The Evening Blues - 6-11-21

Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 3:18pm


eb1pt12

The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Elvin Bishop

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features blues and rock guitarist Elvin Bishop. Enjoy!

Elvin Bishop - Travelin' Shoes

"In a police state, referencing one's rights is seen as an act of aggression."

-- Philip Schuyler

News and Opinion

Cori Bush Demands FBI Data on Her Protest Activity

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Thursday, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., asked FBI Director Christopher Wray for information the bureau had collected on her work as an organizer and activist before her time in Congress. In 2014 and 2017, Bush protested in Ferguson, Missouri, and St. Louis — after police killed 18-year-old Michael Brown and after a judge found the officer who killed 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith not guilty, respectively — and the FBI is known to have collected data on several of the demonstrations in which she participated.

On June 4, Bush sent a letter to Wray requesting that the bureau deliver access to all information it had collected on her protest and organizing activities before Wray’s scheduled testimony on Thursday. Her office said the inspector general for the Department of Justice responded Thursday to a different letter she sent in February, asking about the disparate treatment of protesters last summer and the people who participated in the January 6 attacks on the Capitol. According to Bush’s office, the inspector general’s review is pending.

“Public reporting leaves little doubt that the FBI did, in fact, investigate and surveil those who were protesting for racial justice against police brutality,” Bush wrote. “I was one such protester.” She had not received a response by Thursday morning. “When can I expect to hear back from the bureau regarding that information?” Bush asked Wray at Thursday’s hearing, referring to the data the FBI had compiled on her protest activity. Wray replied that he had only recently learned about the letter, that the bureau receives thousands of requests for files, and that he would have his staff follow up to help her understand how the process works. Bush went on to ask him whether the bureau had deputized federal agents and law enforcement agents in response to civil unrest last summer; if the FBI was authorized to use force in response to the Capitol attacks; and why Wray had stated, earlier in the hearing, that the FBI doesn’t surveil First Amendment protests when there is ample evidence to the contrary.

“I remain concerned that many law enforcement agencies continue to characterize Black protestors as a threat to public safety rather than as citizens who are more than justified in exercising their First Amendment right to organize and voice their grievances,” Bush wrote, pointing to the bureau’s past use of the term “black identity extremism.” She added that she would introduce legislation to “correct the Bureau’s excesses, if necessary.” Bush said she couldn’t yet discuss specifics of the legislation, but her office is working on a protester’s bill of rights, similar to local proposals in Missouri. “We know that we want to protect our protesters and curb any intimidation tactics,” Bush said, noting that states across the country, including Missouri, introduced or passed anti-protest legislation this year.

“Julian Is Suffering”: Family of WikiLeaks Founder Assange in U.S. to Demand His Release from Prison

Nancy Pelosi rebukes Ilhan Omar for tweet on Israel, Hamas and Taliban

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, issued a rebuke of Ilhan Omar on Thursday, after the outspoken Minnesota congresswoman said she was a victim of “harassment and silencing” by fellow Democrats over a remark about the US, Israel, Afghanistan and Hamas.

“Drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the US and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all,” Pelosi said, in a statement issued with the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, and other members of the party hierarchy.


As Republicans accused Omar of antisemitism and pushed for her to be expelled from the House foreign affairs committee, a group of Jewish House Democrats issued their own criticism. “Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided,” they wrote in a statement. “Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and contemptible organisations that engage in terrorism at best discredits one’s intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice.


On Thursday Omar did clarify her remarks, saying she was not making “a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the US and Israel” and was “in no way equating terrorist organisations with democratic countries”.

I'm not a huge fan of Ryan Grim, but I have to give him points for his performance defending Ilhan Omar here:

Is The U.S. Just As BAD As Hamas And Taliban?

'The Truth Can't Be Hidden': Omar Hits Back at Dems Upset by Critique of US-Israel Atrocities

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota hit back Wednesday at the dozen fellow House Democrats who accused her of "equating" the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban after she pointed out that the U.S. and Israeli governments have committed human rights atrocities—an uncontroversial statement that the right-wing media and Republican lawmakers rushed to warp and sensationalize.

