2020-07-27: News Headlines

_____ (2020-07-27). The Militarized Assault On Our Right To Protest. popularresistance.org The Trump Administration sent federal law enforcement, including the paramilitary squad of Customs and Border Patrol, BORTAC, which has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, to the streets of Portland, OR to stop the ongoing demonstrations against racist police violence. Federal law enforcement, working with local police, is also being sent to other cities where anti-racist protests are going on. We speak with constitutional lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard about the legality of this and how activists can fight back to protect the rights of everyone and end police violence and lawless impunity.

Staff (2020-07-27). Seattle & Portland Activists: Protest Federal and City Police Crackdowns & Keep Focus on BLM Agenda. democracynow.org As nationwide protests against systemic racism and police violence stretch into their second month, President Trump has sent a team of federal agents to Seattle, following a controversial deployment of federal forces in Portland, Oregon. "We don't know exactly what the federal officers are doing. What we do know is we are in a situation where local police are welcoming those federal agents into our cities," says Seattle community organizer Nikkita Oliver, co-executive director of Creative Justice. We also speak with Pastor E.D. Mondainé, president of the Portland, Oregon, branch of the NAACP.

Juan Lopez (2020-07-27). Trump threatens democracy with militarized police as polls suggest he's in trouble. peoplesworld.org By sending federal militarized units in fascist-like fashion into major cities to attack peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators, President Donald Trump is assaulting democracy and setting a dangerous precedent less than 100 days before the November elections. Clearly, it is a desperate move to shore up his far-right base and divert public attention away from …

Coco Das (2020-07-27). Three Questions for the "Resistance" counterpunch.org The Trump/Pence regime has sent a federal occupying army into Portland to "quell" ongoing protests. Overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and cobbled from a number of federal agencies, including Customs & Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, these anonymous thugs in camouflage, virtually indistinguishable from right-wing militias, have seized the authority to kidnap

Mike Hastie (2020-07-27). The Heart of Darkness in Portland. counterpunch.org Soon it will be 60 straight nights of demonstrations and ear shattering protests in Portland, Oregon. There is a continuous drum corps that is beating hypnotic rhythms that gives thousands of Portlanders a reason to be alive. The energy is electrifying, as people take turns chanting their built up frustrations of what they see as utter

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-07-27). Popular Movements Can Overcome Authoritarian Policing. dissidentvoice.org Portland protests say Go Home Feds as protests grow (by Noah Berger, AP) Today is the 60th day of protests since the murder of George Floyd. This weekend, people marched in cities across the country in solidarity with Portland and in opposition to the US becoming a police state. President Trump sending troops to cities added fuel …

_____ (2020-07-27). More Federal Officers Deploying To Portland. popularresistance.org Several dozen additional out-of-town federal law enforcement officers are deploying to Portland as they look to make additional arrests in the coming days, while also shifting tactics from the use of tear gas, according to multiple federal law enforcement sources. | The federal response has so far sparked four civil rights lawsuits, a Department of Justice inspector general investigation, proposed legislation in Congress limiting the role of federal law enforcement in American cities, and has injured a number of protesters. Rather than quell the protests as was the intent, it's served to reenergize and strengthen…

sputniknews (2020-07-27). Meet Eddy, 'War Correspondent' for High School Newspaper in US City of Portland. sputniknews.com PORTLAND (Sputnik) – The youngest journalist covering the protests in Portland writes for a high school newspaper. Press badges, slight build, and being 17 years of age has proven insufficient to protect Eddy Binford-Ross from police brutality. Yet, almost every night she ventures back to report from the frontline.

