2021-01-02: News Headlines

Edwin Nieblas-Bedolla (2021-01-02). [Correspondence] Legalisation of undocumented immigrants in the USA. thelancet.com In November, 2020, Joseph R Biden Junior was elected to become president of the USA. During his presidential campaign, Biden placed great emphasis on immigration and vowed to reverse many of the existing policies that were enacted under the leadership of President Donald Trump.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-02). 140 Republicans to vote to bolster Trump, stop biden. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) — To disrupt Congress, bolster Trump, and avoid Biden to become the next US President, around 140 Republicans are expected to vote against the counting of Electoral College votes.

Online News Editor (2021-01-02). One year after Soleimani's assassination, Iraq remains in cross fire. laprensalatina.com By Nawar Alrikabi and Francesca Cicardi Baghdad/Cairo, Jan 2 (efe-epa).- A year after the assassination of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani by the United States in Baghdad, Iraq remains caught in crossfire between the US and Iran. Similar attacks could still play out, although the arrival of the more moderate Joe Biden in the White …

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2021-01-02). Black Agriculture vs. Black Farmer: Remembering George Washington Carver Recognition Day. indybay.org The National Holiday Recognizing George Washington Carver remains cloaked in mystery. Hint: It not USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack the problem, few "Black Farm Leaders" will even will say George Washington Carvers's name or share his journey.

Charlotte Dennett (2021-01-01). The Georgia Fraud Story You Haven't Heard: Sec of State Raffensperger Speaks With a Forked Tongue. counterpunch.org In recent weeks, the news filling American living rooms is that Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, bravely stood up to President Trump's claim of voter fraud in the November 2020 elections and continues to do so now that Georgians are heading to the polls next week to decide a crucial runoff election that

Erik Molvar (2021-01-01). The Times Call for a Bold Conservation Agenda, Will Biden Seize the Moment? counterpunch.org For four long years, Donald Trump and his industry cronies have waged war on lands, wildlife, climate, and science itself. They leave behind a legacy of shattered agencies, broken regulations, and demoralized public servants. At the same time, America's awareness of environmental justice disparities — and the moral imperative to alleviate the burdens of pollution

Alan MacLeod (2021-01-01). Fingers point to U.S.-backed Gov't in Colombia's ninetieth massacre of the Year. mronline.org "The Trump administration waged a full scale campaign to undermine Colombia's peace accords. We must not waste our time hoping the Biden administration might reverse course, we must demand it." — James Jordan, Alliance for Global Justice…

Joseph Natoli (2021-01-01). Right Now: The New Year. counterpunch.org "[S]ocial media had provided a breeding ground for fanaticism, authoritarianism, and nihilism. It had also proved to be easily manipulated, not least by foreign agents." — Jill LePore, These Truths President-elect Biden may succeed in forming an administration that represents differences of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, and gender identity but the disruptive differences regarding truth, reality,

Staff (2021-01-01). Dr. Paul Farmer: Centuries of Inequality in the U.S. Laid Groundwork for Pandemic Devastation. democracynow.org As the United States sets records for COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, we speak with one of the world's leading experts on infectious diseases, Dr. Paul Farmer, who says the devastating death toll in the U.S. reflects decades of underinvestment in public health and centuries of social inequality. "All the social pathologies of our nation come to the fore during epidemics," says Dr. Farmer, a professor of medicine at Harvard University, chair of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-founder and chief strategist of Partners in Health.

Staff (2021-01-01). Colonization Fueled Ebola: Dr. Paul Farmer on "Fevers, Feuds & Diamonds" & Lessons from West Africa. democracynow.org We continue our conversation with medical anthropologist Dr. Paul Farmer, whose new book, "Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds," tells the story of his efforts to fight Ebola in 2014 and how the history of slavery, colonialism and violence in West Africa exacerbated the outbreak. "Care for Ebola is not rocket science," says Dr. Farmer, who notes that doctors know how to treat sick patients. But the public health response was overwhelmingly focused not on care but containment, Dr. Farmer says, which "generated very painful echoes from colonial rule."