In a joint statement released late Wednesday, Democratic Reps. Brad Schneider (Ill.), Jake Auchincloss (Mass.), Ted Deutch (Fla.), Lois Frankel (Fla.), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Elaine Luria (Va.), Kathy Manning (N.C.), Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Dean Phillips (Minn.), Kim Schrier (Wash.), Brad Sherman (Calif.), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) claimed that by invoking U.S. and Israeli crimes against humanity, Omar was giving "cover to terrorist groups" and evincing "deep-seated prejudice."

"We urge Congresswoman Omar to clarify her words placing the U.S. and Israel in the same category as Hamas and the Taliban," the lawmakers said.

The Minnesota Democrat was quick to defend herself on Twitter, slamming her colleagues for putting out a public statement demanding clarity on her comments without first contacting her privately to discuss the matter.

Citing an unnamed House Democratic aide, the New York Times reported Thursday that Omar had heard the Democratic lawmakers "were going to publicly call for a clarification of her remarks and reached out to them several times on Wednesday."

"They did not respond before their public chastisement," the aide told the Times.

Omar also accused the House Democrats of deploying "Islamophobic tropes" by claiming her remarks were fueled by "prejudice" against the U.S. and Israel.

The exchange stems from a tweet Omar posted earlier this week in which she demanded "the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity." ...

In March, Blinken said the U.S. opposes the probe in the occupied territories on the grounds that the ICC has "no jurisdiction over this matter"—a position the secretary of state repeated during Monday's hearing.

And while the Biden administration lifted Trump-era sanctions imposed on ICC officials in retaliation for their war crimes probe in Afghanistan, the U.S. has yet to support the investigation.

In response to the attack from her fellow House Democrats, Omar said Wednesday that "citing an open case against Israel, the U.S., Hamas, and the Taliban in the ICC isn't comparison or from 'deeply seated prejudice.'" ...

On Thursday, Omar's allies in the House and progressive advocacy groups came to her defense. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress, tweeted that she is "tired of colleagues (both D+R) demonizing Ilhan Omar."

"Their obsession with policing her is sick," Tlaib continued. "She has the courage to call out human rights abuses no matter who is responsible. That's better than colleagues who look away if it serves their politics." ...

IfNotNow, a progressive Jewish advocacy organization, said Thursday that the House Democrats "using Islamophobic tropes to smear Ilhan Omar do not represent the American Jewish community."

"They are more interested in protecting Israeli occupation and apartheid than working towards Jewish safety and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis," the group added.

In a statement, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that "although we expect far-right, Islamophobic voices to target Rep. Omar for speaking up on human rights, it is shameful for her own colleagues in the House to join them in doing so."

"Rep. Omar stated an indisputable fact: various actors in the Middle East, including our own government, have committed atrocities and should face accountability for their conduct in the appropriate international forums," said Mitchell. "There is nothing 'prejudiced' about this observation."


USAF Prepares Afghanistan Strike Capabilities Post Withdrawal

The US Air Force (USAF) is preparing for “over-the-horizon” strike capabilities in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American troops from the country, Acting Air Force Secretary John P. Roth revealed to members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Tuesday.

The air force is seeking $10 billion from Congress for its presence across the Middle East.

“We have a series of air bases, they will stay for the time being, that’s where your over-the-horizon capability will come from,” Roth said.

The USAF has Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, and Ali Al-Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait.

Confronting the Ruling Elite

Iran sends warship on rare Atlantic mission amid Venezuela speculation

An Iranian destroyer and support vessel are now sailing in the Atlantic Ocean on a rare mission far from the Islamic Republic, Iran’s state TV has reported, amid speculation that the ships could be bound for Venezuela. The destroyer Sahand and the intelligence-gathering vessel Makran departed last month from Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas, said Adm Habibollah Sayyari, Iran’s deputy army chief, on Thursday. He described the mission as the Iranian navy’s longest and most challenging voyage yet, without elaborating. ...

“The navy is improving its seafaring capacity and proving its long-term durability in unfavourable seas and the Atlantic’s unfavourable weather conditions,” Sayyari said, adding that the warships would not call at any other ports during the mission.

