September 10, 2020 |
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An estimated over 207,000 protesters across Colombia upset at decades of right-wing rule took to the streets Thursday in the latest progressive people’s movement in Latin America to explode into the streets, following movements in Chile, post-coup Bolivia, and Ecuador.
Demonstrators clashed with security forces in the capital, Bogotá, and elsewhere across the country.
“We are standing up to protest and tell all humanity that we need to demand change,” protester and actress Aida Prado told The Associated Press.
The demonstrations, which had been planned, began with a general strike against the policies of President Iván Duque. Protesters, many carrying the Indigenous wiphala flag in solidarity with the people of Bolivia, expressed their anger over Duque’s plan to cut pensions in the country and the lack of real forward movement in peace talks with the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
“We live in a country that kills children, that kills social leaders, with a government that is against peace,” businesswoman Alexandra Guzmán said. “That is why we have to change something. We cannot continue to live like this.”
According to The Guardian, the protests led to clashes with police forces:
The economic and social pressures on Colombian society that led to the demonstrations likely won’t lead to the kind of sustained movement that’s been seen in other parts of Latin America, Bogotá Rosario University professor Yann Basset told DW.
“We’re not in a pre-insurrectional climate,” said Basset. “I’m not sure there’s a general rejection of the political system.”
Bolivian demonstrators opposed to the right-wing regime that seized power in the country after a coup on November 10 that resulted in the forced resignation of democratically elected President Evo Morales have protested in cities and across the central South American nation for weeks. A Chilean protest movement that began in October has resulted in the country’s neoliberal leadership promising to rewrite the constitution; also in October, protests against austerity erupted across Ecuador.
Student leader José Cárdenas told AP that the marches in Colombia were inspired by the other movements on the continent.
“What happened in Chile sent a forceful message,” he said.
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George Zimmerman, the former Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012, is suing the victim’s family, prosecutors, and the media for $100 million in damages.
Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Martin in 2013.
“Imagine killing an unarmed child and then suing his parents,” tweeted Center for Policing Equity president Phillip Atiba Goff.
The lawsuit, which Zimmerman’s lawyer Larry Klayman—a right-wing legal advocate—filed in Polk County Circuit Court in Florida Wednesday names Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, as the lead defendant. Fulton is running for Congress in Florida’s District 1.
According to the Miami Herald:
Zimmerman, Klayman, and Gilbert will host a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Coral Gables Art Cinema.
Documentary filmmaker Billy Corben said in a tweet he was outraged at the cinema’s involvement in what he called a “disgraceful sham.”
New York State Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou couldn’t believe what she was reading.
“This killer wants to do what?!” said Niou.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday accused the Republican Party of orchestrating the “greatest cover-up since Watergate” as the Senate prepared to debate and vote on whether to allow witnesses to testify in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.
“This is much bigger than President Trump. Preventing witnesses, evidence, and transparency in President Trump’s impeachment trial potentially undermines the Constitution for generations.”
—Karen Hobert Flynn, Common Cause
The Senate is widely expected as early as Friday evening to oppose permitting witnesses, given swing vote Sen. Lamar Alexander’s (R-Tenn.) announcement late Thursday that he will vote no. Alexander’s decision sparked widespread anger and the trending Twitter hashtag #LamarAlexanderIsACoward.
Schumer said during a press conference Friday that if the Senate votes against allowing witnesses, “the president’s acquittal will be meaningless.”
“This is about truth, and today the Senate will vote on whether witnesses and documents are allowed in this trial,” said Schumer. “The importance of this vote is self-evident.”
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The Senate at 1pm ET is scheduled to begin four hours of debate on whether to approve witnesses, followed by a vote. If the Republican-controlled chamber decides against allowing witnesses, it will be the first time in U.S. history the Senate has held an impeachment trial without witness testimony, according to PolitiFact.
An analysis put out this week by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) detailed how in each of the 15 impeachment cases completed by the Senate over its 231 year history, “witnesses who were not heard during the House of Representatives’ impeachment investigations testified in front of the Senate.”
