WEEKLY NEWS REPORT (10 June 2018)

Vol. 1, №11

The mass media’s main functions are to divide, distract, and disinform. To consume news intelligently, we need filter out the distractions. Only then can we see how power works, in real time. This week, while the mass media was talking about Anthony Bourdain, these things happened:

INTERNATIONAL

China

Reuters reported that telecom supplier ZTE agreed to pay a $1 billion fine to resolve a ban stemming from the company’s breach of the U.S. economic embargo on Iran. ZTE pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to evade U.S. embargoes by buying U.S. components, incorporating them into ZTE equipment and illegally shipping them to Iran. New sanctions were imposed in April, because the firm was in breach of an agreement to discipline executives responsible for the original violations.

Iraq

The New Arab reported that the number of Iraqi civilians killed so far this year has significantly dropped from the year before. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Iraq Body Count database show an 80 percent drop in civilian deaths in the first five months of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. The UN attributes the drop to the defeat of ISIS.

Israel

Electronic Intifada reported that Dubai-based billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor called on Arabs to support a one-state solution. According to Al Habtoor, Israel would receive “untold benefits” if Palestinians were granted equal rights under one state, including “inflows of investments from the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] and other Arab countries to boost Israel’s economy,” as well as an exchange of “security and intelligence cooperation,” especially on Iran.

The New Arab reported that Palestinian cleric Sheikh Kamal Khatib said that an unnamed businessman has been attempting to buy real estate close to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, on behalf of the UAE. Khatib charged that the businessman has been working on behalf of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan (MbZ). “This businessman offered a Jerusalem local $5 million for a house next to Al-Aqsa … after he declined the offer the price was raised to $20 million,” he said. Khatib suggested the UAE is buying up property as part of a scheme agreed with Israel, to pressure Palestinians to accept a deal that would include relocating their capital to Abu Dis, east of the city.

Jordan

The BBC reported that Prime Minister Hani Mulki has resigned, at King Abdullah’s request, after days of protests against tax rises and other austerity measures. The recent demonstrations in the country, which is a key Western ally, are the biggest in years. The demonstrators say a new tax bill backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will hurt the poor and middle class. King Abdullah has reportedly asked Omar al-Razzaz, the education minister and a former World Bank economist, to form a new government.

Syria

The Intercept and Newsweek reported that a new report by Amnesty International concluded that October 2017 coalition attacks in Raqqa violated international humanitarian law. “Coalition forces did not take adequate account of civilians present in the city and failed to take the precautions necessary to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects.” The report, called “Nowhere to Run” concludes that the attacks by American, French, and British forces, were war crimes. Scores of civilians were injured or killed.

NATIONAL

Borders

Reuters reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is transferring about 1,600 detainees from immigration detention facilities and local jails, to federal prisons. This is the first large-scale use of federal prisons to hold immigration detainees. Critics of the move point out that prisons were built to house convicts, not immigrants seeking amnesty, which is a legal process.

The Washington Post reported that Marco Antonio Muñoz, a 39 year-old Honduran who was arrested by ICE and forcibly separated from his wife and 3 year-old son, was found dead in his jail cell in at the Starr County Jail in Rio Grande City. The family had crossed into Texas, and surrendered to authorities, in order to apply for asylum. When Border Patrol agents told the family they would be separated, Muñoz “lost it,” according to one agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “The guy lost his s — -,” the agent said. “They had to use physical force to take the child out of his hands.” Muñoz was placed in a chain-link detention cell, but he began punching the metal and shaking it violently, agents said. The next day, he was found dead in his cell, an apparent suicide.

Business Insider reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was holding 10,773 migrant children in custody, up 21% from the 8,886 it was holding last month. Of those, a Customs and Border Protection official told lawmakers that 658 children had been separated from 638 adults between May 6 and May 19 under the administration’s new zero tolerance policy. In Mrs. L vs. ICE, a lawsuit a federal court ordered that the ACLU had stated a claim that the families’ constitutional rights are being violated by this practice, and will consider whether to enjoin it on a national level.

Reason reported that the Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals rejected a Salvadoran woman’s application for asylum, finding she provided “material support” to a terrorist organization. ACM was kidnapped by guerillas in El Salvador in 1990, . Previously, the left-wing guerrillas “forced [her] to witness her husband, a sergeant in the Salvadoran Army, dig his own grave before being killed [and later] was coerced into undergoing weapons training and performing forced labor in the form of cooking, cleaning, and washing their clothes.” The Board concluded that an “insignificant” amount of support such as cleaning and cooking can amount to “material” support to the terrorists.

Coal

NPR reported that the federal black lung trust fund, could incur a $15 billion deficit in the next 30 years. The fund helps sick and dying coal miners pay living and medical expenses. A tax on coal companies supports the fund, is set to be cut by 55% at the end of 2018, even as the fund’s debt exceeds $4.3 billion, and demand for benefits is expected to grow. Researchers have confirmed an epidemic of the most advanced stages of black lung, along with unprecedented clusters of the disease in the central Appalachian states of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

Democrats

Yahoo reported that the Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws committee adopted a new rule which would force candidates in Democratic presidential primaries to affirmatively state that they are Democrats. While the rule is largely seen as a rebuke to Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016, last month the Vermont Democratic Party passed a resolution that would effectively exempt Sanders from the new rule.

Politico reported that the DNC is considering a new policy to limit the influence of superdelegates in presidential nominations. The rule change would allow superdelegates, but they couldn’t vote during the first round of the presidential roll-call vote. They could, however, vote during the second round or any subsequent roll call, and they would still be permitted to support any candidate they wanted. Second roll-call votes are rare. “I believe this decision, if they go forward, is going to do terrible damage to party harmony,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). “It disenfranchises the elected leadership of the party.” The first roll-call vote would be left to pledged delegates, who are elected by voters.

