2020-12-27: News Headlines

RT (2020-12-27). Brother of Biden's top aide takes Amazon lobbying job, as president-elect packs government with tech industry players. rt.com Joe Biden has staffed his transition team with a host of former Silicon Valley players, and now a brother of his top White House aide has landed a lobbying gig with Amazon. Can Biden be trusted to rein in big tech?

Philip Giraldi (2020-12-27). Democracies Don't Start Wars. But U.S. Democrats Do. globalresearch.ca It may have been President Bill Clinton who once justified his wrecking of the Balkans by observing that liberal interventionism to bring about regime change is a good thing because "Democracies don't start wars with other democracies." Or it might …

Joe Piette (2020-12-27). What prisons are like during COVID lockdown: interview with a Pennsylvania incarcerated worker. workers.org Philadelphia Since the start of November 2020, more than 3,000 incarcerated workers and at least 1,200 guards and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC). Since last March, at least 58 people behind DOC bars have died from the pandemic, the majority of . . . |

_____ (2020-12-27). Rhodes Scholars Surge in Biden's Potential Cabinet. strategic-culture.org With Trump's ascension to the presidency in 2016, the Rhodes Scholars that had permeated the U.S. Deep State over many years found themselves choking on humble pie as they were removed from the drivers' seat of world affairs for the first time in decades. The paradigm of post-nation state unipolarism that had been carefully built up over…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-27). Ilhan Omar censures Trump's Blackwater pardons. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (MNA) — US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has slammed Trump's pardoning the US security contractors convicted of the 2007 killing of 14 Iraqi civilians, including two children, in Baghdad.

Staff (2020-12-27). Sanders Condemns Trump for Allowing Millions to Lose Unemployment Benefits. truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday led progressive lawmakers in condemning President Donald Trump's refusal to approve a $900 billion Covid-19 relief and spending bill as unemployment coverage expired for millions of Americans on Saturday night as a result of his intransigence. | "What the president is doing right now is unbelievably cruel," Sanders (I-Vt.) said during an appearance on ABC's "This Week" Sunday morning. "Many millions of people are losing their extended unemployment benefits. They're…

Steven Sahiounie (2020-12-27). How Will Joe Biden "Resolve" the Syrian Crisis? The Viewpoint of a French Diplomat. globalresearch.ca While, much of his analysis demonstrates professionalism; he misses a very important point …

Laura Wells (2020-12-27). Propositions Won or Lost because of Money, Media, and Meaning, Solutions 2021 are Needed. indybay.org California delivered a landslide for a Democratic president, and yet gave majorities to Republican positions on state propositions. Why?>

yenisafak (2020-12-27). Israel to approve thousands of settlement units. yenisafak.com Israel intends to approve thousands of settlement units in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden in January, according to local media.The Israeli KAN channel said the Israeli High Council of Planning and Building — an Israeli official body that supervises settlement construction — will convene in the coming two weeks to approve the construction of thousands of settlement units in the occupied territory.The channel said the plans are already ready but require approval from the council, adding that Israeli authorities aim to approve the construction befo…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-26). Ilhan Omar slams Trump's Blackwater pardons as 'disgrace to our country'. middleeasteye.net Ilhan Omar slams Trump's Blackwater pardons as 'disgrace to our country' | Congresswoman's response comes after President Trump pardoned US security contractors convicted of the 2007 killing of 14 Iraqi civilians, including two children, in Baghdad | Sat, 12/26/2020 – 22: 19 | Ilhan Omar has launched a furious attack on Donald Trump's pardoning of four US security contractors convicted of…

Fight Back (2020-12-26). Republicans block pandemic aid including $2000 checks, 14 million lose unemployment benefits. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – Republicans in the House and Senate have blocked an effort by Democrats to increase the amount of individual payments in the new pandemic aid act from $600 to $2000. Many progressive Democrats including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had tried to increase the amount during the negotiations over the new aid package. These payments have been very popular, and at the last minute, President Trump chimed in, saying that he would refuse to sign the bill unless the larger amount was included. | While Democrats will try for a new vote on Monday, December 28, this delay m…

sputniknews (2020-12-26). 'Common Sense Please': Trump Slams Democrat-Run States' Lockdowns Over Surge in COVID-19 Cases. sputniknews.com As California's biggest city, Los Angeles has emerged as the epicenter of the US COVID-19 pandemic that is apparently getting out of control in the final days of 2020.

