2020-06-28: News Headlines

Eds. (2020-06-28). All of us began with Marta Harnecker. mronline.org During an interview, then-Bolivia Vice President àÅlvaro García Linera and Spanish state parliamentarian Pablo Iglesias were exchanging ideas on classic texts and their own initiation into politics when the Spanish activist proclaimed: "All of us began with Marta Harnecker".

Steve Ellner (2020-06-28). Trump's Second Thoughts on Juan Guaido are Not Enough. zcomm.org After the president's change of heart on Venezuela, and the waning of Juan Guaidó and his party, the entire Washington political establishment have a lot of explaining to do…

yenisafak (2020-06-28). Global coronavirus cases top 10 million. yenisafak.com Global coronavirus cases have exceeded 10 million on Sunday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University.The worldwide tally of virus-linked deaths has reached 499,124, while the number of recoveries tops five million.The US remains the worst-hit country with over 2.5 million infections, while its death toll exceeds 125,500.Brazil, which has the largest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Latin America, has the second-highest number of infections worldwide with 1.31 million.Russia, India, Italy, Spain and the UK are also among the hardest-hit countries in the world.China, the ground zero…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-28). Gasoline export to Venezuela trade deal: oil min. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 28 (MNA) — Stressing Iran has not given gasoline to Venezuela for free, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said that exporting gasoline to Venezuela was a trade deal.

reenvia Red Latina sin fronteras (2020-06-28). Argentina_Dario y Maxi: Memoria y contraimpunidad. indybay.org Argentina_Buenos Aires | 18 ANIVERSARIO DE LA MASACRE DE AVELLANEDA: | °JUSTICIA COMPLETA POR DARÂO Y MAXI!

WSWS (2020-06-27). Brazilian health care workers strike for PPE and risk bonus. wsws.org On Thursday, health care professionals in the Brazilian state of Piauí started an indefinite strike as their counterparts in Rio de Janeiro launched protests.

Tanya Wadhwa (2020-06-27). The socio-economic crisis is aggravating the health crisis in Peru. peoplesdispatch.org Peru is the second hardest hit country in Latin America and the seventh most severely affected nation globally by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite early and strict nationwide lockdown measures, the number of coronavirus cases have increased at an alarming rate. After 103 days of mandatory home quarantine and shutdown of economic activities, as of June 26, there are 272,364 confirmed cases of the coronavirus infection and 8,939 deaths due to the disease in the country. The capital Lima is the most affected region with 153,068 cases and 4,029 deaths. | Although Peru was one of the first Latin American countries to im…

yenisafak (2020-06-27). EU holds off decision on borders, Americans set to be excluded. yenisafak.com European Union countries failed to settle on Friday on a final "safe list" of countries whose residents could travel to the bloc from July, with the United States, Brazil and Russia set to be excluded.Ambassadors from the 27 EU members convened from Friday afternoon to establish criteria for granting quarantine-free access from next Wednesday.A redrawn text of 10-20 countries was put to them, but many said they needed to consult first with their governments, diplomats said. The list did not include the United States, Brazil or Russia, one diplomat said.Discussions were continuing overnight, with the EU countries…

en.mehrnews (2020-06-27). Trump's talks offer with Venezuela, Iran doesn't mean policy shift: Argentinian Prof. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 28 (MNA) — The head of the International Relations Area for the Observatory of International Trade at the National University of Lujan in Argentina believes that US hostile policies toward Iran and Venezuela will continue despite Donald Trump's willingness to talk with Tehran and Caracas.

