INFLATION IS WALL ST. WAR PROFITEERING

Biden, days to midterms, accuses oil companies of 'war profiteering' on gas prices

President Joe Biden, little more than a week away from Election Day, presented something of an ultimatum to gas and oil companies: ramp up production or pay a higher tax rate.

President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks on oil company profits in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Oct. 31, 2022, in Washington, D.C.© Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Biden announces more steps to lower gas prices

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"It's time for these companies to stop war profiteering, meet their responsibilities to this country, give the American people a break and still do very well," Biden said as he spoke from the White House on Monday afternoon alongside Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Biden threatened imposing a higher tax on excess profits and other restrictions if companies don't increase production and refining capacity to drive down prices at the pump.

"My team will work with Congress to look at these options that are available to us and others," he said. Congress is currently in recess as lawmakers return home to campaign and stump for their preferred candidates ahead of the Nov. 8 elections.

Oil companies have made staggering profits while Americans are paying higher energy prices.

ExxonMobil said last week it had its highest earnings ever for the third quarter, with a net income of $19.7 billion. Chevron reported making $11 billion in profits, while Shell made $9.5 billion in profits.MORE: 'Big Oil' CEOs testify before Congress amid skyrocketing gas prices

"What I mean is profits so high it's hard to believe," Biden said, accusing companies of passing the profits back to shareholders and buying back their stock.

"Give me a break, enough is enough," Biden added.

MORE: Rising gas prices could shape the midterms: Here's where fuel costs stand in key states.

As of Monday, the national average for a gallon of gas was $3.76, according to the American Automobile Association. That's 30 cents higher than the price of gas a year ago.

If oil companies passed on their excess profits to consumers, Biden said the price of gas would go down by 50 cents.

Higher energy prices also impact manufacturers, and those costs are often passed down to consumers by raising prices on food, clothing, furniture and more. Inflation is at a level not seen in decades, with the consumer price index rising 0.4% in September and consumer prices overall rising 8.2% in the last 12 months.

Nearly half of Americans say either the economy (26%) or inflation (23%) is the most important issue this midterm cycle, according to a new poll conducted by ABC News and Ipsos.

Republicans have seized on high prices in their midterm messaging, blaming inflation on Democratic policies and spending packages. The ABC News/Ipsos poll found nearly three out of four Republicans point to the two economic concerns as a priority.

THIRD WORLD UK

Warnings grow of dire conditions at migrant processing center in England
Allegra Goodwin - 

British charities and officials are warning of increasingly dire conditions at a migrant processing center in England and urging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to act.

The situation at the Manston asylum processing center constituted a “breach of humane conditions,” British Conservative lawmaker Roger Gale said Monday, as dozens of charities wrote to the prime minister to raise concerns about “overcrowding.”

The Manston migration center in Kent, southeast England, is currently holding around 4,000 people, among them women and children, despite being intended to hold only 1,500, local MP Gale told Sky News.

“That is wholly unacceptable,” Gale, who visited the former RAF base last week said, though he added staff were “trying to do a good job under impossible circumstances.”

It comes as dozens of charities signed an open letter from the charity Positive Action in Housing to Sunak, raising concerns about what they called “overcrowding and inhumane conditions” at the Manston center.


Warnings grow of dire conditions at migrant processing center in England© Provided by CNNCharities urged British prime minister Rishi Sunak to take action over "inhumane conditions" at the Manston center. - Gareth Fuller/PA Images/Getty Images

“We take the safety and welfare of those in our care extremely seriously and are working closely with our health professionals and the UK Health Security Agency to ensure their wellbeing,” the Home Office told CNN.

The Home Office also confirmed it was aware of a very small number of cases of diphtheria reported at the Manston center: “The Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities at Manston, including trained medical staff and a doctor.”

On Sunday, around 700 people who crossed the English Channel in small boats were relocated to Manston after “incendiary devices” were thrown at a migration center in Dover, local police confirmed.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who visited Manston on Sunday, acknowledged the “immense pressure” at the center in a tweet.

“Over 1,000 migrants crossing the Channel yesterday creates immense pressure. I was hugely impressed by the staff I met, managing this intolerable situation,” Jenrick said on Sunday.

The warnings come as criticism regarding the re-appointment of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary continues. Braverman is known for her tough stance on immigration.

More than a hundred refugee charities wrote an open letter to Braverman on Monday, urging her to address what they called a “backlog in asylum cases,” and to create safe routes for refugees to travel to Britain.

The letter referred to comments made by Braverman during the Conservative Party conference earlier in October, in which she said it would be her “dream” and “obsession” to see a front page of the Telegraph newspaper show a plane of migrants taking off to Rwanda, where some UK asylum seekers could be relocated under a controversial scheme.

“You have referred to this country’s proud history of offering sanctuary. So, we ask you to make this happen with a fair, kind and effective system for refugees,” the letter said.

Braverman – who has referred to illegal crossings of the English Channel as “an invasion” – defended her immigration policies on Monday.

Speaking to lawmakers at the House of Commons, she said she had tried to prepare the Manston site for a surge of people, and denied allegations that she blocked the use of hotels for immigrants.

“I foresaw the concerns at Manston in September and deployed additional resource and personnel to deliver a rapid increase in emergency accommodation,” she said.

“What I have refused to do is to prematurely release thousands of people into local communities without having anywhere for them to stay,” she added, saying that it will be the “worst thing to do.”