RT (2020-07-27). Where are the fact checkers? Rep. Jerry Nadler claims Antifa violence in Portland is a MYTH (VIDEO). rt.com Congressman Jerry Nadler has been raked across the coals by social media after insisting that there is no protester-instigated violence in Portland. The lawmaker has spearheaded efforts to discredit federal police in the city. | The New York Democrat was approached by pundit and internet personality Austen Fletcher, who asked the House member if he "disavows the violence from Antifa happening in Portland right now." | "That's a myth that's being spread only in Washington, DC," Nadler responded. | Clearly amused by the lawmaker's answer, Fletched clarified: "About Antifa in Portland?" | "Yes," the NY representa…

RT (2020-07-27). Portland Police say Molotov cocktails & rifle magazines found in bag as city reels from violent protests. rt.com A bag discovered in a park frequented by demonstrators contained Molotov cocktails and several loaded magazines, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has reported. Nightly protests in the city have become increasingly violent. | The PPB said they were tipped off about a suspicious bag in Lownsdale Square Park, which is located across the street from the federal courthouse that has been under siege by protesters for nearly two months. The pack reportedly contained loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails. The police force shared a photo of the bag's contents on Twitter. | Tonight Portland Police were near Lowns…

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-07-27). Oakland March In Solidarity With Portland. indybay.org Close to a thousand in Oakland protest for BLM and against hostile Federal occupation of cities.

National Day of Action (2020-07-27). At Solidarity with Portland March, A "Wall of Moms" Ready. indybay.org On July 25, Oakland stood strong with Portland in opposition to Trump's invasion of cities. A recently formed Wall of Moms was ready to take up their place on short notice between police and protesters.

Staff (2020-07-27). Headlines for July 27, 2020. democracynow.org Florida, Texas and California Grapple with Mounting Infections as U.S. Caseload Tops 4.2 Million, Protesters in Puerto Rico Call for Halt to Tourism to Curb Mounting Coronavirus Cases, Judge Denies Trump Request to Delay Deadline for Releasing Immigrant Children, Senate to Unveil New Coronavirus Stimulus Bill Cutting Unemployment Benefits, U.K. Reinstates Spain Quarantine; N. Korea Declares Emergency; Cases Mount Across Latin America & Africa, BLM Protesters Face Attacks from Federal Agents, Police, and Other Violence in Cities Across the U.S., John Lewis Crosses Edmund Pettus Bridge for Last Time as Family and S…

RT (2020-07-27). Portland sex worker who stripped in front of cops as 'Naked Athena' says her nakedness was 'POLITICAL'. rt.com The woman dubbed 'Naked Athena' is a sex worker, and her famous confrontation with Portland police, in nothing but a cap and a face mask, happened because she felt offended by the way they stood, she has revealed in an interview.

RT (2020-07-27). Antifa rioters call themselves journalists to avoid federal crackdown. rt.com Federal officers in Portland are forbidden by court order from targeting journalists filming the riots. For 'Antifa' rioters, the order opened up an opportunity: anyone with a camera can call themselves a "journalist." | Riots have raged in downtown Portland for 60 straight nights, and the threat of arrest by federal agents hasn't stopped crowds of rioters from laying siege to the city's Justice Center night after night. With Mayor Ted Wheeler reluctant to order a police crackdown on the violence, federal officers have filled the gap. Unlike their local counterparts, these officers have had no qualms about mak…

RT (2020-07-27). US police are wearing imaginary CGI armor to appease Putin, suggests acclaimed Russiagate huckster. rt.com Commentary on Donald Trump's decision to send federal police to riot-stricken cities has taken a creative turn: according to a celebrated Russiagate disciple, Putin has "ordered" US cops to wear cyberpunk armor that doesn't exist. | Cheri Jacobus, a popular #NeverTrump Twitter pundit and Russian collusion peddler, has joined the growing chorus of outrage over the use of federal law enforcement to help maintain order in Portland, Oregon, which has seen two months of increasingly violent demonstrations. | While most critics have focused on allegations that federal officers are too militarized and use excessive f…

The Canary (2020-07-27). Call for 'smarter' border checks after Spain removed from quarantine-free list. thecanary.co The government has been urged to introduce "smarter measures" at the border after holidaymakers in Spain were told they must quarantine when they return home.Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said there are "serious questions" about the blanket self-isolation requirement.He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The first is why we are still employing the… blunt tool of the 14-day quarantining rather than smarter measures, and secondly the chaotic nature of the decision-making which certainly hasn't bred confidence in the government's approach."Thomas-Symonds added: "I think you need a smarter se…

WSWS (2020-07-27). What is BORTAC and why is it patrolling the streets of Portland? wsws.org The special paramilitary arm of Customs and Border Protection has been deployed to intimidate and terrorize young people and workers amid the greatest health, economic and political crisis in modern American history.

