(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). 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). Bolivarian Social Democracy Triumphs in Venezuelan National Assembly Elections. globalresearch.ca On Sunday, Venezuelans voted to elect 277 National Assembly members for five-year terms from January 5, 2021 to January 5, 2026. | An unprecedented total of 14,400 candidates from 107 political parties ran for office. | Two Bolivarian blocs were heavy favorites …
(2020-12-08). Trump Exits Somalia. counterpunch.org These are things that might have been done earlier. During the last, flickering days of the Trump administration, activity is being witnessed across countries which have a US troop presence. Numbers are being reduced. Security wonks are getting the jitters. Is the imperium shrinking? Will President elect Joe Biden wake up and reverse the trend?
(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). Black Mom Swarmed & Beaten by Philly Riot Police with Toddler in Car Demands Officers Be Fired. democracynow.org 
A Black mother who was attacked by a horde of Philadelphia police officers is speaking out about the harrowing experience. Rickia Young was driving an SUV with her 2-year-old son and teenage nephew on October 27 as the city was engulfed in protest over the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. earlier that day. Officers descended on the vehicle, broke its windows, assaulted and arrested her and separated her from her child. Young's arrest went viral due to a shocking video of the police swarming her vehicle, and after the National Fraternal Order of Police — the country's largest police union — posted…
(2020-12-08). In Blow to Drug War, House Backs Decriminalizing Pot as Voters OK Legalization Ballot Initiatives. democracynow.org 
We look at how the House of Representative voted Friday to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and "address the devastating injustices caused by the War on Drugs," as voters in Arizona and New Jersey approved ballot measures in November that legalize the possession and use of recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and up. Oregon also became the first state to decriminalize low-level drug possession while legalizing the recreational use of psychedelic mushrooms under Measure 110. Ronald Newman, national political director for the American Civil Liberties Union, says the overall trend toward undoing the…
(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). After Prop 22 Win for Uber & Lyft, Advocates Fear New Wave of Anti-Worker Laws Pushed by Big Tech. democracynow.org 
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft scored a major victory with the passage of Proposition 22 in California, and worker rights advocates fear they will push similar measures in other states. Prop 22 will exempt companies in the so-called gig economy from having to classify their workers in the state as employees rather than as independent contractors. Uber, Lyft and other companies that rely on gig workers spent more than $200 million to promote Prop 22, and a survey of California voters who voted "yes" on the measure showed 40% thought they were supporting gig workers' ability to earn a living wage, even though…
(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). Game over for monopolists? indybay.org Elizabeth Warren, for instance, seeks to break up large technology platforms and then use public utility rules to make sure that there are no conflicts of interest in the dominant platform business model. In other words, if you operate a marketplace and set its rules, you cannot also sell products on it.
(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). President Maduro: 'Democracy Triumphs, a New Cycle Begins'. telesurenglish.net President Nicolas Maduro Monday congratulated the Great Patriotic Pole, a coalition of leftist political organizations, for its victory and the Venezuelan people for the democratic vocation expressed in the elections held on Dec. 6. | RELATED: | "Venezuela has a new Assembly. This is a great victory for democracy and the country's Constitution. Five years ago we recognized the opposition's triumph, but today it was…
(2020-12-07). Black Voters Matter: Group Sues Georgia for Purging 200,000 Voters Ahead of 2020 Election. democracynow.org 
On the voter registration deadline for Georgians who want to vote in two Senate runoff elections on January 5, we speak with Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, about why the state is "ground zero" for Republican voter suppression efforts. Black Voters Matter has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Georgia's current secretary of state improperly removed nearly 200,000 voters from the rolls. Those voters "were purged illegally" ahead of the 2020 election and almost certainly affected the results, says Albright. "At the end of the day, this election … should not have even been c…
(2020-12-07). Georgia Runoffs: Democrats Aim to Take Senate as Republicans Back Trump Attack on Election Integrity. democracynow.org 
Two Georgia Senate runoff elections on January 5 will decide who controls the upper chamber and whether the Biden administration will be able to pass its ambitious policy agenda. If Democrats succeed in unseating Georgia's two senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the Senate will be split 50-50, with incoming Vice President Kamala Harris able to cast tie-breaking votes. In two debates Sunday night, Perdue skipped his debate with challenger Jon Ossoff, who took the stage opposite an empty podium, and Loeffler faced off against Reverend Raphael Warnock. We play excerpts and host a discussion with author and Em…
(2020-12-07). Civil Rights Lawyer Bryan Stevenson Wins "Alternative Nobel" for Work Against Mass Incarceration. democracynow.org 
Civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, was one of four human rights defenders to win this year's Right Livelihood Award on December 3. "I work in a country that has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. I work against a system that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent," he said in accepting the honor. "We work to overturn this horrific era of mass incarceration in America that has been brought about by the politics of fear and anger." We feature his full acceptance speech of the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the…
(2020-12-07). If Biden wants to unite the country, one thing is clear: Dump the corporate lobbyists. salon.com Americans are divided and polarized, yes. But large majorities want to curb corporate influence in government…
(2020-12-07). Republican Senator Tries to Prevent the US from an Alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood. globalresearch.ca
(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.
(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). 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). 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). Group Sues Georgia for Purging 200,000 Voters Ahead of 2020 Election. truthout.org On the voter registration deadline for Georgians who want to vote in two Senate runoff elections on January 5, we speak with Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, about why the state is "ground zero" for Republican voter suppression efforts. Black Voters Matter has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Georgia's current secretary of state improperly removed nearly 200,000 voters from the rolls. Those voters "were purged illegally" ahead of the 2020 election and almost ce…
(2020-12-07). DR Congo: Political tensions, armed attacks, displacement and COVID threats continue. news.un.org There is a critical need for State institutions in the Democratic Republic of the‚ÄØCongo‚ÄØ(DRC) to provide more stability and safety for citizens facing multiple threats, the head of the UN mission there told the Security Council on Monday.
(2020-12-07). American Democracy Is a Fiction & Who Do Republicans Represent? thealtworld.com As my article this morning on this 79th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor illustrates | , governments use deception to bring people in agreement with the agendas of those who control government. The cost of such deceptions usually exceed the benefits. Ruinous wars result, and the unity required to cement a country together can be destroyed. | I believe the latter has happened with the stolen US presidential election. It is cer…
(2020-12-07). Citing 'Historic Abuse' of Judicial Process, Over 1,500 Attorneys Call for Sanction of Trump Campaign's Legal Team. commondreams.org "Every attorney, including the organized bar and disciplinary authorities, should disavow lawyers who trample the truth and undermine democracy through their false statements." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12299184751.jpg …
(2020-12-07). Biden's Iran Deal Faces Iran's 'Red Pill'. strategic-culture.org Biden says he wants — through diplomacy — And now, four years on, the prospect of failure seems assured — firstly by the hostages to…
(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). The Polisario Front Asks the African Union To Sanction Morocco. telesurenglish.net The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) President and Polisario Front Secretary, Brahim Ghali, called on the African Union (AU) to apply sanctions to Morocco for its occupation of Western Sahara and to adopt greater forcefulness to stop its expansionist practices. | RELATED: | "The African Peace and Security Council must decisively take a firm stance in the face of aggression against the Saharawi people," Ghali said during the 14…