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IS NOT TERRORISM

Activists, advocates criticize CSIS for weighing if rail blockades could be classed as terrorism

CSIS IS FOR EXTERNAL THREATS ONLY

Brett Forester - Yesterday 

Activists and advocates who've been targeted for government snooping in the past are denouncing what they see as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's "vilification" of First Nations activism.

They say they know the state is watching, but it still came as a surprise to learn CSIS secretly weighed whether rail blockades could qualify as "acts of terrorism" in reports beginning in November 2020.

"It is an absolutely ridiculous sentiment to me that in 2022 when Indigenous people make a stand for their lands and their water, we get called terrorists," said Skyler Williams, a prominent Mohawk activist from Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario.

"It's a real struggle for me to understand how you could be called a terrorist for that, or a violent extremist."

Williams is the spokesperson for a group of Six Nations members who occupied a housing development in July 2020 in Caledonia, Ont. They renamed the site 1492 Land Back Lane and continue to hold it.

In September 2020, Caledonia's municipal police services board called them "terrorists."

But the CSIS intelligence assessments, produced shortly after that and released this year through access-to-information law, show the spy service believed the label to be inaccurate.

CSIS concluded "unsophisticated acts of unlawful interference," like blockades and vandalism, "do not cross the terrorism threshold."

CSIS added, however, that it believed rail disruptions could still be linked to "extremist elements" within the Indigenous rights and environmental movements and other "ideologically motivated violent extremist" groups, like anarchists.

Hereditary chief concerned about continued surveillance

Na'moks, a Wet'suwet'en hereditary chief who opposes construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern British Columbia, is glad CSIS backed off from the terrorist label.

But he worries that by branding elements of First Nations rights movements as "extremist," CSIS leaves the door open to continued surveillance.

"We know we've been under constant surveillance for decades," said Na'moks, whose English name is John Ridsdale.

"I'm very glad that they said it can't be done, but in public opinion if they label us extremists, then they get to do as they wish."

Hereditary chiefs have been pushing to have Wet'suwet'en jurisdiction recognized over the nation's unceded, off-reserve territory for decades. While they oppose the Coastal GasLink project, five of six Wet'suwet'en bands have signed on in support.

There have been two separate incidents of sabotage and vandalism in the area this year. One targeted Coastal GasLink construction equipment while the other saw emergency response vehicles, including RCMP cruisers tasked with policing resistance to the pipeline, torched.

Police have yet to name suspects.

Na'moks said the chiefs condemn such tactics but he does wonder whether these events represent the sort of thing CSIS will cite to justify ongoing surveillance.

"As hereditary chiefs, we would never condone any sort of violence. The violence comes at us," he said.

"We will continue to do what we do non-violently, peacefully, and I know we're doing the right thing."

'They need to look in the mirror'

The CSIS assessments show these two standoffs in southern Ontario and northern B.C. respectively were the primary drivers of the spy service's concerns.

In February 2020, protests targeting railways popped up to show support after B.C. Mounties executed a raid on blockades preventing Coastal GasLink pipeline construction. In Caledonia, activists twice shut down CN tracks in response to Ontario Provincial Police attempts to clear the 1492 Land Back Lane occupation.

Andrew Brant, who is Mohawk, Turtle Clan from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, supported the solidarity demonstrations in his community in 2020.

He said turning blockades into national security issues of extremism and terrrorism ignores centuries of treaty-making and alliances between the Mohawk Nation and the Crown.


Tyendinaga member Andrew Brant supported the solidarity action in his community in 2020.© Michelle Allan/CBC

He believes CSIS's monitoring of Wet'suwet'en and Mohawk activism is "all about villainizing people" who resist resource extraction and oppose colonial policies.

"They have extracted so much from us: our women, our children, our land, our resources, our languages, our cultures. Everything. And then they want to turn around and call us extreme for wanting to exist," said Brant.

"To label us as extremists? I think they need to look in the mirror."

Surveillance 'a terrible thing' to get used to

CSIS said it doesn't investigate lawful protest or democratic dissent, or comment on any of its operations.

The spy service said people with concerns about CSIS's activities have the ability to lodge complaints with the watchdog National Security Intelligence Review Agency.

For Williams, life under surveillance is "a terrible thing" to get used to.

He was charged criminally and will stand trial for his role in the Caledonia occupation. He recently pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of court in connection to another round of blockades in support of the Wet'suwet'en chiefs in northern B.C. in November 2021.

At the time, officials at Crown-Indigenous Relations were tracking Williams's movements via social media to brief senior bureaucrats, internal documents show.

He said it's the Canadian state that uses violent and extreme tactics to repress Indigenous people.

Pam Palmater, a Mi'kmaw lawyer and professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, agrees.

She has filed federal access-to-information requests for her own security file, only to receive documents censored for national security reasons.

She said colonial authorities in Canada have a history of labelling First Nations people as irrational and potentially violent.

"It's racist stereotyping that started since contact, always portraying us as dangerous, villains, violent, savage — you name it," said Palmater.

"Now the modern terminology, if it's not zealot or militant or domestic terrorist, it's extremist."

But First Nations-led activism, even via blockades and occupations, poses no real national security threat, Palmater said. Rather, like Brant, she feels this surveillance comes from politically motivated desires to clamp down on resistance.

"If we are threats to national security, think about how deeply ingrained this vilification of Indigenous peoples is," said Palmater.

"I think this is about trying to silence people."

