Daily Archives: December 21, 2020

2020-12-21: News Headlines

Ted Rall (2020-12-21). Will the Media's Newfound Stridency Continue Under Biden? counterpunch.org "In his first rally since losing the election last month, President Trump continued to spout conspiracy theories about voter fraud, falsely claiming that he had defeated President-elect Joe Biden." That was the lede of a news story in the December 5th Washington Post. The Associated Press took a similar tack. "President Donald Trump flooded his

Chris Hedges (2020-12-21). Chris Hedges: The Great Delusion. mintpressnews.com The real lesson we should learn from the rise of a demagogue such as Trump and a pandemic that our for-profit health care industry proved unable to contain is that we are losing control as a nation and as a species.

Alan Macleod (2020-12-21). Trump Enacts Sweeping New Sanctions on China, Iran, Venezuela. Biden Promises More To Come. mintpressnews.com The new sanctions come even as an estimated 100,000 people have been killed by American sanctions in Venezuela alone as vital medical equipment and lifesaving drugs have been blocked from entering the country.

Staff (2020-12-21). AOC Slams Democrats for Shutting Progressives Out of Policy Negotiations. truthout.org Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday voiced frustration with what she characterized as Democratic leaders' efforts to shut progressives out of key policy negotiations, a message that came as the details of a roughly $900 billion coronavirus relief package began to slowly trickle out just ahead of an expected vote. | "One major difference between GOP and Dems is that [Republicans] leverage their right flank to gain policy concessions and generate enthusiasm, while Dems lock their left…

Richard Lachmann, Michael Schwartz (2020-12-21). No Co-Sponsor of 'Medicare for All' Has Lost Reelection in the Past Decade (Even in GOP-Leaning Districts). commondreams.org Every single Congressional co-sponsor of these bills in the House and Senate who were up for reelection beat their Republican opponents in 2020. And in 2018. And in 2016. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/medicare_for_all_12_1.jpg

RT (2020-12-21). No reason to worry? WHO says new Covid-19 strain found in UK is no deadlier & only slightly more infectious than others. rt.com The World Health Organization has come forward to calm things down amid the anxiety over a new potentially 'highly infectious' Covid-19 strain found in the UK, saying it is not that different from other coronavirus strains. | "There is zero evidence that the new coronavirus variant increases severity of the disease," the WHO's Health Emergencies Program Chief Mike Ryan told at a press conference on Monday, citing data received from British scientists. | The risks faced by the people that catch this particular strain of the virus are pretty much the same as odds faced by other people suffering from Covid-19. Ac…

commondreams (2020-12-21). Center for Popular Democracy Network Statement on Proposed COVID Relief Package. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Norman Solomon (2020-12-21). Why Progressives Must Not Give Joe Biden a Political Honeymoon. indybay.org Need a clear alternative to toxic GOP pseudo-populism…

Telesur (2020-12-21). Will the Biden Administration Seek to Disrupt China's Presence in Latin America? globalresearch.ca While Donald Trump's policies towards Latin America sought to disrupt China's investments in the region, the ever-increasing presence of the Asian giant in the continent will be something with which the new Biden administration will have to contend. | China has …

Matt Sedlar (2020-12-21). Time to End Patent Monopolies. cepr.net Democracy See article on original site For several years the opioid crisis has been recognized as a major national catastrophe. Millions of people have become addicted to the new generation of opioid drugs. In many cases, this addiction has led to the destruction of families, job loss, crime, and suicide. At the peak of the …

Shannon Bugos (2020-12-21). Joe Biden and the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty: A Timeline of Inaction and Disingenuous Proposals. globalresearch.ca Upon entering office on January 20, 2021, President-elect Joe Biden will have 16 days before the last remaining treaty limiting US and Russian nuclear arsenals, the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ( The treaty limits …