Staff (2021-01-01). People's Vaccine: Calls Grow for Equal Access to Coronavirus Vaccine as Rich Countries Hoard Supply. democracynow.org While the United States, Britain and other wealthy countries race to vaccinate their populations against the coronavirus, a new report finds that as much as 90% of the population in dozens of poorer countries could be forced to wait until at least 2022 because wealthy countries are hoarding so much of the vaccine supply. A growing movement is calling for the development of a people's vaccine and the suspension of intellectual property rights to expand access. We speak with Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, a policy adviser to the People's Vaccine Alliance, and Achal Prabhala, a public health advocate and coordinator of the…

_____ (2021-01-01). Biden Predicts Surge In Deaths. popularresistance.org On Tuesday, Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gave what was billed as a "major speech" on the coronavirus pandemic. He spoke following a meeting with his coronavirus advisory panel. | In perfunctory remarks that lasted barely 15 minutes, Biden provided a grim description of the mass death already occurring and predicted that things would get only worse in the coming months. "We will lose tens of thousands more lives in the months to come," he said. "Hospitals are being stretched beyond capacity. That is data before the impact of cases coming from the holidays and this coming holiday of New Year's Eve. | "We ha…

Staff (2021-01-01). 2020's Legislative Attacks on Gig Workers Will Change Labor Forever. truthout.org In 2020, we saw perhaps the largest protest movement in U.S. history, a presidential election whose outcome could have changed the nature of U.S. democracy, a global pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands and has completely transformed everyday life, and a recession that has left millions unemployed. | Buried in all of these momentous events, something happened which could take labor laws in the United States down a dangerous road. California's Proposition 22 was the most expensive ballot initi…

Online News Editor (2021-01-01). US senator from Georgia enters 14-day quarantine before key runoff race. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Republican Senator from Georgia David Perdue on Thursday began a 14-day quarantine after having contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19, a situation that complicates his party's campaign to retain his Senate seat five days before key runoff elections in his state. Perdue is one of two GOP senators …

Dr. Birsen Filip (2021-01-01). The 62nd Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution: An Unprecedented Chapter in World History. globalresearch.ca January 2019: Cubans are commemorating the 60th anniversary of their independence. On this day in 1959, the Cuban Revolution was successfully conducted by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement[i] and became an enduring symbol of resistance to neo-colonialism, capitalism, and hegemony.

Derek Royden (2021-01-01). Biden/Harris and the progressive case against a 'return to normal'. nationofchange.org Come January 20th, the American left will need to be ready to fight for a seat at the table in an incoming administration that seems less and less inclined to woo them the closer he gets to taking office.

Online News Editor (2021-01-01). US Senate overrides Trump's veto of bill funding the military. laprensalatina.com Washington, Jan 1 (efe-epa).- The Republican-controlled US Senate voted overwhelmingly Friday to override outgoing President Donald Trump's veto of the $741 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House of Representatives, where Democrats are in the majority, overrode the veto on Monday, so the path is now clear for the bill to become law. Though …

Online News Editor (2021-01-01). Myanmar rebels free 3 abducted politicians in Rakhine. laprensalatina.com Yangon, Myanmar, Jan 1 (efe-epa).- Guerrillas of the Arakan Army on Friday released three politicians of the ruling party in Myanmar who were kidnapped during the election campaign in October, officials said. "We are told that our candidates have been released but they have not called us yet. We understand that they are in a …

Ryan Nebeker (2021-01-01). The sustainability challenges that threaten the agave industry. salon.com The growing demand for agave has led some farmers to turn to environmentally taxing production methods…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-01-01). 81 Senators Vote to Override Trump Veto of NDAA as GOP Continues to Block $2,000 Relief Checks. commondreams.org "At a time when so many Americans are facing economic desperation," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, "it is tragic that the Republican leadership has turned their backs on the working families of this country." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12300975631.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-01-01). Biden Cabinet Picks Blinken and Yellen Each Made Over $1 Million From Corporate Clients and Speeches. commondreams.org "This crap is why Washington doesn't change," said one critic in response to the new financial disclosures. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/blank_955_x_500.png

sputniknews (2021-01-01). Office of Management and Budget Rejects Biden's Claims of Obstructing Transition. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) dismissed as false President-elect Joe Biden's statements in which he accused the OMB of obstructing the presidential transition process.