WSWS (2020-07-27). Hurricane Hanna hits regions of Texas and Mexico devastated by COVID-19. wsws.org In conjunction with a natural disaster, the coronavirus outbreak in the cross-border region threatens to spiral out of control.

George Lakey (2020-07-27). Understanding Trump's game plan in Portland. zcomm.org Because the overwhelming majority of Portlanders have been demonstrating for Black Lives Matter in nonviolent ways, elected officials are mobilizing against Trump's intervention. If the majority had been violent, Trump's intervention would be welcomed by the center…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). New Zealand court sentences man for slavery. yenisafak.com The High Court in Napier, a coastal city on New Zealand's North Island, also ordered the payment $183,000 in reparations to his victims.In a statement, the country's immigration officials and police welcomed the verdict and said the Joseph Matamata was convicted on 10 human trafficking and 13 slavery charges in March this year."Today's sentencing is the result of more than three years of work by INZ [Immigration New Zealand] and New Zealand Police. A joint investigation began back in 2017 when the first allegations of Matamata's offending were brought to INZ's attention. His offending was related to 13 Samoan nat…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Dozens of irregular migrants stranded in Mediterranean. yenisafak.com Dozens of irregular migrants have been stranded in the Mediterranean Sea in Malta's search and rescue zone for over 30 hours, the UN migration organization said Monday.Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), cited a tweet by Alarm Phone, a group monitoring migrant crossings across the Mediterranean Sea, calling on authorities to rescue the 95 migrants fleeing from Africa to Europe."Let's remember that these boats are unsafe and unfit for navigation and that they should be always considered as boats in distress, since they can sink at any moment," wrote Giacomo, who w…

yenisafak (2020-07-27). Turkey rescues 23 irregular migrants in Aegean. yenisafak.com Turkey has rescued 23 irregular migrants including children in the Aegean Sea, according to security sources on Monday.Acting upon an intelligence tip off that there was a dinghy stranded off the coast of Tasburun in the Aydin province, the Turkish Coast Guard launched a search operation and rescued the migrants.After routine checks, they were referred to the provincial migration authority.Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.The country earlier this year opened its gates to irregular migrants seeking to c…

sputniknews (2020-07-27). Portion of Trump's Mexico Border Wall Collapses as Hurricane Hanna Hits Texas – Video. sputniknews.com Hanna is the first hurricane in the 2020 storm season. It came ashore on Padre Island as a Category 1 hurricane and hit the coast of Texas hard. The storm has brought with it heavy rain and potentially life-threatening flash flooding.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-27). Hezbollah issues statement on border developments. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 27 (MNA) —Hezbollah issued a statement reacting to the developments in the occupied Shebaa farm in the southern part of Lebanon.

Rise Up Now (2020-07-27). J25 Stand with Portland March, Quanah Parker Brightman Address. indybay.org video by Micky Souza, Pro Bono Photo. Please give credit. | 2 min 23 second video…

Commonwealth Club (2020-07-27). Friday 8/7: The Battle for Portland & the Implications Nationwide. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Rise Up Now (2020-07-27). J25 Stand with Portland March, Call and Response. indybay.org One min 15 second video by Micky Souza, Pro Bono Photo. | Please give credit.

Fight Back (2020-07-26). NYC rallies to defend Portland. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Over 40 people gathered in Union Square in New York City, July 24, to stand in solidarity with Portland against the recent targeting of activists there. The action was called in response to viral videos of protesters in Portland being picked up by unmarked vans and brought to undisclosed locations, all just for speaking out against racist violence. | The action was called by the Workers World Party and included speakers from New York Community Action Project, Code Pink, Peoples Power Assemblies, Veterans for Peace, A Call to Action on Puerto Rico, and The Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum. | The speeches…

South Front (2020-07-26). Anti-Armenian Foreign Policy of Armenian Nationalists. globalresearch.ca On July 23, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented Yerevan's position on the tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. | "The co-chairs countries of the OSCE Minsk group have made a great …

