For the second time in four years, progressive voters’ hopes to elevate Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont to the top of the Democratic ticket were dashed this spring, when Sanders’ call for a social revolution and Medicare for All fell flat, and former Vice President Joe Biden surged to victory in the race for the presidential nomination. In 2016, many of these same liberal Democrats decided to sit out the general election after Hillary Clinton edged out Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination – and Sanders appeared half-hearted in urging them to back Clinton at the polls.  But Sanders made a compelling argument Monday night – at the start of the 2020 Democratic National Convention – that progressives’ issues and policies will live on if they help the more moderate Biden defeat President Donald Trump in the November 3 general election.  “The future of our democracy is at stake,” Sanders said in a live speech from his home in Burlington, Vermont. He added, “Many of the ideas we fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream.” The appeal for party unity was a departure for the self-styled democratic socialist who was the last remaining primary rival to Biden earlier this year. Sanders has not always advocated loyalty to the Democratic party, with whom he usually caucuses in the U.S. Senate.  Progressive wing He is seen foremost as the leader of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, the group of liberal voters who support social reform policies intended to help working Americans, including universal health care, free college tuition, a higher minimum wage and a raft of other social benefits. Sanders rested his appeal to his supporters on the idea that defeating Trump is key to keeping progressive causes in the mainstream discussion.  FILE – Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris, D-Calif., August 12, 2020.“I think he successfully showed that he’s strongly supporting Joe Biden and [vice presidential candidate Kamala] Harris, that he made the case to his movement that many of the issues that he was pushing now are mainstream and that he’s willing to work with progressives and, of course, moderates and even conservatives to help get Biden elected,” James Thurber, distinguished professor in the department of government at American University, said. He was referring to Biden’s running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris. Sanders’ conciliatory tone this year marks a departure from the 2016 election cycle, when he accused the Democratic Party of rigging the nomination process in favor of Clinton, and there was plenty of sniping between the Sanders and Clinton camps.  “This is a time where we’ve seen Senator Sanders be more of a party team player than he usually is. And I think it was quite impressive to many who were watching that he stayed on message,” said Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at the George Washington University. “Part of the case that he made last night was that the progressive agenda has really come more and more into the mainstream over the past few years and that that isn’t going to go away anytime soon,” Brown said.  But progressives’ values could be jeopardized, Sanders told supporters, unless they vote for Biden to ensure Trump does not win a second presidential term. “Under this administration, authoritarianism has taken root in our country. I, and my family, and many of yours, know the insidious way authoritarianism destroys democracy, decency and humanity,” Sanders said Monday.  Motivation to supporters Trump has repeatedly asserted that liberal Democrats like Sanders are out to “destroy the country,” and are promoting socialist values anathema to many Americans.  Sanders’ rhetoric was intended to motivate his supporters to vote for Biden instead of staying home or choosing another candidate.  FILE – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stands with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton before the first presidential debate at Hofstra University, September 26, 2016, in Hempstead, N.Y.“In 2016, as we all know, Hillary lost by about 68,000 votes in three key states, collectively, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. And in those states, 100-200,000 people voted for third- and fourth-party candidates and many of them didn’t vote at all. And that’s the key here. He [Sanders] has to motivate his supporters to get out and vote for Biden, not to vote for another candidate,” Thurber said. While noting that he still has significant policy disagreements with Biden, Sanders also outlined in his speech the many areas where progressive causes could be advanced if Democrats retake the White House. Biden’s campaign worked with Sanders in the weeks leading up to the convention to ensure some of his progressive goals were included in the official platform of the Democratic Party.  Sanders said Biden supported progressive causes such as raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, paid family leave and funding for universal schooling for 3- and 4-year-olds while making child care affordable for millions of families.  Sanders did note that his Medicare for All plan – a single, government-sponsored health insurance program for all Americans – did not make it into the party platform.  “While Joe and I disagree on the best path to get to universal coverage, he has a plan that will greatly expand health care and cut the cost of prescription drugs. Further, he will lower the eligibility age of Medicare from 65 to 60,” Sanders said.  Control of Senate With control of the Senate also at stake this election year, analysts say a key part of Sanders’ appeal to progressives was to remind them that putting a Democrat in the White House was the best way of ensuring their agenda becomes law.  “He was very good at explaining to his supporters that progressives have won. They are now the mainstream of the Democratic Party. Their issues are the ones that are a top concern,” Brown said.  If Democrats pick up the three to four seats needed for a majority in the Senate, Sanders is well-positioned to play a key role in leadership. One of his Democratic colleagues recognized his contribution Monday night after his speech.  Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut tweeted, “The careful, purposeful steps Bernie Sanders has taken to bring the party together this spring and summer will be a huge part of the story we tell when Joe Biden wins.”   