sputniknews (2021-01-01). 'Real-Life Indiana Jones' Paved Way for Biblical Discovery at Temple Mount, Media Says. sputniknews.com Commenting on the possible significance of Warren's efforts, Professor Tom Meyer asserted that their discovery helps to prove the potential existence of a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount.

Staff (2021-01-01). Reproductive Rights Advocates Say Ohio Fetal Remains Bill Is Unconstitutional. truthout.org Reproductive rights and civil liberties groups condemned as "unconstitutional and medically unnecessary" a bill signed into law Wednesday by Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains resulting from abortion. |

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2021-01-01). 2020 California State Capitol – Racism in the Farm to Fork Capitol. indybay.org Our 22nd Annual, 2020 California State Capitol Kwanzaa continues a special tradition in the seat of authority of our Great State of California, Farm to Fork Capitol of America, where "Racism" is officially a Public Health Crisis throughout the Capitol Region.

The Jimmy Dore Show (2020-12-31). #ForceTheVote Pressure Growing from Inside. dissidentvoice.org Force The Vote! We demand that every progressive in Congress refuse to vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House until she publicly pledges to bring Medicare for all to the floor of the House for a vote in January: forcethevote.org/

_____ (2020-12-31). The Death Of Democracy In Brazil. popularresistance.org The dismantling of Brazil's democracy, which culminated in the jailing of former president Lula Da Silva as he looked certain to be reelected, is the subject of a new English-language investigative podcast. | Cícero Ezequiel Filho lay beneath the sweltering sun of Brazil's capital, Brasilia. He wore khaki shorts, John Lennon glasses and a long white beard, which stretched far below his chin and over a red long-sleeved shirt with the face of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the front. | When I met him in August 2018, Cícero had been outside Brazil's Supreme Court for two weeks. He refused to eat until…

Eds. (2020-12-31). When Bolivians defeated U.S. imperialism with democracy. mronline.org The resounding victory of the MAS presidential ticket in the elections held on October 18 came after a year of struggle against the U.S.-backed coup regime.

Lily Galili (2020-12-31). Why Israel is now delighted about the Arab Spring. middleeasteye.net Why Israel is now delighted about the Arab Spring | The self-styled 'only democracy in the Middle East' was never comfortable with pro-democracy protests. But the autocratic counter-revolution that followed gave it new friends | Thu, 12/31/2020 – 12: 51 | A Palestinian boy walks past a section of Israel's separation wall and a billboard that reads in Arabic "The Arab Spring Coffee Shop" in the West Bank…

Staff (2020-12-31). "America's Moment of Reckoning": Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Cornel West on Uprising Against Racism. democracynow.org Scholars Cornel West and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor respond to the global uprising against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "We're seeing the convergence of a class rebellion with racism and racial terrorism at the center of it," said Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. "And in many ways, we are in uncharted territory in the United States."

Staff (2020-12-31). The Freedom Struggle in 2020: Angela Davis on Protests, Defunding Police & Toppling Racist Statues. democracynow.org In a Democracy Now! special, we revisit our June 2020 interview with the legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis about the uprising against police brutality and racism launched in May after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The protests have helped dramatically shift public opinion on policing and systemic racism, as "defund the police" became a rallying cry of the movement. Davis is professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. For half a century, she has been one of the most influential activists and intellectuals in the United States and an icon of the Black liberation mov…

Staff (2020-12-31). US Has Entered Uncharted Territory in Uprising Against Racism. truthout.org Scholars Cornel West and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor respond to the global uprising against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "We're seeing the convergence of a class rebellion with racism and racial terrorism at the center of it," said Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. "And in many ways, we are in uncharted territory in the United States." | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy…

Amanda Mills (2020-12-31). Eco-advocacy group urges Biden to reverse Trump environmental rollbacks. nationofchange.org "By undoing the Trump administration's rollbacks of environmental protections, the Biden administration will be able to protect our natural landscapes and give Americans cleaner air, cleaner water and a more livable climate."