Jake Johnson (2020-12-26). Sanders rips GOP for happily endorsing Trump's assault on Democracy but refusing to back his call for $2,000 checks. nationofchange.org "Republicans in Washington are happy to cheer on Trump's bogus conspiracy theories on non-existent election fraud, but refuse to support him when it comes to providing a $2,000 direct payment to working-class Americans facing economic desperation."

Thomas Magstadt (2020-12-26). Dairyland in denial: Red states & the myth of the real American. nationofchange.org Unless or until progressives start to recognize the cost of losing the underpopulated red states in Middle America, ultra-right-wing Republicans will continue to have power in Washington all out of proportion to the popular will.

Susan Price (2020-12-26). Biden will wage war on the Kurdish revolution. greenleft.org.au President elect Joe Biden has been described as a "friend of the Kurds", writes Marcel Cartier, but under his presidency, US attempts to undermine the Rojava Revolution by any means necessary is likely to continue.

David Masciotra (2020-12-26). Lost in the middle: Will the arrogant certainty of "centrism" destroy America?>. salon.com From Bill Clinton through Barack Obama and now Joe Biden, the centrist consensus has failed — and learned nothing…

Free Mumia (2020-12-26). Mumia Wins Hearing in State Court on PCRA appeals. indybay.org Mumia Abu-Jamal, former president of the Black Journalists Association, framed and illegally convicted for a 1981 murder of a cop, by Democratic District Attorney of Philadelphia, Ed Rendell, has defeated the Fraternal Order of Police's King's Bench petition to remove the current DA Larry Krasner and now may proceed to the superior court to challenge the rejection of…

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-12-25). Roaming Charges: Welcome to the Malarky Factory. counterpunch.org Joe Biden is by no means a smooth politician, but over the course of five decades in office he has mastered the art of the political bait-and-switch, a sleight of hand which has come to define the operating profile of so many Democratic bosses in the age of neoliberalism.

Dan Cohen (2020-12-25). Meet the pseudo-left imperialists fighting against universal healthcare. thegrayzone.com Comedian Jimmy Dore has exposed a collection of self-styled leaders of progressive media as imperialist hacks joined at the hip with the Democratic Party and NATO. This video report originally appeared at Behind The Headlines. It's no coincidence that the pundits who are circling the wagons around AOC and seething at a comedian for pushing for a Medicare For All floor vote are also a bunch of pseudo-left imperialists. They've positioned themselves as guard dogs and gatekeepers of the Democratic …

Richard D. Wolff (2020-12-25). The DC Political Monopoly Just Doesn't Get It. counterpunch.org The spectacle of political "leaders" disconnected from basic social realities survived Trump's defeat. He and his GOP had shown little grasp of the two great crises of 2020: the crash of capitalism and the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump's resulting political defeat did not reconnect them. The Biden Democrats already show they learned little from Trump's loss; disconnection governs them too.