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Fake news about the coronavirus can do real harm. Polygraph.info is spotlighting fact-checks from other reliable sources here​.Daily DebunkClaim: The Covid-19 virus cannot survive on an inanimate object for more than nine days.Verdict: CorrectRead the full story at: Africa CheckSocial Media DisinfoWilson Primary School in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Cheney OrrCirculating on social media: Claim that under the “COVID Act,” school officials in the U.S. can quarantine children with COVID-19 symptoms outside their family home without their parents’ or guardians’ consent.Verdict: FalseRead the full story at: SnopesFactual Reads on CoronavirusCoronavirus Doctors Battle Another Scourge: Misinformation
Physicians say they regularly treat people more inclined to believe what they read on Facebook than what a medical professional tells them.
— New York Times, August 17
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More workers joined a growing strike Tuesday to oust authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko after he extended his 26-year term in an election that detractors contend was rigged.Thousands of workers began walking off the job Monday at state-controlled facilities, joining actors and broadcasters. Unrest began to escalate after Lukashenko dismissed demands to resign following a severe police crackdown on peaceful protesters days after the August 9 election.Workers of the Minsk Tractor Works Plant leave after their work shift as activists with old Belarusian national flags greet them in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 18, 2020.The first government official to challenge Lukashenko was the ambassador to Slovakia, who said in a video Saturday before he resigned that he supported the protests.The ambassador to Spain, Pavel Pustav, posted a statement Tuesday on Facebook urging a vote recount and the prosecution of those who beat peaceful protesters.Officials from Western countries have refused to recognize the election as free and fair, and they have denounced the police crackdown.The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to discuss Belarus in a closed-door session Tuesday, one day before European Union leaders are to discuss the matter.
 
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Vietnamese authorities have been arrested and charged three people with wire fraud involving a scheme related to the novel coronavirus pandemic that defrauded thousands of Americans out of nearly $1 million. A statement released Tuesday by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam says the three suspects, Phan Dinh Thu, Tran Quoc Khanh and Nguyen Duy Toan, operated more than 300 websites that offered hand sanitizers and other products that had disappeared from department stores’ shelves at the start of the pandemic.  Over 7,000 victims in all 50 states paid for these items, but never received them.An investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security found that hundreds of email accounts and user accounts were set up with a U.S.-based payment processor to carry out the scheme and kept it hidden from law enforcement.  The defendants are also accused of listing misleading contact addresses and phone numbers on the websites, which led to unaffiliated individuals and businesses in the U.S. to receive numerous complaints from victims who had paid for the fake items.U.S. Homeland Security passed on the information to the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security, which launched its own investigation that led to the trio’s arrest.  “This investigation resulted in significant financial losses to people who were already facing enormous challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” U.S. Ambassador Daniel J. Kritenbrink said in the embassy’s statement.  Kritenbrink said the action “demonstrates the Government of Vietnam takes COVID-19 related crimes seriously.”