Online News Editor (2020-12-31). Democrats relying on Latino vote in key Georgia Senate elections. laprensalatina.com By Marcelo G. Wheelock Atlanta, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- Democrats want to repeat the formula that led them to victory in the Nov. 3 presidential election in Georgia and they are relying on the local Hispanic vote in the crucial runoffs for the state's two US Senate seats in early January, races that will decide which …

Online News Editor (2020-12-31). Thai authorities detain 14 suspected pro-democracy protesters. laprensalatina.com Bangkok, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Thai authorities on Thursday arrested 14 suspected members of the pro-democracy movement that in recent months has staged a wave of mass protests calling for political and royal reforms. The NGO Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said on Twitter that the detainees were accused of breaching the emergency law banning street …

Online News Editor (2020-12-31). Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy back in jail again. laprensalatina.com Hong Kong, Dec 31 (efe-epa).- Hong Kong's top court on Thursday remanded pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai in custody again after allowing prosecutors to appeal against his bail in a national security law case. The Court of Final Appeal granted an interim order to detain the 73-year-old founder of Apple Daily until a hearing on …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-31). Critics Warn Repeal of Section 230 'Would Be Devastating for Human Rights, Social Movements, and Marginalized People'. commondreams.org Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to tie the repeal to proposed $2,000 coronavirus relief checks. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12935079211.jpg

Ethan Winter (2020-12-31). Republican Voters Don't Know Anything About Their Party. That's Very Bad for American Democracy. commondreams.org For politics to rebalance at a healthier outcome where voters are actually able to assign the correct positions to the parties, we will need a new kind of reporting, one that doesn't flinch from assigning policy views to the parties or drawing out the implications of these ideas in clear and materially-grounded terms. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/fight_for_15_3.jpg

John Wojcik (2020-12-30). Republican Sen. Hawley to tie up Jan. 6 Electoral College certification. peoplesworld.org In yet another attempt to overturn the results of a free and fair election, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced Wednesday he will object on Jan. 6 to the certification of the Electoral College vote. Both houses of Congress meet that day to carry out their constitutional duty of certifying the Electoral College results …

Alan Macleod (2020-12-30). Fingers Point to US-Backed Gov't in Colombia's Ninetieth Massacre of the Year. mintpressnews.com "The Trump administration waged a full scale campaign to undermine Colombia's peace accords. We must not waste our time hoping the Biden administration might reverse course, we must demand it." — James Jordan, Alliance for Global Justice…

Jeffrey St. Clair (2020-12-30). Sound Grammar: the 25 Best Recordings of 2020. counterpunch.org Pedernal Susan Alcorn Quintet (Relative Pitch) Fetch the Bolt Cutters Fiona Apple (Epic) Pursuance: the Coltranes Lakecia Benjamin (Bandcamp) Quarantine Tapes Dean & Britta (Bandcamp) The Unraveling Drive-By Truckers (ATO) Ghosts of West Virginia Steve Earle & The Dukes (New West) The Lost Berlin Tapes Ella Fitzgerald (Verve) America at War Joel Harrison (Sunnyside) Budapest

Staff (2020-12-30). "The Truth in Black and White": The Kansas City Star Apologizes for History of Racist Coverage. democracynow.org In a historic step, The Kansas City Star, one of the most influential newspapers in the Midwest, has apologized for the paper's racist history. The paper's top editor, Mike Fannin, admitted the Star and a sister paper had reinforced segregation, Jim Crow laws and redlining, and "robbed an entire community of opportunity, dignity, justice and recognition" with its biased coverage over many decades. We speak with Fannin and Mará Rose Williams, a longtime education writer at the paper who led the effort to examine the newspaper's coverage of the Black community following the police killing of George Floyd and the na…