Martin Chulov (2020-12-25). 'Our Blood is Cheaper than Water': Anger in Iraq Over Trump Pardons. zcomm.org Biden to be lobbied to reverse decision to pardon security guards jailed over massacre…

Robert Koehler (2020-12-25). Restoring the Soul of America. counterpunch.org "One major difference between GOP and Dems is that [Republicans] leverage their right flank to gain policy concessions and generate enthusiasm, while Dems lock their left flank in the basement [because] they think that will make Republicans be nicer to them." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nailed it once again, tweeting her frustration and despair a few days ago

Ralph Nader (2020-12-25). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. commondreams.org Trump and future presidents cannot be allowed to brazenly dishonor justice and undermine the rule of law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/roger_stone_0_1.jpg

Eve Ottenberg (2020-12-25). The U.S. and Yemen: Will Biden End the Nightmare? counterpunch.org Over 100,000 people have perished in Yemen since Saudi Arabia began bombing it in 2015, in a doomed attempt to dislodge rebel Houthis. More than 85,000 have starved to death. Those are long, slow, excruciating deaths. According to the International Red Cross last week, roughly 24 million Yemenis need aid and "the majority of the country really needs UN and humanitarian funding in order to meet their basic day-to-day needs." Aljazeera reports that last month, "Yemen had received less than half of the emergency funds it needed this year…About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity." Four millio…

teleSUR (2020-12-25). Bolivia: President Arce Calls for Peace, Unity Among the People. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's President Luis Arce Friday called for peace and unity two months after the country took back its democracy from the coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez (2019-2020). | RELATED: | "Unity is more important than ever now that we are rebuilding the country after the coup and the COVID-19 pandemic," he said on the occasion of Christmas and New Year's celebrations. | Arce highlighted the people's role in restorin…

Gary Leupp (2020-12-25). Trump's Big Lies, and Biden's. counterpunch.org People with eyes to see and ears to hear realize that Donald Trump is a pathological liar. He lies about little things and big things. Some lies seem off the cuff, others well planned. The lie about Obama's birthplace was one of the latter. It was a racist lie designed to rally racists as the

Phil Galewitz (2020-12-25). As Biden gets sworn in, White House will get scrubbed down. salon.com The executive mansion will get a deep clean after two COVID-19 outbreaks this fall…

Bob Topper (2020-12-25). Minority Rule in America? counterpunch.org On October 7, 2020, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "Democracy isn't the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that." Rank? Lee is saying that if all eligible voters are allowed to do so, they will thwart "prospefity"? Who knew? For an American politician

Daniel Warner (2020-12-25). A Frustrated democrat. counterpunch.org When I am asked if I am a Democrat, I always answer that I am a Democrat with a capital D and a democrat with a small d. The two are not the same. While the first means being a member of a United States political party, the second means believing and defending inclusive values.

Shawgi Tell (2020-12-25). Charter School Promoters Comfortable with Cardona. dissidentvoice.org President-elect Joe Biden recently nominated Miguel Cardona to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Education. Hardly anyone in education circles has heard of or spoken about Cardona, let alone in an open and serious way. For weeks there was endless speculation and confusion surrounding the "top potential pick" for this position. All kinds of …

Rep. Jim McGovern (2020-12-25). To Restore American Leadership, the Biden Administration Should Focus on Global Hunger. thenation.com To Restore American Leadership, the Biden Administration Should Focus on Global Hunger…

Chris Winters (2020-12-25). Biden Won. Now Comes the Hard Part. commondreams.org The Trump years have laid bare for all to see just how much injustice and inequality still needs to be addressed. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/biden_7.jpg

Medea Benjamin, Marcy Winograd (2020-12-24). No, Joe, Don't Roll out the Red Carpet for Torture Enablers. counterpunch.org It was painful enough to live through the U.S. invasion of Iraq that caused untold devastation and human misery for no justifiable reason. Now we are again reminded of the grim Bush legacy with President-elect Biden's nomination of Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence. Haines, who has an inside-the-beltway reputation for being nice and

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-24). Colombia's President shows his disdain for democracy and Venezuelans. mronline.org On December 8, a Conviasa flight prepared to take off from Caracas, Venezuela, for Mexico City. It planned to carry 200 election observers and journalists who came to Venezuela from a range of countries to monitor the National Assembly elections that were held on December 6.