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Witnesses report gunfire at a military camp outside Mali’s capital in what a local embassy described as a possible mutiny against President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.A reporter for VOA’s French to Africa service says gunshots were heard Tuesday the military camp in Kati, about 15 kilometers northwest of Bamako.  A group of soldiers were later seen headed toward the capital.A mutiny at the same camp triggered a coup that overthrew Malian president Amadou Toumani Toure in 2012.VOA’s Bambara service, citing a local news station and other sources in Kati, reports that the president of Mali’s national assembly and the head of the national guard have been arrested.The Norwegian embassy in Mali warned that a mutiny in the armed forces was under way, and said troops were on their way to Bamako.The French and Australian embassies warned their nationals to stay at home, citing reports of disturbances in Kati and Bamako.There are reports of gunfire and civil disturbance in parts of Bamako. We advise Australian citizens in Mali to seek shelter, remain indoors and monitor local media. Australians requiring urgent consular assistance can call +61 2 6261 3305 @Smartraveller@dfat
— Gregory Andrews (@AusAmbGHA) August 18, 2020Opposition supporters have held several large protests in recent months calling for President Keita’s resignation.  Clashes between security forces and protesters in July killed at least 11 people.The president has come under increasing criticism for failure to stop an eight-year Islamist insurgency in the north. Tensions escalated in April after the Constitutional Court overturned results from a disputed parliamentary election, allowing Keita’s party to take a majority of the vacant seats. 
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Asian markets are in mixed territory Tuesday.   The Nikkei index in Tokyo finished the trading day 0.2% lower. Sydney’s S&P/ASX index is up 0.8%. The KOSPI index in Seoul plunged 2.4%, and Taipei’s TSEC index closed 0.6% lower.   In late afternoon trading, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong is down 0.2%, Shanghai’s Composite is up 0.1%, and Mumbai’s Sensex is up 0.5%.  In commodities trading, gold is trading at $2,011.40 an ounce, up 0.6%.  U.S. crude oil is selling at $42.62 a barrel, down 0.6%, and Brent crude oil selling at $45.15 an ounce, down 0.4%. All three major U.S. indices are trending negatively in futures trading. 
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Panama is resuming the gradual reopening of businesses and places of worship after five months of lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. An elderly parishioner at the Iglesia del Carmen, in Panama City told the French News Press that she was overjoyed to have mass in person for the first time in five months. On Monday, churches, hair salons, retail shops and car lots also reopened.  The hair salons and barbershops will operate with appointments only and at 50% of their capacity, as the country tries to reenergize the sluggish economy.  The government has also allowed public and private construction projects to resume and reopened non-governmental organizations to resume operations.  Panama has confirmed more than 82,000 coronavirus cases and more than 1,700 deaths. 
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John Kasich, the former Republican governor of Ohio, crossed party lines on Monday to speak at the Democratic National Convention in support of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.  “I’m a lifelong Republican, but that attachment holds second place to my responsibility to my country. That’s why I’ve chosen to appear at this convention. In normal times, something like this would probably never happen, but these are not normal times,” Kasich said in his prerecorded speech on the opening night of the four-day Democratic Party convention.  Kasich, who was one of President Donald Trump’s toughest rivals for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination and was the last to drop out of the race, is perhaps the most prominent Republican to both oppose Trump’s reelection and support Biden. His speech, while clearly welcomed by the Biden campaign, was dismissed as self-serving and disloyal by some conservative Republicans. Even a few progressive Democrats complained Kasich was being given an undeserved spotlight on the first night of the convention.  Anti-Trump conservative  A lifelong Republican, Kasich was an unbending, brash conservative when he served as a congressman in the 1990s. He became House Budget Committee chairman under Republican Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and engaged in contentious negotiations with then-Democratic President Bill Clinton to enact welfare reform, tax cuts and a balanced budget.  Kasich was also a supporter of the Tea Party movement in 2010 that opposed former Democratic President Barack Obama’s effort to expand Medicaid, a government supported health care program for the poor.In this image from video, former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 17, 2020.Later, as a two-term governor of Ohio, Kasich pivoted to a more moderate and practical stance, compromising with the opposition to get legislation passed and ultimately agreeing to expand Medicaid in his state.    Kasich has been a frequent critic of Trump’s America First policies, especially protectionist trade practices, restrictive immigration regulations and what he called the president’s “divisive” tactics that have heightened political polarization in the country.  Kasich supported President Trump’s impeachment for allegedly holding up aid to Ukraine to get political dirt on Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Trump was ultimately acquitted of the charges in a Senate trial that ended Feb. 5.  