Danny Shaw (2020-06-26). Colombia's Other Pandemic: Unchecked State Violence in the Time of COVID-19. counterpunch.org The human rights group Indepaz reports that 800 activists have been killed in the past three and a half years in Colombia, since November 24, 2016, the date the government signed "the Peace Accord" with the FARC.[1] Taking advantage of society's fear and distraction, and the demobilization caused by the novel coronavirus, state and paramilitary

_____ (2020-06-26). The 'New' American Mercenary: A Pocket History. popularresistance.org Though the bizarre story has been subsumed by other events, last month's aborted invasion of Venezuela should've hardly shocked anyone. The United States has long used mercenaries to do its bidding. They have provided Washington distance and deniability for unsavory operations. During the Cold War, the U.S. hoped this would limit domestic and international protest. Policymakers also discerned mercenary alternatives to bloody, expensive quagmires like the Vietnam or Iraq Wars. Traditionally, most of these hired guns were foreigners — ex-soldiers of declining European empires. | Much of this parallels the lat…

Vijay Prashad (2020-06-26). The Dangerous Incompetence of Narendra Modi and Jair Bolsonaro. zcomm.org Alarming news about the COVID-19 disease comes from Brazil and India, where the infection numbers are high, and the death count grows steadily…

David Smilde (2020-06-26). Joe Biden Should Not Try to Out-Hawk Trump on Venezuela. commondreams.org Thousands gather in Caracas to protest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. April 2019 (Photo: Helena1 / Shutterstock.com) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2020-06-26_at_11.10.04_am.png

Julián Inzaugarat (2020-06-26). 18 year after assassination of Maxi and Darío in Argentina, the struggle intensifies! peoplesdispatch.org In 2002, Darío Santillán and Maximiliano Kosteki were assassinated in the entrance to the Avellaneda station following brutal repression by the Buenos Aires province police to a mobilization demanding salary increases, subsidies for unemployed and food for community kitchens.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-26). COVID-19 in Brazil: The people's response. peoplesdispatch.org The coronavirus pandemic has sent a shockwave through Brazil which as of June 26 stands second in the world with 1 million 228 thousand confirmed cases of coronavirus and 54 thousand deaths. Hospitals are at capacity and the country also has experienced one of the highest rates of death of medical professionals amid the pandemic. However, Brazil's social movements have not stood by idly. They have been organizing around a list of demands with regards to economic support to vulnerable populations, public health policies and above all protection of the people. They have also organized solidarity initiatives across…

W. T. Whitney (2020-06-26). US Must Return Its Political Prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. counterpunch.org Murderous violence and oligarchy were in charge in Colombia during the 20th century. Colombians by the millions were marginalized, impoverished, and/or displaced from small land holdings. Violence and the failings of liberal democracy turned Simón Trinidad into a revolutionary. Few in the United States and Europe know about him. Colombia's allies in both places overlook

sputniknews (2020-06-26). New Records Verified for Greatest Distance, Duration of Lightning Flashes – UN Agency. sputniknews.com The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Thursday announced new world records that were set by two so-called megaflashes, "the longest reported distance and the longest reported duration for a single lightning flash," which occurred in Brazil and Argentina, respectively.

Staff (2020-06-25). How U.S. and Brazil Leadership That "Neglects Science" Led to Hemisphere's Worst Coronavirus Crises. democracynow.org As coronavirus infections worldwide approach 10 million, nearly half can be found in the two largest countries in the Americas: the United States and Brazil, which now has the worst infection rate in the world and could surpass the U.S. death toll next month. "What we see in the country is a reflection of the leadership that we have," says Marcia Castro, professor of demography, chair of the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-chair of Harvard's Brazil Studies Program, noting far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the pandemic's severity an…

W. T. Whitney, Jr. (2020-06-25). U.S. must return its political prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. mronline.org Simón Trinidad matters; his time has come. This leader of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) faced bizarre and unfounded criminal charges in a U.S. court. He's being held under the cruelest of conditions in a federal prison in Florence, Colorado. He will die there unless he is released. Simón Trinidad will be …

RT (2020-06-25). Bitcoin bolivars? Venezuela reportedly accepting crypto as payment for passport applications. rt.com Venezuela's passport service is accepting Bitcoin as payment for some applications, according to people using the online system. The move suggests an increased shift to alternative payment systems in the South American state. | A screenshot of a Bitcoin (BTC) payment prompt on Venezuela's Administrative Service for Identification, Migration and Foreigners (SAIME) was posted to

WSWS (2020-06-25). Brazilian government hides scale of COVID-19 pandemic to promote criminal reopening. wsws.org Different studies point to severe underreporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths, as outbreaks at working places spread across Brazil.

Ryan Cecil Jobson (2020-06-25). Brazilian oligarchs sacrifice people for profit. zcomm.org Business leaders are using social media and political influence to spread coronavirus disinformation — and endangering thousands of lives…

Almasdar News (2020-06-25). US Sends Powerful Message to Iran, Venezuela as Warship Sails Near Caracas. globalresearch.ca The U.S. Naval Command in the southern region announced on Wednesday, that a warship belonging to it sailed near the Venezuelan coast, hours after an Iranian tanker was docked in the port of Caracas. | According to the Southern Command's official …

Staff (2020-06-25). Leadership That Neglects Science Led to Worst COVID Crises in US and Brazil. truthout.org As coronavirus infections worldwide approach 10 million, nearly half can be found in the two largest countries in the Americas: the United States and Brazil, which now has the worst infection rate in the world and could surpass the U.S. death toll next month. "What we see in the country is a reflection of the leadership that we have," says Marcia Castro, professor of demography, chair of the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-chair o…

Staff (2020-06-24). Headlines for June 24, 2020. democracynow.org Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns of "Disturbing Surge" of U.S. COVID-19 Cases, Trump on Claim He Tried to Slow Coronavirus Testing: "I Don't Kid", Latin America Tops 100,000 Coronavirus Deaths as Brazilian President Ordered to Wear Mask in Public, Kentucky Slashes Polling Places by 95%, Causing Election Day Chaos, Progressive Challenger Jamaal Bowman Poised to Upset 16-Term Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel, 3,000 Pack Indoor Trump Rally in Arizona as COVID-19 Cases Surge to Record High, Student-Led March in Oakland Calls for End to Police in Schools, Louisville Police Department Fires Officer Who Shot Breonna Taylor, Two New Y…

yenisafak (2020-06-24). US sanctions five Iranian ship captains for bringing oil to Venezuela. yenisafak.com Speaking to reporters, Pompeo also said the United States continues to support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. Washington, which seeks the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and most other Western governments have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of the OPEC nation.

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-06-24). U.S. must return political prisoner Simón Trinidad to Colombia. peoplesworld.org Murderous violence and oligarchy were at the center of Colombian political life during the 20th century. Colombians by the millions were marginalized, impoverished, and/or displaced from small land holdings. Violence and the failings of liberal democracy turned Simón Trinidad into a revolutionary. Few in the United States and Europe know about him. Colombia's allies in …

Leonardo Flores (2020-06-24). Bolton weaves a tall tale in his Venezuela chapter. peoplesdispatch.org Per Bolton, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remains in power only because the Trump administration lacked the determination to keep the pressure on. He argues that sanctions were neither strict nor swiftly applied. Yet during Bolton's tenure, the Trump administration blocked Venezuela's ability to trade gold, froze the assets of state oil company PDVSA (including US based subsidiary Citgo Petroleum), sanctioned Venezuela's Central Bank, and imposed an economic embargo. All of this occurred between November 2018 and August 2019, during Bolton's tenure as Trump's National Security Advisor. | Four major sanction…

Stansfield Smith (2020-06-24). The Wasp Network Highlights Our Lack of Freedom to Tell the Truth on the Cuban Five Case. dissidentvoice.org The film Wasp Network, based on the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War, The Story of the Cuban Five by Fernando Morais, is a co-production between France, Spain, Belgium and Brazil. It was shown in Cuba last December, soon after it came out. You can now watch it on Netflix. It is not a …