US Media Issues
Fair Wayne Bryant, jailed for life for stealing hedge clippers, granted parole by Louisiana Pardon Board
By Helen Halyard, 21 October 2020
Imprisoned for life at the notorious Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana on one count of attempted simple burglary, he was granted parole by a 3-0 vote of the state Parole Board, after being denied parole on three previous occasions.
999 Jacobin and Michigan plot
21 October 2020
999 Google anti-trust case
21 October 2020
Trump steps up fascist agitation, targeting Fauci
By Barry Grey, 21 October 2020
Fauci has already become a target of far-right Trump supporters. He and his wife have received death threats by email, phone and text message.
999 Trump-Biden town halls
17 October 2020
Twitter and Facebook censor New York Post report on Hunter Biden
By Kevin Reed, 17 October 2020
The social media platforms Twitter and Facebook blocked and suppressed the sharing of links to a news article from the New York Post on Wednesday in a blatant act of online censorship.
Who is Barry County, Michigan Sheriff Dar Leaf?
By Joseph Lorenz, 17 October 2020
The extent of Leaf’s political connections to the fascist groups remain unclear, but his own political history highlights the rise of the far right into the mainstream of US politics and the danger posed by these fascists in the coming period.
US border police attack Native American protest against Arizona border wall
By Adria French, 17 October 2020
Thirty protesters were shot with rubber bullets and teargassed during a ceremony Monday held at a border checkpoint on O’odham lands in southern Arizona.
Democrats let Amy Coney Barrett sail through Supreme Court confirmation hearings
By Barry Grey, 17 October 2020
In the course of the hearings, the Democrats deliberately downplayed the connection between the rush to confirm and install Barrett on the Supreme Court and Trump’s conspiracy to carry out an election coup.
Questions surround role of presidential adviser Stephen Moore
Trump calls Whitmer “dictator” as evidence emerges of involvement of Wisconsin militia in Michigan coup plot
By Eric London, 16 October 2020
A transcript of a preliminary hearing held Tuesday in the federal case against conspirators in the Michigan coup plot makes clear that only a fraction of the details have yet been exposed.
Factional warfare erupts in New York Times over the 1619 Project
By Tom Mackaman and David North, 15 October 2020
Following the publication of a highly critical essay by a New York Times columnist, the public statements issued by the publisher and leading editors reflect tensions provoked by the exposure of the 1619 Project’s falsification of history.
Day two of hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett: Democrats maintain silence on White House plot to overturn election
By Barry Grey, 14 October 2020
At Tuesday's hearing, the Democrats adopted a posture of cringing respect for the far-right judge, echoing Biden's remark in last month’s presidential debate that she is “a very fine woman.”
Trump intensifies conflict with big tech over Section 230 protections following censorship moves by Facebook and Twitter
By Kevin Reed, 10 October 2020
After Facebook and Twitter both censored Trump for falsely comparing the coronavirus to the flu, the president called for a repeal of the law protecting social media companies from liability for content posted on their platforms.
Trump copies Hitler
6 October 2020
A video tweeted by President Trump depicting his return to the White House on October 5, 2020 after being hospitalized with COVID-19 was clearly modeled after Hitler's arrival at the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in the Nazi film Triumph of the Will.
Trump mobilized Republican-state army to suppress DC protests in June coup attempt
By Nick Barrickman, 5 October 2020
An investigation conducted by the Washington Post details how Trump utilized a legal loophole to deploy National Guard troops from various states on the streets of Washington D.C. to suppress protests on June 1.
New York Times echoes Trump’s attacks on “violent anarchists”
By Jacob Crosse, 3 October 2020
Times editorial board member Farah Stockman attacks supposed anarchists from the standpoint of the privileged African American upper middle class.
A tale of two leaks
NYT hailed for publishing Trump’s tax returns, Assange pilloried for exposing DNC-Clinton corruption in 2016
By Oscar Grenfell, 30 September 2020
The New York Times, having led the chorus against WikiLeaks for its exposure of Clinton and the Democrats in 2016, has discovered the virtues of the fearless publication of leaked documents in the 2020 election.
US escalates military intervention in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 22 September 2020
The bolstering of the US force with another 100 troops, armored vehicles, and air power heightens the threat of confrontation between the world’s two biggest nuclear powers.
Louisville police chief declares “state of emergency” in advance of state’s decision on charges against policemen who killed Breonna Taylor
By Kevin Reed, 22 September 2020
Federal police agencies have been requested by U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman to provide protection for the courthouse and three other buildings in downtown Louisville in anticipation of protests this week.