“Throughout this impeachment trial, we have heard the unsupported claim that Senators cannot, and should not, consider testimony from witnesses the House had not already heard from. History certainly proves otherwise,” said CREW executive director Noah Bookbinder earlier this week. “In the light of the huge new revelations that have come to the public’s attention since the start of the trial and the President’s efforts to keep witnesses and documents out of the House process, the Senate must now do its constitutional duty and call forward any and all appropriate witnesses to ensure a fair, thorough and impartial trial.”
A final vote on whether to acquit or remove Trump could come as early as Friday evening, but anonymous Republican senators and aides told Politico the trial could extend until next week if House Democratic impeachment managers push for more time to make closing arguments.
Just ahead of the Senate debate on witnesses, the New York Times reported that former national security adviser John Bolton—one of the potential witnesses in the trial—alleges in an unpublished book manuscript that Trump instructed him in May of 2019 to help with the “pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials.”
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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Thursday night that the Senate will be “disgraced” if it votes to acquit Trump without hearing witness testimony or considering documentary evidence that the White House has withheld from Congress.
“If the trial is rigged to keep hidden the most damning, most important, most relevant evidence, then it’s not a trial,” wrote Murphy. “Nor is it an acquittal. It’s a cover-up.”
Progressive advocacy groups on Friday urged the U.S. public to continue calling their senators to demand witnesses:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, wrote in a pair of tweets Friday morning that “history will judge us for what happens next.”
“Faith in our American institutions is at an all-time low,” said Warren. “The fact that GOP senators are covering up the president’s corruption with a sham impeachment trial without witnesses documents doesn’t help.”
Karen Hobert Flynn, president of government watchdog group Common Cause, warned in a letter (pdf) sent to every U.S. senator Thursday that ending the trial without witnesses “could undermine our democracy for generations.”
“This is much bigger than President Trump,” Hobert Flynn wrote. “Preventing witnesses, evidence, and transparency in President Trump’s impeachment trial potentially undermines the Constitution for generations.”
“Americans deserve nothing less than the full truth,” she added. “They deserve to see a fair trial, and they are watching closely to see if Senate Republicans fulfill their constitutional duty to serve as an impartial jury or blindly conduct a rigged trial.”
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Alfa Romeo Racing boss Frédéric Vasseur says his team is “pushing like hell” to close the gap with its mid-field rivals and race among the top-ten.
After eight races, the Alfa outfit has little to show for its presence on the grid this season, scoring just two points so far, courtesy of Antonio Giovinazzi’s P9 finish in the Austrian Grand Prix.
Despite the shortfall, Vasseur insists the Hinwil squad is making progress, and pulling out all the stops in its efforts to improve.
Raikkonen still undecided on future with Alfa or in F1
“We are coming to the end of the third triple-header of the season, but we can’t let fatigue get in the way of our work,” said Vasseur ahead of this week’s Tuscany Grand Prix.
“We have been making some progress, although the standings don’t show it yet, and we have to keep pushing like hell to close the gap with the cars ahead and fight for the top ten consistently.”
Vasseur says last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix that turned on a whim was a reminder that opportunity can come knocking for a team out of the blue.
“We have seen last weekend that races can get turned upside down very quickly and we need to be ready to make the most of every opportunity,” said the Frenchman.
“In Monza, circumstances went against us but next time a twist could work better for us and we’ll need to be sharp to make it count.
“Racing week after week doesn’t leave much time to catch up but everyone, both at the track and back home in Switzerland, is doing their best to improve.”
©AlfaRomeo
Mugello, where teams will perform this week, is not only familiar territory for Alfa’s Kimi Raikkonen but also a venue that holds a special place in his memory.
“The Mugello circuit is where I had my first ever test with Sauber, back in 2000, but I seriously doubt those days twenty years ago are going to give me that much of a competitive advantage,” joked the Iceman.
“It’s going to be nice to be back on that track with the same team I was there with back in the day, but I don’t think we will have a lot of time to indulge in reminiscing about the past.