Images from Maxar Technologies dated 28 April appear to show seven Iranian fast-attack craft typically associated with its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on the deck of the Makran. Satellite images from Planet Labs Inc suggest it left a port at Bandar Abbas some time after 29 April. It is not known exactly where the Makran and the destroyer are now. ...

The fast-attack craft aboard the Makran are the type that the Guard uses in its tense encounters with US warships in the Persian Gulf and its narrow mouth, the strait of Hormuz. It’s not immediately clear what Venezuela’s plans would be for those ships.


David Sirota: Blackrock, Koch ROBBING Future Homeowners


US inflation climbs to highest rate since 2008

Inflation in the US has jumped to the highest rate since 2008 as the world’s largest economy rebounds strongly from the coronavirus crisis. The consumer prices index rose at an annual rate of 5% in May, up from 4.2% in April and the highest since August 2008, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation has steadily climbed since January, when it was 1.4%.

Fears over rising prices in the US have gripped markets, with investors fearing that pent-up demand and supply chain bottlenecks would create inflationary pressures, forcing central bankers at the Federal Reserve to slow their stimulus programme.

But US stocks rallied on the news, with the S&P 500 touching a new high as traders anticipated that the inflationary surge would be temporary, allowing the Fed to put off tapering a bond-buying policy that has pumped money into global markets.

“US stocks rallied to a fresh record high after investors realised the punchbowl of stimulus is not going away any time soon,” said Edward Moya of trading platform Oanda.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile items such as food and energy, leaped to the highest level since 1992. It rose 3.8% year-on-year, up from 3% in April.


Bipartisan group reaches infrastrucure deal

This new infrastructure deal comes after negotiations between Joe Biden and the Republican party reached an impasse. A group of five Democrats and five Republicans – Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Joe Manchin, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Jon Tester, and Mark Warner – developed the $1.2tn plan.

It is unclear whether the deal will work for the White House, or for legislators from both parties. Biden had been adamant that a sweeping infrastructure bill should be funded by increasing the corporate tax rate, a move that Republicans vehemently opposed. Many Democrats are also firm that an infrastructure package should include investment in clean energy and projects to combat climate change – which again, Republicans vehemently oppose.


Seattle becomes most vaccinated city in US, mayor says

After fully vaccinating at least 70% of all residents over the age of 12 against Covid-19, Seattle has become the most vaccinated city in America, the mayor said.

Furthermore, Jenny Durkan announced that Seattle has partially vaccinated 78% of those aged 12 and up.

Seattle, Washington state’s largest city with a population of roughly 750,000, administered over 250,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, vaccinating almost 131,000 people. In February, Durkan had previously announced a goal of getting 70% of all Seattle adults vaccinated.

Durkan also stated that since vaccination goals have been reached, the city can begin re-opening efforts, encouraging Seattle residents to support local businesses, and enjoy Seattle’s art and culture. “Now that we have reached community protection, we can lead the nation in safely reopening and recovering in earnest,” Durkan said.

The NYPD Is Still Stopping and Frisking Black People at Disproportionate Rates

When New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was running for his job eight years ago, pitching himself as a champion of progressive values and police reformer, he promised to end “a stop-and-frisk era that unfairly targets people of color.” Last week, as a crowded field of mayoral candidates sparred about public safety and policing during the first in-person forum of this campaign season, the infamous New York Police Department practice was back on the debate stage. Some candidates claimed credit for their role in ending it, while others accused their competitors of wanting to return to the days when officers stopped, questioned, and searched tens of thousands of mostly Black and Latino New Yorkers.

But stop-and-frisk never actually ended, and New Yorkers of color have continued to bear the brunt of it — even last year, when the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the city and many of its residents stayed home. A review of the NYPD’s stops-related data shows that in 2020, the number of reported stops was at its lowest ever — 9,544, down from 13,459 in 2019 and 11,008 in 2018. Despite the drop, the racial disparity remained as stark as ever, with New Yorkers of color making up 91 percent of those stopped, roughly the same as in the two years prior. Black New Yorkers, who account for 24 percent of the city’s population, accounted for 56 percent of those stopped last year.

