Monthly Archives: November 2020

2020-11-30: News Headlines

Staff (2020-11-30). Trump Races to Kill Lisa Montgomery In First Federal Execution of a Woman in Almost 70 Years. 18.224.45.15 We look at one of the most shocking cases in the slew of federal executions the Trump administration has scheduled in its final months: Lisa Montgomery, who was convicted in 2007 for a gruesome murder of a pregnant woman, is set be the first woman to be executed by the federal government in 70 years if her January 12 execution goes forward. Advocates say Montgomery suffers from mental illnesses caused by a life of abuse and sexual assault, and that she deserves clemency. "She is profoundly mentally ill," Cornell law professor Sandra Babcock says. "Why the rush to execute someone like Lisa Montgomery among all of…

Staff (2020-11-30). A Trap? Why Assassination of Top Iranian Nuclear Scientist Could Tie Biden's Hands in Future Talks. democracynow.org Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated Friday while driving on a highway outside Tehran. Iran accuses Israel of orchestrating the killing, which is the latest in a string of assassinations targeting scientists involved with Iran's nuclear program. Between 2010 and 2012, four Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated, and analysts say Fakhrizadeh's death was designed to make it harder for President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran when he takes office. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. "Israel has always denied…

Staff (2020-11-30). Firing Squads, Poison Gas, Electric Chair: Trump Moves to Expand Ways to Kill Prisoners. 18.224.45.15 Sister Helen Prejean, one of the world's best known anti-death-penalty activists, says the spate of federal executions carried out by the Trump administration reflect a "fundamental flaw" in the law, which does not set limits on use of the death penalty. "When you give absolute power over life and death to government officials, they can really do what they want," she says.

Staff (2020-11-30). A Trap? Why Assassination of Top Iranian Nuclear Scientist Could Tie Biden's Hands in Future Talks. 18.224.45.15 Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated Friday while driving on a highway outside Tehran. Iran accuses Israel of orchestrating the killing, which is the latest in a string of assassinations targeting scientists involved with Iran's nuclear program. Between 2010 and 2012, four Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated, and analysts say Fakhrizadeh's death was designed to make it harder for President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran when he takes office. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. "Israel has always denied…

Staff (2020-11-30). Trump Races to Kill Lisa Montgomery In First Federal Execution of a Woman in Almost 70 Years. democracynow.org We look at one of the most shocking cases in the slew of federal executions the Trump administration has scheduled in its final months: Lisa Montgomery, who was convicted in 2007 for a gruesome murder of a pregnant woman, is set be the first woman to be executed by the federal government in 70 years if her January 12 execution goes forward. Advocates say Montgomery suffers from mental illnesses caused by a life of abuse and sexual assault, and that she deserves clemency. "She is profoundly mentally ill," Cornell law professor Sandra Babcock says. "Why the rush to execute someone like Lisa Montgomery among all of…

Brian Slodysko, Richard Lardner (2020-11-30). Cashing in on coronavirus? Georgia Sen. Perdue's stock trades raise suspicions. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON (AP)—As the ravages of the novel coronavirus forced millions of people out of work, shuttered businesses, and shrank the value of retirement accounts, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged to a three-year low. But for Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, the crisis last March signaled something else: a stock buying opportunity. And for the second …

John Feffer (2020-11-30). Who Needs Zombies When We Have Republicans? counterpunch.org The 2017 film Bushwick begins like a lot of zombie flicks. An unsuspecting couple is walking through a subway station in the working-class neighborhood of Bushwick in Brooklyn. The station is eerily empty. They hear gunfire outside. The boyfriend goes out to investigate, and you know from the conventions of a zombie film that this

_____ (2020-11-30). Flight From Reality: Airlines Demanding 'Vaccine Passports' Signals the Death Knell of Democracy. strategic-culture.org Dozens of airlines are pushing for a system that proves passengers have "complied with health requirements," whether in the form of a test or a future vaccine. And with passengers weary of lockdowns, they just may get their draconian wish. But this is just a sampling of horrors to come as the global elite enact their 'great reset.' | Soon, international travelers may be required to carry an additional passport aside from the one showing their nationality. The big three alliances, Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam, which represent 58 airlines, are looking to the so-called CommonPass digital health passport syste…