Newsom accuses Fox News of "creating a culture" that led to attack on Paul Pelosi

Caitlin Yilek - Yesterday 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom partly blamed Fox News for fueling the vitriol against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul, who was attacked by an intruder with a hammer at the couple's San Francisco home last week.


California Gov. Newsom And West Coast Leaders Sign Climate Agreement© Getty Images

"I've seen the dehumanization of Nancy Pelosi," Newsom told CBS News' chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett in an exclusive interview on Saturday. "I don't think anyone's been dehumanized like she has consistently. Now I watched this one guy, Jesse Watters or something on Fox News. What he's been saying about Paul Pelosi the last five, six months, mocking him consistently. Don't tell me that's not aiding and abetting all this. Of course it is."

Gavin Newsom accuses Fox News of "creating a culture" that led to Paul Pelosi attack

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"They're sowing the seeds, creating a culture and a climate like this," Newsom said. "I mean, look online. Look at the sewage that is online that they amplify on these networks and in social media to dehumanize people like Nancy Pelosi and other political leaders."

CBS News reached out to Fox News and Watters on Monday and had not heard back by 5 p.m. ET. Watters said on his show on Monday night that Newsom "thinks if you mock a Democrat, it puts him on a target list."

"If anything, Gavin Newsom has done more to aid and abet this attack on Paul Pelosi than anybody," Watters said, alleging Newsom's policies allow people like the alleged attacker to be on the streets

David Wayne DePape, the suspect in the attack, had a list of people he wanted to target, law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation confirmed to CBS News. He allegedly broke into the couple's home around 2 a.m. on Friday, shouting "Where is Nancy?" The Democratic leader was in Washington, D.C., at the time of the attack, according to Capitol Police.

Paul Pelosi underwent surgery on Friday for his injuries.

Newsom implied that he has also been on the receiving end of threats and that they've become more serious.

"I know what over the last three years has come in my inbox," he said. "Trust me, you don't, because I'm not sharing it. I don't even share it with my wife. I got four kids. So I know a little bit about this. I mean, it wasn't just a recall against me. It was surround sound in every way, shape or form."

"Look, there's always folks in the extreme and you roll your eyes," he continued. "This is — something is different here. There's, you know, the mind is being stretched. People feel free to shove again."

'Absolutely no evidence:' Police, FBI affidavit debunk salacious conspiracy about Pelosi attack pushed by conservatives

Casey Tolan -  CNN

Prominent figures on social media, including some of the loudest voices on the political right, are pushing a salacious and false conspiracy theory about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, in an apparent attempt to shift the narrative about the assault.

Tapper: This horrifying act of violence is not an outlier

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The claim that big names like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Jr., and Dinesh D’Souza have promoted to millions of their followers: Paul Pelosi and the man who attacked him were gay lovers who had gotten into a fight.

The spurious theory traces back to an incorrect early news report and a handful of pieces of evidence that its proponents have spun wildly out of context. It runs contrary to the explanation police and federal law enforcement have outlined – that the suspect in the attack, David DePape, broke into Pelosi’s house and attacked him.

“There is absolutely no evidence that Mr. Pelosi knew this man,” San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told CNN in an interview. “As a matter of fact, the evidence indicates the exact opposite.”

But the explosion of social media posts discussing the theory shows how quickly conspiracies can spread, and how eagerly some political actors use falsehoods to push their agendas – even as violent threats against lawmakers have multiplied in recent years.

A conspiracy linked to Nancy Pelosi, who has long been a lightning rod for conservatives and played a starring role in GOP attack ads, was an especially appealing target for right-wing conspiracists, according to Cynthia Miller-Idriss, an American University professor who studies polarization and extremism.

“We have a population that is unable to discern what is true and what’s not, and this spreading of misinformation from credible sources undermines that,” Miller-Idriss said. “People are willing to accept conspiracy theories when they reinforce the narrative they already hold in their head.”

According to police and an FBI affidavit included in the federal criminal complaint, DePape broke into a glass door in Pelosi’s San Francisco home early Friday morning, and then went to the bedroom to confront Pelosi, saying he wanted to talk to his wife. Pelosi managed to call 911, and officers arriving on the scene witnessed DePape hit him with a hammer.

Those pushing the “gay lover” theory have pointed to a handful of purported pieces of evidence based on falsehoods and twisted storylines. They say that DePape was in his underwear when police arrived at the scene – but the local TV station that originally reported that has since corrected its story and removed the assertion. Others have suggested that a third person opened the door to Pelosi’s house, but police have debunked that.

Many of the theorists have latched on to a recording of a 911 dispatcher saying that Pelosi referred to DePape as “a friend” and “sounded somewhat confused.”

But Pelosi seemed to be speaking in coded language on the 911 call to make clear he needed help, a law enforcement source previously told CNN. And the complaint notes that Pelosi told officers he had never seen DePape before.

The complaint also included an interview police did with DePape in which he admitted breaking into the house and said he surprised Pelosi. According to the complaint, DePape said that wanted to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage because he viewed her as the “‘leader of the pack’ of lies told by the Democratic Party,” and claimed he was “fighting against tyranny without the option of surrender.”

Scott, the San Francisco chief, called the conspiracies surrounding the attack “pathetic” and “disturbing.”

“We’ve spent a lot of energy just pushing back, really ridiculous conspiracy theories, to make sure people stay focused on our team,” he said. “These things are harmful to society, they’re harmful to the victims involved – it’s really sad that we are here in this place, but we are.”