As in years past, the majority of stops were concentrated within a handful of police precincts in East New York, the Bronx, and East Harlem — all majority Black, Latino, and poor parts of the city. “The data on the precincts with the highest number of stops only confirms what New Yorkers of color have been saying all along — predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods are policed differently than predominantly white neighborhoods, and stop-and-frisk is no exception,” said Molly Griffard, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society, which analyzed the data. “Anyone who believes stop-and-frisk is over clearly isn’t talking to people who live in these overpoliced neighborhoods that many of our Legal Aid clients call home.”

The NYPD is required to report data on the stops officers make following a landmark federal class-action lawsuit challenging its stop-and-frisk practices. A federal judge ruled in 2013 that the department had engaged in a pattern of racially discriminatory and unconstitutional stops, targeting, at its peak in 2011, nearly 700,000 New Yorkers, 90 percent of them people of color. Only 2 percent of people stopped that year were found in possession of any unlawful items, such as drugs or weapons.


the horse race


Crystal Good on Joe Manchin and Black West Virginia


the evening greens

Lake Mead: largest US reservoir falls to historic low amid devastating drought

Levels in Lake Mead – the largest US reservoir by volume – fell to historic lows on Thursday, as the region continues to face the effects of a devastating prolonged drought.

Stationed on the main stem of the Colorado River in the Mojave along the Arizona-Nevada border, Lake Mead was formed with the construction of the Hoover dam, which generates electricity for areas in Arizona, California and Nevada. It provides water for urban, rural and tribal lands across the south-west.

Officials, who said the reservoir will be at its lowest since the 1930s when the dam was built, expect levels to get worse through another dry, hot summer. With no reprieve expected in the coming months, the human-made lake is currently at roughly 36% of its capacity.

In normal years, the dam produces enough electricity for 8 million people, but the water shortage will slow energy output while adding additional pressure on the increasingly water-starved systems across the west. “Every foot of lake level decline means about six [megawatt] of lost capacity,” Patricia Aaron, the Bureau of Reclamation spokesperson, told CNN. The Hoover dam’s energy capacity had already dropped by 25% by Tuesday, and Aaron added that levels will continue to decline through the autumn this year.

The rapid decline has prompted plans for the first-ever water shortage declaration from the federal government, according to reports from the US Bureau of Reclamation released in April, which projected the record-breaking declines. The declaration, which will probably be issued in August of this year, would affect distribution to states and Mexico.


Line 3: protests over pipeline through tribal lands spark clashes and mass arrests

Environmental protesters and Native American tribes have joined together to try to block construction efforts that would expand and repair a controversial pipeline called Line 3, which would carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil through tribal lands and fragile watersheds in northern Minnesota.

The protesters said they were there as water and land protectors, fighting Enbridge, a Canadian-owned company, and the $9bn upgrade of the pipeline. The action sparked a confrontation with law enforcement officers and raised the prospects of a high-profile fight set to highlight the use of fossil fuels at a time of growing climate crisis.

Earlier this week, police made mass arrests of people who had chained themselves to construction equipment and barricaded a road to a construction site off Highway 71 north of Park Rapids with an old fishing boat and other obstacles. Police also used a sonic device known as a long-range acoustic device, or LRAD, on the protesters. ...

Participants called on Joe Biden to stop Line 3, which opponents say threatens northern Minnesota’s waters, the global climate, and Anishinaabe treaty rights.

Biden's DHS Attacks Pipeline Protestors

Climate and nature crises: solve both or solve neither, say experts

Humanity must solve the climate and nature crises together or solve neither, according to a report from 50 of the world’s leading scientists. Global heating and the destruction of wildlife is wreaking increasing damage on the natural world, which humanity depends on for food, water and clean air. Many of the human activities causing the crises are the same and the scientists said increased use of nature as a solution was vital.

The devastation of forests, peatlands, mangroves and other ecosystems has decimated wildlife populations and released huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Rising temperatures and extreme weather are, in turn increasingly damaging biodiversity. But restoring and protecting nature boosts biodiversity and the ecosystems that can rapidly and cheaply absorb carbon again, the researchers said. While this is crucial, the scientists emphasise that rapid cuts in fossil fuel burning is also essential to ending the climate emergency.

