2018-08-08: News Headlines

Democracy Now! (2018-08-08). Meet Debbie Africa: First MOVE 9 Member to Be Freed in 40 Years & Now Reunited with Her Son, Mike. democracynow.org Today marks the 40th anniversary of a massive police operation in Philadelphia that culminated in the siege of the headquarters of the black radical group known as MOVE. The group was founded by John Africa, and all its members took the surname Africa. It was August 8, 1978, when police tried to remove members of MOVE from their communal home with water cannons and battering rams, even as some continued to hide in the basement with children. During the siege on MOVE's house, gunfire was exchanged, and a police officer named James Ramp was killed. Two years later, nine MOVE members were convicted of third-degree m…

Mark Gruenberg (2018-08-08). "Right to work" dead in Missouri, Ohio vote terrifies GOP. peoplesworld.org Ferguson city councilor Wesley Bell | Jeff Roberson/AP | Progressives got a second big win in Missouri. Ferguson City Councilor Wesley Bell, an African-American, ousted St. Louis County District Attorney Bob McCulloch, a 27-year veteran who was unopposed four years ago. McCulloch drew criticism for basically whitewashing police officer Darren Wilson's fatal shooting of unarmed African-American Ferguson resident Michael Brown in 2014. | "People keep saying 'you shocked the world,'" Bell told the happy crowded watch party. "No, we shocked the world. People showed up and showed out." Criminal justice reform was his big issue. | "These results demonstrate voters care passionately about crucial civil rights issues from the unjust use of cash bail to how long people are sitting in our jails because they can't afford to pay, to demanding their prosecuting attorney be transparent on his office's work," Jeffrey Mittman, executive…

Patrick Bond (2018-08-08). BRICS-Johannesburg: Simultaneously Disappoints and Threatens. counterpunch.org Can the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) bloc rise to the occasion, as Donald Trump jerks Western imperialism out of traditional alignments? With war-talk against Iran blowing through Trump's tweets, and with Washington's trade wars raging against both China and traditional allies, there was talk here in Johannesburg about counter-hegemonic prospects during the last week of July. More

teleSUR/GB (2018-08-08). Drones Restricted at Duque Inauguration After Maduro Attack. telesurtv.net Aviation authority Civil Aeronautics explained that the measure, which came two days after the attempted assassination of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, was undertaken to guarantee security.

Democracy Now! (2018-08-06). Headlines for August 6, 2018. democracynow.org Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Survives Apparent Assassination Attempt by Drone, Trump Tweet Reveals He Lied Last Year About Son's 2016 Meeting with Russian Lawyer, Mendocino Complex Fire Now Fourth Largest in California History, Indonesia: 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Kills 91, Death Toll Expected to Rise, Zimbabwe: Crackdown Against Opposition Activists Continues After Elections, South Sudan President & Rebel Leader Reach Peace Deal, Israeli Military Kills 2 Palestinian Protesters at Latest Gaza Demonstrations, In Racist Attacks, Trump Insults LeBron James, Don Lemon & Maxine Waters, Randy Moss Honors Victims…

Democracy Now! (2018-08-06). Venezuelan Pres. Nicolás Maduro Targeted in 1st Assassination Attempt by Drone Against Head of State. democracynow.org Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro survived an apparent assassination attempt Saturday. Officials say two drones loaded with explosives detonated above Maduro as he gave a nationally televised speech at a military event in Caracas. It was the first known attempted assassination by drone strike against a sitting head of state. We get response from Alejandro Velasco, executive editor for NACLA Report on the Americas; Gabriel Hetland, assistant professor of Latin American studies at SUNY Albany; and Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and president of Just Foreign Policy.

Hezvo Mpunga (2018-08-05). Reflecting on the Legacy of Congressman Ron Dellums: A True People's Warrior. therealnews.com Ron Dellums was first elected to Congress in 1971, when he stood with the Panthers. Then the Marine veteran launched a Vietnam war crimes investigation and was singularly responsible for legal sanctions against South Africa. We are joined by Bob Scheer to reflect on the legacy of Congressman Ron Dellums, a true people's warrior

Democracy Now! (2018-08-03). A Slaughter in Silence: How Trump's "America First" Policy Enabled Ethnic Cleansing in the DRC. democracynow.org The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world as a wave of extreme violence sweeps the country. Some 2 million Congolese fled their homes last year, nearly 7 million Congolese are now internally displaced, and another 500,000 have fled to other parts of Africa. According to the United Nations, 13 million Congolese are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. The international media has largely ignored what's happening, but this week Vice News published a shocking investigation into a recent case of ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of machete-wielding militiamen swept through ar…

Democracy Now! (2018-08-02). Headlines for August 2, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Calls on Sessions to End Russia Probe, Drawing Cries of Obstruction, Prosecutors Say Paul Manafort Stashed Millions in Offshore Accounts, Separated Immigrant Child Dies Shortly After Release from ICE Jail, Federal Court Bars Trump from Withholding Funds to Sanctuary Cities, White House Planning to Further Slash Refugee Admissions to U.S., Zimbabwe: 3 Killed in Harare as Soldiers Attack Opposition Protesters, Congo: New Investigation Bolsters Evidence of Ethnic Cleansing, Trump Preparing to Escalate China Trade War with Steeper Tariffs, Google Readying "Dragonfly" Censored Search Engine in China, Amnesty Int…

Democracy Now! (2018-07-31). Ron Dellums (1935-2018): Organizing for Peace Forces Us to Challenge All Forms of Injustice. democracynow.org Ron Dellums, the legendary politician and antiwar activist who fought against U.S. intervention around the globe, apartheid in South Africa and the Vietnam War, has died at the age of 82. During his nearly three decades in Congress, Dellums opposed every major U.S. military intervention except a bill in 1992 to send troops to Somalia. This legacy began when Dellums pushed for the House to conduct a probe into U.S. war crimes committed in Vietnam shortly after taking office in 1970. When this effort failed, Dellums held his own ad hoc war crimes hearings. The celebrated congressmember once said, "I am not going to…

Democracy Now! (2018-07-27). Headlines for July 27, 2018. democracynow.org 700+ Migrant Families Still Separated as Reunification Deadline Passes, Protests Target President Trump's Family Separation Policy, House Votes 359-54 in Favor of Record Military Spending Bill, Michael Cohen Says Trump Knew in Advance About Meeting with Russians, House Republicans Set to Punish Rod Rosenstein over Mueller Probe, Pakistan: Imran Khan Claims Victory as Opponents Allege Vote Rigging, Gaza: Palestinians Call for Renewed Protests, Palestinian Teen Who Slapped Soldier to Be Released from Israeli Jail, Hundreds of African Refugees Scale Border Wall into Spanish Enclave, Laos: Aid Groups Say Death Toll f…

TeleSur English (2018-07-09). Integration Can't Be Rhetoric, Must Be Real: Venezuela's Arreaza in Africa. venezuelanalysis.com The Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza is visiting several African countries to build South-South relations.