RSN: Amnesty Links Large Multinationals, Including Apple, Samsung and Sony, to Suppliers Using Child Labor, Ku Klux Klan Uses Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Recruit New KKK Members in Alabama

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Robert Reich | The Washington Post Continues Its Bernie Bashing

Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page
Reich writes: "The Washington Post continues to pretend it's running news stories about the election, which are only thinly-veiled opinion columns upholding the Washington establishment's views against the likes of Bernie Sanders. See, for example, today's column by David Fahrenthold, below."
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he Washington Post continues to pretend it’s running news stories about the election, which are only thinly-veiled opinion columns upholding the Washington establishment’s views against the likes of Bernie Sanders. See, for example, today's column by David Fahrenthold, below.

I’ve already rebutted one of David Fahrenthold’s Bernie bashes. Fahrenthold makes many of the same charges today but also claims (1) Bernie hasn’t indicated how his single-payer healthcare idea would be cheaper than the current system (Fahrenthold conveniently ignores the large number of studies showing single-payer to be cheaper); (2) Bernie’s other policies would give the federal government “a new level of control” over colleges, prescription drugs, and child care (Fahrenthold thereby equates any public benefit with government control – one of the oldest right-wing memes in the conservative playbook); (3) Bernie’s ideas would be dead-on-arrival in a Republican-controlled congress (probably so -- which is why we must end Republican control); and, more generally, (4) Bernie’s “political revolution” amounts to “vast new government-funded benefits.”

This last allegation reveals the obtuseness of the reporting by Fahrenthold, the Washington Post, and much of the mainstream media. They don’t understand what Bernie means by a “political revolution.” It doesn't mean more government-funded benefits. It means a government that works for the many rather than the few – a government that’s not in the pockets of Washington’s corporate and Wall Street patrons. It means an end to the vicious cycle of wealth and power that has rigged the market to the benefit of those who make giant campaign contributions, hire platoons of lobbyists and lawyers, create their own “think tanks” and other propaganda machines, and even buy the Washington Post.

What do you think?

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/34708-the-washington-post-continues-its-bernie-bashing

St. Paul Cop: 'Run Over' Black Lives Matter Protesters
Mara H. Gottfried, TwinCities.com
Gottfried writes: "St. Paul police have placed a sergeant on leave as they investigate a report that he posted on Facebook, 'Run them over,' in response to an article about an upcoming Black Lives Matter protest."
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t. Paul police have placed a sergeant on leave as they investigate a report that he posted on Facebook, "Run them over," in response to an article about an upcoming Black Lives Matter protest.

The comment detailed what people could do to avoid being charged with a crime if they struck someone during the unpermitted march on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which blocked traffic on the Lake Street-Marshall Avenue Bridge.

Andrew Henderson, who frequently videotapes officers at work because he says he wants them to be held accountable, noticed the comment from "JM Roth" about 1 a.m. Saturday and immediately reported it to St. Paul police. He filed an internal affairs complaint Sunday, naming Sgt. Jeffrey M. Rothecker.

He posted video of himself reporting the post to police -- and a screenshot of the post -- here.

Rothecker could not be reached for comment Monday. The St. Paul Police Federation, the union for St. Paul officers, is representing Rothecker. Chris Wachtler, the union's attorney, said in a statement Monday, "There is an investigation under way. We will let the process play out. I can't comment on an active investigation until it is complete."

On Monday, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman issued a statement saying he is "outraged and disgusted by the post and (I) have directed the SPPD to investigate.

"Chief Smith and I are committed to building strong, trusting relationships with the communities we serve," Coleman continued. "There is no room in the St. Paul Police Department for employees who threaten members of the public. If the allegation is true, we will take the strongest possible action allowed under law."

At 9:30 p.m. Friday, the Pioneer Press posted an article to the newspaper's Facebook page with the headline, "Black Lives Matter planning to rally at Lake Street bridge Monday."

One comment on the post from "JM Roth" said, "Run them over. Keep traffic flowing and don't slow down for any of these idiots who try and block the street. Here is the deal, you continue to drive and if you hit someone make sure you call 911 to report the accident and meet the cops a block or two away and you can justify stopping further away because you feared for your safety since in the past people in this group has shown a propensity towards violence. Since they are trying to block the street and/or cross where there is no crossing you should not be charged with anything. Now, these idiots could try and sue in civil court, but remember that it will be jury trial and so most likely it will come out in your favor."

The comment has since been deleted, but Henderson captured it in a screenshot. Roth's Facebook page, which didn't include a mention of its owner's full name, was changed over the weekend to not be visible publicly.

Henderson, who is an administrator on the Minnesota Cop Block Facebook page, said he's familiar with Roth because that person frequently comments on Cop Block posts.

Henderson said he found evidence that "JM Roth" is Rothecker, which he provided to internal affairs, including that a woman whose last name is Rothecker had indicated on Facebook that she's married to "JM Roth." State records show a woman with that name is married to a Jeffrey M. Rothecker.

The head of the internal affairs unit, Senior Cmdr. Shari Gray, contacted Henderson after his initial report Saturday and they met Sunday. Henderson filmed the meeting with Gray and Sgt. John Wuorinen, an internal affairs investigator, and posted the video online Monday.