RT (2020-07-26). Police declare riot in Portland after protesters pull down courthouse fence (VIDEOS). rt.com Law enforcement officers have begun pushing protesters away from Portland's federal courthouse after demonstrators pulled down a fence surrounding the building. | Activists used wire cutters, power saws, and ropes to attack the fence on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning. Videos show a group of demonstrators rocking the chainlink barrier back and forth, ultimately pulling it down. Projectiles and tear gas flew across the sky, in what one observer described as a scene resembling a battlefield. Several fires were then lit outside the courthouse before police declared a riot and emerged fro…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-26). US federal agents fire tear gas on peaceful protesters. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 26 (MNA) — US federal troops have used tear gas and flash-bang grenades against Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, on the 59th consecutive day of unrest in the city.

Fight Back (2020-07-26). Minneapolis protests Trump's repression in Portland. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Over 600 people rallied and marched here, July 23, at the "Portland to Minneapolis: Protest Trump's Goons Attacking Our Movement," called by the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J.) | On July 20, Trump announced plans to send the Department of Homeland Security to cities across the U.S. Agents in military fatigues were deployed in Portland, grabbing demonstrators off the street, detaining them in unmarked cars and attacking protesters. Homeland Security agents were also sent to Washington, DC and Seattle. 150 federal agents are headed to Chicago, and there are reports that 2000 mor…

_____ (2020-07-26). Wall Of Vets, Grandparents Support Black Lives Matter Movement. popularresistance.org Portland, Ore. — The protests have drawn people from all walks of life, and on Friday night, veterans from all over showed up downtown to create a "Wall of Vets" to protect protesters. | And they showed up in white shirts to support the Black Lives Matter movement. | "It's something I believe in. The other vets here — this is the first time they've come down; they don't like crowds either; we believe in something; it's time to stand," said Jonathan Fisher, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. | Veterans responded after the Navy veteran, Chris David, seen on video being beaten by federal officers, called for…

RT (2020-07-26). Riots are driving Portland's small businesses under, but mainstream media wants to sell you a different story. rt.com After nearly 60 straight nights of violence, business owners in Portland are sick and tired of riots. But as their stores go under, the coastal media treats the rioters to glowing coverage and city authorities do nothing. | Portland is a liberal stronghold, and as 'Black Lives Matter' protests fizzle out around the country, anger remains at boiling point in the Oregonian city. The protests there have not been all banner-waving and slogan-chanting affairs though. Instead, droves of 'Antifa' types have laid siege to the city's Justice Center for almost two months, tearing down barricades, lobbing fireworks, sett…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-07-26). Federal Crackdown in Portland Provokes Solidarity Protests Across the Country. commondreams.org "This is my first protest," said a 45-year-old woman who joined the "Wall of Moms" at a Saturday demonstration in Seattle. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12586851111.jpg

Josue De Luna Navarro (2020-07-26). Need Money for a Green New Deal? Get It From ICE. commondreams.org An ICE agent in Salem, Ohio on June 19, 2018. Image courtesy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ice_legal_scholars.jpg

Arun Gupta (2020-07-26). Questions Swirl Around Portland Police's Coordination With Federal Officers. zcomm.org The Portland police have been cagey about how they work with the feds. Deputy Chief Chris Davis has said Portland police offered "suggestions" to the federal forces and coordinated efforts with them.

yenisafak (2020-07-26). Civilian killed in Syria's Idlib by regime forces. yenisafak.com At least one civilian was killed in a mortar attack by Assad regime forces in the de-escalation zone in Idlib, northwestern Syria, a civil defense group said Sunday.Two others were also injured in the attacks targeting Ein Laruz village, the White Helmets said.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia.The area, lying along Turkey's southern border, has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.The influx of displaced civilians has increased its population to about four million in…

sputniknews (2020-07-26). Netanyahu Says Won't Allow Iran's Military to Establish Itself Along Israeli Border. sputniknews.com Earlier this week, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the country's armed forces were stepping up security measures on the northern border on the heels of an escalation unfolding on the frontier with Lebanon and Syria.