They also warned against action on one crisis inadvertently aggravating the other, such as creating monoculture tree plantations that store carbon but are wildlife deserts and more vulnerable to extreme weather. “It is clear that we cannot solve [the global biodiversity and climate crises] in isolation – we either solve both or we solve neither,” said Sveinung Rotevatn, Norway’s climate and environment minister.

The peer-reviewed report was produced by the world’s leading biodiversity and climate experts, who were convened by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, both which report to the world’s political leaders. The report identified actions to simultaneously fight the climate and nature crises, including expanding nature reserves and restoring – or halting the loss of – ecosystems rich in species and carbon, such as forests, natural grasslands and kelp forests.

“Our House Is on Fire”: Activists Urge G7 to Address Climate, Vaccine Apartheid & Poverty

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Peace-Washing: Is a Network of Major Donors Neutralizing Activism in the Peace Movement?

SecDef Austin Tells the Pentagon to Start Acting Like China Is Top Priority

Biden Seeks Allies For War On China

States Are Making Tenants Jump Through Hoops to Get Federal Rental Assistance

Poverty Is A Weapon Of The Powerful: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

Seven Years after Michael Lewis Described on National TV How the U.S. Stock Market Is Rigged, SEC Chair Gensler Says He’s Going to Tackle Market Structure

Labor Advocates Rebuke Amazon for Latest 'Smoke and Mirrors' on Worker Safety

Overfishing plays havoc with ecosystems in South Africa

Make America hostile again? | Biden seemly bringing back Cold War

Fauci Declares Himself INFALLIBLE!

Matt Stoller: It’s Time To Break Up The Ivy League Cartel

A Little Night Music

Elvin Bishop - Beer Drinking Woman

Elvin Bishop - Juke Joint Jump

Elvin Bishop - Fishin'

Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite - Help Me

Elvin Bishop - Struttin' My Stuff

Elvin Bishop - Callin' All Cows

Elvin Bishop - Yonder's Wall

Elvin Bishop - What the hell is going on?

Paul Butterfield, Rick Danko, Carlos Santana and Elvin Bishop - Walkin' Blues

Elvin Bishop - Something Smells Funky 'Round Here

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The Evening Blues
Open Thread
Elvin Bishop
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Submitted by NYCVG on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 3:46pm

That's Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett driving out the Netanyahu family and Avigdor Lieberman taking out the no longer in charge costumed relics from 18th centruy Poland.

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NYCVG

Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:04pm
joe shikspack's picture

@NYCVG

i am delighted to see netanyahu on his way out the door (and perhaps into jail). on the other hand, i would imagine that we are going to find a new, diminished definition of "marginal improvement."

oh well, i intend to enjoy the moment while it lasts.

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Submitted by NYCVG on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 3:44pm

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/what-s-in-the-deals-signed...

You should also be aware that 8 parties signed the deal and there is a ninth party ready to supply more Knesset votes if last minute drop outs occur.

This is a done deal.

Not a perfect deal. No magic better day for Gaza or Palestinians. But a voice at the table. And the horrific White Supremacy racism of Bibi and the Rabbis will be gone.

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NYCVG

Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 5:38pm

@NYCVG

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Submitted by NYCVG on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 6:20pm

@humphrey

I will be even happier when the sea blockade around Gaza gets lifted and the fisherman can go out as far as they need to to feed their families and their neighbors.

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NYCVG

Submitted by ggersh on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 4:57pm
ggersh's picture

a revolution is all that can help americans/humanity

they knew this a long long long time ago

thanks for the EB's Joe!

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I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:18pm
joe shikspack's picture

@ggersh

yep, of course it was known long ago that there is only so much you can do to the environment before there are problems.

it was well known to the people who are most responsible for the destruction and they didn't and still don't give a damn.

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Submitted by enhydra lutris on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 5:21pm
enhydra lutris's picture

extra mucho for Pigboy.

Be sure to have a great weekend

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:19pm
joe shikspack's picture

@enhydra lutris

have a great weekend!

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Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:06pm

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Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:28pm
joe shikspack's picture

@humphrey

here's a bit more:

Peru on edge as electoral board reviews result of disputed presidential election

Peru was on a knife-edge on Friday as its electoral board reviewed ballots cast in the presidential election, after a challenge to the tally by the losing candidate Keiko Fujimori. The final tally gave the leftist teacher Pedro Castillo a razor-thin 50.17% to 49.83% advantage over his rightwing rival Fujimori, which amounts to about 60,000 votes.