Baseless theory gains momentum on social media

Despite the lack of evidence, it took less than 24 hours after the attack for the “gay lover” theory to take root in right-wing social media circles.

There have been at least 19,000 tweets mentioning the words “Pelosi” and “gay” since the day of the attack, garnering a total of more than 700,000 likes, according to a CNN analysis – and that doesn’t include tweets referencing the theory without those words, or tweets that have since been deleted.

One of the first widely shared tweets endorsing the theory appears to have come at 11:36 a.m. on Friday, the day of the attack, gaining more than 2,700 retweets.

That evening, Raheem Kassam, a former Breitbart writer and co-host of Steve Bannon’s podcast, tweeted, “They’re still pretending it wasn’t Paul Pelosi’s gay lover,” earning over 1,000 retweets.

Other conservative figures like Donald Trump, Jr., Sebastian Gorka, and Dinesh D’Souza followed suit over the next few days, either explicitly endorsing the theory or referencing it approvingly. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana GOP congressman who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee, tweeted a photo of Nancy Pelosi and referred to DePape as a “male prostitute,” before deleting his tweet.

Musk helped elevate the conspiracy to a much wider audience. On Sunday morning, the billionaire, who just completed his purchase of the social media network, responded to a tweet about the Pelosi attack from Hillary Clinton and wrote “there is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye.” He linked to an article in the Santa Monica Observer, an obscure website, claiming DePape was a male prostitute and Pelosi had been in a drunken dispute with him. The website has previously posted false news, such as a claim during the 2016 election that Clinton had died and been replaced with a body double for a debate.

Musk deleted the tweet around 2 p.m. later that day – but by then, it had already racked up more than 28,000 retweets and 100,000 likes.

Conservative figures gleefully praised Musk for sharing the post. “.@ElonMusk just posted a link that says Paul Pelosi may have been drunk and with a gay prostitute,” tweeted Lavern Spicer, a former GOP congressional candidate. “I have never respected him more than now.” Her message was retweeted more than 11,000 times.

Gene DePape, the alleged attacker’s stepfather, said it was dismaying to see his stepson turned into a character in a conspiracy theory and used as a political talking point. He told CNN he scrolled through his Facebook news feed for hours over the weekend, where he first saw the posts claiming his estranged stepson had been lovers with Pelosi.

“It’s pretty sick,” he said.

David DePape’s own social media and blog postings show that he himself was steeped in conspiracy theories in the months and years before the attack – from musings about QAnon to antisemitic rants to claims of a looming takeover by the global elite.

DePape’s posts on Facebook from last year endorse a litany of right-wing falsehoods. He posted multiple videos produced by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell falsely alleging that the 2020 election was stolen, linked to websites claiming Covid vaccines were deadly, and shared videos questioning the January 6, 2021attack. CNN reviewed the posts before the social media company took the page down, and several of DePape’s relatives confirmed the page belonged to him.

On other blogs apparently written by DePape, he also posted antisemitic screeds and endorsed the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Some conservatives’ embrace of the “gay lover” theory has muddied the waters of a story that had led to bipartisan condemnation and sympathy for Pelosi – and distracted from discussion of how other right-wing conspiracies could have inspired violence.

Miller-Idriss, the American University professor, said that prominent figures carelessly spreading misinformation can lead to wider impacts on society.

“It’s dangerous because it undermines peoples’ sense of truth, it helps them further divorce from reality,” she said. “It is a situation where they spread it further – and they pass it on.”

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

COACHING IS ABUSE

Abuse in Canadian sports will face new committee scrutiny after unanimous vote

Rachel Gilmore -

A House of Commons committee is set to undertake a new study into the "physical and emotional health and safety" of women and girls in sports, following a series of high-profile allegations from women who said they faced abuse as they participated in a number of different sports.


Toronto lawyer Andrea Skinner has been appointed interim chair of Hockey Canada's board of directors. A Hockey Canada logo is shown on the jersey of a player with Canada’s National Junior Team during a training camp practice in Calgary, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022.© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

On Monday, the House of Commons status of women committee voted unanimously in favour of starting the study.

The motion, tabled by Bloc Quebecois MP Andréanne Larouche, calls on the committee to "immediately undertake a study on sport and the status of women, including the physical and emotional health and safety of women and girls in sport."

Read more:
Hockey Canada signs up with sport integrity commissioner amid abuse scandals

The committee will dedicate four meetings to the issue and will invite Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge to testify on the issue -- as well as any other witnesses the committee "deems appropriate to invite."

Once they wrap up their work, the committee will report its observations and recommendations to the House of Commons. They'll also ask the government to table a comprehensive response to their report.

This is the latest study on the issue, after a high-profile series of Canadian Heritage committee meetings in July. However, that probe was limited in its scope -- it focused only on Hockey Canada, while this new study will have a broader mandate to look at the treatment of women and girls in a variety of sports.

Arguing in favour of her motion on Monday, Larouche said the mistreatment of women and girls in sport goes beyond recent headlines about Hockey Canada.

"There are women in different sports -- water polo, gymnastics and I could name many -- that are talking about similar issues," she said, speaking in French.

Hockey Canada has faced a mass exodus of sponsors and resignations from its upper ranks in recent months after it emerged that the organization had used player registration fees for a fund used to settle sexual assault cases.