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-30). The Planet Cannot Heal Until We Rip the Mask Off the West's War Machine. counterpunch.org Making political sense of the world can be tricky unless one understands the role of the state in capitalist societies. The state is not primarily there to represent voters or uphold democratic rights and values; it is a vehicle for facilitating and legitimating the concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-11-30). 'Another World Is Possible': Ocasio-Cortez Uses Video Gaming Platform to Raise $200,000 for Fight Against Hunger, Evictions. commondreams.org The congresswoman was joined by Canadian progressive leader Jagmeet Singh, who spoke about bold, far-reaching policies in Canada. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1282573903.png

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-11-30). Calls for Diplomacy—Not War—as Scientist's Assassination, Trump Impede Biden's Path to Iran Engagement. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/no-war_with_iran_0_0.jpg

Binoy Kampmark (2020-11-30). Biden's Promise: America is Back(wards). counterpunch.org With President Donald Trump all but conceding to the transition team that will take over after January next year, interest now shifts to President-elect Joe Biden's choices for cabinet. On the national security front, the imperial-military lobby will have reasons to be satisfied. If Trump promised to rein in, if not put the brakes on

Medea Benjamin (2020-11-30). Trump risks war again: Will the world condemn the murder of Iran's top nuclear scientist?>. salon.com Israel wouldn't have killed Mohsen Fakhrizadeh without Trump's say-so. Now Biden and the UN must lower tensions…

Medea Benjamin (2020-11-30). Will the World Community Condemn the Murder of Iran's Nuclear Scientist? globalresearch.ca Joe Biden has won the U.S. election, the assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist, likely by Israel with the go-ahead from the …

commondreams (2020-11-30). Close the Big Tech Revolving Door, 32 Groups Tell Biden. commondreams.org ______________________________…

WSWS (2020-11-30). New York City schools to reopen amid explosion of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, deaths. wsws.org Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement is a warning to the working class in the United States and internationally that even as numerous coronavirus vaccines are nearing completion, workers and youth will continue to be sent into workplaces and schools to needlessly get sick and die.

James Haught (2020-11-30). Is 2020 a Watershed? counterpunch.org Maybe 2020 is a turning point — one that won't be clearly visible until the future. Maybe it marks the end of the four-decade epoch when the white evangelical "religious right" had enough power to tip American elections to the GOP. White evangelicals fought fiercely for Republicans this year. They gave about 80 percent of

_____ (2020-11-30). 'We Will Defend Democracy In Ecuador'. popularresistance.org In countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chile, popular movements have risen to express their discontent and demand a new economic model — only to be met with street violence, government repression, and coup d'etats. | In Ecuador, the rise of authoritarianism can be seen in the actions against the electoral opposition. In August — less than 24 hours after the National Electoral Council (CNE) officially called elections — the governing forces attempted illegally and unconstitutionally to eliminate the Movimiento Fuerza Compromiso Social, list 5 that had sheltered the political force of t…

teleSUR (2020-11-30). US Elections: Wisconsin's Ballots Recount Reaffirms Biden's Win. telesurenglish.net President-elect Joe Biden's win in Wisconsin was reaffirmed Sunday after two of the state's largest counties finished the recount of ballots with little change in the tally. | RELATED: | Biden leads over incumbent President Donald Trump in the key swing state grew by 87 votes, after Trump gained 45 votes in the Dane County recount and Biden got a 132-vote net gain in the Milwaukee county recount. The statewide…

commondreams (2020-11-30). Sierra Club Statement on President-Elect Biden's Nomination of Janet Yellen for Treasury Secretary. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-30). The Planet Cannot Heal Until We Rip the Mask Off the West's War Machine. globalresearch.ca Making political sense of the world can be tricky unless one understands the role of the state in capitalist societies. The state is not primarily there to represent voters or uphold democratic rights and values; it is a vehicle for …

NIAC Action (2020-11-30). The Assassination of Iranian Nuclear Scientist. Setting the Stage for War? globalresearch.ca Ryan Costello, Policy Director of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), issued the following statement on reports of the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who led Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program until it was shelved in …

