both about the comment and the MSM silence. | Biden made the provocative statement during a virtual forum organized by Voto Latino — an organization that encourages young Latino voters to register to cast their ballot. | "Latinos are among the fastest-growing populations in the United States," Biden

RT (2020-08-19). AdBlock is getting CANCELLED for allegedly making users see an unskippable Trump ad on Youtube. rt.com Anti-Trump netizens have begun ditching the AdBlock app en masse, after users reported they couldn't turn off a YouTube political advertisement sponsored by the president's campaign. | The online outrage over US President Donald Trump's campaign ads began on Tuesday, prompting AdBlock — a browser extension that allows adverts to be filtered out online — to trend on Twitter. YouTube videos with titles such as "Did something happen to Joe Biden?" and "Democrats ruined their cities" apparently couldn't be skipped, blocked or decreased in volume, according to some Twitter users. | Meanwhile, some users r…

RT (2020-08-19). American Samoa 'hostage situation' & Rhode Island 'calamari ninja': Twitter loses it over DNC's virtual roll call. rt.com As the Democratic Party moved to nominate Joe Biden, viewers watching at home were somewhat distracted, infatuated with Rhode Island's calamari-wielding "ninja" and a bizarre "hostage-taking" scene in American Samoa. | The party's national convention pushed into its second night on Tuesday, seeing Biden officially elevated as the Democrats' 2020 presidential candidate alongside running mate Kamala Harris. During the roll call vote prior to the nomination, however, spectators couldn't help but notice that delegates in American Samoa, a US territory, were flanked by a pair of uniformed soldiers, giving the appea…

RT (2020-08-19). Prohibited activity: US Army investigating soldiers in viral DNC 'hostage situation' video. rt.com First they were mocked online for posing in a bizarre "hostage-taking" scene. Now they're being investigated for taking part in a political event in uniform. The soldiers who appeared in a Democratic video can't catch a break. | As the Democratic National Convention voted on Tuesday to confirm Joe Biden as its presidential candidate, delegates appeared by video link to cast their votes for the former vice president. One such stream, from American Samoa, drew ridicule, as the territory's top Democrats appeared flanked by a pair of masked soldiers in a scene reminiscent of a ransom video. | Also on rt.com

The Canary (2020-08-19). 16-year-old boy found dead on beach after disappearing at sea, says French minister. thecanary.co A 16-year-old Sudanese boy who disappeared at sea has been found dead on a beach near Calais, a French minister has said. | Marlene Schiappa, who is in charge of citizenship in France's government, said the teenager was found on the beach of Sangatte on Wednesday morning. | The tragedy comes as a record number of the perilous journeys across the Channel have been attempted during the recent hot weather. | @GDarmanin contre les passeurs qui profitent de la détresse d'êtres humains ! | — MarleneSchiappa (@MarleneSchiappa) Staff (2020-08-19). AOC Slams NBC News for "Malicious and Misleading" Tweet About Her DNC Appearance. truthout.org Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) criticized NBC News on Wednesday morning in response to the network's misleading tweet regarding a nomination statement she had made at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) the night before. |

Robert F. Kennedy Jr (2020-08-19). Analysis of Vaccine, Censorship Claims Another Victim: Honest-Journalism Giant, Del Bigtree's "The Highwire" globalresearch.ca On July 29, YouTube's …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-19). Zarif felicitates new Omani counterpart on appointment. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (MNA) — In a Wednesday tweet in Arabic, Iranian FM Zarif congratulated his new Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood AlBusaidi on his appointment.

sputniknews (2020-08-19). Facebook Expands Policy Against 'Dangerous Individuals and Organizations'. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Facebook said in a press release on Wednesday that it has taken steps to expand its policy concerning dangerous organizations and people and restrict the reach of conspiracy theorists like QAnon and others who have demonstrated a significant risk to public safety.

_____ (2020-08-18). UN Ambassador Moncada: US Keeps Plotting To Invade Venezuela. popularresistance.org The Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, reiterated his denunciation of the United States' orchestrating an invasion in Venezuela to destroy the military and political forces of the Bolivarian Revolution. | On his Twitter account, the Ambassador indicated that the White House's war propaganda against Venezuela seeks to assassinate the President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro and turn the country into a colony. | "War propaganda in the US affirms that its objective is democracy in Venezuela. The truth is more sinister and deadly: eliminating President Maduro continues the invasion to destr…

_____ (2020-08-18). SouthCom Feels Threatened By Russia's 'Fundamental' Support Of Venezuela. popularresistance.org The head of the Southern Command of the United States Armed Forces, Craig Faller, declared that Russia and Cuba represents a threat to them due to the "fundamental" support they give to Venezuela, a country on which the Donald Trump regime has imposed a brutal total blockade and continually threatens military invasion. | In viralized statements on social networks, Faller says that they have had to set off the alarms because of "the size of the threat" represented by "Russian influence" and the support that the Eurasian country gives to the government presided over by Nicolás Maduro. | "I cannot describe the size…

