Daily Archives: November 26, 2020

2020-11-26: News Headlines

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 …

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.

John Pilger (2020-11-26). Britain's Class War on Children. zcomm.org Study after study shows that the people who suffer and die early from the diseases of poverty brought on by a poor diet, sub-standard housing and the priorities of the political elite and its hostile "welfare" officials — are working people…

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.

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."

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

Alan Macleod (2020-11-25). "Superheroes" and "Nice" Guys: Coverage of Biden's Hawkish Cabinet Picks is Predictably Lacking. mintpressnews.com 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.

Stephen Lendman (2020-11-25). Neoliberal Janet Yellen: Biden/Harris Regime's Choice for Treasury Secretary. globalresearch.ca In response to her selection, the Dow topped 30,000 for the first time in market history. | The disconnect between equity prices and Main Street reality is stark. | Since valuations plunged last winter, they've gone hyperbolic to record or near-record highs….

Staff (2020-11-25). Indigenous Groups Vow to Keep Resisting as Construction Is Approved for Enbridge Tar Sands Pipeline. democracynow.org A massive fight is brewing in Minnesota against the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit for the project this week. After years of resistance, pipeline construction is now set to begin by the end of the month despite the concerns of Indigenous communities, who say it would violate tribal sovereignty and contaminate the land and water. The controversial proposed pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to a terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, cutting through Indigenous territory in Minnesota and running under more than 200 streams. Construction could also b…

Staff (2020-11-25). Headlines for November 25, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Sees Deadliest Day in Pandemic in Over 6 Months as Hospitalizations Reach Record High, U.S. to Begin Pfizer Vaccine Distribution by Mid-December, France Readies to Ease Restrictions as Italy and Spain Record Highest Death Tolls of Second Wave, Russia Says Sputnik Vaccine Over 95% Effective, Biden National Security Appointments Focus on Multilateralism, International Cooperation, Trump Takes Credit for Historic Dow Jones Surge, Plans Election Hearing with Giuliani at Gettysburg, Donors Pledge $12 Billion in Afghan Aid as 14 Killed in Bamiyan in Latest Act of Violence, Ethiopia Warns of Imminent Attack in Tigr…

Staff (2020-11-25). Barbara Ransby & David Sirota Warn of Close Links Between Biden's Cabinet Picks & Corporate Power. democracynow.org President-elect Joe Biden declared "America is back" this week as he revealed some of the people who will staff his administration in key national security posts, vowing to roll back Donald Trump's "America First" foreign policy and embrace multilateralism. Among his picks are longtime adviser Tony Blinken for secretary of state, diplomatic veteran Linda Thomas-Greenfield as ambassador to the United Nations, and former Secretary of State John Kerry for a new Cabinet post as climate czar. Historian, author and activist Barbara Ransby says Biden's picks so far mostly come from the centrist establishment of the Demo…

Eds. (2020-11-25). Creeping fascism after the U.S. election: Trump's march to Gilead. mronline.org Phil Hearse responds to socialist critics of the creeping fascism thesis who put their faith in parliamentary democracy and liberals like Joe Biden.

Dr. Birsen Filip (2020-11-25). Cuba Successfully Halts Its COVID-19 Outbreak: A Reflection of the Socialist Revolution and the Legacy of Fidel Castro's Vision of Health Care. globalresearch.ca 'Private medicine grants privileges to those who have money to the detriment of those who do not have it and nothing could be more inhumane than that. It is unbelievable that rich societies that apply this and many other similar …

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 …

James Bovard (2020-11-25). How Many Syrians Did You Vote to Kill? counterpunch.org How many Syrians did you vote to kill on Election Day? Thanks to our perverse political system, the answer will be revealed over the next four years if the Biden administration drags the U.S. back into the Syrian Civil War. But there are steps that Trump can take in his final months in office to

Danny Sjursen (2020-11-25). What President Biden Won't Touch: Foreign Policy, Sacred Cows, and the U.S. Military. counterpunch.org In this mystifying moment,…

Betsey Piette (2020-11-25). Trump pushes ANWR drilling — what will Biden do? workers.org Defend the Sacred Alaska — Arctic Refuge rally, Fairbanks, Alaska, March 7, 2018. Since Nov. 7, corporate media has focused on President Donald Trump's refusal to accept his election defeat, labeling his actions "damaging to [the myth of bourgeois] democracy." Yet one of Trump's few concrete actions since the election . . . |

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'

Igor Derysh (2020-11-25). Mnuchin clawback may "sabotage" Biden by blocking $455B in COVID-19 funds — it may also be "illegal" salon.com A watchdog says Mnuchin's move violated the Cares Act. Democrats call it downright "corrupt"

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-11-25). New Poll Shows 68% of Americans Want Senators to Block Any Corporate Biden Nominees. commondreams.org Progressives are calling on the president-elect to reject a "Corporate Cabinet" and instead pick "people dedicated to working in service of the general welfare." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12297720201.jpg

_____ (2020-11-25). Framing Climate Change as a "National Security Priority" Isn't A Clever Maneuver To Get People To Care. popularresistance.org On November 23, President-elect Joe Biden announced that former Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry will serve as special envoy on climate and have a seat on the National Security Council. Kerry immediately followed the news with a tweet that declared, "America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is." | As laid out in Episode 122 of Citations Needed (the podcast I co-host), this "national security" approach to climate is loaded down with contradictions, PR spin, and potential dangers.