News also emerged in the last week of a lawsuit filed against Water Polo Canada. Four former players filed the $5.5-million claim, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, breach of contract and vicarious liability for physical, psychological and emotional abuse, sexual harassment and mental suffering.

The government also froze funding for Gymnastics Canada in July amid a flurry of abuse allegations and growing calls by athletes to investigate the complaints.

"This is now a status-of-women issue. There needs to be an in-depth study on the causes as to why there are still so many issues in changing the culture in sports," Larouche said.

"There is physical abuse, but also psychological and emotional abuse."

WAIT, WHAT?!

House of Commons backs call to remove Iran from UN’s commission on status of women

Earlier this year, Iran began a four-year term on the commission until 2026.

Heidi Lee - Yesterday 

The House of Commons has adopted two motions declaring support for growing calls to remove Iran from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on Monday.


Members of the Iranian Canadian community and their supporters chant before participating in a worldwide "human chain" organized by the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims in solidarity with antigovernment protesters in Iran, in Ottawa on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.

© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The motion, which was put forward by Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman, was adopted by unanimous consent following question period on Monday.

"Given the brutal death of Masha Amini at the hands of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the subsequent crackdown in Iran on women's rights, civil liberties, and fundamental freedom, and the long history of grave human rights abuses and violence against women perpetuated by the Iranian state, that this House declares its support for the removal of Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women," the motion from Lantsman reads.

Read more:

Freeland, Joly sign open letter decrying Iran’s violation of women’s rights

A second motion put forward by Bloc Quebecois MP Andreanne Larouche called on fellow MPs to declare support for Iranians protesting for their rights in that country, and that the House of Commons "condemns the intimidation and bullying and violence against the protesters, who are supporting the movement to free women in Iran."

Larouche's motion also called on the UN to "exclude Iran from its organization," and was also adopted by unanimous consent.

Unanimous consent motions do not receive formal votes, and do not always reflect official government policies. Rather, they are adopted only if no MP voices opposition to them when the motion is moved.

The motions reflect the will of the House of Commons, rather than the government itself.

Video: Iran schoolchildren reportedly killed for protesting

The UN commission on the status of women is a global intergovernmental body "exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women" through "promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives around the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women," according to its website.

Earlier this year, Iran began a four-year term on the commission until 2026.

In September, 22-year-old Masha Amini, who was detained for not wearing her hijab properly as dictated by the country’s regime, died in the custody of the Iranian "morality police."

Since then, there have been protests across Iran over Amini's death and the regime's longstanding violation of women's rights, with at least 1,000 charged over ongoing unrest in Tehran.

In an open letter published in The New York Times on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly joined other female world leaders and human rights voices in condemning Iran’s violence against protesters and called for the country to be removed from the body.

The letter stated that Iran should have been disqualified for its longstanding, systemic oppression of women, as well as its recent brutality towards human rights protesters.

— with files from The Canadian Press and Reuters

Canadian demonstrators form 'human chain' in solidarity with Iran protesters

CBC/Radio-Canada - Saturday

Thousands of demonstrators lined the streets of Canadian cities from St. John's to Vancouver as part of a worldwide "human chain" to show solidarity with ongoing anti-government protests in Iran.

In , stretches of Yonge Street were flanked by crowds chanting "women, life, freedom" and "say her name: Mahsa Amini," who died on Sept. 16 after being detained for allegedly violating the country's strict Islamic dress code for women.

At a midtown intersection, cars blared their horns as they passed by demonstrators holding pictures of loved ones who were among the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. On Jan. 8, 2020, 176 people, including 55 Canadian citizens, were killed when Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down the Ukrainian airliner.

The events were organized by the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims.

Arash Morattab, who lost his brother and sister-in-law in the crash, said the victims of Flight 752 have common cause with the protest movement that has rocked Iran for nearly a month and a half in the face of harsh backlash from security forces.

"We are all victims of a regime that started killing people from the first days of them coming into power, and this keeps going until now," said Morattab. "They killed our beloved ones in January 2020, and now they kill other people that fight for their rights."



Protesters line Yonge Street in north Toronto on Saturday in support of Iranians' continued protests against the death of Mahsa Amini in September.© Tyler Cheese/CBC
'It's not just about the hijab'

The fight for justice is particularly resonant for women in Iran who continue to be denied freedom, said protester Sara Ahmadi. She said she ran into problems with the regime because she wasn't legally married to her common-law partner, who was killed in the plane crash.

"Women don't have any rights in my country," Ahmadi said. "It's not just about the hijab. It's about everything."

Further north on Yonge Street, protesters chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Islamic regime must go" and "What solution? Revolution" while drivers leaned on their horns in solidarity.

"It's unbelievable," said Mehrdokht Hadi, one of the organizers of the Toronto event. "Two months ago I couldn't imagine this crowd on the streets, now people are not scared and people are motivated."

The protests in Iran sparked by Amini's death first focused on the state-mandated hijab, or head scarf for women, but quickly grew into calls for the downfall of the country's theocracy.

At least 270 people have been killed and 14,000 have been arrested in the protests that have swept over 125 Iranian cities, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran.

The Iranian government has repeatedly alleged that foreign powers have orchestrated the protests, but have not provided evidence to support the claim.

Trudeau at Ottawa protest

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke at the protest in , where several hundred people gathered outside the National Gallery of Canada before moving to stretch along both sides of the Alexandra Bridge.

"Iranians made their choice, Canada be their voice," and "Canada, U.S., take action, take action" featured prominently in the chants heard in the nation's capital.