In 2016, Kasich said he did not vote for Trump, but could not support Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton either. Instead, he cast his vote for former Senator John McCain of Arizona, who was the 2008 Republican nominee. McCain died in August 2018.    At the opening of this week’s Democratic convention, Kasich along with other disaffected Republicans — former New York Congresswoman Susan Molinari, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Meg Whitman, CEO of Quibi — came to express support for Biden and try to persuade other Republicans to also cross over to vote for the Democratic candidate.  “I know that Joe Biden, with his experience and his wisdom and his decency, can bring us together to help us find that better way,” Kasich said.  The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump, Republican-led political action committee, has also released ads supporting Biden’s campaign.  “They’re more or less creating this permission gateway for Republicans to feel OK about not voting for the Republican nominee,” Republican strategist Rob Stutzman said in an interview with VOA.  No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Kasich’s home state of Ohio. In the 2016 general election, Trump won Ohio by more than 8 percentage points over Clinton. Recent polls in Ohio indicate a very close race with Biden and Trump within 1 or 2 percentage points of the other.President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he finishes speaking during an event at the Whirlpool Corporation facility in Clyde, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020.Kasich’s Critics    The Trump campaign has downplayed Kasich’s defection, and critics say Kasich is driven by his future presidential ambitions.    “Did he ever stop running for president? Did he officially drop out in 2016 or is he still actually running?” conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro asked during a recent interview with the Associated Press.  Barry Bennett, a Republican consultant who worked for multiple Ohio Republicans, described Kasich as an “unemployed politician desperately seeking audience,” in an interview with the newspaper Roll Call.  Some progressive Democrats, however, were also upset that the conservative Kasich, who supports abortion restrictions and opposes their expansive agenda to establish universal health care and increase economic assistance programs, was given a prime time speaking slot at the convention.    Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising progressive star in the party who only was given one minute to speak at the convention, on Monday tweeted that while Kasich is welcome to voice his support for Biden, “a Republican who fights against women’s rights doesn’t get to say who is or isn’t representative of the Dem party.”  Political crossovers   While rare for a prominent party leader to speak at an opposing party convention, it is not unprecedented.    Then-Democratic Senator Zell Miller of Georgia endorsed President George W. Bush’s re-election at the Republican National Convention in 2004.    Then-Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut, who had been the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000, spoke at the Republican convention eight years later to support Senator McCain.    And in 2016, Michael Bloomberg, who had been a Republican mayor of New York City, gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention supporting Hillary Clinton.  
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Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau on Monday announced his resignation from the government amid mounting tensions with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over spending against the pandemic. “While we are entering a new phase in the fight against the pandemic (…), it is time for a new Minister of Finance to be able to carry out this project,” Morneau said during a press conference.  “This is why I am resigning from my functions as minister of finance and member of Parliament,” he added after a meeting with Trudeau.  Morneau, who had held this post since 2015, announced that he intended to run for the post of Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). For the past week, several Canadian media have reported deep differences between Morneau and the prime minister on how to revive the Canadian economy, weakened by the coronavirus pandemic, without jeopardizing public finances while the expected deficit has reached more than 340 billion dollars (216 billion euros). The minister of finance is also the target of an investigation by the Canadian Ethics Commissioner into his links with a charity that employed his daughter, and to which the government had awarded a major contract without a call for other bids. This investigation also targets Trudeau, several of his family members have also been paid by this association. Morneau revealed last month that he had reimbursed more than $41,000 in travel expenses covered by the We Charity association (United in French), shortly before being heard on the matter by a committee of the House of Communes. The Federal Ethics Commissioner has opened an investigation into Trudeau and Morneau after the government awarded a major contract to the association to manage a nearly $1 billion student scholarship program, despite ties between the families of the two leaders and the association.  This program has since been withdrawn, without ending the controversy. United had admitted having paid nearly $300,000 (189,000 euros) to Trudeau’s mother and brother for speeches in recent years. Trudeau’s wife reportedly received $1,500 (around $1,000) for an event in 2012, before Trudeau became leader of the Liberal Party.  Morneau for his part acknowledged that two of his daughters collaborate with the association, one of whom is as an employee. He apologized for participating in the discussions on the award of the government contract to the association. 