_____ (2020-12-21). In Mainstream Media, Capitalism's Failures Are Always Your Fault. popularresistance.org Just a quick note: This show is about an existential threat to humanity – the growing gulf between the rich and the rest of us. But why do we need a show solely about the topic of inequality? Because almost every other social ill which threatens the quality of our lives and the state of our democracy is affected by the underlying imperative of rampant inequality. Well, how do I know this? Well just consider what happened this week in the catastrophic mess also known as Washington DC. Their well-heeled politicians and their lobbyist enablers found themselves at an impasse over much-needed aid for a country reeling…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-21). Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement Applaud Latest Economic Council Picks by Biden as 'Major Win'. commondreams.org Progressives on Monday applauded President-elect Joe Biden's selection of three new economic advisers who are expected to "prioritize the fight against structural inequality in our economy and democracy," including a former economic policy director to Sen. Elizabeth Warren. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1230050958_1.jpg

Online News Editor (2020-12-21). Mexican leader confident of good relations with US under Biden. laprensalatina.com Mexico City, Dec 21 (efe-epa).- Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday that he does not plan to seek in-person talks with Joe Biden once the Democrat is inaugurated as president of the United States on Jan. 20. "That wasn't discussed. There is no need," he said at his daily morning press conference when asked …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-21). Twitter updates label for Trump's misleading tweets. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (MNA) — Twitter has updated a label placed on misleading claims made by Donald Trump and others, that declares Joe Biden to have won the election.

Carl Boggs (2020-12-20). Belarus on the Edge. counterpunch.org The ascent of Joe Biden and his neocon "promoters of democracy" to the White House likely means renewed attention to the idea of Color Revolutions once thought to bring liberation to nations under the heel of dictators. First in line for this latest geopolitical blessing could be Belarus, already site of protracted street protests in

Aaliyah Harris (2020-12-20). Important wins for Bristol rent strikers, but the fight has only just begun. thecanary.co As the first term of university comes to an end, the battle for fair rent continues.On the job hunt? *Sigh*…: If coping with coronavirus (Covid-19), isolation, and

Jason O'Bryan (2020-12-20). How to make a Boulevardier, a delicious bourbon Negroni with a high-flying backstory. salon.com Plus, the story of the American who became a Parisian bon vivant and inventor of the cocktail…

Ryan Lattanzio (2020-12-20). "SNL": Colin Jost tricked into making whitewashed casting joke about Scarlett Johansson. salon.com "Weekend Update" hosts' annual "joke swap" segment led Jost to making a joke about his wife playing Sammy Davis, Jr…

Fight Back (2020-12-20). National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression demands release of Filipino trade unionists. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) demanding the release of jailed trade union leaders in the Philippines. | Greetings of solidarity to the Filipino people as they struggle courageously for the national liberation of their people from the bondage of U.S. imperialism | As always, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) stands in solidarity with the struggle of the Filipino people for national democracy and call for the immediate release of the HRDay7. Six trade unionists with the…

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2020-12-20). Tuesday 1/5: National Dr. George Washington Carver Recognition Day. indybay.org California State Capitol | Sacramento, California…

DLI (2020-12-19). Good riddance to the "PAT-riot" Act? indybay.org Moments ago, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard introduced a bill to retire the odious and repressive "PAT-riot" Act–a serious repression tool for the U.S. government to massively spy on ordinary citizens who aren't suspected of any illegal act. Rushed by Congress in the days after Sept. 11, 2001(it was said to contain more than 800 pages, and most Congressional members hadn't even read thru all the provisions, before passing it unanimously), it represented the greatest threat to civil liberties, and had long been overdue for retirement, except for the cowardice of a bi-partisan Congress, fearful of alienating the nation…

The Canary (2020-12-19). David Attenborough commends the US move to rejoin Paris Agreement. thecanary.co David Attenborough has said he cheered when he found out US President-elect Joe Biden plans to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change.The broadcaster, 94, said the world is facing a "real crisis" that could see the majority of the planet's major cities plunged beneath the oceans.He was speaking ahead of the launch of A Perfect Planet, a natural history series he has presented for the BBC. | Discussing the moment when it became clear Biden was to win the presidency and rejoin the Paris Agreement, Attenborough said: "I can't remember actually getting out of my seat and cheering all by myself until that moment…

Lucian K. Truscott IV (2020-12-19). Trump and the Republicans want to turn losing into winning — and it might work. salon.com Apparently it's not Trump's fault he lost. It was all those damn voters! Republicans are looking to fix that…

sputniknews (2020-12-19). WH Press Sec Kayleigh McEnany Reveals She Was Doxed, Bullied After Assuming Position. sputniknews.com White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany shed light on the way that she and other Republican women are treated by the media, accusing the press of bias toward conservatives and calling for "civility" toward everyone, regardless of party affiliation.