Trudeau told the crowd that he and other Canadians stood with the protesters in Iran.

"They are not forgotten. Their voices are being heard," he said.

The biggest applause for the prime minister came when he discussed Iranians in Canada "who have benefited from the corrupt, from the horrific regime in Iran," saying "no more" would Canada be a safe haven.

Canada has moved to bar thousands of members of the Iranian regime and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from entering Canada.

Trudeau's words Saturday prompted chants of "kick them out" from the crowd.

One of the protesters, Arian Nourishad, said she was glad to see Trudeau at the protest, along with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.

"Of course, you can always do more. But we're happy he's here," she said.

Sharooz Fazni, who came to Canada from Iran in 1984, said that he was more hopeful about these protests than ever before. He said he was glad to be taking part in protests in Canada in support of those in Iran.

"Here, nobody shoots. But in Iran …"

Calls for democracy, end to regime

In , more than 100 people participated in the human chain protest that began at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and stretched along the Esplanade Riel.

"We want democracy for Iran. We want this oppression to end," Kouroush Doustshenas, who helped organize the event.

"We want to see this regime end, because as long as they are around there will be no peace or justice, not only for Iranians but for a large area of the Middle East," he said.



People form a chain in front of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in downtown Winnipeg on Saturday.© Justin Fraser/CBC

The real estate agent lost his fiancée when Flight 752 was shot down. Eight of those killed in the disaster were from Winnipeg.

He's now a director of the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims.

"We've called [for] this human chain to memorialize and celebrate the lives of the people we have lost [to the regime]," Doustshenas said.

Doustshenas, and other leaders from the Manitoba Iranian community, met with Trudeau and members of parliament in Winnipeg on Friday at the Tehran Cafe.

In , a number of city officials, including Mayor Charlie Clark, joined hundreds of people in a march that began at the top of University Bridge and made its way downtown to city hall.



Hundreds marched in Saskatoon Saturday afternoon to support the freedom movement of Iranian people and condemn the deaths and arrests of protesters.© Trevor Bothorel/Radio-Canada

One of the organizers said the worldwide protests are meant to highlight what is happening in Iran.

"[It's] putting the spotlight and mounting pressure on the Iranian government to stop killing protesters, and I think that attention has a big role to play in achieving that goal," said Pooyan Arab, director of Saskatoon Iranian Cultural Association and one of the march's organizers.

Personal experience

Edworthy Park was filled with more than 500 people standing side by side in defiance of Iran regime, chanting Amini's name and calling on the Canadian government to help make a change.

Ghazal Khanlarbig was among them. She's been in Canada since she was 14.

"When I was 13, I was at a party with my aunt and I was arrested by morality police because we were attending a birthday party," Khanlarbig said.

"I will never forget those 15 hours…. It was actually a few months before I came to Canada and I was crying and I was begging because I thought I would never be able to leave Iran."

Decades later, she's protesting against that regime thousands of kilometres away.



A protestor holds the flag of Iran at a rally in Calgary on Saturday.© Evelyne Asselin/Radio-Canada

Meanwhile, about 100 people turned out in support of Iranian protesters in . The rally was hosted by the Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton (IHSE) along with the Association of Families of Flight PS752.

Organizer Reza Akbari, president of the IHSE, said the Iranian government's tight control of the internet restricts people's ability to share their stories of what is happening in Iran's schools and on its streets. He said the protest was a way to be their voice and ensure their message is heard.



About 100 people turned out in Edmonton in support of Iranian protesters. The rally ended with supporters marching down Whyte Avenue before forming a human chain.

© Craig Ryan/CBC

'Please be our voice'

In , thousands of people joined hands along the Lions Gate Bridge, which links Vancouver to North Vancouver, to form a human chain starting at noon PT. The group held banners and waved flags as passing motorists honked their horns.

According to the Vancouver Police Department, there were 15,000 to 20,000 people on the bridge at the rally's peak. The protest was peaceful with no arrests, police said.

About 200 people protested in Harbourside Park in on Saturday.

Aysan, one of the protest organizers, said she was arrested in Iran and forced to wear a hijab. CBC News is only referring to her by her first name to protect her family still in Iran.

Aysan called for people to speak up to help force change in the regime in Iran.

"What we want from people of the world, people of Canada, first of all, please be our voice. You might not know that, but being your voice, even sharing your story on social media can save lives," she said.

"We are the same people as you. Just because we were born in Middle East doesn't mean that we deserve to be murdered. And we want the world [to] know that and stop being supportive of the regime."


Aysan holds the names of about 150 people who she said have been arrested or killed in Iran. CBC News is only using Aysan's first name to protect her family still in Iran.

© Henrike Wilhelm/CBC 

WE ARE SHOWING HER PICTURE, LIKE IRANIAN SECRET SERVICE WON'T NOTICE 

In , the show of support for the people of Iran moved some demonstrators to tears, said Reza Rahimi, who lost his mother-in-law when Flight 752 was shot down.

"[Locals and] immigrants from every nation and every race were standing beside us," Rahimi said.

"Three years after losing my mother-in-law abroad, I'm not saying it's let us move on — we would never move on — but it will help us put something on the pain."

Similar protests unfolded on Saturday in other Canadian cities including London and Waterloo, Ont., and Montreal. Around the world, cities in the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K., among other countries, were also slated to host rallies.