Henderson told them that when he saw the comment from "JM Roth," he thought, "You know, a police officer shouldn't be advising people to run over other people for just standing in the road. That's not reasonable to me. I don't know if that's reasonable to you.' "

Wuorinen responded, "It wouldn't be reasonable to, I would think any person, any decent person."

Police Chief Thomas Smith was informed of the allegation on Saturday, Gray said.

"This was of grave concern because of the upcoming event and we want to make sure everybody's safe," Gray said. "If we needed to change tactics or operational security on the event, we needed to do it. And then, two, make sure that if indeed this was one of our officers, that it's addressed quickly."

The police department said in a statement Monday that it has an active investigation underway and, if it's determined a member of the police department wrote the comment, "swift, strong and decisive disciplinary action will be taken."

"The statement (posted) is offensive, disappointing, concerning and does not reflect in any way -- or align with -- the views, values and practices of the St. Paul Police Department," the department said.

Trahern Crews, a Black Lives Matter St. Paul leader, said that before Monday's march, he and others were telling participants to be aware of their surroundings.

Crews said he found it disturbing and frightening that an officer would allegedly be "teaching people how to break the law or basically harm protesters. ... We're hoping nobody's going to do anything like that, but it's happened before."

In November 2014, a St. Paul man's car struck a 16-year-old protesting outside a police station on Minneapolis' Lake Street over a Missouri grand jury decision not to charge a Ferguson, Mo., police officer in Michael Brown's shooting. The 41-year-old pleaded guilty to failure to yield to a pedestrian; the teen suffered a minor leg injury.

Rothecker has been a St. Paul officer for 22 years and is the department's only elder-abuse investigator, according to information about him on the website for the Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police, of which he is second vice president and was previously president. He's also a U.S. Army combat veteran, where he served from 1988 to 1996, the site said.

Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262.

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/34707-st-paul-cop-run-over-black-lives-matter-protesters

President Obama's Immigration Policy in Question as Supreme Court Takes Up Case
Ian Millhiser, ThinkProgress
Millhiser writes: "The Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it will hear United States v. Texas a lawsuit brought by a bloc of states and Republican officials that challenges changes to immigration policy that President Obama announced in 2014."
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Amnesty Links Large Multinationals, Including Apple, Samsung and Sony, to Suppliers Using Child Labor
Himanshu Goenka, International Business Times
Goenka writes: "Lithium-ion batteries in your smartphone could have cobalt that was mined in dangerous conditions by children as young as seven, according to a report."
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Ku Klux Klan Uses Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Recruit New KKK Members in Alabama
Abigail Abrams, International Business Times
Abrams writes: "While many were celebrating the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend, some people in Mobile, Alabama, got an unwelcome present. Residents in some neighborhoods received recruiting flyers for the Klu Klux Klan, local news station WPMI-TV reported Sunday."
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British Parliament Pummels Trump but Doesn't Ban Him From the UK
Griff Witte, The Washington Post
Witte writes: "They came at him with every insult imaginable: demagogue, idiot, fool, buffoon. They depicted him as a menace, a danger to public safety. And they mused with care and concern over the country across the Atlantic that's given him so much prominence in its politics."
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Shell Tops NGO Hate List, Again
teleSUR
Excerpt: "Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has held the title of most hated company by NGOs, according to a survey released Monday. For the second year in a row, Shell has angered more NGOs than any other major company, according to the German NGO analyst group Sigwatch."
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Protesters gathered at the Port of Seattle to block oil workers' access to a Royal Dutch 

Shell drilling rig in 2015. (photo: Jason Redmond/Reuters)

Despite fierce competition from companies like HSBC, BP and Volkswagen, Shell continues to draw the ire of more NGOs than any other company.

il giant Royal Dutch Shell has held the title of most hated company by NGOs, according to a survey released Monday.

For the second year in a row, Shell has angered more NGOs than any other major company, according to the German NGO analyst group Sigwatch.

In 2015, Shell infuriated NGOs with its plans to drill in the Arctic. Those plans were ditched in September, prompting Sigwatch head Robert Blood to suggest the company's standing among NGOs may fare better in 2016.

“Shell has many issues and it won’t drop out of the list but we expect them to be way down the list in 2016,” he told the U.K.'s Independent.

Shell wasn't the only oil firm on the list. Nine out of the 20 companies featured on Sigwatch's NGO hate list were energy resource companies, including coal miners and oil firms. Behind Shell, BP was the second most hated company, while Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto came in third.

Three banks made the top ten: Standard Chartered, Barclays and HSBC. Last year HSBC was accused of helping wealthy clients dodge European taxes.

German car manufacturer Volkswagen made its debut on the annual list, drawing the ire of environmentalists in the wake of its emissions scandal.

Blood said the scandal was a shock that tarnished the company's reputation as a “national champion” in Germany.

“Volkswagen is not an oil and gas company. It’s not a company that NGOs want to hate, but in this case they had no choice,” he said.

Sigwatch's list was the result of a survey of more than 7,000 NGOs.