“We’re there to race and hopefully we can have a good weekend.
“The track is new to everybody and that could make things interesting, at least because nobody has any data about it and the drivers will need to get to grips with the circuit.
“We have been making some steps forward, both in qualifying and in the race but we haven’t been able to bring home some points yet, so that has to remain our objective for the weekend.”
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September 9, 2020 |
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Rep. Seth MoultonSeth MoultonEx-CBO director calls for more than trillion in coronavirus stimulus spending Overnight Defense: Trump’s move to use military in US sparks backlash | Defense officials take heat | Air Force head calls Floyd’s death ‘a national tragedy’ Democrats blast Trump’s use of military against protests MORE (D-Mass.) said Sunday that his newly born daughter is “absolutely” a consideration in deciding whether or not to pursue a 2020 presidential bid.
“It’s a family decision. It’s something that we have to commit to together. And we have a new baby. She’s not taking part in these discussions….Absolutely a consideration,” Moulton said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I knew I couldn’t make a decision like this until I understood what it was like to be a father. And as much as I got advice from people about… what that would be like, we all know that it’s different when it happens to you…. But, ultimately, Liz and I are going to are going to talk about this. We’re going to decide in the next few weeks.”
Moulton, who emerged a leader of the Democrats challenging Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Pelosi: Georgia primary ‘disgrace’ could preview an election debacle in November MORE’s (D-Calif.) path to the Speakership last fall, has said for months that he is considering a 2020 run.
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The Marine Corps veteran, who is in his third term in Congress, traveled to New Hampshire earlier this year, triggering White House speculation.
If Moulton decides to run, he would join a crowded field of Democratic nominees including Sens. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (D-Mass.), Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.) and Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) and former Rep. Beto O’RourkeBeto O’RourkeBiden will help close out Texas Democrats’ virtual convention: report O’Rourke on Texas reopening: ‘Dangerous, dumb and weak’ Parties gear up for battle over Texas state House MORE (D-Texas.)
On Sunday, Moulton said he does not want his daughter to grow up in the current political climate.
“I don’t want her growing up in this country the way that it is, with a commander in chief that we fundamentally can’t trust, where women are disrespected, where she doesn’t have the same opportunities that a little boy growing up at the same time would have,” he said.
“We have a lot of things to fix in this country. And if I can be a small part of doing that, then that’s a compelling reason.”
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September 9, 2020 |
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Former Texas state Senator and gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis (D) said she is looking “very seriously” at challenging freshman Rep. Chip RoyCharles (Chip) Eugene RoySmall businesses receive much-needed Paycheck Protection Program fixes House passes bill to grant flexibility for small business aid program The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Major space launch today; Trump feuds with Twitter MORE (R) next year instead of running for Senate.
“I’m looking very seriously at Congressional District 21,” she said on an episode the podcast, “The Rabble: TX Politics for the Unruly Mob” that aired Friday.
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Texas’s 21st District, which includes parts of Austin and the San Antonio suburbs and has historically favored Republicans, is a top target for Democrats after Democrat Joseph Kopser came within 3 points of flipping the seat last year.
Kopser recently announced he will not be running for office in 2020.
“Joseph Kopser gave a valiant effort [in 2018] — worked so, so hard and came very, very close,” Davis said. “Can we do it for 2020? I want to make sure that we have the ability to win it, and I believe we do. And, I want to believe I’m the right person to help us do that.”
Davis had been seen as a potential challenger to Sen. John CornynJohn CornynSenate headed for late night vote amid standoff over lands bill Koch-backed group launches ad campaign to support four vulnerable GOP senators Tim Scott to introduce GOP police reform bill next week MORE (R) next year. But Davis, during the podcast, repeated her calls for Rep. Joaquin CastroJoaquin CastroTop Hispanic Caucus members endorse Melissa Mark-Viverito in NY House primary Ousted watchdog says he told top State aides about Pompeo probe CHC says George Floyd death shows ‘tiny fraction’ of what people of color confront in their daily lives MORE (D-Texas), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, to run for the Senate.