Scott Ritter (2020-11-30). Israel's Gift to Joe Biden, 52 Days Before He Even Takes Office: War with Iran. globalresearch.ca The assassination of Tehran's top nuclear scientist is a ploy by Israel to compel the likely US president-elect to reject diplomacy and choose military action to deal with Iran's nuclear ambition. Which option will he choose? | Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was the …

repost (2020-11-30). Kamala Harris' Prosecutors Sent This Innocent Man to Prison for Murder. Now He's Talking. indybay.org In a New York Times op-ed published in January, University of San Francisco law professor Lara Bazelon described various instances when Harris, either as district attorney or state attorney general, vigorously defended cases in which prosecutors were accused of fabricating testimony or withholding potentially exculpatory evidence—stacking the deck against the accused. | "My issue with [Harris] is the way she characterizes herself and her record. If she were just straightforward, it wouldn't be a problem."—Lara Bazelon…

Ethan Yang (2020-11-30). New Study Highlights Alleged Accounting Error Regarding COVID Deaths. globalresearch.ca At the time of this writing, the United States currently maintains the

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-11-30). 33 Groups Urge Biden to Hold Big Tech Accountable and Keep Industry Allies Out of His Administration. commondreams.org "We believe that eliminating the decades-old revolving door between Silicon Valley and your administration will only help your cause." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gafa_0.jpg

Sophia Tesfaye (2020-11-30). Has consummate insider Tony Blinken, Biden's nominee for State, learned from his mistakes?>. salon.com Blinken backed every failed foreign intervention of the last 25 years. At least there's hope he has evolved…

commondreams (2020-11-30). Over 80 Organizations Urge Biden to Prioritize Ending U.S. Involvement in Yemen War. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2020-11-30). Patriotic Millionaires Statement on Biden Economic Team, Treasury Secretary Announcement. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-30). Biden's win threatens Macron's project of more independence. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 30 (MNA) — France is going to have a harder time selling "strategic autonomy" without the foil of the Trump administration to drive it.

_____ (2020-11-29). On Contact: Fascism — America's DNA. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to Gabriel Rockhill about the undercurrents of fascism in America's DNA, and the US role in internationalizing fascism after World War II through clandestine activities such Operation Paperclip and Operation Gladio. | Rockhill is a Franco-American philosopher and the founding Director of the Critical Theory Workshop and Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University. His books include Counter-History of the Present: Untimely Interrogations into Globalization, Technology, Democracy, Interventions in Contemporary Thought: History, Politics, Aesthetics, Radical History &#03…

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-29). The Planet Cannot Begin to Heal Until We Rip the Mask off the West's War Machine. dissidentvoice.org Making political sense of the world can be tricky unless one understands the role of the state in capitalist societies. The state is not primarily there to represent voters or uphold democratic rights and values; it is a vehicle for facilitating and legitimating the concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands. In …

Editor (2020-11-29). NPR's Shameful Comparison of Stacey Abrams to Donald Trump. scheerpost.com TED Conference / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Ari Paul / FAIR It's very likely that Stacey Abrams is not governor of Georgia today because in 2018, she and thousands of the state's voters were victims of voter suppression that propelled then—Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp into the governor's office. She wasn't quiet about this, not just because the shenanigans probably cost her the election… |

Paul Rosenberg (2020-11-29). Congress can wait: How Biden can reshape our future with executive action. salon.com Congressional deadlock doesn't have to mean total paralysis. Biden can change America without passing new laws…

_____ (2020-11-29). Protesters Descend On Garcetti's House For 6th Consecutive Day. popularresistance.org Los Angeles, CA – A sixth day of demonstrations outside Mayor Eric Garcetti's official residence unfolded Sunday in an attempt to persuade President-elect Joe Biden not to appoint Garcetti to his cabinet. | Tabatha Jones Jolivet, a spokeswoman for BLM-LA, said Garcetti "has failed the people of Los Angeles in an unending number of ways — from criminalizing folks for being houseless, to refusing to stand up for people who are killed by his police force." | "We refuse to be quiet as President-elect Biden considers him for a cabinet post where his reach will extend to setting national policy," she said.

sputniknews (2020-11-29). New York Public Schools to Gradually Reopen Starting December 7. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Public schools in NYC will resume in-person classes starting early December, New York City (NYC) Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced.