Anthony Cartalucci (2020-11-25). Why US-Funded Mobs Are Attacking Thai-Chinese Relations. thealtworld.com 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 over the close and ever-growing ties between Thailand and China and why the US is so determined to undo them. |
| References: | CGTN — Thailand, China ink key B…

sputniknews (2020-11-25). Are Interventions Back? What Biden's Potential Cabinet Picks Could Indicate About Future US Strategy. sputniknews.com Joe Biden's cabinet is bringing together prominent careerists from the previous Democratic administrations led by Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. International observers have discussed Biden's choices for his potential administration, outlining what its political priorities might be should the ex-vice president take office in January.

Dan Froomkin (2020-11-25). Biden's incoming press secretary needs to throw open the White House windows. salon.com There's an antidote to the lies, con games and cover-ups of the Trump era. But it's not getting back to "normal"

commondreams (2020-11-25). Biden: "We Already Have Significant Representation of Progressives in Our Administration" commondreams.org ______________________________…

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.

Stephen Lendman (2020-11-24). Biden/Harris Regime's "War Cabinet" Taking Shape. globalresearch.ca Throughout most of…

Staff (2020-11-24). Betting Pool? Tyson Managers Bet on How Many Workers Would Get COVID. Advocates Call It Grim Pattern. democracynow.org The family of a former meatpacker who died from COVID-19 alleges in a lawsuit that managers at a Tyson Foods plant in Iowa knew working conditions would result in illness, and even placed bets on how many workers would be infected. The family of Isidro Fernandez, who died in April, says the plant manager set up a winner-take-all betting pool for supervisors and managers to wager on coronavirus infections. Since the start of the pandemic, at least six workers have died and more than 1,000 tested positive for COVID-19 at the Iowa facility. Tyson Foods has suspended the managers involved in the alleged betting schem…

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-11-24). This Is Your Brain On Echo Chambers: Right Calls Biden A Xi Puppet As He Packs His Cabinet With China Hawks. thealtworld.com This is your brain: This is your brain on media echo chambers: Joe Biden set to appoint …

_____ (2020-11-24). Indigenous Peoples' Victory: Largest Dam Removal In The World. popularresistance.org After nearly two decades, Indigenous Peoples win an agreement for the largest dam removal in the world. Four of the six dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon will be taken down, allowing the water to flow freely again and the salmon to spawn. This is a powerful story of how four tribes put aside their past conflicts to work together and environmental groups participated in an indigenous-led campaign that took on two of the wealthiest men in the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. And this is an example of why, if we want to succeed in restoring our relationship with the earth, Indigenous Peoples mu…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-11-24). 'Total Reset' is Wishful Thinking: The Daunting Task of Reordering US Foreign Policy. counterpunch.org A new term has imposed itself on the conversation regarding the impending presidency of US President-elect, Joe Biden: "The Total Reset". Many headlines have already promised that the Biden Presidency is ready to 'reset' US foreign policy across the globe, as if the matter is dependent solely on an American desire and decision. While a

Eds. (2020-11-24). How Joe Biden plans to make the American empire great again. mronline.org Behind his rhetoric, Joe Biden will seek nothing less than global supremacy, escalating a new and even more dangerous arms race that risks the destruction of humanity, what he calls "decency" and "normalcy."

Musawenkosi Cabe (2020-11-24). South Africa's constitutional Court protects domestic workers. peoplesdispatch.org "It's unbelievable. We feel like flying, we are so happy. I nearly broke into song inside [the Constitutional Court], breaking the law…" These were the words of 77-year-old Eunice Dhladhla, a domestic workers' union organizer, after the court ended years of unfair exclusion and discrimination against domestic workers. | Twenty-six years into democracy, and still domestic workers could not claim compensation for contracting a disease, being injured or disabled, or even dying while at work. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Act expressly excluded domestic workers from the class of workers who…

John Catalinotto (2020-11-24). Commentary — Active forces decide political struggles ‚àí battling #45. workers.org If the political struggle were determined simply by adding up potential forces, #45 would be meeting now with Joe Biden, and the two would be preparing the next capitalist administration of the U.S. government. Celebrations in Atlanta's streets over Trump's defeat, Nov. 7. Have no illusions. Both Republicans and Democrats . . . |