However, the country’s electoral authority has yet to confirm the win, and Fujimori, the scion of a controversial political dynasty, has refused to concede. She alleges fraud, even though national and international observers said the vote was clean, and has called for up to 500,000 votes to be nullified or reexamined, forcing the electoral board to conduct a review of ballots. ...

The run-up to the vote was marked by scaremongering electronic billboards in Lima, warning Peru could wind up like Cuba or Venezuela, and a partisan media heavily favouring Fujimori, as it had done in previous elections, forcing the resignation of journalists from at least one television channel.

On Thursday night, pro-Fujimori protesters surrounded the home of the head of the electoral board, and others called for military intervention, prompting an official response from the armed forces that it would respect the election results.

Fujimori, who looks likely to fail in her third election runoff by the slimmest of margins, could lose more than the presidency as prosecutors said on Thursday that she had breached bail conditions by contacting witnesses and could return to jail. She has already spent more than a year in pretrial detention accused of receiving more than $17m in illegal campaign funds and heading a criminal organisation. She could face a 30-year jail term if convicted of the allegations which she denies, calling them politically motivated.

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Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:26pm

Look what you find when you dig deeper.

The US was blocking their ability to pay the dues.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/06/11/us-iran-usa-un

NEWYORK – Iran regained its vote in the U.N. General Assembly on Friday after the United States enabled Tehran to use funds frozen in South Korea to pay some $16 million it owed to the world body.

Iran lost its vote in the 193-member General Assembly in January because it was more than two years in arrears. It owed a total of more than $65 million, but paid the minimum amount needed to regain its vote.

“Iran has paid the minimum amount due,” U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said on Friday, confirming Iran could vote again.

Iran says $20 billion of its oil revenue has been frozen in countries like South Korea, Iraq and China since 2018 under sanctions imposed by then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Illegal U.S. sanctions have not just deprived our people of medicine; they have also prevented Iran from paying our dues in arrears to the U.N.,” Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi posted on Twitter. “After more than 6 months of working on it, the U.N. today announced it has received the funds.”

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Submitted by NYCVG on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 8:33pm

@humphrey all over the world today.

Peru. Israel. Iran.

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NYCVG

Submitted by Benny on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:40pm
Benny's picture

The Pulitzers generally go by and I hardly notice. But today they did something noteworthy.

She actually deserved an award, but this was a good faith gesture.

Never thought about Elvin Bishop being a big R&B guy. While I like the song "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." it was overplayed on the radio. Since I haven't heard it in awhile, here's a link to it.

Have a nice weekend. I think I'll have a mocktail.

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One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.--Tennyson

Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 7:58pm
joe shikspack's picture

@Benny

good on the pulitzers for honoring a truly deserving person. perhaps they need a new category to recognize the contributions of citizen journalists and to recognize that good journalism in the public interest is created by people that don't go to j-school.

heh, i generally think of elvin bishop as kind of a bluesrock musician. i never really much cared for "fooled around and fell in love" possibly because of the saturation play that it got on my local radio stations back in the day. now that i haven't heard it for years, i think it's ok. it's an ok pop confection and i certainly can't blame a talented musician for trying to make a living. i much prefer his earlier stuff and the later albums that he did on the alligator label.

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Submitted by Benny on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 8:02pm
Benny's picture

@joe shikspack

After listening to "What the Hell is Going On?" I can see why Elvin is in the R&B category. Thanks for the tunes!

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One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.--Tennyson

Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 8:02pm

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Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 8:11pm
dystopian's picture

Hi all, and hey Joe, Great sounds man. Elvin Bishop was amazing, and seemed to not get the credit he deserved as a great guitar player. He really was a players player. I saw him a couple times about '74 and 75, he was awesome. Great band and show, they were really something. That live cut from 84 with Paul Butterfield was great... I think the guy that sang the 'backup' vocals on Fooled Around and Fell in Love (which was astoundingly awesome live) later went on to be in J. Starship.

The enviro news is so hard for me to swallow... watching the slow motion train wreck of collapse being drowned out by corporate denial, whilst those that speak out are sued if not murdered in many countries. I am flabbergasted by it. At least I am not magnetic.