Mark Weisbrot (2020-12-24). A Tale of Two Elections: U.S. and Bolivia. zcomm.org Just over a year ago, a similar effort was launched in Bolivia, and it actually prevailed. The country's democratically elected president, Evo Morales, was toppled three weeks after the October 20 vote…

Roger D. Harris (2020-12-24). 2020 Latin America and the Caribbean in Review: The Pink Tide May Rise Again. dissidentvoice.org The balance between the US drive to dominate Latin America and the Caribbean and its counterpart, the Bolivarian cause of regional independence and integration, tipped portside by year end 2020 with major popular victories, including reversal of the coup in Bolivia and the constitutional referendum in Chile. Central has been the persistence of Venezuela's Bolivarian …

Iveta Cherneva (2020-12-24). Pardoning the Blackwater killers: It's a scandal, but not specific to Donald Trump. salon.com It was difficult to prosecute these 2007 war crimes, and Republicans were eager to whitewash them from the get-go…

WSWS (2020-12-24). ICUs begin filling up in New York City as Cuomo, de Blasio dither on effective pandemic restrictions. wsws.org Some hospitals are over capacity in their ICUs, presaging a significant increase in deaths in the coming days and weeks.

Online News Editor (2020-12-24). Republicans in US Congress block bid to boost Covid-19 relief. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 24 (efe-epa).- Republicans in the US House of Representatives balked Thursday when the Democratic majority sought to pass by unanimous consent a measure increasing direct payments to households in the just-approved pandemic relief package, demanded by outgoing President Donald Trump as a condition for signing the bill. Few members were in the chamber …

Julia Conley (2020-12-24). 'Yes, exactly,' say progressives after Pence warns democrats will 'make rich poorer and poor more comfortable'. nationofchange.org "You have to be all sorts of twisted to think 'making poor people more comfortable' is a bad thing."

Mira Oklobdzija (2020-12-24). Right-Wing Soap Opera in the Netherlands: the Second Act of Thierry Baudet? counterpunch.org Europe has its fair share of right-wingers. Some are members of rather visible and socially active parties such as the National Rally in France, Austria's Freedom Party, and the Sweden Democrats. Others prefer the label of a street-focused or intellectual movement like Pegida in Germany, the English Defence League, the various transnational anti-Islam networks online,

Benjamin Ryan (2020-12-24). This California Law Offers Biden a Tool in the Fight for Environmental Justice. thenation.com This California Law Offers Biden a Tool in the Fight for Environmental Justice…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-12-24). As Trump Threatens War With Iran, 150 House Democrats Endorse Biden Vow to Rejoin Nuclear Deal. commondreams.org "Biden has a narrow window of opportunity at the start of his presidency to undo Trump's mess." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/iran_biden.jpg

Pablo Tebas, ShuPing Yang, Jean D. Boyer, Emma L. Reuschel, Ami Patel, Aaron Christensen-Quick, Viviane M. Andrade, Matthew P. Morrow, Kimberly Kraynyak, Joseph Agnes, Mansi Purwar, Albert Sylvester, Elisabeth Gillespie, Igor Maricic, Faraz I. Zaidi, Kevin Y. Kim, Yaya Dia, Drew Frase, Patrick Pezzoli, Katherine Schultheis, Trevor R.F. Smith, Stephanie J. Ramos, Trevor McMullan, Karen Buttigieg, Miles W. Carroll, John Ervin, Malissa C. Diehl, Elliott Blackwood, Mammen P. Mammen, Jessica Lee, Michael J. Dallas, Ami Shah Brown, Jacqueline E. Shea, J.Joseph Kim, David B. Weiner, Kate E. Broderick, Laurent M. Humeau (2020-12-24). [Research Paper] Safety and immunogenicity of INO-4800 DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: A preliminary report of an open-label, Phase 1 clinical trial. thelancet.com INO-4800 demonstrated excellent safety and tolerability and was immunogenic in 100% (38/38) of the vaccinated subjects by eliciting either or both humoral or cellular immune responses.