Devastation left in the wake of Hurricanes Sally and Laura along the US Gulf Coast
By J. L'Heureau, 22 September 2020
The region stretching from Texas to Florida remains locked in the crosshairs of a historically overactive hurricane season.
The New York Times and Nikole Hannah-Jones abandon key claims of the 1619 Project
By Tom Mackaman and David North, 22 September 2020
The Times has abandoned, without any public announcement or explanation, the central thesis that 1619, not 1776, was the “true founding” of the United States.
Supreme Court fight deepens political crisis surrounding US elections
By Patrick Martin, 21 September 2020
The death of liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has created a vacancy on the highest US judicial panel that President Trump aims to fill with an ultra-right nominee.
President Trump gives preliminary approval to takeover of TikTok by Oracle and Walmart
By Kevin Reed, 21 September 2020
In an unprecedented act of imperialist piracy, the assets of Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok are being handed over to Oracle, Walmart and group of private investors.
The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)
By Tom Carter, 21 September 2020
With around-the-clock tributes, the American media is presenting the late Supreme Court justice as a “progressive icon” and a “trailblazing feminist.”
Corporate publications hostile to revelations that CIA spied on Julian Assange and their own journalists
By Oscar Grenfell, 21 September 2020
Corporate publications rebuffed requests that they publish information on the spying, even when it targeted their own journalists.
As Bloomberg pledges $100 million, Wall Street boosts Biden campaign
By Patrick Martin, 15 September 2020
Bloomberg’s announcement is only the largest pledge of support from the financial oligarchy for the Democratic campaign.
Los Angeles Sheriff threatens violence, reporter arrested after shooting of deputies
By John Andrews, 15 September 2020
After the shooting of two deputy sheriffs by an unknown gunman in Compton, California, Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva threatened anti-police violence protesters and deputies roughed up and arrested a local reporter.
Bernie Sanders offers left gloss to Biden’s right-wing campaign
By Jacob Crosse and Barry Grey, 15 September 2020
With polls tightening, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders urged the Biden campaign to do a better job of selling its right-wing program to workers and youth.
Once more: What has happened to the #MeToo witch-hunt?
By David Walsh, 8 September 2020
From October 2017 onward, through at least the first few months of 2020, the American media was alive—and one might say aglow—with lurid allegations of sexual misconduct directed against prominent figures in the arts and elsewhere.
The killing of Michael Reinoehl: A state murder
By Niles Niemuth, 7 September 2020
Reinoehl’s death was a state-sanctioned killing, carried out with the support of the Justice Department and the White House.
Boycott by professional athletes expands in second day of protests against police violence
By Kevin Reed, 28 August 2020
The boycott among professional athletes expanded on Thursday in response to the brutal police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Republican National Convention: A frightened ruling class incites fascist violence
By Patrick Martin, 27 August 2020
The convention, dominated by hysterical threats against left-wing political opposition, took place against the backdrop of a shooting of demonstrators by a right-wing vigilante.
Far-right militia member arrested for fatally shooting two protesters and wounding a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin
By Jacob Crosse, 27 August 2020
Video posted on social media shows friendly interaction between Kenosha police and armed militia members just prior to the murderous assault on demonstrators.
Players shut down NBA playoffs in protest over Jacob Blake shooting
By Alan Gilman, 27 August 2020
The refusal of the Milwaukee Bucks to take the court for their Wednesday playoff game forced professional basketball to postpone all of Wednesday’s games.
Fraudulent Associated Press “fact-check” targets WSWS article on student housing segregation project at NYU
By the WSWS Editorial Board, 26 August 2020
The AP’s “fact-check” of the WSWS is a dishonest piece of hack journalism aimed at discrediting an accurate account of New York University’s plans to accept segregated student housing.
New Senate Intelligence Committee volume on “Russian interference” smears WikiLeaks and Julian Assange
By Kevin Reed, 20 August 2020
The one-thousand-page fifth volume of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence investigation is largely devoted to building an elaborate and false narrative against WikiLeaks.
The nomination of Kamala Harris and the right-wing logic of identity politics
By Niles Niemuth, 20 August 2020
The Democrats hope that the endless celebration of the trite, empty symbolism of Harris’ candidacy will serve as a repeat of Barack Obama’s run for president in 2008.
Hundreds of thousands mobilize on social media to oppose US school reopenings
By Evan Blake, 31 July 2020
An explosion of opposition to the unsafe reopening of schools has developed on social media, primarily through dozens of Facebook groups with a combined global membership of over 300,000.
Plainclothes NYC police grab protester and throw her into unmarked car
By Niles Niemuth, 30 July 2020
The illegal seizure of the protester in broad daylight signaled the readiness of the New York Police Department to use the authoritarian methods made infamous by Trump’s paramilitary forces in Portland.