Hope everyone stays in a proper orbit.

Thanks for the news and blues Joe, have a good weekend!

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 8:52pm
joe shikspack's picture

@dystopian

the environmental news does not seem to be improving much. yeah, there are victories worth noting here and there, but the carbon clock just keeps relentlessly ticking upward. i sure wish that the vast majority of us that would like to see our grandchildren have a habitable planet could get all on the same page at the same time.

oh well. i am still in my orbit and i wish that louis gohmert and his ilk would get out of it.

have a great weekend!

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Submitted by dystopian on Sat, 06/12/2021 - 9:39am
dystopian's picture

@joe shikspack Thanks for that! Robert Earl is a hero here in Texas! When the other Texas troubadours are putting your name in songs, you have hit the pinnacle of achievement in Texas music making.

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 10:26pm
enhydra lutris's picture

@dystopian

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by dystopian on Sat, 06/12/2021 - 9:37am
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@enhydra lutris @enhydra lutris THANKS for that EL! Awesome... that Paul Butterfield stuff was outstanding.

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 9:04pm
snoopydawg's picture

lol..

Trump DOJ Obtained Data On Schiff And Swalwell, Two Long-Time Champions Of Domestic Spying

Had Schiff and Swalwell been concerned at all with the privacy rights of ordinary citizens, they would have joined with the majority of Democrats in supporting Amash's bill. They sided with the U.S. security state (and the Trump White House) against the rights of ordinary Americans. When reporting on this repellent act, I wrote under the headline: “The Same Democrats Who Denounce Donald Trump as a Lawless, Treasonous Authoritarian Just Voted to Give Him Vast Warrantless Spying Powers.”

AC41BB1F-43A4-4DEE-A7E1-8CAB685BF6C3.png

Of course the Biden bros have amnesia about Obama’s persecution of leaks and whistleblowers. Of course they have, but I’ve been reminding them. Smile

I wonder if the Trump DOJ lied to get the subpoena like the Obama one did to get one on Trump? Good grief I might have to watch Rachel tonight to see how exited she gets over. Nah I’ll wait for it on the Twit.

Have a great weekend! It’s gonna get really really hot here. Listen for the sound of records breaking big time and fast. Bummer. Might get a wading pool.

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14 users have voted.
Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 9:28pm
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@snoopydawg

that greenwald article is quite good.

i have to admit, i am feeling some schadenfreude about seeing schiff and swalwell having been hoisted on their own petards. it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more deserving bunch.

it has cooled down a good bit here and it looks like we're in for a weekend of rain.

our dogs have always loved the kiddie pool in the summer. i'm sure sam would get a kick out of it.

have a great weekend!

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9 users have voted.
Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 11:20pm
snoopydawg's picture

@joe shikspack

There are few attributes more contemptible in a politician than placing themselves above the citizenry they are supposed to be serving, believing that they themselves should be immune and protected from the burdens they impose on ordinary Americans.

this includes them giving themselves all the juicy benefits that they deny us to have.

I have never thought of this before. People are talking about Cadillac Desert a book about droughts and why Utah is responsible for the way water is distributed around the country and why the Mormons may have destroyed humanity.

On Audible it starts off with how Brigham Young must have fried his brain on the 2,000 mile trek when he got over emigration pass and saw at the edge of a dying lake with hostile desert around on 3 sides because he declared that "This is The Place!" and then set about training a desert. He then says that the government saw the results and when it formed its water ways it went off the Mormon's plans and built dams…..

Damn that’s harsh huh?

Publisher's Summary

The story of the American West is the story of a relentless quest for a precious resource: water. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruptions and intrigue, of billion-dollar battles over water rights, of ecologic and economic disaster. In Cadillac Desert, Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians and business interests to ensure the city's growth. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the Bureau of Reclamation and the US Army Corps of Engineers, in the competition to transform the West.

Based on more than a decade of research, Cadillac Desert is a stunning exposé and a dramatic, intriguing history of the creation of Eden - an Eden that may be only a mirage.