Medea Benjamin, Ariel Gold (2020-08-18). Don't be Hoodwinked by Trump's UAE-Israel "Peace Deal" counterpunch.org "HUGE breakthrough today," crowed Donald Trump on twitter as he announced the new peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The deal makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state and the third Arab nation, after Egypt and Jordan, to have diplomatic ties with Israel. But the new Israel-UAE partnership should fool

RT (2020-08-18). Comedian posts satirical tweet claiming convicted RAPIST will speak at Republican convention and internet goes wild. rt.com Convicted Stanford University rapist Brock Turner will speak at the Republican National Convention! It's a comedy bit, not the truth, but in 2020, social media can perhaps be forgiven for losing its ability to tell the difference. | Comedian Jena Friedman announced the disgraced student athlete as RNC 'special guest' on Twitter on Tuesday, provoking a firestorm of responses as a good portion of her audience took it seriously. Would the Republicans seriously invite a registered sex offender — even one with a Stanford University pedigree — to address their convention? | BREAKING NEWS: Brock Turner, Sta…

RT (2020-08-18). Nothing better to do, Mike? Pompeo 'gotchas' RT by revealing his nonsensical Iran quote is ACTUALLY by OBAMA. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo apparently thought that 'revealing' a nonsensical quote he posted about Iran sanctions was actually authored by President Barack Obama somehow invalidated RT's coverage of reactions to it. | RT.com "got it wrong again," Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday, saying that it was President Barack Obama who made a statement we attributed to him. "He told Congress, rightly, that the US could snapback sanctions on Iran anytime and no country could block it. It is still true now. I'll wait for your correction." | Hey

RT (2020-08-18). #YoKamalaSoIndian hashtag trends in India as locals mock Biden's VP pick's persistent public demonstration of own identity. rt.com Indian Twitter users have been reacting to Kamala Harris' "first Indian-American vice-presidential candidate" status by jokingly trying to imagine the US politician actually living in their country. | The Twitter trend under the hashtag #YoKamalaSoIndian began on Tuesday, after an earlier New York Times Indian netizens overdressed the California senator in various stereotypes and some local insights about their culture, j…

RT (2020-08-18). Is the pandemic over? Cuomo slated for writing BOOK on his Covid 'leadership' after disastrous nursing home order & high NY deaths. rt.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, with a lack of self-awareness seldom seen outside hereditary dictatorships, is writing a book on managing the Covid-19 outbreak — after leading the state to the US' highest coronavirus death toll. | Crown Publishing announced the book, titled 'American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic', on Twitter on Tuesday, and said it will be released on October 13, three weeks before the US presidential election. The book will include leadership advice and a look at Cuomo's relationship with President Donald Trump. | We're excited to share this new book from Govern…

The Canary (2020-08-18). 'Irresponsible' breaking up of Public Health England expected to be announced. thecanary.co Plans to break up Public Health England in the middle of a pandemic are "irresponsible" and "risky", Labour has said.Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said that structural reorganisation is "time consuming" and "energy sapping".In a series of scathing tweets, Ashworth said the government was trying to "shift the blame" when it announces plans to break up the embattled organisation later.A story placed with the Sunday Telegraph suggests that the coronavirus (Covid-19) response work of PHE is to be merged with NHS Test and Trace to form a new Health Protection Institute, designed specifically to deal with p…

WSWS (2020-08-18). "Refuse to Return" Facebook group cofounder describes explosion of opposition to unsafe school openings. wsws.org The "Refuse to Return" group in Colorado has attracted 9,469 members and helped inspire the formation of at least 35 other groups across the US, with tens of thousands of members in total.

WSWS (2020-08-18). Social media video shows Pittsburgh police kidnapping protester during Saturday march. wsws.org Matthew Cartier, 25, was abducted by police and charged with multiple crimes for attempting to protect marchers during Saturday's protest…

teleSUR (2020-08-18). Mali: Shootings and Arrests in Bamako Warns of Possible Coup. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday morning, a mutiny in a military camp and the arrest of high-ranking officers raised fears of an attempted coup against Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. | RELATED: | "The embassy received information about the Armed Forces' mutiny. Norwegians must stay at home," Norway's embassy tweeted. | Bamako people are in great turmoil. Government offices, banks, and shops have closed. Local media are not providing any official info…

teleSUR (2020-08-18). China Demands US To Cancel Measures Against TikTok. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected the announcement to ban TikTok and WeChat in the United States made by President Donald Trump's administration. | RELATED: | He said that TikTok follows the U.S. regulations, its managers are U.S. citizens, and its servers are outside of China. | Zhao also affirmed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has confirmed that China…

sputniknews (2020-08-18). Former DHS Staffer Tweets Pic of Himself and Trump After President Claims He 'Never Heard of Him'. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump is facing criticism from a former DHS staffer who recently publicly endorsed his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. The staffer has leveled a series of accusations against the president.

