(2020-12-09). UN's Bachelet slams 'reprehensible' political leadership during pandemic, sees hope in new US administration. news.un.org Some political leadership during the pandemic has been "reprehensible", UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday, while holding out hope of a better 2021 as US President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
(2020-12-09). France's cabinet greenlights 'anti-separatism' bill amid human rights concerns. middleeasteye.net 
France's cabinet greenlights 'anti-separatism' bill amid human rights concerns | The draft law, renamed the bill 'to strengthen republican values' and seeking to crack down on 'radical Islamism', will head to parliament in 2021 | Wed, 12/09/2020 – 14: 14 | French Prime Minister Jean Castex at a news conference after cabinet meeting discussions over a bill to fight what Macron has called 'I…
(2020-12-09). Trump Set to Execute Brandon Bernard Even as Jurors & Ex-Prosecutor Call for Clemency. democracynow.org 
President Trump has sent eight people to their deaths so far this year, breaking a 17-year hiatus in federal executions, and plans to execute five more in the final weeks of his administration. On December 10, International Human Rights Day, the federal government is scheduled to kill Brandon Bernard, a Black man who was 18 years old when he was convicted as an accomplice to the murder of a young white couple in Texas. Bernard did not kill either person and says he was a "getaway driver" during a robbery gone wrong. Citing moral reasons and new evidence, five of the nine surviving jurors have changed their minds,…
(2020-12-09). Biden Picks Raytheon Board Member To Lead The US War Machine. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | The mass media are As has bec…
(2020-12-09). Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to Hold Hearing on Haiti. cepr.net The follow is a guest post from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. On Thursday, December 10, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hold a hearing on pervasive impunity and a lack of judicial independence in Haiti. The event will be broadcast live here. The Commission, a quasi‚Äêjudicial body of the …
(2020-12-09). Biden needs to go big to rebuild America. nationofchange.org While this perfect storm of social, economic, and environmental emergencies may feel unprecedented, Americans during the 1930s faced a similar triple threat.
(2020-12-08). Stuck in a Lift with John Pilger: News and How to Use It by Alan Rusbridger. dissidentvoice.org 
Noticing the way journalists seemed unable to resist commenting on our work, even if it was just to slag us off, Glenn Greenwald tweeted us in 2012: 'You are really deeper in the heads of the British establishment-serving commentariat than anyone else — congrats.' ((Greenwald, Twitter, 12 September 2012.)) If that was true then, our relationship …
(2020-12-08). Why Jeh Johnson Would Be a Better Defense Secretary Than Michèle Flournoy. dissidentvoice.org 
CODEPINK protests killer drones at DC home of Jeh Johnson (Credit: CODEPINK) President-elect Biden's choice for Secretary of Defense has turned out to be one of the most controversial and difficult of his Cabinet appointments. The early front-runner, Michèle Flournoy, was originally seen as a shoo-in and was touted as a great breakthrough for women, …
(2020-12-08). Action for Change Starts in Congress. counterpunch.org 
We know their names! We've given immense power to Five Hundred and Thirty-Five People to do good or bad. One Hundred Senators and Four Hundred and Thirty-Five Representatives. Unfortunately, some 1500 corporations control most Members of Congress. Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials
(2020-12-08). The Heat: Biden prepares to replace Trump. america.cgtn.com 
With COVID-19 raging across the United States, president-elect Joe Biden inches closer to taking over at the White House. And, President Trump continues to insist the election was rigged.
(2020-12-08). Pentagon to Biden: Latin America a major battlefield in war with China. mronline.org 
The head of SOUTHCOM, Admiral Craig Faller, told Pentagon reporters Wednesday that U.S. imperialism's "competitive edge [in the region]…is eroding, particularly when it comes to the Chinese influence."