Dean Baker (2020-11-24). How Many Lives Would Have Been Saved, If We Had Cooperated on a Vaccine With China? counterpunch.org We know that Republican office holders are not allowed to say that Joe Biden won the election. Apparently there is a similar ban in place for news outlets when it comes to the question of the United States collaborating with China, and other countries, in developing vaccines against the pandemic. In recent days, there have

Azad Essa (2020-11-24). EXCLUSIVE: Ilhan Omar calls for end to American sponsorship of police brutality. middleeasteye.net EXCLUSIVE: Ilhan Omar calls for end to American sponsorship of police brutality | Congresswoman to introduce resolution condemning police brutality, which could have implications for arms sales to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, MEE can reveal | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 16: 55 | Draft resolution urges US arms manufacturers to stop the sale of lethal and non-lethal weapons to countries with documented patterns of police bruta…

Finian Cunningham (2020-11-24). US Back to 'Normal' Imperialism. thealtworld.com The next US administration is taking shape with President-elect Joe Biden naming his picks to top cabinet posts and national security. It heralds a return to "normal" US imperialism and militarism. That is something to dread not celebrate, as American and European media would have us believe. | The incoming Democrat president, who is due to be inaugurated on January 20, is cheerfully

Evelyn Leopold (2020-11-24). Biden is Facing a Showdown on Iran Sanctions. counterpunch.org President Trump has called the Obama-initiated nuclear agreement for Iran a "horrible one-sided deal" and withdrew from it in 2018. Except he really didn't. This past summer, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began a series of appeals to the UN Security Council, saying that the United States was still a member of the deal, based

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-11-24). Demanding Reversal of Trump Cruelty, Immigrant Rights Groups Welcome Biden Pick of Mayorkas for DHS Secretary. commondreams.org The former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was a key architect of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and also expanded fee waivers for naturalization and immigration applications. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/alejandro_mayorkas.jpg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-11-24). 'I Stand With the Amazon Warehouse Workers': Bernie Sanders Throws Support Behind Bold Union Drive in Alabama. commondreams.org "If Amazon workers in Alabama—a strong anti-union state—vote to form a union, it will be a shot heard around the world." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-6282941302_0.jpg

commondreams (2020-11-24). American Sustainable Business Council and Social Venture Circle Look Forward to Working with John Kerry, Climate Envoy to the Biden Administration. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Amanda Marcotte (2020-11-24). Give it a rest, Republicans — no one wants to take away Turkey Day. salon.com The imaginary "war on Thanksgiving" is just Republicans grasping for post-Trump bulls**t to rile up the base…

commondreams (2020-11-24). MPower Change Organizing Director Ishraq Ali Releases Statement on President-Elect Biden's Nomination of Avril Haines as National Security Advisor. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Matthew Rozsa (2020-11-24). A reliable pandemic forecasting model says cases will nearly double by Inauguration Day. salon.com As case numbers explode across the country, Biden is poised to inherit a drastically worse crisis…

Peter Geoghegan (2020-11-24). UK Government Running 'Orwellian' Unit to Block Release of 'Sensitive' Information. globalresearch.ca Secretive Cabinet Office 'Clearing House' for Freedom of Information requests also accused of "blacklisting" journalists; openDemocracy launching a legal bid for transparency | *** | The British government has been accused of running an 'Orwellian' unit in Michael Gove's office that …

Julia Rock (2020-11-24). Joe Biden's New National Security Picks Are Very Troubling. globalresearch.ca Joe Biden's first national security hires have been consulting for defense contractors or working for industry-funded think tanks. The picks are of a piece with Biden's entire career of backing US imperialism rather than bucking it. | *** |

Joe Biden's early …

Newsclick (2020-11-24). Two days ahead of historic strike, Indian trade unionists and farmers' leaders arrested. peoplesdispatch.org Organizers of the historic general strike said the arrest of 31 leaders of trade unions and farmers' movements in the State of Haryana would not dampen the protests. Over 200 million workers and hundreds of thousands of farmers will take part in the protest…

WSWS (2020-11-24). A month after being hired at suburban Detroit Fiat Chrysler plant, worker dies from COVID-19. wsws.org Stevie Brown, a temporary part-time worker at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, is the latest victim of the murderous policy of keeping the factories open even as they have become a major vector in the spread of the deadly disease.

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-11-24). Defenders of US Public Schools Call on Biden to Ditch Trump's Disastrous Education Policies—and Obama's Too. commondreams.org "50.8 million children who attend real public schools need a secretary of education who will be their advocate, not an advocate for privatization." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/public_ed.jpg

commondreams (2020-11-24). Democracy 21 Calls on Democratic Representatives to Again Vote for the For the People Act in the New Congress. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Whitney Webb (2020-11-23). Whitney Webb & PARASCRIPT, Biden's SOS Big Tech Warhawk, Establishment Coup & more! thealtworld.com Whitney Webb & PARASCRIPT, Biden's SOS Big Tech Warhawk, Establishment Coup & more!