Aída Chávez (2020-12-18). AOC: Nancy Pelosi Needs to Go, but There's Nobody to Replace Her Yet. zcomm.org "We are currently negotiating to get and work towards real material concessions for the left that can move things into place, to help build power for the next two years"

John Davis (2020-12-18). What Shall We Call It? counterpunch.org There was no coup. American democracy worked as designed: it took the progressive energies unleashed in opposition to the Trump administration and entirely neutered them with the orderly election of the avuncular Joseph Biden, protector of the Empire, the military industrial complex, banking and finance, insurance, biotech, Silicon Valley, the revolving door bureaucracies of the Washington swamplands and the wheedling parasites of K Street.

Mark Gruenberg (2020-12-18). Republican Senate should get off its ass and help hurting people. peoplesworld.org Almost 14 million jobless people will lose their aid checks on Dec. 26. Twelve million renters could get eviction hearing notices, or evictions, that day. College students will have their loans called in, too. Underwater mortgage-holders would see their banks foreclose on them. Coronavirus cases keep rising. So do deaths. Hospitals are getting full of …

Melissa Harris-Perry, Dorian T. Warren (2020-12-18). Live: The 'System Check' Book Club. thenation.com pm EST for a livestreaming event.

South Front (2020-12-18). Video: Israel Will Take Care of Gulf Monarchies. US Alliance against Iran. globalresearch.ca Finally, democracy is coming to the Persian Gulf. | Israel announced plans to deploy a joint missile defense system in the Persian Gulf as a part of a joint effort with US- and Israeli-allied monarchies to deter Iran. | The idea was …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-18). UK Parliamentarians, the British Press and Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org The number of figures extolling the merits of Britain's Westminster system and how it supposedly embodies a glorious model of democracy are too numerous to mention. This is despite exploits by the government of Boris Johnson, marked by the appointment of unelected advisers with enviable, unaccountable powers and a record of assault on Parliament's scrutineering …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-18). UK Parliamentarians, the British Press and Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca The number of figures extolling the merits of Britain's Westminster system and how it supposedly embodies a glorious model of democracy are too numerous to mention. This is despite exploits by the government of Boris Johnson, marked by the appointment …

Editor (2020-12-18). Matt Tyrnauer: How Reagan Paved the Way for Trump. scheerpost.com Click to subscribe on: Apple / Spotify / Google Play Those who compare Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan, two Republican presidents with some of the most fiercely loyal followings in recent U.S. history, often bring up the most obvious parallel: they both showed up on our screens as a reality TV star and an actor long before they got into politics. Many, however, are quick to argue that the… |

Marlee Kokotovic (2020-12-18). Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urges career staffers to block Biden's agenda when he steps into office. nationofchange.org One of Biden's promises, when he becomes president, is to forgive some of the student loan debt by providing $10,000 of student debt relief.

Raven Geary (2020-12-18). 'The Status Quo Is Not Good Enough'. progressive.org Rahm Emanuel may not have won a role in the Biden Administration, but his disastrous policies as Chicago's mayor have become the standard for corporate Democrats in Illinois.

Karen Kwiatkowski (2020-12-18). America's Ongoing Imperial Scam. globalresearch.ca President-elect Joe Biden …

Steve Martinot (2020-12-18). The Killing Just Keeps Going On. counterpunch.org It is a Monday in late November, 2020, and I catch Amy Goodman ("Democracy Now") looking back on the weekend. A couple of months have passed since the massive demonstrations against police brutality, people shaking governments by the collar demanding that the pointless wanton arbitrary killing of black people stop. Organizations had formed and the

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-12-18). To Help 'Reshape How America Engages a Changed World,' Biden Given Slate of Progressive Foreign Policy Picks. commondreams.org "There are, in fact, an impressive number of people who could legitimately fill those jobs and question the dominant perspective on foreign policy and national security." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/biden_foreign_policy.jpg

Direct Action Everywhere (2020-12-18). Saturday 12/19: Let Dairy Die – Protest at Costco. indybay.org Franklin Square Park | 16th St & Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94110…