Politico reported that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee warned Democratic congressional candidates last year, not to use the words “single payer” in their healthcare proposals. The DCCC claimed not using the phrase was necessary to avoid intra-party fights.

IVN reported that a recent NBC News/GenForward poll showed that 71% of millennials think the two parties are not doing an adequate job, and that a third party is needed. Sixty-one percent of all likely U.S. voters also believe a third party is needed — a record high.

Housing

AP and The Hill reported that the Department of Housing and Urban Development released a plan to increase rents on people on housing assistance, only to walk it back a few days later. The plan would raise rents by an average of 26%, reasoning that cutting benefits would put people on a path to self-sufficiency. The plan would triple the minimum rent that some of the poorest Americans pay for federally subsidized housing. Two days later, Secretary Ben Carson withdrew the plan, saying that changes in the budget made the plan unnecessary.

Inequality

Think Progress reported that a new report by the U.N. Human Rights Council found that the United States “is now moving full steam ahead to make itself even more unequal.” The report cites the $1.5 trillion in tax cuts passed in December 2017, which “overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and worsened inequality.” The report was written by Philip Alston, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on poverty and human rights, after a 10-day tour of the United States, investigating whether economic security in the country undermines human rights. Alston concluded that “The policies pursued over the past year seem deliberately designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish those who are not in employment and make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned rather than a right of citizenship.”

CNN reported that provisions in a farm bill being considered in the House, would roll back restrictions on the wealthy obtaining federal farm subsidies, as well as allow extended family members to receive lucrative payments. The same bill would impose new work requirements for participants in the federal food stamp program, SNAP. Up to 2 million SNAP recipients could lose or have their benefits slashed under the proposed rule changes. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, (R-Mo), who has received at least $986,789 dollars in federal farm subsidies, lauded the SNAP work requirements, saying the change “helps recipients break the cycle of poverty by Improving work opportunities for able-bodied adults receiving federal nutrition assistance.”

Common Dreams reported that a recent report by Good Jobs First uncovered more than 1,600 successful collective actions challenging wage theft by large companies since 2000. Wage theft practices include requiring off-the-clock work, job title misclassifications that unfairly exempt workers from overtime pay, and uncompensated clothing purchase requirements, as well as overtime, minimum wage, meal break, and tip violations. The report does not estimate the total wages lost by wage theft, but the settlements in the cases cost top corporations $18 billion.

Kochs

AP and the New Yorker reported that billionaire conservative David Koch is stepping down from his roles in Koch Industries, and the family’s political committee, Americans for Prosperity. According to a letter from his brother Charles, David, 78, is suffering from deteriorating health. According to insiders, David is seen as the New York socialite, while Charles has always been the brains behind the operation. They say David’s retirement will have little effect on the family’s corporate and political activities.

Suicide

The Washington Post reported that suicide rates are increasing across the U.S. According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control, suicides went from 30,000 per year in 1999, to 45,000 per year in 2016. Suicides now account for twice as many deaths as homicides, and overall are the tenth leading cause of death in this country. Among people between 15 and 34, suicide is the second leading cause of death.

STATE AND LOCAL

California

Mother Jones reported that Judge Aaron Persky lost a recall election. Judge Persky presided over the trial of Brock Turner, a Stanford student who was convicted of sexual assault and attempted rape. Persky ignited a national uproar, and probably started the #MeToo movement, by departing from sentencing recommendations, giving Turner only six months’ jail, citing the “severe impact” that prison would have on the 20 year-old with no prior convictions. In the recall vote, men voted for Persky by 3%, women voted against him by 26%. He will be replaced by Cindy Hendrickson, who supported the recall effort.

Florida

My News 13 reported that Disney World and 35,000 cast members represented by the Services Trade Council Union, are negotiating a new contract that would raise starting pay at the resort to $15/hour. The timing of the move and other concessions are still open terms in the negotiations. The NLRB recently ruled that Disney did not act improperly withholding a $1,000 bonus from workers for participating in the negotiations.

Illinois

The Marshall Project reported that state legislature voted to eliminate co-pays required of prison inmates who need health care. The co-pays, as low as $3, are the equivalent of hundreds of dollars to inmates who only make pennies an hour. “Charging co-pays encourages inmates to develop personal responsibility for their health care,” said a representative of the Nevada Department of Corrections. An executive for the John Howard Association, which supported the Illinois law, disagreed, saying “When you’re denied your liberty, medical care is part of the deal. If you need it, you should get it.”

Missouri

Saint Louis Today reported that a new report by state Attorney General Josh Hawley, shows that African Americans are 85% more likely to be pulled over by police, more likely to be searched, and more likely to be arrested, even though African Americans were less likely than whites to be found carrying contraband. The report comes four years after the riots in Ferguson over the police shooting of Michael Brown, and shows that the numbers that give a statistical basis to years of anecdotal complaints are in many cases getting worse, not better. The stop and search rates in predominately white neighborhoods such as Arnold, Chesterfield, Webster Groves, and Sunset Hills — showed spikes in the disparity index which are far out of the norm when compared to the driving population.

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli Air Force held a week-long military exercise — which included bombing raids in Gaza — in preparation for war in the North and South. Hundreds of Israeli fighter jets and attack helicopters were launched to counter Palestinian “terror kites” which carry Molotov cocktails across the border.

The purpose of these summaries is to encourage curious readers to do further research. Links to, and summaries of, these news reports is not an endorsement of the source, or a representation that the stories are adequately sourced, unbiased, or are even accurately reported. Read critically!