This list covers the week of September 23 - 30.
It begins with a selection of articles related to the Kavanaugh confirmation.
1) KAVANAUGH FLOATS NEW DEFENSE AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT CLAIMS: I WAS A VIRGIN
David Gilbert, Vice News
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh offered a novel explanation Monday for why he could not have sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in high school — because he was a virgin.
2) How to humiliate a woman: the ugly lesson of Brett Kavanaugh's yearbook
Sian Cain, The Guardian
He and his teenage friend shared boasts of being a ‘Renate alumnus’, a claim that, 35 years later, has embarrassed a woman who had offered her wholehearted support to the US supreme court nominee.
3) Brett Kavanaugh accused of drugging women who were then gang-raped
Ruth Brown, The New York Post
A third woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct has come forward — alleging he helped “drug” girls at parties in the 1980s where they were gang-raped.
4) Read the sworn declaration by Kavanaugh accuser Julie Swetnick
NBC News
On Wednesday, Michael Avenatti released a declaration from his client, Julie Swetnick. This is an allegation against Brett Kavanaugh, not a proven fact and NBC News has not vetted Swetnick's allegation.
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| Via Occupy Nashville on Facebook |
5) What Brett Kavanaugh teaches us about teenage boys and male power
Suzanne Moore, The Guardian
More than 25 years ago, Anita Hill was dismissed as ‘nutty and slutty’ for alleging sexual harassment. Now another supreme court nominee stands accused. Has nothing changed?
6) Woman Who Confronted Jeff Flake in the Elevator: 'I Wanted Him to Feel My Rage'
Drew Schwartz, Vice News
The protesters who cornered Flake just before he voted on Kavanaugh's confirmation spoke out about why they did it.
7) The rape culture of the 1980s, explained by Sixteen Candles
Constance Grady, Vox
The beloved romantic comedy’s date rape scene provides important context for the Brett Kavanaugh accusations.
8) Boys Will Be Boys: Brett Kavanaugh, Rape, & 1980s High School Culture: Soriano’s Comment, №24
Scott Soriano, Medium
White people spent much of the past decade living under the lie that we lived in a “post-racial” world. We had a Black president, so everything was “ebony and ivory.” We were fools. Men and some women fuming that “This wasn’t my high school” and “NotAllMen” are, again, playing the fool. They are more concerned with self-appearance and parsing words than dealing with real world problem of rape and misogyny. We cannot be sucked into petty arguments over language, otherwise we are playing whack-a-mole with symptoms. We squash “boys will be boys” and now have to deal with “horseplay” or “rough sex” or whatever lame ass thing comes out in defense of Kavanaugh and others. Forget that, let’s get to the disease and root it out.
9) The Whole Country Just Watched What Happens When Angry, Powerful Men Don't Get Their Way
Gabrielle Moss, Bustle
I came in to work thinking that I was just going to watch a Senate hearing — a Senate hearing that I was, frankly, very depressed about. I was prepared to see Christine Blasey Ford, who has alleged that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, have her memory and character attacked. I was prepared to see senators try to minimize the allegations, saying that Ford's memory was fuzzy or that the alleged assault wasn't really that bad. And I also expected Kavanaugh to deliver the fairly placid opening remarks that he made available publicly the night before the hearing, prepared to see him again deny the allegations and quietly try to get this whole thing over with.
10) White House limits scope of the FBI's Kavanaugh investigation
Ken Dilanian, Geoff Bennett, Kristen Welker, Frank Thorp V, Hallie Jackson and Leigh Ann Caldwell, NBC News
The White House is limiting the scope of the FBI's investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, multiple people briefed on the matter told NBC News.
11) Bernie Sanders calls for FBI to investigate whether Kavanaugh told truth in hearing
Tal Axelrod, The Hill
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Saturday sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) demanding that the FBI, in addition to investigating sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, also examine the truthfulness of Kavanaugh's statements made under oath Thursday before the Senate panel.
12) HOW WE KNOW KAVANAUGH IS LYING
Nathan J. Robinson, Current Affairs
This man should not serve another day as any kind of judge…
13) Under the Fog of Kavanaugh, House Passes $3.8 Trillion More in Tax Cuts
Glenn Fleishman, Fortune
With attention fixed on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new $3.1 trillion tax cut on Friday. The vote was 220 to 191, including three Democrats.
14) Israel gives Palestinians eight days to leave Khan al-Ahmar
Al Jazeera
Israel's planned demolition of the occupied West Bank village has been criticised by the international community.
15) Italian government adopts hardline anti-migrant decree
Ylenia Gostoli, Al Jazeera
Security bill dubbed the 'Salvini decree' makes it easier to expel migrants and strip their citizenship.