RT (2020-07-25). Black Trump supporter allegedly STABBED by 'Antifa dude' during Portland protest (VIDEO). rt.com A black Trump supporter was reportedly attacked and stabbed by a protester amid increasingly violent demonstrations in Portland that have rocked the Oregon city for weeks. Police have made an arrest in connection to the incident. | Drew Duncomb, a Trump supporter and anti-Antifa activist, said that he had been stabbed while walking around downtown Portland in the early hours of Saturday. In a brief video message that he made while being transported to the hospital in an ambulance, Duncomb claimed that he had been attacked by an "Antifa dude" who had been "following me around for a while." | I got stabbed in P…

RT (2020-07-25). Strobe lights, electric saws & glass bottles: Portland protesters expand weapons arsenal in ongoing clashes with police (VIDEOS). rt.com Demonstrators in downtown Portland are using a range of weapons in their nightly skirmishes with law enforcement officers, and their growing arsenal now includes everything from leaf blowers to lasers. | Ropes and electric saws: | Protesters tried out some new tactics during the latest fracas. Footage shows a group of helmeted, masked activists using an electric saw to break apart the fence used to protect the city's besieged federal courthouse. The operation appeared to be well-coordinated, with several demonstrators using shields to protect the individual using the saw. | Portland rioters are using e…

_____ (2020-07-25). Homeland Security Claims Shields And Gas Masks Are Weapons. popularresistance.org Far from restoring order, the arrival of federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Border Patrol in Portland, Oregon has only heightened tensions, with agents attacking and arresting protesters nightly. DHS' Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli took to social media yesterday to share images of items confiscated from demonstrators. | "Here is a shield and a couple of gas masks from a rioter arrested in Portland. Not a sign with a slogan that someone expressing their first amendment rights might carry, but preparations for violence. Peaceful protester? I don't think so," he wrote.

_____ (2020-07-25). Protesters Use 'Midnight Yoga' To Cope With Police Violence. popularresistance.org Saturday night marked another session of "Midnight Yoga" on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C. | The protesters, who have been out in the streets over 50 days after being initially sparked by the failure to arrest the officers who had murdered George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (still), have turned to the peace that yoga provides to manage their pain, both physical and emotional. | Around the same time federal police were turning Portland into a war zone while violently beating and pepper-spraying citizens, D.C. protesters were stretching out their limbs after giving a touching 100 candle-light tribute to l…

RT (2020-07-25). UN human rights office condemns 'arbitrary arrests & unnecessary use of force' amid US police brutality protests. rt.com The United Nations has denounced heavy-handed police tactics used against demonstrators in Portland and other US cities during ongoing protests, taking aim at what it called baseless arrests and unnecessary violence by officers. | "Peaceful demonstrations that have been taking place in cities in the US, such as Portland, really must be able to continue without those participating in them… risking arbitrary arrest or detention, being subject to unnecessary, disproportionate or discriminatory use of force, or suffering other violations of their rights," Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the UN's Office of the Hi…

WSWS (2020-07-25). Illinois Democrats embrace Trump's law enforcement "surge" wsws.org Illinois Democratic lawmakers have made public statements aimed at assuaging public fears that the federal forces will crack down on anti-police violence protesters in Chicago, just as they have in Portland.

ACLU (2020-07-25). The Portland Police Attack: ACLU Files Lawsuit. Sues Trump and City of Portland. globalresearch.ca PORTLAND, Ore. — Multiple volunteer street medics are suing the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service, and the City of Portland for targeting and attacking them at Portland protests against police brutality. The lawsuit was filed in federal court …

Juan Cole (2020-07-25). First the National Security State Surged Baghdad, Now It Is Surging Portland and Seattle. commondreams.org Federal officers walk through tear gas while dispersing a crowd of about a thousand people during a protest on July 21, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/dhs_agents.jpg

Joyce Chediac (2020-07-25). Trump's federal repression election ploy spurs greater resistance. liberationnews.org Far from being intimidated, Portland residents were outraged when unannounced paramilitary units started grabbing protesters off the street.

Eds. (2020-07-25). Trump orders federal police to more cities. mronline.org The Trump administration is stepping up its unconstitutional moves toward dictatorial rule, tear gassing antipolice violence protesters in Portland, Oregon and announcing the deployment of federal police to three more cities—Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee—in addition to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico.