2020-07-31: News Headlines

Staff (2020-07-30). Headlines for July 30, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 150,000 as Public Health Experts Call for "Reset" in Response, GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert Tests Positive for Coronavirus After Refusing to Wear Mask in Capitol, Brazil Records Record Daily Coronavirus Toll as Deaths Top 90,000, Mexico's Health Ministry Recommends Masks But Won't Require Them, Vietnam Reports First Coronavirus Cases in Months; Just 1,000 Pilgrims Join Hajj in Mecca, Oregon Governor Says Federal Agents Will Withdraw From Portland Amid Protests, Lawmakers Grill Big Tech CEOs Over Anticompetitive Practices, Extended Jobless Benefits Expiring as Lawmakers Fail to Break Stalem…

Staff (2020-07-30). Black Americans, Black Brazilians Suffer More From COVID-19. Structural Racism Is To Blame. therealnews.com "Genocides don't always have to be intentional. It's about impact. Whether or not they have been planning to kill people, we know people are dying and Black people are dying disproportionately."

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-30). Bolivians oppose postponement of elections. peoplesdispatch.org On July 23, the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) postponed the elections scheduled for September 6 to October 18, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the third time since the coup in November 2019 that elections have been postponed. On July 28, mobilizations were held across Bolivia opposing this delay in elections. Indigenous, peasant, rural and women organizations organized massive demonstrations in the capital city La Paz, among other cities, under the banner of "For Democracy, Health and Life".

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-30). Chile's trade union center calls for a national protest against Piñera's government. peoplesdispatch.org The United Center of Workers of Chile (CUT) rejected the national government's actions that are leading the workers to bear the costs of the current crisis…

Staff (2020-07-29). Headlines for July 29, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Records Highest One-Day Coronavirus Death Toll Since May, Trump Retweets Doctor Who Warned of Sex with Demons and "Alien DNA", Twitter Suspends Donald Trump Jr. for Spreading COVID-19 Misinformation, Progressives Say GOP Coronavirus Bill Would Bring "Mass Poverty and Mass Hunger", Teachers' Union Prepared to Strike If Schools Aren't Made Safe from Coronavirus, World Health Organization Warns Summer Weather Isn't Slowing Coronavirus, Argentina Reports Record COVID-19 Death Toll as Guatemala Reopens Economy, Attorney General Barr Grilled over Police Violence Against Peaceful Protesters, Portland Demonstrators…

_____ (2020-07-29). Imperialist Economic War Costs US Almost $200 Billion. popularresistance.org Quantifying each and every one of the effects of the war that imperialism has declared on the Venezuelan people is impossible. The attacks that Venezuelans have experienced since 1999 have not only been economic, they have also been psychological. There is no way to measure the consequences of the hatred that the undemocratic opposition has sown with its anti-socialist propaganda, to the point of burning people alive if they are suspected Chavistas. The resentment that the Venezuelan people have towards those who claim to be Venezuelans, but who have sold out their homeland, is also unmeasurable. | That said, foc…

Eds. (2020-07-29). In Commune: The Panal 2021 Commune (Part 2). mronline.org In this series, In Commune, Venezuelanalysis will explore different experiences of rural and urban communes to help better understand what these highly controversial bodies mean, how they have been put into practice, and what they could signify for the continuity of the Bolivarian Revolution in the current situation of political and economic imperialist aggression.

WSWS (2020-07-29). What led Argentina's Left Workers Front (FIT) to vote for banning criticism of Israel under the guise of combatting anti-Semitism? wsws.org The FIT legislators voted for a bill introduced by the right-wing Macristas to adopt a definition of anti-Semitism aimed at criminalizing opposition to Israel.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-07-29). Chinese Participation in 5G Auction Could Save Brazilian Economy. globalresearch.ca Agribusiness is the center of the Brazilian economy, corresponding to more than 20% of the national GDP. In fact, Brazilian economy has suffered a heavy blow in recent years, with the country being subjected to an advanced process of deindustrialization. …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-29). 2019 was the bloodiest year for environmental and land rights activists, says report. peoplesdispatch.org Over 212 "land defenders" were killed in the year 2019, says a report by Global Witness, with Colombia and the Philippines accounting for half of those…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-29). Genocide of Colombia's social leaders continues unabated. peoplesdispatch.org On July 27, Colombian organizations including the Institute of Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz), the Marcha Patriótica (the Patriotic March) platform of social movements and the Agrarian, Peasant, Ethnic and Popular Summit, a platform of Indigenous, peasant and Afro-descendant organizations, held a press conference to denounce the growing violence against Colombian movements. They denounced that almost 1,000 social leaders have been killed since the signing of peace agreements in 2016 between the former government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerril…

_____ (2020-07-29). Bolivia: Stop State Repression And Violence, For Free And Fair Elections. popularresistance.org Four days after the Interim Bolivian Government suspended elections again, Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic and the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR) released a report on the gross human rights abuses carried out under Bolivia's interim President, Jeanine àÅñez. | The report documents one of the deadliest and most repressive periods in the past several decades in Bolivia as well as the growing fear of indigenous peoples and government critics that their lives and safety are in danger. | "We have identified very troubling patterns of human rights violations since the Interim Go…

yenisafak (2020-07-29). Brazil may face 'consequences' if it gives Huawei 5G access, says US ambassador. yenisafak.com The top U.S. diplomat in Brazil said in a newspaper interview that the country may face "consequences" if it allows China's Huawei Technologies into its 5G network, referring to U.S. warnings that China fails to protect intellectual property.The U.S. government has stepped up efforts to limit Huawei's role in rolling out high-speed, fifth-generation technology in Latin America's largest economy. It believes Huawei would hand over data to the Chinese government for spying. Huawei denies it spies for China.U.S. Ambassador Todd Chapman told O Globo that Brazil would not face reprisals for picking Huawei, but could f…

Glenn Greenwald (2020-07-28). U.S.-Supported Coup in Bolivia Continues to Produce Repression and Tyranny. zcomm.org The U.S.-supported military coup in Bolivia has largely disappeared from western news outlets ever since the November 2019 massacres of pro-democracy protesters by the right-wing faction that seized power…

Lucas Koerner (2020-07-28). Venezuela Wins Right to Appeal UK Ruling Barring Access to Gold Reserves. venezuelanalysis.com Lawyers for Venezuela's Central Bank hailed the decision as "incredibly rare."

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-28). Argentina's stance on Venezuela changes with the new government. peoplesdispatch.org Argentine President, Alberto Fernández, recognized Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president and criticized the economic blockades against the Caribbean country, setting up a new scenario in Latin America…

Paul Dobson (2020-07-28). Venezuela Rejects Washington's 'Wild West' Bounty Against Chief Justice Moreno. globalresearch.ca Venezuela's Foreign Ministry hit back at the Trump administration after it offered US $5 million for information leading to the arrest of Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno last week. | "The Venezuelan government once again rejects the Donald Trump administration's illegal …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-07-28). Bolivians reject postponement of elections with massive mobilizations. peoplesdispatch.org Organizations and trade unions from diverse sectors in Bolivia joined the call to mobilize today, on July 28, against…

Pepe Escobar (2020-07-28). Brazil: The Money Laundering Scandal From Hell No One Wants to Talk About. zcomm.org Two decades after the fact, a political earthquake that should be rocking Brazil apart is being met with thunderous silence…

Telesur (2020-07-28). Brazil: Labor Union Sues Bolsonaro for Crimes Against Humanity. globalresearch.ca Brazil's Trade Union Network UniSaude filed a complaint in the International Criminal Court (ICC) against President Jair Bolsonaro for crimes against humanity and genocide during the COVID-19 crisis. | "Bolsonaro's management of the pandemic has been criminal and negligent. He has …

Sophia Rokhlin (2020-07-28). Without Reciprocity, Ayahuasca Consumption Is Extractive. commondreams.org A shaman (R) puts a broth of "Ayahuasca" into a cup. The brew, which is prepared from the liana Banisteriopsis caapi, is used for medical or religious purposes in the Peruvian Shipibo ethnic group and in various Amazonian ethnic groups. (Photo: Ana Karina Delgado/picture alliance via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/peru.jpg

Ricardo Vaz (2020-07-28). Venezuelan Popular Movements Protest Student Evictions. venezuelanalysis.com Students denounced a "hostile attitude" on the part of authorities.

_____ (2020-07-28). Venezuela Moves Toward Elections: US Seeks To Undermine Them. popularresistance.org Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) has kickstarted proceedings for the upcoming December 6 National Assembly (AN) elections. A number of events have taken place in recent weeks that appear to open the way for a path out of the current political crisis and towards new conditions of stability in the country. | The roadmap has several democratic and electoral elements, which dovetail with decrees handed down by state institutions. | The government's strategy is, in broad strokes, to create a new democratic framework on the basis of several recent developments that we will examine. | While this roadmap is r…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-28). 2 short animations win at Cinrecreo. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 28 (MNA) — Iranian short animated pieces 'The Fox' directed by Sadegh Javadi and 'Pet Man' by Marzieh Abrar-Paydar win Cinrecreo youth short film festival awards in Ecuador.

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Nearly 30,000 back US campaign seeking Nobel for Cuban doctors. yenisafak.com Nobel Peace Prize for Cuban Doctors campaign has been endorsed by prominent intellectuals, artists, politicians, and citizens worldwide, according to the campaign's website.Prominent endorsers include Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa, actors Danny Glover and Mark Ruffalo, writers Alice Walker, Noam Chomsky, and Nancy Morejon, filmmakers Oliver Stone and Petra Costa, musician Tom Morello, and singer/songwriter Silvio Rodriguez, among numerous others.The campaign launched on June 16 describes its mission "to promote the nomination of the Cuban International M…

teleSUR (2020-07-27). Uruguay: Broad Front Sees Victory Facing Covid-19 Crisis. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's left-wing political force Broad Front (Frente Amplio) stated on Monday the need to add municipalities during the coming citizen consultation on September 27, to protect citizens amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | After the political parties reached an agreement in March to postpone the departmental elections until September because of the sanitary crisis, the Broad Front sees the citizen consultation as "k…

teleSUR (2020-07-27). Chile: Draft Legislation To Declare Sex Crimes Imprescriptible. telesurenglish.net Chilean lawmakers Érika Olivera, Ximena Ossandón and Pamela Inés Moreno of the Renovación Nacional party presented a bill to declare the imprescriptibility of sexual crimes, to protect the victims, beyond the time that passes since the crime was committed. | RELATED: | A communiqué from the party's bench in the House of Representatives explained that, in the initiative, the parliamentarians list some illegal acts such as kidnapping wit…