With files from Christian Paas-Lang, Jane Gerster, Lukas Wall, Jenn Allen, Samantha Schwientek, Chad Pawson, Scott Larson, Omar Sherif, Eva Lam and The Canadian Press

 

 

 

 

Clarence Thomas Says He Has No ‘Clue’ 

STOP

What Diversity Means in College Admissions Case

Jordan Rubin -

(Bloomberg) -- Justice Clarence Thomas said he doesn’t “have a clue” what diversity means as the Supreme Court heard arguments Monday over eliminating race in college admissions.

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas during the formal group photograph at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. The court opened its new term Monday with a calendar already full of high-profile clashes, including two cases that could end the use of race in college admissions.© Bloomberg
 

“I’ve heard the word diversity quite a few times, and I don’t have a clue what it means,” he told an attorney representing the University of North Carolina who tried to explain the educational benefits of diversity in defending the school’s admissions program.

Thomas, the court’s second Black justice and a longtime affirmative action critic, said he didn’t “put much stock” in North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park’s argument “because I’ve heard similar arguments in favor of segregation too.”

Related video: 'Don't have a clue what it means': Clarence Thomas asks for clarity on what 'diversity' is
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Read More: Ivy-Educated Thomas and Sotomayor Divide on Affirmative Action

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The high court is hearing a pair of challenges Monday to the programs at UNC and Harvard that threaten the future of race-conscious admissions that the justices have upheld over the decades.

Thomas, who was admitted to Yale Law School when it had a robust affirmative action program, has argued that preferences stigmatize Black people. Attending seminaries in the South and The College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts before enrolling at Yale, Thomas has said he believes affirmative action diminished his achievements at the Ivy League law school.

“As much as it stung to be told that I’d done well in the seminary despite my race, it was far worse to feel that I was now at Yale because of it,” Thomas wrote in his 2007 memoir, My Grandfather’s Son.

Former President George H.W. Bush bristled at the notion that Thomas’ high-court appointment was race-based, saying he picked “the best man for the job on the merits. And the fact he’s minority, so much the better.” DUH OH THATS WHAT AFFIRMITIVE ACTION MEANS


Conservative Supreme Court justices are dragging the court deeper into a 'crisis of legitimacy': editorial

Raw Story - 
By Tom Boggioni

Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito (Photos via AFP)© provided by RawStory

In a blunt-talking editorial from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the editors took two of the most conservative members of the Supreme Court to task for doing little to halt the slide in the court's credibility that has been in freefall after it became a 6-3 conservative majority.

Specifically, they cited Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito over a Thomas ruling last week, and a report on Alito dating back to his confirmation in 2005.

In the case of Thomas, last week he interceded on behalf of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who is balking at having to testify in an election corruption case in Georgia related to Trump's phone call to Georgia's secretary of state.

Regarding his ruling temporarily granting Graham relief, the editors wrote, "... as with anything regarding that election, having Thomas involved in any way automatically looks suspect because of his wife, right-wing activist Ginni Thomas. In the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, Ginni Thomas flooded Trump’s inner circle with unhinged texts calling Joe Biden’s election a 'coup,' suggesting the Biden 'crime family' should face 'military tribunals for sedition,' and generally encouraging resistance to accepting the election outcome."

Related video: Supreme Court hears affirmative action cases

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The editors added, "In what universe is it OK for Justice Thomas not to recuse himself from anything Jan. 6-related when this is the kind of pillow talk he goes home to at night?"

As for Alito, he was scorched for lying his way onto the court that led to his Dobbs's majority decision that gutted Roe v. Wade 17 years later.

With the New York Times reporting that Alito had assured Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) that he had no intention of overturning Roe, saying, "I am a believer in precedents. People would find I adhere to that,” the Post-Dispatch editors slammed him for his "mendacity."

"That mendacity is hardly a surprise, nor is Alito alone in it," they wrote. "All five conservative justices who voted in June to overturn Roe (Roberts concurred, but stopped short of endorsing full reversal) have at various times waxed on about the sanctity of precedent generally — and have, to varying degrees, offered assurance they weren’t going to go out of their way to flip Roe as soon as they had the votes to do it. Which, of course, is exactly what they did."

The editors also took a shot at Chief Justice John Roberts for acting like he doesn't understand why the court he heads has lost the confidence of the public.

With Roberts complaining, "I don't understand the connection between (Supreme Court) opinions that people disagree with and the legitimacy of the Court," the editors explained, "As we noted then, his frustration is misplaced. These latest developments further illustrate why."

Historic garden discovers fungus so rare it has to be kept in a cage

The fungus was discovered last week.

Talker News - YESTERDAY
By Josie Adnitt via SWNS

The Bearded tooth fungi which can be seen at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall. (James Dadzitis via SWNS)© Provided by talker

A historic garden has discovered a fungus so rare it has to be kept in a CAGE to protect it from collectors – who claim it can help fight dementia and cancer.

The unusual Bearded Tooth mushroom was spotted by a volunteer at The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, England.

They then discovered another example of the fungus in its "bug hotel" - known as Buggingham Palace.

Staff received advice from local and national fungi experts on the mystical mushroom - and its appeal to curious collectors.


historic-garden-908672© Provided by talker
The Bearded tooth fungi which can be seen at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall. (James Dadzitis via SWNS)
« ‹ of 14 › »

Now the football-sized fungi has been caged off to protect it from people who may want to forage the mushroom for its supposed healing powers.