Terry H. Schwadron (2020-12-24). Just another wacky weekend in Trump land. salon.com As the end of the reign draws near, Republican world gets crazier and crazier…

Amanda Marcotte (2020-12-24). Trump's last-minute pardon spree shows why Joe Biden just can't "move on" salon.com The country can't unite and heal if Republicans believe they have license to cheat in elections and commit crimes…

Sonia Gill (2020-12-24). President-Elect Biden's Voting Rights To-Do List. commondreams.org Trump's assault on our democracy reinforces the Biden administration's obligation to do everything within its power to protect the right to vote. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1250970135-170×170.jpg

Matthew Rothschild (2020-12-24). Pay Attention to the Risk of Martial Law. commondreams.org The latest ravings of our tyrannical President highlight a true threat to democracy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/p13-trump.jpg

Charles L. Bennett, Shamia Hoque, Nancy Olivieri, Matthew A. Taylor, David Aboulafia, Courtney Lubaczewski, Andrew C. Bennett, Jay Vemula, Benjamin Schooley, Bartlett J. Witherspoon, Ashley C Godwin, Paul S. Ray, Paul R. Yarnold, Henry C. Ausdenmoore, Marc Fishman, Georgne Herring, Anne Ventrone, Juan Aldaco, William J. Hrushesky, John Restaino, Henrik S. Thomsen, Paul R. Yarnold, Robert Marx, Cesar Migliorati, Salvatore Ruggiero, Chadi Nabhan, Kenneth R. Carson, June M. McKoy, Y. Tony Yang, Martin W. Schoen, Kevin Knopf, Linda Martin, Oliver Sartor, Steven Rosen, William K. Smith (2020-12-23). [Research Paper] Consequences to patients, clinicians, and manufacturers when very serious adverse drug reactions are identified (1997—2019): A qualitative analysis from the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR). thelancet.com Because very serious ADRs impacts are so large, policy makers should consider developing independently funded pharmacovigilance centers of excellence to assist with clinician investigations.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-12-23). Teachers' Unions See Biden Choice of Cardona for Education Secretary as Promising Choice. commondreams.org "Unlike Betsy DeVos, Secretary-designate Cardona will ensure that the federal government's role in education is to ensure access and opportunity for every student."

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-12-23). Ralph Nader: He's a Cookbook! counterpunch.org "We can all sit down and have a few beers together while we wait." — Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart), The Petrified Forest (1936) Call before, you dig? — Utility notification for unmarked Internet cables from hippy who finally got a job The other day, minding my own business, and getting lots of unwanted help doing

MEE staff (2020-12-23). Hollywood 'wouldn't touch' Khashoggi documentary, director says. middleeasteye.net Hollywood 'wouldn't touch' Khashoggi documentary, director says | Award-winning director Bryan Fogel says film distributors 'look the other way' when it comes to human rights abuses in kingdom | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 21: 51 | Fogel also slams media companies for making deals with Saudi companies or taking Saudi investment (AFP/File image) | The director of an upcoming documentary about slain Saudi journalist Jamal…

Norman Solomon (2020-12-23). Why Progressives Must Not Give Biden a Political Honeymoon. counterpunch.org The third time would not be a charm. People on the left did very little to challenge Bill Clinton after he won the presidency in 1992. Two years later, a big Republican wave took control of Congress. People on the left did very little to challenge Barack Obama after he won the presidency in 2008.

Michael Winship (2020-12-23). The Final Days of Donald Trump, Absentee President. counterpunch.org Pardon my silence these last few days, but the out-of-control firehose that is the Trump White House has upped the water pressure with increased insanity, mendacity and just plain idiotic behavior. It can overwhelm. The soaking seems to get worse every hour and day that remains before the swearing-in of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,

Jessica Suriano (2020-12-23). How the Movement for Black Lives Helped Defeat Trump in Arizona. thenation.com How the Movement for Black Lives Helped Defeat Trump in Arizona…