Paul Craig Roberts (2020-08-18). Deep State Smashes Journalist for Truth-Telling. thealtworld.com The link I posted to the ShadowGate Documentary— | I recommend that you watch it and save it. | There is a full press attempt underway to keep the documentary from the public. Youtube lied that the documentary violated their policy on hate speech. There is no hate in the documentary. The film violated social media's policy of withholding truth from the people. | The documentary presents two whistleblower…

Simon Whalley (2020-08-17). How to Fund the Salvation of Humanity. commondreams.org A smartphone being operated in front of Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon logos as background in Hédé-Bazouges, western France, on Septemeber 28, 2017. (Photo: Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gafa_0.jpg

Patrick Cockburn (2020-08-17). The Decline in Power of the Oil States. counterpunch.org President Donald Trump is cock-a-hoop over the United Arab Emirates becoming the first Arab Gulf state to normalise its relations with Israel. He needs all the good news he can get in the months before the US presidential election. "HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!" Trump tweeted.

RT (2020-08-17). 'Joe and the Hoe': Rush Limbaugh's mockery of Kamala Harris' sex life triggers outrage & accusations of skewed priorities. rt.com Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh's "sexist" riff on Democratic VP candidate Kamala Harris' past relationship with a powerful older politician has liberals outraged and conservatives rolling their eyes. | In his Friday broadcast, Limbaugh brought up the NBA's dismissal of a freelance photographer who had posted a mock campaign ad of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with Harris captioned 'Joe and the Hoe' on Facebook. | Noting the photographer was given the boot over a "sexist Facebook post referencing Kamala Harris," he explained the 'Joe and the Hoe' quip was a reference to Harris' sexual relat…

RT (2020-08-17). Twitter 'accidentally' suspends satirical site Babylon Bee after it mocked Kamala Harris and USPS conspiracies. rt.com Twitter suspended the account of parody news site The Babylon Bee after it mocked Democrat VP candidate Kamala Harris and 'mail vote suppression' conspiracies. It was shortly restored amid protests about censorship. | The Bee went dark around 6 pm on Monday. Archives showed that their last BREAKING: It appears the Babylon Bee's Twitter account has been suspe…

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-08-17). Trumps' Coy Snowden Mystery: The Kiss of Death. counterpunch.org Had we but world enough and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime. — Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress" (1681) I'm tired of the bullshit. Now that I've joined Twittersphere I've been getting magic bullets tweeting me all day. Up and to the Left. Some Mark Chapman is said to be disappointed in how

_____ (2020-08-17). Discussion Of Wikileaks Or 'Hacked Information' Banned Under New YouTube Rules. popularresistance.org Social media giant YouTube announced yesterday a host of new measures it says are aimed at preventing any interference in the upcoming presidential elections. Chief among the list it wrote on its blog, is "removing content that contains hacked information, the disclosure of which may interfere with democratic processes, such as elections and censuses." An example it gives would-be deleting "videos that contain hacked information about a political candidate." | It also promised to "raise up authoritative voices" when it comes to current events and politics by changing its algorithm to show users more credible chan…

sputniknews (2020-08-17). 'Stop Sabotaging': Netizens Drag Trump Over 'Save the Post Office' Tweet Amid USPS Dispute. sputniknews.com Netizens were quick to call out US President Donald Trump for his "Save…

yenisafak (2020-08-17). France to propose masks at work as infections rise. yenisafak.com Minister for Labor Elisabeth Borne has announced that she will propose it in meetings with union leaders on Tuesday.At least 3,352 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered on Saturday, and 3,015 on Sunday. About 17 more active clusters are being observed. Hospitalizations and cases under intensive care have ticked up slightly.In a tweet, Borne reinforced the need for vigilance on the part of the country."Everyone must do their utmost to prevent the spread of the disease. We will discuss Tuesday with the social partners strengthening health standards in companies to guarantee health at work and the conti…

yenisafak (2020-08-17). Belarus: Opposition leader says 'ready to lead country'. yenisafak.com The leader of the Belarusian opposition said Monday she is "ready to lead the nation" through a transitional period in order to end the unrest and organize "in the shortest terms" a new "fair and open presidential election".In a video message, published on her YouTube channel, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya promised to release all "political prisoners" and relax the election legislation so that the results of the new election are recognized by the international community.Tikhanovskaya, who is currently in Lithuania, also expressed solidarity with the people rallying against the results of the presidential election in Bel…