Staff (2020-11-23). A People's Vaccine? Drugmakers Set to Profit from COVID Vaccines Made with Publicly Funded Research. democracynow.org With the world pinning its hopes on a successful coronavirus vaccine to curb the pandemic, corporate watchdogs say much of the research and development of the medicines rely on publicly funded research. "The investment in these vaccines, as for most drugs, has really been underwritten by the taxpayer, by the government," says Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen.

Howard Lisnoff (2020-11-23). Crashing Against the Glass Ceiling. counterpunch.org During Bernie Sanders' most recent run for the presidency, the issue of his religious/ethnic background raised a recurrent theme of Jews who are seen as too politically left to rise to the highest levels of the US government. Sanders considered himself a socialist, but his campaign policy positions and history place him in a mild

Walter Smolarek (2020-11-23). Biden to unveil cabinet picks: Hyper-militarist, pro-Wall Street administration takes shape. liberationnews.org Desperately-needed reforms under an administration so thoroughly imperialist and reactionary can only be secured through determined, militant struggle.

Walden Bello (2020-11-23). What Will a Biden Presidency Mean for the Asia-Pacific Region? counterpunch.org Assuming Joe Biden will take the reins of the presidency on January 20, 2021, what will his likely policies toward the Asia-Pacific region look like? It is unlikely that Joe Biden will continue Trump's trade war with China. That would simply be too destabilizing for everyone. Not only is the U.S. greatly dependent on China

Editor (2020-11-23). What President Biden Simply Won't Touch. scheerpost.com The U.S. Army / CC BY 2.0] By Maj. Danny Sjursen / TomDispatch In this mystifying moment,…

commondreams (2020-11-23). 350.Org on Biden Appointing John Kerry as International Climate Envoy. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2020-11-23). U.S. Set To Retake Global Leadership on Climate With Choice of John Kerry as Biden's "Climate Czar". commondreams.org ______________________________…

ibasid (2020-11-23). Video: The Day of Democratic Shame. The Berlin November 18 Rally against The Lockdown. Police Repression. globalresearch.ca 18.11.2020 — Tag der demokratischen Schande — Die etwas andere Perspektive. | Police repression is being routinely carried out in response to Germany's Infection Protection Law which denies fundamental rights to oppose the Merkel government's lockdown policies, which have triggered unemployment …

Staff (2020-11-23). Drugmakers Will Profit Off COVID Vaccines Generated by Taxpayer-Funded Research. truthout.org With the world pinning its hopes on a successful coronavirus vaccine to curb the pandemic, corporate watchdogs say much of the research and development of the medicines rely on public funding. "The investment in these vaccines, as for most drugs, has really been underwritten by the taxpayer, by the government," says Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! The Quarantine Report. I'm Amy Goodma…

Jeff Bryant (2020-11-23). Bad Leadership Drove Schools into Crisis. progressive.org COVID-19 exposed how important teachers are to students and families—but politicians and policy leaders are still not listening to them.

sputniknews (2020-11-23). Just to Babble in the Back Room. sputniknews.com On today's episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed the news of the day, including Biden's incoming cabinet, protests against COVID-19 lockdowns in Germany, and the Trump team distancing themselves from Sidney Powell.

commondreams (2020-11-23). Biden Administration Must Remove Trump Holdovers On Day One. commondreams.org ______________________________…

M Kilian, H Wetzer and C Zaschke (2020-11-23). Trump's United States looks more and more like a banana republic. indybay.org "The country that was once an exemplary democracy is becoming a Third World banana republic," he says.For a week now, Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the election and future president. But the loser and previous incumbent Donald Trump refuses to acknowledge this. Trump claims he won the election and Biden wants to take the victory away from him. Trump calls the votes that cast for him "legal."

teleSUR (2020-11-23). Biden Announces His Administration's Top Foreign Policy Team. telesurenglish.net U.S. President-elect Joe Biden announced Monday his foreign policy leadership team, including Antony Blinken, who briefly served as deputy secretary of state during the second Obama administration. | Biden also has tapped Jake Sullivan to be his administration's national security adviser and Linda Thomas-Greenfield as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Sullivan served as deputy assistant to Obama as well as a senior policy adviser to 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. Thomas-Greenfield was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under Obama as well as the top hu…

Elijah Magnier (2020-11-23). L'Irak fera monter la pression sur Joe Biden et vice versa (3). thealtworld.com En

Elijah Magnier (2020-11-23). Why Iraq is expected to be hot for Joe Biden and vice-versa? (3). thealtworld.com Last