Alan MacLeod (2020-11-28). "Superheroes" and "Nice" guys: Coverage of Biden's hawkish cabinet picks is predictably lacking. mronline.org Just as they failed to hold power to account in the run-up to the disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, corporate media is refusing to ask the hard questions about Biden's hawkish cabinet picks.

Dario Castillejos, Liza Donnelly, Felipe Galindo, Peter Kuper (2020-11-28). Creating American Carnage. thenation.com Dario Castillejos, Liza Donnelly, Felipe Galindo, Peter Kuper Our Golfer-in-Chief's parting shots at democracy.

Zach Conti (2020-11-28). Biden Should Call for Emergency G20 Leaders Meeting, Says Religious Development Group. indybay.org A religious development group urges President-elect Biden to convene an emergency G20 meeting upon inauguration into the high office.

Robert Reich (2020-11-28). How Mitch McConnell's do nothing Republicans are killing you. salon.com Mitch McConnell has refused to lift a finger for months, and Senate Republicans have been happy to follow his lead…

WSWS (2020-11-28). FCA ramps up production at Warren Truck despite death of temporary worker from COVID-19. wsws.org The worker who succumbed to the virus had been hired less than three weeks before he became sick and had told his coworkers that he had waited a long time to get the chance for a job at FCA.

Common Dreams staff (2020-11-28). The Revolving Door: Biden's National Security Nominees Cashed In on Government Service—and Now They're Back. commondreams.org Top Biden advisers Tony Blinken, Michele Flournoy, and Lloyd Austin face new scrutiny. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/flournoy-blinken.jpg

Lynda Carson (2020-11-28). OxyContin drug kingpin Richard Sackler gave campaign contribution to Biden for President. indybay.org Opioid Drug-Overdose Victim…

David Rosmarin, Kathleen Butler, Fiona Kuo, John E Harris (2020-11-28). [Correspondence] Ruxolitinib cream for the treatment of vitiligo — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank Shelley Uppal and colleagues for their comments on the randomised phase 2 trial of ruxolitinib cream for the treatment of vitiligo,1 in which concerns over the generalisability of the study population were raised. As a phase 2 study, the goal was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different concentrations and dosing regimens of ruxolitinib cream in patients with non-segmental vitiligo before progressing to phase 3 studies, in which generalisability would be assessed. As such, our study1 does not state that ruxolitinib cream is a safe and effective treatment for vitiligo or conclude that the study's f…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-28). Martyr Fakhrizadeh expose false supporters of human rights. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 28 (MNA) — IRGC Quds Force Commander said that Martyr Fakhrizadeh exposed the false supporters of human rights, democracy, and freedom.

Common Dreams staff (2020-11-28). The Revolving Door: Biden's National Security Nominees Want Back In After Cashing Out Of Government Service. commondreams.org Top Biden advisers Tony Blinken, Michele Flournoy, and Lloyd Austin face new scrutiny. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/flournoy-blinken.jpg

David Schultz (2020-11-27). Trump and a Republic That We Could not Keep. counterpunch.org Donald Trump refuses to concede and claims the 2020 election was rift with fraud. American democracy is in peril. Then the GSA will fund the Biden presidential transition. His lawsuits are coming to an end. The electoral college will soon cast its ballots. And Donald Trump will no longer be president of the US. The

Staff (2020-11-27). Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara — A Rare Look Inside Africa's Last Colony as Ceasefire Ends. democracynow.org In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco's violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1,700-mile wall divides Sahrawis who remain under occupation from those who fled into exile. Earlier this month, a three-decade ceasefire in Western…

John Pilger (2020-11-27). Britain's Class War on Children. counterpunch.org When I first reported on child poverty in Britain, I was struck by the faces of children I spoke to, especially the eyes. They were different: watchful, fearful. In Hackney, in 1975, I filmed Irene Brunsden's family. Irene told me she gave her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes. "She doesn't tell me she's hungry, she