16) Ontario midwives welcome ‘historic’ victory in pay equity case
Sara Mojtehedzadeh, The Toronto Star
Ontario midwives won a “historic” victory in a groundbreaking pay equity case Monday, after a tribunal ruled the government’s failure to proactively monitor midwives’ compensation and regularly negotiate with them over it constitutes discrimination.
Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi said her countrymen "will not give up Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Palestine," while attending an annual festival organised by the Greek Communist Youth in Athens.
17) 'Shocking' sexual abuse of children by German clergy detailed in report
Kate Connolly, The Guardian
Minister warns abuse of 3,677 children by about 1,670 clerics may be ‘tip of the iceberg’ for Catholic church.
18) Why Québec Solidaire is having the campaign of its life
Jonathan Montpetit · CBC News
No one seems to be having a good campaign these days in Quebec; no one, that is, except a small left-wing party that doesn't believe in leaders and has a campaign bus bereft of journalists.
19) Does Canada support an invasion of Venezuela?
Yves Engler
In their obsession for regime change, Ottawa is backing talk of an invasion of Venezuela. And the NDP is enabling Canada’s interventionist policy.
20) Doug Ford’s History Of Flirting With the Alt-Right and White Nationalists
North 99
Photographs and video of Doug Ford posing with white nationalist Faith Goldy, a woman who expressed support for neo-Nazis, have emerged in recent days.
21) Doug Ford Stands Behind This Photo He Took With a Group of Extremely Racist White Nationalists
Press Progress
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will not disavow a group of white nationalists who took a photo with him over the weekend at “Ford Fest,” even as the white nationalists use the photo for propaganda purposes to legitimize their views.
22) Why do Marxist feminists oppose liberal feminists’ claims that porn and prostitution are liberating for women?
Morgan Horn, Morning Star
We must be clear that the sexualisation of women places men in a position of superiority and impedes class struggle.
23) Thousands protest in Buenos Aires against austerity policies
Al Jazeera
Thousands of people have poured out on to the streets of the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, to protest President Mauricio Macri's economic policies, a day before a nationwide 24-hour strike called for by unions takes place.
24) Judge Restores Grizzly Bears' Protections As Endangered Species
Nate Hegyi, NPR
A federal judge has restored Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears living around Yellowstone National Park.
25) Revealed: less than a third of young men prosecuted for rape are convicted
Alexandra Topping and Caelainn Barr, The Guardian
The crisis engulfing the criminal justice system over its approach to rape cases is revealed by startling figures that show less than a third of prosecutions brought against young men result in a conviction.
26) Díaz-Canel addresses the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit
Granma
Addressing the UN as part of the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York this Monday, September 24, President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez began by noting Cuba’s pride on having supported the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and recalled the iconic embrace between the Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro and the anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela, who visited Cuba in 1991, shortly after his release from prison.
27) Ontario Government’s attack on local democracy shows need for democratic constitutional reform
Communist Party of Canada Statement
The legal and political battle around the Ontario government’s Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act, once again proves the need for democratic constitutional reform in Canada.
28) UK's Labour Party Passes Motion to Ban Arms Sales to Israel
Telesur
“Ordinary members of the party want Labour to stand up for Palestinian rights. And today for the first time in many years a Palestine motion is on the agenda of the conference."
29) Jeremy Corbyn Promises to ‘Recognize Palestinian State as Soon as We Take Office’
Telesur
"In order to help make the two-state settlement a reality, we will recognize a Palestinian state as soon as we take office," Corbyn said.
30) B.C.’s climate targets will be impossible to reach if LNG Canada project goes ahead, critics say
Brent Jang, The Globe and Mail
Environmentalists are warning that it will be impossible for British Columbia to reach its climate targets if a Shell-led liquefied natural gas project forges ahead along the northern coast.
31) Right-wing populism on rise in New Brunswick
Thomas Walkom, The Toronto Star
Score one more victory for right-wing populism. The People’s Alliance of New Brunswick made a breakthrough in that province’s election Monday and could end up holding the balance of power in a hung legislature.
Toronto mayoral candidate Saron Gebrasallasi said Tuesday the city needs a mayor who can appeal to working class and “racialized” communities.
32) Ford government scraps minimum wage hike set for 2019
Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press
Ontario's Progressive Conservative government said it will halt a planned increase to minimum wage that was scheduled to kick in next year, following up on a promise made during the spring election campaign.
33) Business groups lobby Ford government to repeal workplace reforms
Mike Crawley · CBC News
Business groups are urging Premier Doug Ford's government to take away the new sick day and pay equity protections granted to Ontario workers this year.
