Portside

Last Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the U.S. occupation of Haiti. On July 28, 1915, U.S. Marines landed on the shores of Haiti and occupied the country for 19 years. A century later, the United Nations' "stabilization mission" in Haiti continues to compromise the nation's political and economic sovereignty. UN troops have now been patrolling the country for 11 years, in what some have characterized as a “humanitarian occupation.”

The College Board has revised its guidelines for teaching Advanced Placement History, which has broad influence in high school history courses, to accommodate right-wing pressures. Among the changes: Manifest Destiny is given a more benign treatment and violence against Native Americans is downplayed.

A woman’s decision to donate her aborted fetus to medical research—and Planned Parenthood’s willingness to transfer the fetal material—is deeply commendable. No woman is eager to have an unwanted pregnancy, but if she decides to terminate it, Planned Parenthood can help turn her misfortune into a mitzvah. That is not an act of killing. It is an act of altruism.

Iran's foreign minister has put forward three proposals: negotiations on a nuclear weapons elimination treaty; taking nuclear arsenals off high alert (for example, by removing warheads from missiles); and the creation of a zone in the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. This proposal represents a challenge to the members of the UN Security Council (all nuclear powers) as well as Israel, Pakistan and North Korea.

For those familiar with the senator’s long political career, expressing solidarity with suffering Greeks while teaching a little history is pure Bernie. Political reporters are typically confused by his socialist identity and either joke about this weird, rumpled lefty running for president or try to expose alleged contradictions. But as he often does, Sanders has taken the subject to a higher plane, explaining its significance beyond Greece and beyond Europe.

Jack Black and Morgan Freeman Explain the Iran Nuclear Deal. A Brief History of Everything. Street Art for Hope and Peace. Key & Peele - Pro Teaching. Scalia's Poetry Slam.

A dispatch from the inaugural gathering of a proudly diffuse, rapidly growing, hyper-local movement for black lives.

A Shell icebreaker in Portland turned back Wednesday, avoiding a showdown with protesters dangling from a bridge. The company hasn't announced its next move.

In anticipation of their current contracts expiring on August 1st, CWA and IBEW recently announced that an overwhelming majority of their members voted to authorize a strike in case labor and management fail to reach fair contracts.

The national organizing day, which featured more than 3,500 events and house parties across the country, centered around a technological infrastructure that uses text-messaging sign-ups and a deep database of volunteers. Attendees at the house parties were asked to text a number to opt in and show interest.