Daily Archives: December 16, 2020

2020-12-16: News Headlines

Pavan Kulkarni (2020-12-16). Resistance in the face of repression: India's striking farmers share their stories. peoplesworld.org DELHI—Across the rows of concrete barricades at the Tikri border blocking the entrance into New Delhi from the neighboring state of Haryana, a stretch of more than ten kilometers of Rohtak Road remains occupied by caravans of tens of thousands of farmers. They have journeyed hundreds of kilometers from different parts of Punjab and Haryana. …

The Jimmy Dore Show (2020-12-16). Jimmy Trending because AOC against Fighting for Medicare for All. dissidentvoice.org &nbsp…

South Front (2020-12-16). Video: Biden's Pyrrhic Election Victory. globalresearch.ca As predicted, the election turned out to be considerably closer than most pundits and polls predicted. In spite of polling that suggested Biden leading Trump by a margin of 5%-15%, in actuality the popular vote margin of victory turned out …

Rachel Domond (2020-12-16). Week of solidarity with Haiti confronts U.S. imperialism. liberationnews.org December 16 is the 30th anniversary of the first free and democratic election in Haitian history.

Staff (2020-12-16). Months After AOC Demand and Federal Suit, USPS Releases Redacted DeJoy Calendar. truthout.org Nearly four months after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Prof. Juan Cole (2020-12-16). Iran's Rouhani to Biden: We Will Fulfill Our Nuclear Obligations on Day One if You Return to 2015 Deal. globalresearch.ca

Edward Hunt (2020-12-16). Trump Is Prolonging the Civil War in Syria. progressive.org Under the Obama and Trump administrations, the unending war has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. But will Biden be any different?

Peter Koenig (2020-12-16). China's Economy of Peace. The End of Dollar Hegemony? globalresearch.ca Transcript of Peter Koenig's presentation to webinar Conference (14 December 2020), on "China's New Development Paradigm and High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation", China Center for Contemporary World Studies, and the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, …

Stansfield Smith (2020-12-16). What the US Constitution Specifies about Choosing the New President. dissidentvoice.org Regardless of the traditional bluster about the Founding Fathers and the world historic nature of the US Constitution, the electoral system it set up to choose a new president is far from democratic. We now find Trump attempting to use the Constitution as written to be "re-elected." Those who laud "our great democracy," claiming Trump …

_____ (2020-12-16). Democrats Make Wreck Of Covid-19 Relief Negotiations. popularresistance.org A senior Democratic congressional aide is irate tonight. | "The Democrats," the aide seethed, "have just done the worst negotiating in modern history." | At issue: a pair of new Covid-19 relief bills, just submitted by a bipartisan group of Senators. Republican Senator Susan Collins gushed that a"Christmas Miracle" allowed the two parties came together on the twin bills, which the press describes as totaling $748 billion and $160 billion, respectively. "Bipartisanship and compromise is [sic] alive and well in Washington," clucked West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin. | It sure is. With the election over, the Democr…

Harvey Goldberg (2020-12-16). Ecuador: Popular Progressive Alliance Wins Election Certification. indybay.org "#ThePresidentialTicketOfHope will be on the ballot on #7thFebruary. Thanks to everyone who was vigilant and mobilized! Thanks for international solidarity! The Ecuadorian people have enforced their right to choose in democracy," tweeted Andrés Arauz, candidate for President for UNES in response to his ticket being given firm certification by the election authorities. | Photo credit: Wikipedia…

teleSUR (2020-12-15). Bolivia: Electoral Fraud Case Against Ex-President Morales Voided. telesurenglish.net A Bolivian court Monday overturned the case filled by de facto authorities against former President Evo Morales (2006-2019), former Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, and other ex-ministers for alleged electoral fraud during the elections held in October last year. | RELATED: | The decision was approved by judge Claudia Castro who pointed out that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) failed to determine the occurrence of fraud in the 2019 presidentia…

Michael Berkowitz (2020-12-15). Frederick Wiseman's 'City Hall': Let us now praise democracy. peoplesworld.org Director Frederick Wiseman has gifted us with a movie for our times. City Hall is all about democracy—how it works, who does it, and why it is so vital. In a time of authoritarian challenges, it could not be more important. Wiseman's documentary is a brilliant mosaic. He pieces together the work of civil servants …

John Pilger (2020-12-15). The Most Lethal Virus is Not COVID. It is War. counterpunch.org In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Boris Johnson has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defence spending — a figure that would restore the under-resourced NHS many times over.