Corporate press promotes Susan Rice as Biden running mate
By Patrick Martin, 30 July 2020
The former Obama national security advisor is identified with illegal wars, drone missile assassinations and an aggressive posture towards both Russia and China.
US adopts policy of regime-change in Beijing
By Peter Symonds, 29 July 2020
By declaring the defeat of Chinese “tyranny” the aim of American foreign policy, the Trump administration has greatly intensified confrontation with China, with an all-but explicit call for regime-change.
What is the New York Times up to at the Detroit Institute of Arts?
By David Walsh, 27 July 2020
Controversies have emerged at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the remarkable art museum, whose director has been accused of a conflict of interest and “a certain deafness on race.”
New coronavirus cases globally rocket past a quarter million
By Bryan Dyne, 23 July 2020
Multiple countries yesterday set new records in their daily death tolls, case counts or both.
Senate committee gives nod to Trump Fed nominee
By Nick Beams, 23 July 2020
The main qualification of Judy Shelton in Trump’s eyes is that she has changed her economic views in line with changes in the occupancy of the White House.
US orders closure of China’s Houston consulate, raising the danger of war
By Mike Head, 23 July 2020
The White House, facing a massive domestic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, is seeking to divert internal tensions outward.
US ruling class demands deadly reopening of schools
By Evan Blake, 13 July 2020
The escalating campaign to reopen US schools in the fall, under conditions of an explosive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a key element of a conscious, bipartisan policy that will lead to countless preventable deaths.
Biden promotes economic nationalism and anti-China militarism
By Barry Grey, 11 July 2020
Biden offered no opposition to Trump’s “back-to-work” drive, mass job destruction during the pandemic or the looming unemployment benefit cutoff.
COVID-19 disrupts reopening of US professional sports
By Alan Gilman, 11 July 2020
Professional baseball, basketball, football and soccer are all attempting to resume play without live audiences, but dozens of athletes have fallen victim to coronavirus.
Epstein assistant Ghislaine Maxwell requests $5 million bail
By Kevin Reed, 11 July 2020
Whatever the outcome of Maxwell’s arraignment on Tuesday, more revelations about the activities and relationships of Jeffrey Epstein and his confidante should be anticipated.
The collapse of the New York Times’ “Russian bounties” campaign
By Patrick Martin, 10 July 2020
Less than two weeks after it kicked off a media frenzy, the Times published an editorial effectively conceding that there was no factual basis for its reporting that Russian military intelligence had paid bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers.
Arizona Department of Health Services activates plan to ration healthcare for COVID-19 patients
By Benjamin Mateus, 2 July 2020
As the pandemic surges throughout Arizona, the governor is seeking emergency support from the federal government to supplement the beleaguered hospital staff in hard-hit counties.
After multiple shootings and two deaths
Seattle police forcibly end Capitol Hill Occupied Protest
By Kayla Costa, 2 July 2020
The protest tent site was overrun by more than one hundred local police and FBI officers armed with heavy riot gear and military-grade vehicles.
Teen shot in back by Louisiana police, charged with resisting arrest
By Aaron Murch, 2 July 2020
Tre’mall McGee’s mother has been demanding answers from the sheriff’s office for three months to no avail, while the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office until recently has been concealing that there was a shooting at all.
As COVID-19 infections explode in the US, Fauci warns of 100,000 new cases a day
By Barry Grey, 1 July 2020
Fauci's testimony underscored the grim reality that the pandemic in the US is now far more widespread than it was at its previous height in late March and early April.
Pandemic profiteering: Gilead Sciences cashes in on COVID-19
By Bryan Dyne, 1 July 2020
Gilead’s declaration that it will charge over $3,000 per patient for the drug remdesivir sends a clear message that pharmaceutical companies plan to use the COVID-19 crisis to make billions of dollars.
New York Times’ Charles Blow demands the removal of monuments to Washington and other “amoral monsters”
By Niles Niemuth, 1 July 2020
The Times’ latest assault on the American Revolution is part of the effort by the Democratic Party and its operatives to derail the popular multiracial protests against police violence in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
230 Poet in New York Times: "My Body is a Confederate monument" article
1 July 2020
999 Poet in New York Times: "My Body is a Confederate monument" article
29 June 2020
CIA releases TV recruiting ad for streaming video services
By Kevin Reed, 27 June 2020
The CIA has released a TV commercial portraying the agency as a diverse workplace and appeals to young people to become US spies.
Racial-communalist politics and the second assassination of Abraham Lincoln
By Niles Niemuth and David North, 25 June 2020
In the one month since the killing of George Floyd, the mass, multi-racial and international demonstrations against police violence are in danger of being hijacked by a faction of the ruling class that is aggressively promoting a brand of racial-communal politics.
Tuesday primaries show rising popular discontent with Democratic Party establishment
By Patrick Martin, 25 June 2020
Voter turnout swelled despite the coronavirus threat, with many voters choosing to vote early or cast mail-in ballots.
US Appeals Court orders case against Michael Flynn dismissed
By Kevin Reed, 25 June 2020
A three-judge panel ruled by two-to-one on Wednesday that the perjury charges against the former Trump national security advisor—to which he had already pleaded guilty—should be quashed immediately.
New York Times column: Pandemic shows need to curtail “unnecessary” and “wasteful” doctor’s visits
By Kate Randall, 25 June 2020
Dr. Sandeep Jauhar makes the remarkable argument that patients who have stopped going to the doctor during the COVID-19 outbreak “seem to have done OK,” and concludes that Americans have too much access to health care.
999 Friedman
19 June 2020
More than 40 percent of all US deaths from COVID-19 are in nursing homes
By Benjamin Mateus, 17 June 2020
A report published Tuesday says that there were 51,000 COVID-19 deaths among residents of US nursing homes and extended care facilities.
New Mexico protester wounded by far-right shooter
By Jacob Crosse, 17 June 2020
Encouraged by President Trump and working in concert with local police departments, far-right elements have been allowed to attack and intimidate peaceful protesters across the country.
UAW, federal prosecutors announce talks over corruption scandal
By Tom Hall, 17 June 2020
Whatever the friction between the US Attorney’s office and the UAW, both share as their central aim the suppression of the rising tide of opposition among autoworkers.
Washington Post op-ed calls for news media to censor videos of police brutality
By Nick Barrickman, 17 June 2020
ESPN journalist and University of Maryland Professor Kevin Blackistone has called for the removal of videos of police killings on the grounds that they “dehumanize” black men.
Questions persist over official jobless tally
Mass layoffs continue as 1.5 million file new US unemployment claims
By Shannon Jones, 12 June 2020
The continuing historically high weekly numbers of new filings for jobless benefits show that the economy is hemorrhaging jobs, even as workers are being recalled from temporary layoff as states reopen.
National Guard fired the shot that killed David McAtee in Louisville during protest against police violence
By Kevin Reed, 12 June 2020
Laboratory tests have determined that McAtee was shot and killed by a member of the Kentucky National Guard during an assault on protesters last week.
Would-be führer Trump steps up coup plotting
By Patrick Martin, 12 June 2020
The president is seeking to manufacture a pretext for violent repression and the establishment of an authoritarian regime in America.
999 US-China conflict
12 June 2020
999 Oprah program on race
12 June 2020
George Floyd laid to rest as nationwide protests over police violence continue
By Niles Niemuth, 10 June 2020
The murder of Floyd, caught on bystander cellphone video in excruciating detail, has served as a catalyst for the largest nationwide and international outpouring of political opposition in decades.
Proponents of racial politics react with hostility to multi-racial protests against police murder of George Floyd
By Nick Barrickman, 10 June 2020
Democratic Party officials and their black nationalist supporters have denounced white “outside agitators.”
Thousands pay respects to George Floyd as Minneapolis cop is arraigned on murder charges
By Kevin Reed, 9 June 2020
Protests demanding justice for Floyd and against police violence continued on Monday for the fourteenth day in a row.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette censors accurate reporting of protests against police brutality
By Samuel Davidson, 9 June 2020
The newspaper’s management has barred two black reporters from covering the protests on the grounds they are too sympathetic to the demonstrators.
35,000 sign petition to provide full funding to Randolph schools in Massachusetts
By Evan Blake and Will McCalliss, 9 June 2020
Randolph Public School District, in the Greater Boston, Massachusetts region, has laid off all of their arts, music, and PE teachers, resulting in a mass outcry.
New York Times editor James Bennet resigns over fascist op-ed
By Patrick Martin, 9 June 2020
The last straw was the publication of a column by Senator Tom Cotton calling for military intervention to suppress the protests against police violence.
New York Times in crisis over op-ed backing military takeover
By Patrick Martin, 6 June 2020
In publishing a fascistic diatribe by Senator Tom Cotton, headlined, “Send in the troops,” the Times editorial page tacitly sided with a military takeover of the United States.
Protesters defy Trump’s threats, expand nationwide movement against police killings
By Jacob Crosse, 3 June 2020
Curfews, mass arrests and police terror have not quelled the powerful movement of youth and workers of all races and ethnicities in response to the police murder of George Floyd.