Castro is reportedly close to making a final decision on whether he will run against Cornyn next year.
“I’ve been very candid about the fact that my dear friend Joaquin Castro is someone that I’d like to see run,” Davis said.
Democrats are currently seeking to recruit a top-notch candidate to take on Cornyn, a three-term senator and former Senate majority whip who closed out 2018 with nearly $5.8 million in the bank.
The party has high hopes of flipping the Senate seat after former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) was less than 2 points short last year of unseating Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote The Hill’s Morning Report – Trump’s public standing sags after Floyd protests GOP senators introduce resolution opposing calls to defund the police MORE (R-Texas).
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Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) had made entreaties to O’Rourke to run for the Senate again next year, but he instead opted for a presidential bid.
September 9, 2020 |
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Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) leads the Democratic presidential field in a new Emerson poll, followed by former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE.
The survey found that Sanders, who has come in second behind Biden in most polling, is leading with 29 percent. Biden, who has not yet announced a 2020 bid, is in second place with 24 percent, followed by Buttigieg at 9 percent.
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Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) are tied for fourth place at 8 percent, followed by Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (D-Mass.) at 7 percent.
The poll is one of several showing the meteoric rise of Buttigieg, despite his relatively low name recognition just a few months ago. An Iowa poll last week had him in third place, behind Biden and Sanders.
“While still early in the nominating process, it looks like Mayor Pete is the candidate capturing voters’ imagination,” Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson Polling, said in a statement Monday. “The numbers had him at 0% in mid-February, 3% in March and now at 9% in April.”
Meanwhile, Kimball said, Biden has lost some support in recent weeks. He led Sanders, 27 percent to 17 percent, in February before dropping to 26 percent in March, tying with Sanders. In recent weeks, Biden has been dogged by allegations from several women who say he touched them inappropriately at public events, though half of Democratic voters have said the allegations will not affect their vote.
Should Biden ultimately decide against a presidential bid, Sanders would be in an even stronger position, according to the poll, which finds the Vermont senator is the second choice for 31 percent of Biden’s supporters. Buttigieg is the second choice for 17 percent of Biden backers, followed by O’Rourke with 13 percent.
The poll, conducted April 11–14, surveyed 356 registered voters nationwide and has a margin of error of 5.2 percentage points.
September 9, 2020 |
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Arms experts warned of negative global implications after the Pentagon on Thursday test-launched a second missile that would have been banned under a Cold War-era treaty that U.S. President Donald Trump ditched in early August.
Trump ignored concerns about the impacts on global security and formally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty after suspending U.S. obligations under the deal in February and giving Russian President Vladimir Putin six months to destroy weapons that the U.S. government and NATO deemed noncompliant with the bilateral agreement. The deal outlawed land-launched missiles with a range of 500–5,500 kilometers or about 310–3,400 miles.
The Pentagon announced Thursday that it successfully conducted a flight test of “a prototype conventionally-configured ground-launched ballistic missile” from a pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Robert Carver told Defense One that “data collected and lessons learned from this test will inform the Department of Defense’s development of future intermediate-range capabilities.” Carver said the missile flew more than 500 kilometers and landed in the ocean.
“This is a reckless and unnecessary escalation that’s going to exacerbate tensions with Russia, China, and North Korea—all of whom would be in range of this type of missile if it is ever deployed,” Arms Control Association executive director Daryl Kimball told The Associated Press. “The other problem for the Defense Department is that there is no NATO or East Asia ally that has yet said they are interested in hosting such a missile because this would put them on the Russian, Chinese, or North Korean target list.”
After the test, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters that “once we develop intermediate-range missiles and if my commanders require them, then we will work closely and consult closely with our allies in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere with regards to any possible deployments.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Esper did not disclose a time frame for those deployments. However, Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, said that given destabilization risks that come with development and deployment, “it seems highly unlikely that U.S. allies in Europe or Asia would ever agree to host such a system.”