WSWS (2020-11-27). 'Popoy' Lagman: A Stalinist rival of the Communist Party of the Philippines. wsws.org While he rejected the armed struggle in the countryside, Lagman, like Sison, sought to subordinate Filipino workers to their class enemies, the bourgeoisie, in the name of national democracy.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-27). Iran offers full commitment to JCPOA if Biden decides to re-join the nuclear deal and lift all sanctions. peoplesdispatch.org The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and imposed various sanctions against Iran without any international approval…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2020-11-27). Will Biden Ensure My Family is Reunited? counterpunch.org Millions of Americans are celebrating Donald Trump's election loss. But for some of us, it's also deeply personal. To my family, Trump's loss means the possibility of reunification. My parents, who are Indian citizens living in the United Arab Emirates, have been waiting to spend their golden years with their daughter and grandchildren—a reward for

Chauncey DeVega (2020-11-27). Take Trump's coup seriously. It's no joke — and Biden's win was just a sugar high. salon.com There's nothing "normal" about this moment. Even if Trump reluctantly leaves office, immense damage has been done…

_____ (2020-11-27). U.S. Election 'Success'… And Hey Presto 'Russian Interference' Disappears. strategic-culture.org The United States' election victory of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden has yet to be officially confirmed. That requires the 500-plus Electoral College comprising the 50 federal states to cast the final vote when the constitutional body meets on December 14. Biden holds a commanding lead of over 300 delegates in the Electoral College, more than 70 above Donald Trump's quota and decisively more than the 270 threshold required for election to the White House. | Nonetheless, already one thing is indisputably clear. Biden's nominal victory from the popular vote tallies is glaring proof that Russia did not i…

Brian Berletic (2020-11-27). Video: Why US-Funded Mobs Are Attacking Thai-Chinese Relations. globalresearch.ca Thailand's ongoing US-funded anti-government protests aren't "pro-democracy," they are anti-Chinese. | Just like in Hong Kong, the US is attempting to create crisis for China and its allies and impede both China's and Asia's rise upon the global stage. | I go …

Editor (2020-11-27). What Simon & Schuster's Acquisition Would Mean for American Publishing. scheerpost.com Dan DeLuca / CC BY 2.0] By Steve Wasserman / Original to ScheerPost The recent news that Bertelsmann, the German owner of the publishing empire PenguinRandomHouse, has made an all-cash offer of $2 billion to acquire Simon & Schuster, continues the relentless conglomeration that has marked global publishing for the past forty-plus years. If approved, the deal will leave only four gigantic… |

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-27). Breaking barricades, braving repression, farmers reach Indian capital Delhi. peoplesdispatch.org Tens of thousands of farmers rallied to India capital city New Delhi from the neighboring States, primarily from Haryana and Punjab. Despite everything the govt. threw at them, they marched on…

Christopher Robertson (2020-11-27). Conservatives backed the ideas behind Obamacare, so how did they come to hate it?>. salon.com Republicans like Newt Gingrich were the ones who came up with the blueprint for the Affordable Care Act…

2020-11-29: News Headlines

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-29). The Planet Cannot Begin to Heal Until We Rip the Mask off the West's War Machine. dissidentvoice.org Making political sense of the world can be tricky unless one understands the role of the state in capitalist societies. The state is not primarily there to represent voters or uphold democratic rights and values; it is a vehicle for facilitating and legitimating the concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands. In …

Editor (2020-11-29). NPR's Shameful Comparison of Stacey Abrams to Donald Trump. scheerpost.com TED Conference / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Ari Paul / FAIR It's very likely that Stacey Abrams is not governor of Georgia today because in 2018, she and thousands of the state's voters were victims of voter suppression that propelled then—Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp into the governor's office. She wasn't quiet about this, not just because the shenanigans probably cost her the election… |

_____ (2020-11-29). On Contact: Fascism — America's DNA. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to Gabriel Rockhill about the undercurrents of fascism in America's DNA, and the US role in internationalizing fascism after World War II through clandestine activities such Operation Paperclip and Operation Gladio. | Rockhill is a Franco-American philosopher and the founding Director of the Critical Theory Workshop and Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University. His books include Counter-History of the Present: Untimely Interrogations into Globalization, Technology, Democracy, Interventions in Contemporary Thought: History, Politics, Aesthetics, Radical History &#03…