Research has shows it contains compounds that apparently act against memory loss, depression, dementia, anxiety, cancer, and neurological disorders.

It also plays an important role in the woodland ecosystem by breaking down dead wood.

“Usually this mushroom is found in dense woodland where members of the public wouldn’t see it," said Toby Davies, the wildlife coordinator at the gardens.

“This one has grown on the tail end of a log which looks across a playground and it’s so big you can see it across the field.

“I put the cage up - the main emphasis was partially because Buggingham Palace borders a playground and the other thing is that it’s edible.



The Bearded tooth fungi which can be seen at The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall. (James Dadzitis via SWNS© Provided by talker

“Nine out of ten people wouldn’t know what it is, but the cage is mainly there to prevent people from tampering.

“It’s protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, making it illegal to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy – it's the highest level of protection.

“Most of the time, when there’s these fungi around, there’s only 15 reports across the whole country – here we’ve got two within the same vicinity of one another.

“We saw it initially maybe a week and a bit ago, it was spotted by one of our volunteers and he was the first to spot it and show it to me and at that point we didn’t know how significant it was.”

The Bearded Tooth Fungus (Hericium erinaceus), also known as the Lions Mane Mushroom, is under the highest level of legal protection in the UK – making it one of only four species of fungi listed under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

'Craven silence': Author says Ron DeSantis is 'sending clear messages' he 'will tolerate hate speech'

AlterNet - TODAY
By Alex Henderson

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking in Tampa in July 2022© provided by AlterNet

Like former President Donald Trump, far-right Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who, according to polls, appears to be heading for a solid reelection victory over Democratic challenger Charlie Crist in the 2022 midterms — has been accused by critics of showing a willingness to overlook hate speech and extremism when it is coming from strong supporters or allies. One of those critics is journalist/author David Rothkopf.

In an op-ed published by the Daily Beast on Halloween, Rothkopf lambasts DeSantis for failing to call out antisemitic or racist comments from members or allies of the MAGA movement — for example, rapper Kanye West.

“It’s been almost two full days since the words ‘Kanye is right about the Jews’ were displayed on a screen at TIAA Bank Field stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, and on another building in that city — a reference to Kanye ‘Ye’ West’s recent antisemitic comments that were straight out of the notorious forgery and roadmap for antisemitic conspiracy theories, ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,'” Rothkopf explains. “The state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, who was in attendance at the game, hasn’t said a thing in public about the messages, even as other leaders condemned them. This includes his Democratic opponent for governor, Charlie Crist, a former congressman and governor himself, who blasted DeSantis’ silence as a ‘disgusting and absolute failure of leadership.’”

READ MORE:GOP promotes Kanye West as social media boots rapper for antisemitic posts

Rothkopf continues, “As of Monday morning, DeSantis’ office has declined to comment on the incident. This craven silence is becoming a trend for the GOP star governor, the leading contender to be Trump’s successor as leader of the GOP.”

Related video: Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Immigration Issue

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The journalist/author argues that although DeSantis “has cultivated relations with Jewish groups,” he has “sought to have it both ways — much as Trump has — by sending clear messages that he will tolerate hate speech.”

“According to The Forward,” Rothkopf observes, “DeSantis has failed to call out antisemitism when neo-Nazi crowds displayed swastikas, hailed ‘our glorious leader Ron DeSantis’ or hanged ‘Heil Hitler banners’…. DeSantis has run campaign ads that included Christian nationalist Pastor Larry Jinks, who has been quoted as saying, ‘We are called to be at odds with any religion that does not acknowledge Jesus as the Prince of Peace and the only way to the Father.’ Jinks, earlier this year, wrote on his Facebook page that ‘It’s a shame that the Jews, who should know better,’ rejected Jesus as their messiah…. One wonders if DeSantis, a shrewd political operator, senses that loudly condemning the despicable antisemitic messages in Jacksonville would alienate some crucial voters in the GOP’s base — just a week before the midterms.”

Rothkopf adds that DeSantis “has also trafficked in antisemitic tropes, vilifying Democrats as puppets of financier George Soros and condemning one official he fired as being ‘Soros-backed.’”

READ MORE: 'Disturbing': Ben Shapiro tears into Kanye West's conservative defenders amid antisemitism controversy

“The Florida governor actively campaigned for candidates who embrace antisemitic ideas and signals — perhaps most notably, another prominent GOP gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano, currently running to be Pennsylvania’s chief executive,” Rothkopf notes. “Mastriano has drawn well-deserved criticism for not-so-thinly veiled attacks on the religion of his opponent, Josh Shapiro, and for his support for a far-right media platform called Gab. Mastriano has accepted donations from right-wing extremists and accused Soros, a Holocaust survivor, of being a Nazi collaborator.”

Rothkopf laments that DeSantis is far from the only MAGA Republican who is willing to overlook extremism.

“For those who thought that the Republican Party’s embrace of antisemites and White supremacists would end when Donald Trump left the national stage, the current election campaign has sent a deeply disturbing message,” Rothkopf writes. “Trump’s successors and supporters through the party, have time and time again shown they intend to carry on his legacy of hate and to continue to make the GOP a safe space for intolerance, racism, and Christian nationalism. And if Ron DeSantis’ silence on this weekend’s shocking antisemitic (incident) in Jacksonville tells us anything, it’s that he’s ready to lead that increasingly hate-driven Republican Party.”

READ MORE: 'A bunch of New Yorkers in addition to George Soros': Greg Abbott accused of antisemitism