Sean Callebs (2020-12-15). The Heat: U.S. politics and COVID-19. america.cgtn.com The Electoral College votes to confirm the next president of the United States. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 deaths passes 300,000 in the U.S. as the first vaccinations begin. Nearly six weeks after Americans cast their ballots to elect Joe Biden as the next president, …

Patrick Cockburn (2020-12-15). Brexit Bluster Exposes the Waning of English Power. counterpunch.org I met pleased and gloomy people in the first half of last year when I travelled around the UK writing about the potential impact of Brexit. But by far the happiest of those I interviewed were veteran Irish republicans in Belfast, mostly present or past members of Sinn Fein, who had devoted their lives to

Editor (2020-12-15). Rouhani Tells Biden How to Get the Iran Deal Back on Track. scheerpost.com Asia Society / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Juan Cole / Informed Comment Iranian president Hassan Rouhani was asked Tuesday in an interview with a state-owned news outlet under what conditions Iran would return to the 2015 nuclear deal with the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5), including the U.S., plus Germany (+1) He replied, "A thing we are saying today is that if tomorrow morning the… |

Madhuri Grewal (2020-12-15). Biden Can End the Mass Detention of Immigrants. aclu.org This piece was originally published in

Stephen Lendman (2020-12-15). Trump Still Contesting Stolen Election 2020. globalresearch.ca "We wuz robbed" applies to US Election 2020 — decided by brazen fraud for losers Biden/Harris over winner Trump. | An illegitimate process prevailed over an open, free and fair one — the latter prohibited in all US federal elections for …

US Peace Council (2020-12-15). Regardless of Who Occupies the White House, The Decadent Trajectory of Neoliberalism Continues. globalresearch.ca November 3rd has passed and slightly more than a third of the eligible electorate chose the Democrat, slightly less than a third the Republican, and the remaining third chose none of the above by either not voting or casting …

James J. Zogby (2020-12-15). Biden and the JCPOA: Lessons from Arab and Iranian Public Opinion. globalresearch.ca With Joe Biden as President-elect and Donald Trump soon leaving the White House, analysts are engaging in endless speculation about what this change in administrations will mean for the future of the JCPOA, the "nuclear deal" negotiated between the P5+1 …

Mary Elizabeth Williams (2020-12-15). That Wall Street Journal op-ed about Dr. Jill Biden isn't just sexist — it's classist, too. salon.com There's nothing "unpromising" about caring for community college students. Prestige-chasing is drowning us in debt…

Shangyang Fang (2020-12-15). Serenade Behind a Floating Stage. thenation.com Serenade Behind a Floating Stage…

Labor Video Project (2020-12-14). Actions in SF, Oakland & San Jose To Demand Dropping Of Charges Against Assange/Snowden. indybay.org Speak-outs were held at the Congressional offices of Congresswomen Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren and the home of Nancy Pelosi on December 10 /11 to call for support for Congressional Resolutions 1175 and 1162 which called for dropping the charges against Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. A statement was already read by fomer OSHA WPP Investigator and lawyer Darrell Whitman representing Whistleblowers United.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-14). 'The Actual Scandalous Headline Is Medics Need Two Jobs to Survive': AOC Defends Paramedic Outed by NY Post. commondreams.org Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday night was among those who came to the defense of a New York City paramedic who the New York Post outed and attempted to shame in a recent article about her decision to earn extra money via nude modeling. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1213863341.png

commondreams (2020-12-14). Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Asks City to Detail COVID-19 Safety Measures at Rikers Island. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-12-14). Germany Unlikely to Pursue Independent Foreign Policy. Will Follow Biden. globalresearch.ca

Eve Upton-Clark (2020-12-14). Dean Spade: 'Mutual Aid Always Pops Up Where Disasters Are'. progressive.org The author, activist, and teacher discusses his new book, the differences between mutual aid and charity, and his expectations for the Biden presidency.