Here’s one review:

updated too. Anyone living west of the Mississippi River who wishes to catch a glimpse of the waterless realm we in the West are now entering should give this book full attention. The historical account of the various fumbling agencies in charge of our wildlands and watersheds is thoroughly enlightening. Water mismanagement, wanton dam building, abuse of power and climate change have been ongoing for well over a century. Thankfully, that is now changing, as described in the new Afterword section by Lawrie Mott, who brings new life and hope to a parched land overpopulated with people who have little idea of how close we are to running dry. This is one of my lifetime favorite books

One article on lake mead was as the water falls there will need to be more straws inserted deeper down and that is going to slow the rate for electricity. Another one from 7 years ago said that when mead fails Vegas is not going to go silently into that goodnight but all at once and suddenly.

Also read that foreign countries have bought land that has water rights as has Saudi Arabia who bought land in California to grow alfalfa to send back home.

Guess I could go on but it sure looks like climate change is going to affect millions sooner than people were expecting. No plans for when that happens? Like Covid.

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11 users have voted.
Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 11:36pm
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@snoopydawg

there was considerable lack of foresight when building the west out of a desert, not to mention the idiocy of the government promising water rights to farmers and others in perpetuity which now has people (particularly on the klamath river) close to taking up arms again to enforce their "rights."

i think that this is a documentary that i watched a long time ago based on the book (cadillac desert) that you mentioned. if it's the one i watched it's really excellent. it's also 4 hours long (originally in four segments, but here they're stitched together), so happy weekend watching maybe. Smile

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9 users have voted.
Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 06/12/2021 - 12:25am
snoopydawg's picture

@joe shikspack

there.

promising water rights to farmers and others in perpetuity which now has people (particularly on the klamath river) close to taking up arms again to enforce their "rights."

I just skimmed the article on it and didn’t see what it’s about. Yeah I remember the salmon in need of water to live. Damn them for this. And they are still building that pipeline that threatens many waterways just so Canada can offshore its crappy oil. I guess it’s cheaper for them then to do it from their shores. Is that it? I really did think I’d be older when this shit went down. Big bummer huh?

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9 users have voted.
Submitted by orlbucfan on Sat, 06/12/2021 - 7:51am
orlbucfan's picture

@snoopydawg that Utah is going through still another horrific drought. Sad
Wonder what storm season has in store for us here in the Dumbshine State?

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4 users have voted.
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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Sat, 06/12/2021 - 12:00pm
snoopydawg's picture

@orlbucfan

the east is getting lots of rain while the rest is under a high pressure system for the next week. Ogden kooks to be under 100 next week, but good ole Brigham's city is going to get toasted. I really got a kick out of the introduction to the book. You can listen to 5 mins at the link. I guess I never thought of what SLC looked like way back then. N. Utah isn't all desert, but a lot is. I will have to look for some older pictures.

Typing sucks this morning. Sam has been nipping my hands and yesterday she bit down hard on my index finger right under the nail. Not sure if it was an oops or not, but boy does it hurt. It was deep.

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4 users have voted.
Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 9:31pm

What do they have up their sleeve?

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10 users have voted.
Submitted by on the cusp on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 9:39pm

And there is a tidge of good news from Peru, Iran, and Israel.
The news will improve after we re-orbit!
We are visiting the Texas Hill Country. Our launch point is Johnson City. Near Fredericksburg, Austin, and San Antonio. Tons of parks, both state and national, and it will be an all day visit Saturday, and half day visit Sunday on the way back home.
We are finding some notable local eateries are closed for good. COVID kicked ass in this country. Retail stores as well.
Oh, well, we will settle for most anything to eat if we get hungry enough.
I think TLOML is going to buy me a tee shirt that says, "Texas Chica".

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8 users have voted.
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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by joe shikspack on Fri, 06/11/2021 - 9:51pm
joe shikspack's picture

@on the cusp

you guys have a great time and a great weekend!

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8 users have voted.
Submitted by orlbucfan on Sat, 06/12/2021 - 7:40am
orlbucfan's picture

Swamp Boogie Rock rules!!!!! Smile
And how! Rec’d!!

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2 users have voted.
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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Submitted by NYCVG on Sat, 06/12/2021 - 1:59pm

https://twitter.com/ZachandMattShow/status/

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NYCVG