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On Tuesday, a U.N.-backed international tribunal in The Netherlands will announce its verdict in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a roadside bombing with 21 others as his convoy passed along the Beirut waterfront on Valentine’s Day.  A U.N. Security Council resolution established the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in 2007, following a request from the government of Lebanon to the United Nations.The court’s verdict comes at a delicate time for Lebanon.     The country has been rocked by a year of anti-government protests, a crippling financial crisis and COVID-19. And that was before the massive blast that tore through Beirut Port nearly two weeks ago, devastating a large portion of the capital and leading to the government’s resignation.    FILE – An aerial view taken Aug. 7, 2020, shows a partial view of the port of Beirut, the damaged grain silo and the crater caused by the colossal explosion three days earlier of a huge pile of ammonium nitrate.“The explosion that happened on August 4 introduces some kind of unpredictability to how the street is going to react to this verdict,” said Randa Slim, senior fellow at Washington-based think-tank Middle East Institute.    The four accused in the murder of Sunni politician Hariri are from Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed Shi’ite group wields both substantial political and military power in Lebanon and is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. It has denied any involvement in Hariri’s assassination and refuses to recognize the court’s legitimacy.   If the men are found guilty, it could increase public anger against Hezbollah in the aftermath of the recent explosion, says Lebanese American University political science professor Imad Salamey.   “Many people in Lebanon right now blame Hezbollah in part or in whole, for protecting corrupt government directly or indirectly responsible over this explosion,” Salamey said from Beirut. “And much blame will be towards Hezbollah’s weapons for having imposed on the Lebanese the current president and current governments that are deeply corrupt.”  Hezbollah’s domestic influence is in large part due to its substantial weapons arsenal, including explosives, rockets and missiles, which it refuses to give up or hand over to the Lebanese Army. It has deployed them against Israel and has also flexed its military muscle in armed clashes against opposition militias in 2008 inside Lebanon.The verdict could also ratchet up international pressure against the group, especially from the U.S., which might seek to impose new sanctions on Hezbollah or its allies in Lebanon.   “We are seeing increasing overt pressure being placed on Hezbollah,” said Mona Yacoubian, senior adviser on the Middle East and North Africa at the U.S. Institute of Peace. “In which case, the verdicts could also then add to that pressure and lead to potentially some destabilizing consequences, depending on the verdict, depending on the reaction in Lebanon, and depending on how, quite frankly, Hezbollah responds.”   FILE – A man prays at the grave of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020.But after more than a decade and about $800 million spent on the court, it is not clear whether justice will be served.    “If you compare it to other investigations in Lebanon, it is definitely the most thorough one, the most credible one, the most transparent one,” Slim said of the tribunal’s work.    But no matter the conclusion, part of the population will be reluctant to accept it.    “Nobody has any illusions that whatever verdict is issued will bring real closure,” said USIP’s Yacoubian.    Salamey adds that if the four defendants are found guilty, there are likely more powerful individuals behind them who made the decisions and gave the orders who are not facing accountability.    “So this is really partial justice being served, instead of being satisfactory and comprehensive justice,” he said.    The prosecution has presented evidence, much of it technical and focused around the defendants’ phone records, to prove its case that the men watched Hariri for weeks, organized the attack and orchestrated a cover up to protect the real conspirators.    The defense has argued the evidence is circumstantial and the data unreliable.    Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra face a maximum of life in prison if convicted. But they have not been seen in years and have been tried by the tribunal “in absentia,” so would likely serve no prison time.    Hariri’s son, Saad, himself a former Lebanese prime minister, flew Monday to Leidschendam, in the suburbs of The Hague where the court is located, to attend Tuesday’s judgment. His office said he would make a statement after the verdict is delivered.    
 
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