_____ (2020-11-29). Protesters Descend On Garcetti's House For 6th Consecutive Day. popularresistance.org Los Angeles, CA – A sixth day of demonstrations outside Mayor Eric Garcetti's official residence unfolded Sunday in an attempt to persuade President-elect Joe Biden not to appoint Garcetti to his cabinet. | Tabatha Jones Jolivet, a spokeswoman for BLM-LA, said Garcetti "has failed the people of Los Angeles in an unending number of ways — from criminalizing folks for being houseless, to refusing to stand up for people who are killed by his police force." | "We refuse to be quiet as President-elect Biden considers him for a cabinet post where his reach will extend to setting national policy," she said.

Paul Rosenberg (2020-11-29). Congress can wait: How Biden can reshape our future with executive action. salon.com Congressional deadlock doesn't have to mean total paralysis. Biden can change America without passing new laws…

Dario Castillejos, Liza Donnelly, Felipe Galindo, Peter Kuper (2020-11-28). Creating American Carnage. thenation.com Dario Castillejos, Liza Donnelly, Felipe Galindo, Peter Kuper Our Golfer-in-Chief's parting shots at democracy.

Common Dreams staff (2020-11-28). The Revolving Door: Biden's National Security Nominees Cashed In on Government Service—and Now They're Back. commondreams.org Top Biden advisers Tony Blinken, Michele Flournoy, and Lloyd Austin face new scrutiny. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/flournoy-blinken.jpg

Common Dreams staff (2020-11-28). The Revolving Door: Biden's National Security Nominees Want Back In After Cashing Out Of Government Service. commondreams.org Top Biden advisers Tony Blinken, Michele Flournoy, and Lloyd Austin face new scrutiny. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/flournoy-blinken.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-28). Martyr Fakhrizadeh expose false supporters of human rights. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 28 (MNA) — IRGC Quds Force Commander said that Martyr Fakhrizadeh exposed the false supporters of human rights, democracy, and freedom.

Lynda Carson (2020-11-28). OxyContin drug kingpin Richard Sackler gave campaign contribution to Biden for President. indybay.org Opioid Drug-Overdose Victim…

WSWS (2020-11-28). FCA ramps up production at Warren Truck despite death of temporary worker from COVID-19. wsws.org The worker who succumbed to the virus had been hired less than three weeks before he became sick and had told his coworkers that he had waited a long time to get the chance for a job at FCA.

Robert Reich (2020-11-28). How Mitch McConnell's do nothing Republicans are killing you. salon.com Mitch McConnell has refused to lift a finger for months, and Senate Republicans have been happy to follow his lead…

David Rosmarin, Kathleen Butler, Fiona Kuo, John E Harris (2020-11-28). [Correspondence] Ruxolitinib cream for the treatment of vitiligo — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank Shelley Uppal and colleagues for their comments on the randomised phase 2 trial of ruxolitinib cream for the treatment of vitiligo,1 in which concerns over the generalisability of the study population were raised. As a phase 2 study, the goal was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different concentrations and dosing regimens of ruxolitinib cream in patients with non-segmental vitiligo before progressing to phase 3 studies, in which generalisability would be assessed. As such, our study1 does not state that ruxolitinib cream is a safe and effective treatment for vitiligo or conclude that the study's f…

Zach Conti (2020-11-28). Biden Should Call for Emergency G20 Leaders Meeting, Says Religious Development Group. indybay.org A religious development group urges President-elect Biden to convene an emergency G20 meeting upon inauguration into the high office.