34) Jacobin Accused of Reneging on Wage Deal in British Takeover of Tribune Magazine
Mike Elk, Payday Report
In his bid to take over the historic British left-wing magazine, The Tribune, Jacobin publisher Bhaskar Sunkara is being accused of reneging on wage deal by employees of the paper, who kept the publication alive during struggling times. Tribune was once the home of such greats as George Orwell and has since become the leading publication associated with the influential Momentum faction within the Labor Party.
35) The British Labour Party and Community Ownership Plans
John McDonnell, Socialist Project Bullet
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP has unveiled Labour’s plans for a new, publicly-owned water system, run by local councils, workers and customers and for “unprecedented openness and transparency” in how the industry will be managed. Building on Labour’s manifesto commitment to bring key utilities back into public ownership, for the first time McDonnell has outlined in detail how they would do it.
"The U.S. doesn't care about democracy. If it did, it wouldn't threaten democratic countries with military intervention," Morales said.
36) Trump Backs Military Coup in Venezuela Against Maduro
Telesur
Speaking on the sidelines of the UNGA meeting, an organization meant to promote peace, the U.S. president confirmed his backing for violent military takeovers and interventions.
37) Reactions to anti-Muslim video highlight political double standard
Linda McQuaig, The Toronto Star
Maybe there’s a good reason not to sanction Israel — despite its violation of international law — but then let’s hear our political leaders articulate that reason, rather than simply smacking down anyone who dares to question their silence on the issue.
38) Workers groups cry foul as WSIB celebrates financial milestone
Sara Mojtehedzadeh, The Toronto Star
The workers’ compensation board will slash employers’ premiums by 30 per cent after eliminating its unfunded liability a decade ahead of schedule — a move the province says will boost the economy but labour advocates say could harm workers.
39) World 'nowhere near on track' to avoid warming beyond 1.5C target
Oliver Milman, The Guardian
Author of key UN climate report says limiting temperature rise would require enormous, immediate transformation in human activity.
40) Nigerian unions launch general strike over minimum wage
Chijioke Ohuocha, Reuters
Nigeria’s main unions launched an indefinite nationwide strike on Thursday in a dispute over the minimum wage after talks with the government broke down a day earlier.
41) Correcting the record on China and Africa
Ian Goodrum, People's World
Media figures in the West will squawk about “colonialism” while denying their own countries’ roles in Africa’s subjugation. Better not to pay them any mind; the results speak for themselves. China is helping the continent toward a better future, while each new statement from the White House shows the U.S. is little more than a fair-weather friend. After all, would a true ally say the kinds of unprintable things President Donald Trump has about the African continent?
42) Ontario becomes a testing ground for hyper austerity
John Clarke, Counterfire
Just three months into its mandate, it is becoming clear that the Tory Government of Ontario, under the leadership of right-wing populist multimillionaire, Doug Ford, is going to unleash an agenda of austerity and privatisation that will be unprecedented in its scale and severity. Fifteen years of stealthy and incremental Liberal attacks on workers and communities have now given over to a regime of crude and reckless brutality. Under the federal system of government in Canada, the provincial level is where most decisions are made on social policy and, while Ontario is but one of ten provinces, the size of its economy and population will make the results of the unfolding struggle here particularly important, across the Country and internationally. A successful and massive intensification of the neoliberal agenda here would be a defeat that would threaten to spread while a successful model of resistance would be a precious resource for others to build upon.
43) Canada’s housing affordability has reached the worst level in 28 years, and Toronto is off the charts, report says
Tess Kalinowski, The Toronto Star
Canadian housing affordability has reached its worst level in 28 years with the most severe challenges in Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria, says a report from RBC.
44) The Zaghari-Ratcliffe case and Theresa May's outrageous hypocrisy
Alia Al Ghussain, Al Jazeera
The British government is concerned about Iran's political prisoners, but ignores those unjustly detained in the UK.
45) Seven Palestinians, Including 12-year Old, Said Killed by IDF Fire in Gaza Border Clashes
Jack Khoury, Yaniv Kubovich and Almog Ben Zikri, Haaretz
Seven Palestinians, including two boys age 12 and 14, were killed by Israeli military fire during clashes along the Gaza Strip's central and eastern sections of the border fence, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Friday.
12 year old Nasser Musabeh - one of a few kids killed today by Israeli snipers.
RIP little man.
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| Via Walid Mahmoud on Facebook |
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See also: Kavanaugh Nomination, Corbyn Smears, Amazon & more -- The Week in News, Opinion and Videos September 16 - 23