Democrats cover for Trump’s coup d’état
By Andre Damon, 3 June 2020
In contrast to the heroism of the demonstrators, the Democrats have responded to Trump’s dictatorial measures with their typical display of fecklessness, cowardice and complicity.
Police in the US fire tear gas at protest against brutal Memorial Day murder
By Kevin Reed, 27 May 2020
Video shared on social media shows that George Floyd was killed by a police officer who kneeled on his neck while he was subdued on the ground.
FBI investigating Georgia officials who failed to arrest Ahmaud Arbery’s killers
By Matthew MacEgan, 27 May 2020
Federal investigators are reportedly looking into potential criminal and civil violations on the part of the district attorneys who initially handled the Arbery case.
Reports question undercounting of COVID-19 deaths in US and globally
By Bryan Dyne, 27 May 2020
There is increasing evidence that the actual fatalities caused by the pandemic are up to three times the numbers officially reported.
With his poll numbers falling, Trump denounces November election as “rigged”
By Patrick Martin, 27 May 2020
The president and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are laying the basis for declaring an election defeat in November to be illegitimate.
Thomson Reuters actively helping Trump administration target immigrants
By Meenakshi Jagadeesan, 27 May 2020
The parent company of the Reuters news agency has been aiding Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the targeting of immigrants for arrest, detention and deportation.
Firing of State Department inspector general tied to Saudi arms deal
By Bill Van Auken, 20 May 2020
The firing stemmed from a probe into the Trump administration’s declaration of a “state of emergency” to prevent Congress holding up arms sales to the Saudi monarchy.
Senate hearing for Fed’s Powell, Treasury’s Mnuchin shows bipartisan support for bailout, back-to-work drive
By Barry Grey, 20 May 2020
The prize for sheer demagogy and hypocrisy at the hearing went to Sherrod Brown of Ohio, an economic nationalist and close ally of the trade union bureaucracy.
US government uses Pensacola shooter’s alleged ties to Al Qaeda to renew attack on encryption
By Kevin Reed, 20 May 2020
Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray outlined plans to force manufacturers to build backdoor access into consumer mobile devices.
New details emerge in Ahmaud Arbery killing
By Matthew MacEgan, 20 May 2020
Recently released surveillance video shows that Travis McMichael had an encounter with Arbery two weeks prior to fatally shooting him on February 23.
The New York Times exposes journalist, #MeToo crusader Ronan Farrow as a dishonest fraud
By David Walsh, 20 May 2020
Farrow has been the golden boy of the American media since the publication of his supposed exposé of Harvey Weinstein in the New Yorker magazine in October 2017.
999 Anti-China campaign
20 May 2020
Declassified Mueller investigation transcripts confirm no evidence WikiLeaks colluded with Russia
By Thomas Scripps, 15 May 2020
The “Russian connection” was baldly asserted by the Democratic Party, US intelligence officials and the corporate media
Supreme Court considers blanket immunity for Trump
By John Burton, 15 May 2020
The Supreme Court on Tuesday held oral arguments on whether to give Donald Trump immunity from congressional and grand jury investigations.
Indianapolis cops fire pepper balls on group protesting police shooting of Dreasjon Reed
By Kevin Reed, 11 May 2020
Police arrested one protester and fired pepper balls at demonstrators who assembled at the scene where Dreasjon Reed was shot and killed by an officer on May 6.
The Times’ 1619 Project is damned with faint praise
Hannah-Jones receives Pulitzer Prize for personal commentary, not historical writing
By Tom Mackaman and David North, 9 May 2020
The Pulitzer awards took no notice of the New York Times’ pretentious claims that the 1619 Project is an important contribution to the understanding of American history. It granted Hannah-Jones an award for “Commentary.”
US ramps up COVID-19 propaganda war against China
By Peter Symonds, 6 May 2020
The crude attempt to blame China is aimed at diverting attention from the Trump administration’s criminal negligence in failing to respond to the dangers of COVID-19.
$310 billion more for misnamed “Paycheck Protection Program”
Senate passes another bipartisan bailout for business
By Barry Grey, 22 April 2020
The Democrats settled for a mere $75 billion for hospitals and a derisory $25 billion for coronavirus testing. They dropped their demand for relief to state and local governments and funding for food stamps.
Biden ads against Trump: Blame China for impact of coronavirus, not the ruling class
By Barry Grey, 20 April 2020
With his new ads, Biden lines up behind Trump's anti-China witch hunt, seeking merely to turn the chauvinist and war-mongering agitation against Trump himself.
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