Badri Raina (2020-12-14). Red Scare and Love Scare: Two-Pronged McCarthyism Afflicts Indian Democracy. zcomm.org All protesters are being branded 'Maoists', and those who dare to love beyond the boundaries of their faith 'jihadists'

Andrew O'Hehir (2020-12-14). Trump, the Proud Boys and the Kraken: Is the #EndofDemocracy just a meme — or the real thing?>. salon.com Did Trump and his flunkeys "really" try to stage a coup? Is it really over? Those aren't even the right questions…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-14). 'The Will of the American People': Official Electoral College Vote Finalizes That Biden Won and Trump Lost. commondreams.org Despite a "cacophony of lies and disinformation" from the outgoing president, said one campaigner, the results are clear. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/electors.jpg

sputniknews (2020-12-14). US Republicans Four Times Likely Than Democrats to Refrain From Taking COVID-19 Vaccine – Poll. sputniknews.com On Monday, some people in the United States, the world's biggest pandemic hotspot, began receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, developed in cooperation between the US-based Pfizer and the German-based BioNTech SE companies, after the emergency use of the shot was authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-14). Borrel says EU should find ways to return US to JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) — The European Union's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, says the bloc should find a way with the Biden administration to return the US to its commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Pacifica Fighback (2020-12-14). Mumia for Pacifica Democracy; Court Attack on Pacifica Fails. indybay.org Mumia has come out against the centralized corporate bylaws being pushed in large part by a faction that controls KPFA. They recently tried to get a court to take-over Pacifica so they can break up the foundation and sell and shutdown other stations in the network. | They have secret millionaire backers who have hired a law firm that changes more than $300 an hour and submitted an 800 page document to the Court in Los Angeles for the court to seize Pacifica. This same group has been suing Pacifica for years and also pushed for voluntary bankruptcy.

Steve Watson (2020-12-14). NJ Lawmaker Wants Mandatory Corona Shot for All Kids Without Exemption. globalresearch.ca A State Senator in New Jersey wants the coronavirus vaccine made mandatory for all school age children, despite them being the least at risk group. | Middlesex Democrat Senator Joseph Vitale also wants to eliminate exemptions that have been used in …

Robert Freeman (2020-12-14). It's Time We Called It What It Is: Fascism. commondreams.org The epic thrash we're witnessing is because the forces of capitalism, seeing a terminal economic crash approaching, are attempting to preemptively replace democracy with authoritarianism—fascism—so that they can control the outcome. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/foodbanks.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-13). "In Case There Was Any Doubt Regarding 'Stand By'": Four People Stabbed After Pro-Trump DC Rally. commondreams.org "This is all on you, Republicans. You have enabled all of this." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12909295181.jpg

Ben Lilliston (2020-12-13). A Roadmap for the Biden-Harris Administration: Redesigning Farm Systems for the Climate Crisis. commondreams.org A just transition for farming must not only consider reforms to farm policy, but also aligned reforms in financial, trade, environmental, and competition policy. | www.flickr.com/photos/suziesfarm/11438035863

Fight Back (2020-12-13). Philippines: Labor movement demands release of Human Rights Day 7. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating this December 11 joint statement from the Council of Global Unions Philippine affiliates. | PH affiliates of global unions demand release of HRD7, stop arrests of PH unionists | We strongly deplore the simultaneous raids of residences and the consecutive arrests of trade union organizers, Dennise Velasco of Defend Jobs Philippines, Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Metro Manila, Mark Ryan Cruz, Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila, Jaymie Gregorio Jr. of KMU-Metro Manila, Joel Demate of Solidarity of Labor Rights and Welfare (SOLAR)…

Megan Sherman (2020-12-13). "Corona Procurements": Tory Corruption Is Eroding UK Democracy. globalresearch.ca The UK's governing Tory party is dishonestly flouting the rules of free and fair competition for Coronavirus related procurements, by unfairly selecting commissions, awarding contracts to class allies instead of the best or cheapest service provider. | The party frequently uses …