David Schultz (2020-11-27). Trump and a Republic That We Could not Keep. counterpunch.org Donald Trump refuses to concede and claims the 2020 election was rift with fraud. American democracy is in peril. Then the GSA will fund the Biden presidential transition. His lawsuits are coming to an end. The electoral college will soon cast its ballots. And Donald Trump will no longer be president of the US. The

Staff (2020-11-27). Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara — A Rare Look Inside Africa's Last Colony as Ceasefire Ends. democracynow.org In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco's violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1,700-mile wall divides Sahrawis who remain under occupation from those who fled into exile. Earlier this month, a three-decade ceasefire in Western…

John Pilger (2020-11-27). Britain's Class War on Children. counterpunch.org When I first reported on child poverty in Britain, I was struck by the faces of children I spoke to, especially the eyes. They were different: watchful, fearful. In Hackney, in 1975, I filmed Irene Brunsden's family. Irene told me she gave her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes. "She doesn't tell me she's hungry, she

Sonali Kolhatkar (2020-11-27). Will Biden Ensure My Family is Reunited? counterpunch.org Millions of Americans are celebrating Donald Trump's election loss. But for some of us, it's also deeply personal. To my family, Trump's loss means the possibility of reunification. My parents, who are Indian citizens living in the United Arab Emirates, have been waiting to spend their golden years with their daughter and grandchildren—a reward for

Editor (2020-11-27). What Simon & Schuster's Acquisition Would Mean for American Publishing. scheerpost.com Dan DeLuca / CC BY 2.0] By Steve Wasserman / Original to ScheerPost The recent news that Bertelsmann, the German owner of the publishing empire PenguinRandomHouse, has made an all-cash offer of $2 billion to acquire Simon & Schuster, continues the relentless conglomeration that has marked global publishing for the past forty-plus years. If approved, the deal will leave only four gigantic… |

Brian Berletic (2020-11-27). Video: Why US-Funded Mobs Are Attacking Thai-Chinese Relations. globalresearch.ca Thailand's ongoing US-funded anti-government protests aren't "pro-democracy," they are anti-Chinese. | Just like in Hong Kong, the US is attempting to create crisis for China and its allies and impede both China's and Asia's rise upon the global stage. | I go …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-27). Breaking barricades, braving repression, farmers reach Indian capital Delhi. peoplesdispatch.org Tens of thousands of farmers rallied to India capital city New Delhi from the neighboring States, primarily from Haryana and Punjab. Despite everything the govt. threw at them, they marched on…

Christopher Robertson (2020-11-27). Conservatives backed the ideas behind Obamacare, so how did they come to hate it?>. salon.com Republicans like Newt Gingrich were the ones who came up with the blueprint for the Affordable Care Act…

_____ (2020-11-27). U.S. Election 'Success'… And Hey Presto 'Russian Interference' Disappears. strategic-culture.org The United States' election victory of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden has yet to be officially confirmed. That requires the 500-plus Electoral College comprising the 50 federal states to cast the final vote when the constitutional body meets on December 14. Biden holds a commanding lead of over 300 delegates in the Electoral College, more than 70 above Donald Trump's quota and decisively more than the 270 threshold required for election to the White House. | Nonetheless, already one thing is indisputably clear. Biden's nominal victory from the popular vote tallies is glaring proof that Russia did not i…

WSWS (2020-11-27). 'Popoy' Lagman: A Stalinist rival of the Communist Party of the Philippines. wsws.org While he rejected the armed struggle in the countryside, Lagman, like Sison, sought to subordinate Filipino workers to their class enemies, the bourgeoisie, in the name of national democracy.

Chauncey DeVega (2020-11-27). Take Trump's coup seriously. It's no joke — and Biden's win was just a sugar high. salon.com There's nothing "normal" about this moment. Even if Trump reluctantly leaves office, immense damage has been done…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-27). Iran offers full commitment to JCPOA if Biden decides to re-join the nuclear deal and lift all sanctions. peoplesdispatch.org The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and imposed various sanctions against Iran without any international approval…

Margaret Kimberley (2020-11-26). Freedom Rider: Censorship in the Biden era. mronline.org The corporate media have joined the incoming administration in deciding what we can and cannot see and hear.