“We could deploy such a missile in Guam, but its survivability wouldn’t be assured there,” Reif told the Journal, referring to China’s ability to strike the U.S. territory, which is located 2,000 miles from North Korea and 1,800 miles from China in the western Pacific Ocean.
In late August, within a few weeks of the Trump administration exiting the treaty that was signed in 1987, the Pentagon fired a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile from a mobile ground-launcher at San Nicolas Island, California. That move also alarmed arms experts and disarmament advocates, who declared that “the nuclear weapons arms race is here.”
Reif, in a tweet Thursday, suggested that the Pentagon’s latest test is more significant than the one that it conducted a few months ago.
“This is a bigger deal than the Tomahawk-on-a-trailer ground-launched cruise missile test in August, which itself was a big deal,” Reif wrote. “If it’s ever deployed, a 3,000-,4000 [kilometer] ground-launched IRBM could promptly strike deep into Russia and China (and North Korea).”
According to Russia’s state-owned news agency TASS, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday: “We’ve said more than once that the United States has been making preparations for violating the INF Treaty. This [missile test] clearly confirms that the treaty was ruined at the initiative of the United States.”
Putting the test into broader context, the AP noted:
The test also followed bipartisan approval of the $738 billion 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives. The military spending bill—which gives Trump “Space Force” as well as the ability to continue waging endless wars and fueling the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen—is expected to soon pass the GOP-controlled Senate.
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Dying healthcare activist Ady Barkan in an end-of-year video to his supporters Monday called out the one candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination who has refused to meet with him: Joe Biden.
“I got to sit down and talk about healthcare with every major presidential candidate,” Barkan said. “Except for Joe Biden.”
Barkan, who is dying of ALS, or Lou Gherig’s disease, met with Democrats vying for the 2020 nomination over the year and filmed the conversations.
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As Common Dreams reported in September, Barkan made an impassioned request of Biden to meet in the fall but the former vice president and his campaign have not as yet made time for such a vist.
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“Look a dying man in the eyes and tell me how we fix this country,” Barkan said at the time.
Monday’s pointed barb at Biden was not missed on social media.
“Joe Biden, are you kidding?” asked one Twitter user. “The clock is ticking and Ady should be one of those people to check on weekly.”
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Climate advocates are calling on fossil fuel companies to pay for the damage caused by Australia’s unprecedented bushfires rather than that country’s taxpayers forking over an additional $2 billion for those affected by the crisis.
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“Regular Australians should not be forced to pay while fossil fuel producers are being let off scot-free,” the Australia Institute’s deputy director Ebony Bennett said in a statement.
“It’s disappointing that the Australian community will be left to pick up the tab for a climate-fueled disaster,” she added.
Bennett, whose group is pushing for the Australian government to impose a “modest levy” on fossil fuel producing companies to cover the cost of bushfire recovery and first introduced the proposal in December, added that taxing those responsible for the climate crisis to provide the funds for disaster mitigation would “shift the economic burden of these disasters from regular Australians to the coal and gas companies that are fueling the climate crisis.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday that the government would obtain the additional $2 billion from the country’s projected $5 billion surplus for the year.
“The surplus is of no focus for me,” said Morrison, whose response to the fires has been seen as, at best, insufficient by critics.
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Monday’s news of more aid from the government came as energy giant Chevron announced it would provide $1 million to the Australian Red Cross to aid in the group’s recovery efforts.
A donation—a fraction of the company’s annual revenue—is not what’s needed from Chevron, tweeted TIME editor-at-large Anand Giridharadas.
“We need you to stop making a killing at the planet’s expense,” said Giridharadas.
In her comments, the Australia Institute’s Bennett said that putting fossil fuel companies on the hook for the damage from the fires was the best way to ensure those behind the climate crisis pay for the damage.
“The government has now acknowledged the link between global warming and these disasters, so placing a modest climate disaster levy on the companies that are responsible is an important next step,” said Bennett.
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