(2020-12-08). Biden/Harris to Name Hawkish General Lloyd Austin as "War Secretary" globalresearch.ca US generals and admirals aren't doves. | They earn stars and medals by waging preemptive wars to advance the nation's imperial aims. | Throughout…
(2020-12-08). Top Democrat Condemns Trump Plan to Sell 'Most Highly Sophisticated Killing Machine' to UAE. commondreams.org "Does it make the Middle East safer," asked Sen. Chris Murphy, "or does it just make defense companies richer?" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/murphy-arms-sale-uae.jpg …
(2020-12-08). Sanders, Gillibrand, Warren, Merkley, Markey and Wyden Urge Colleagues to Defend Working Class in COVID-19 Relief Proposal. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-12-08). USAID and Terrorist Gutiérrez Boronat Against Cuban Tourism. telesurenglish.net The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded a Florida non-profit organization $97,321 for a program called "The Truth about Exploitation in Cuban Tourism." | RELATED: | USAID awarded the grant to the Cuban Democratic Directorate, or Dirección Democrática Cubana, on November 5 of this year. | The organization CDD was founded in Miami in 1990. It promotes itself as an organization that promotes democracy…
(2020-12-08). Republicans want to steal this election for Trump — they just don't know how. salon.com Make no mistake, Republicans would steal this election for Trump — if only fewer voters had stood up to him…
(2020-12-08). In America Democracy Destroyed Democracy. thealtworld.com In the United States democracy was destroyed by democracy. Read on and you will learn what I mean. | When I refer to the US as a democracy usually a couple of readers will inform me that the US is a republic, not a democracy. They are behind the times. The US was born as a republic, but the Lincoln Republicans valued empire more than the republic and destroyed the republic by overthrowing the secession of the Southern states with military force. | Once states rights were overthrown, the other parts of the structure built by the Founding Fathers of the Republic were discarded. Women and people who were not propert…
(2020-12-08). Top Biden adviser vows Wall Street CEOs and GOP will get a "conduit straight into the White House" salon.com Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond is set to head the White House Office of Public Engagement…
(2020-12-08). Derek Black: We Need Public Schools Now More than Ever. progressive.org The author of Schoolhouse Burning explains why public education is fundamental to American democracy and the nation's founding principles.
(2020-12-08). Over 550 Groups Urge Biden to Become #PlasticFreePresident With Eight Executive Actions to Address Pollution Crisis. commondreams.org "Implementing this historic plan would protect vulnerable frontline communities and marine life while addressing a key driver of climate change." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-949633254-2_1.jpg …
(2020-12-08). 'It's the Right Thing to Do': Schumer, Incoming NY Reps Urge Biden to Cancel Student Loan Debt. commondreams.org "You don't need Congress, all you need is the flick of a pen and President-elect Biden—then President Biden—can make this happen," the Senate minority leader said. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/debtrelief.jpg …
(2020-12-07). Stuck In A Lift With John Pilger — 'News And How To Use It' by Alan Rusbridger. zcomm.org Pilger tells the unfiltered, uncompromised truth about the foundations of power. His focus is on speaking up for the victims of power, not on serving power…
(2020-12-07). The Most Dangerous Thing About Marijuana. counterpunch.org I'm writing this column as an open letter to my state's US Senators (Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott). I encourage you to write to yours as well, and if you like any of the language herein, feel free to "steal" it. Dear Senators Rubio and Scott, On December 4, the US House of Representatives
(2020-12-07). Viggo Mortensen says "Green Book" criticism is "based on a load of bullsh*t" salon.com Mortensen says that controversy over the 2019 Best Picture winner is "inaccurate, mendacious, and irresponsible"
(2020-12-07). Political Crisis under the Guise of a Health Crisis: Face Masks, Social Distancing and Limit on Gatherings: Colorado Diner Defies Lockdown. globalresearch.ca It comes as no surprise that simultaneous with President Donald Trump's declaration that the voter fraud election of 2020 was a coordinated Democratic jihad, the next '
(2020-12-07). Republican Senator Tries to Prevent the US from an Alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood. globalresearch.ca
(2020-12-07). Biden Rebuild Must Include Race. progressive.org Our President-elect seems to genuinely see racism and racial inequality as the moral and economic threat it is.
(2020-12-07). Turkey, US Have Chance to Mend Relations Under New Biden Administration, Envoy to NATO Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Relations between Turkey and the United States stand a chance of improving under the administration of projected US President-elect Joe Biden, head of the Turkish delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Berat Conkar, said.
(2020-12-07). Biden's economic adviser picks are underwhelming the left, to say the least. salon.com Biden chooses a team that is sympathetic to corporations, many of whom have questionable ties to finance…
(2020-12-07). Sixth worker dies from COVID-19 at FCA's Warren Truck plant. wsws.org Warren Truck has been the deadliest plant among the Detroit Three's factories in the US during the pandemic, based on the limited data available on workers' deaths.