Stephen Lendman (2020-11-26). US Propaganda War on China. globalresearch.ca US trade, legislative and propaganda war rage against China. | Will it turn hot after hawkish interventionists infesting the Biden/Harris regime's national security team take over in January? | Is what's unthinkable possible? What's gone on since the Obama/Biden regime's 2013 Asia …

Otto Koenig and Richard Detje (2020-11-26). Bolivia – the left returns to power. indybay.org The Bolivian people have proven that reason, dignity and fighting spirit cannot be suppressed either by a military coup or by government repression. The election result has implications not only for Bolivia, where it is an important step towards the restoration of democracy, but for the entire Latin American region in terms of democracy, national independence and economic and social progress.

sputniknews (2020-11-26). Trump Says COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery to Begin Next Week. sputniknews.com The US president previously said that the vaccine would be available before the 3 November presidential election, prompting criticism from Democrats who believed he was rushing its development.

teleSUR (2020-11-26). Millions of Farmers and Workers Protest Across India. telesurenglish.net India witnessed on Thursday the march of thousands of farmers to New Delhi and a national strike to which 250 million workers were called. | RELATED: | The states of Kerala, Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh were the scene of massive demonstrations by farmers against laws that allow large traders to purchase products directly from farmers. | "Instead of guaranteeing prices and bringing security to the mark…

Thomas Knapp (2020-11-26). American in Transition: What's the Hurry? counterpunch.org A November 23 headline at ABC News reads: "Joe Biden's presidential transition allowed to proceed after 16-day standoff." The 16 days in question, ABC tells us, are the 16 days since Biden "clinched the presidency." "Clinched the presidency" is ABC News-speak for "the media decided he won." In point of fact, the 2020 presidential election

DLI (2020-11-26). Bourgeois Democracy: Tyranny of the Minority. indybay.org The Nov. 3 Presidential election came close to being a third time that a minority-elected candidate got selected as the White House Occupant. Had 200,000 more ballots–less than 1/5 of 1% of total U.S. votes cast–in Michigan and Pennsylvania been cast in T-Rump's favor, the U.S. would have witnessed an absurd Tyranny of a Minority for the third time in the last 20 years. Only in the "Corporate-bin-Laden" media cocoon would the U.S. electoral system be deemed as the " beacon of democracy."

teleSUR (2020-11-26). TeleSUR Signal Returns to Bolivian Television. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Vice President David Choquehuanca announced that as of Wednesday teleSUR multi-media platform's signal will return to the Bolivian television after a year of being off the air by order of the coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez. | RELATED: | "The signal of Latin America's most important multi-media is back. Censorship is not the path to people's democracy. Today we celebrate freedom of expression," Choquehuanca…

Amanda Marcotte (2020-11-26). Thank you, Gritty, for rallying with us to save our democracy. salon.com The chaotic orange mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers became an icon of democracy in 2020…

sputniknews (2020-11-26). Trump Says Will Vacate White House if Electoral College Votes for Biden. sputniknews.com The incumbent US president has so far refused to concede to what he called "election fraud", vowing to continue his legal battle to ensure that all ballots cast in the 3 November election are legitimate.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-26). Biden's Cabinet likely to get US mired in more wars. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 26 (MNA) — Projected President-elect Joe Biden's top cabinet selections, deeply tied to the defense industry, will likely ensure US troops get stuck in more intractable military conflicts, analysts say.

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-11-25). Biden's Victory Does Not Guarantee a Progressive Agenda. We Must Fight for It. globalresearch.ca Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump is monumental. After four years of nonstop cruelty against workers, the poor, people of color, women, LBGTQ folks, immigrants, Muslims, the environment, the climate, and the foreign victims of Trump's bombs, we can …

Norman Solomon (2020-11-25). Hey Joe, Where You Going With That Pentagon in Your Hands? counterpunch.org By all accounts, the frontrunner to be Joe Biden's pick for Secretary of Defense is Michèle Flournoy. It's a prospect that should do more than set off alarm bells — it should be understood as a scenario for the president-elect to stick his middle fingers in the eyes of Americans who are fed up with endless war

Rosemarie Ho (2020-11-25). Bryan Washington on Fiction 'Outside the Bounds of Trauma'. thenation.com Bryan Washington on Fiction 'Outside the Bounds of Trauma'

Pip Hinman (2020-11-25). ADF revelations show war itself is the crime. greenleft.org.au Australia's role in Afghanistan wasn't a contribution to the cause of global peace or democracy: it helped destroy a country, argues Nick Riemer.