Staff (2020-12-30). "Say Her Name: Dr. Susan Moore." Black Female Doctors Condemn Racial Disparities in Healthcare. democracynow.org When Black doctor Susan Moore died from COVID-19 after posting a video from her hospital bed describing racist treatment by medical staff, her chilling message was compared to the video of George Floyd begging for his life as he was killed by Minneapolis police. We speak to two leading Black women doctors fighting racial disparities in healthcare who wrote The Washington Post opinion piece, "Say her name: Dr. Susan Moore." "It is a typical and ongoing devaluation of our lives and distrust of our word," says Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones, a family physician and former president of the American Public Health Association…

Staff (2020-12-30). "This Is How Black People Get Killed": Dr. Susan Moore Dies of COVID After Decrying Racist Care. democracynow.org ‚Ä®As the United States reports record deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the final days of 2020, we look at how the pandemic that ravaged the country this year has shone a stark new light on racism in medical care. In a viral video recorded by Black physician Dr. Susan Moore, she describes racist treatment by medical staff at a hospital in Indianapolis and says they did not respond to her pleas for care, despite being in intense pain and being a doctor herself. In the video, Dr. Moore says she had to beg to receive pain medication and the antiviral drug remdesivir, and accuses a doctor a…

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Biden blasts Trump for delays on vaccine distribution. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday lambasted President Donald Trump for delays in the distribution of the vaccine against Covid-19 and promised that, when he takes office on Jan. 20, 2021, he will use a law dating back to the Cold War to force the private sector to accelerate the process. "The …

Kevin Ryan (2020-12-30). The New Film "Seven". Scientific Study of WTC Building 7. globalresearch.ca The new film

teleSUR (2020-12-30). Yemen: At Least 27 Killed As Explosions Target New Government. telesurenglish.net The ministers were not injured, and an Al Arabiya correspondent indicated that the explosion was accompanied by subsequent gunfire. | Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani stated through his personal Twitter account that "the cowardly terrorist attack" was carried out by "the Iranian-backed Huthian militia." | RELATED: | For its part, Sky News Arabia quotes its correspondent and reports that two explosions…

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Biden complains of roadblocks to transition placed by Trump administration. laprensalatina.com Washington, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- President-elect Joe Biden on Monday complained of "roadblocks" to the transition of power process he said are being placed by the outgoing Donald Trump administration, and specifically in the way of his picks for top Pentagon and Office of Management and Budget posts. "We've encountered roadblocks with the political leadership at …

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-30). Attempting to Cement 'Mythology' of Stolen Election, Hawley Announces He Will Contest Electoral College Results. commondreams.org Republican Sen. Josh Hawley was accused of attempting to "overthrow democracy" and catering to his own political ambitions on Wednesday after he announced he plans to contest the Electoral College vote on January 6, when the U.S. Congress convenes to certify the election results. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1230067433_1.jpg

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-30). Biden to Take Aim at Trump's Midnight Regulations on Day One of New Administration. commondreams.org A transition spokesperson said the freeze will apply to regulations as well as guidance documents that "can have enormous consequences on the lives of the American people." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/biden_7_0.jpg

Julie A. Burkhart (2020-12-30). We Can Take Our Democracy Back. Here's How. commondreams.org First, we need to stop pretending that voters don't support abortion rights. They do. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1230251604.jpg

Igor Derysh (2020-12-29). Biden confirms his transition team's been hit with "obstruction" from Trump's White House, Pentagon. salon.com Many security agencies have "incurred enormous damage" under Trump, he said. "Many have been hollowed out"

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-29). Citing Violation of Federal Law, Judge Halts Voter Purges in Rural Georgia Counties Ahead of Senate Runoffs. commondreams.org Officials in two rural counties in Georgia late Monday were ordered by a U.S. District judge to stop invalidating voter registrations due to so-called "unreliable" change of address information, in a ruling that could protect more than 4,000 Georgia residents from voter suppression. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/georgia_0_0_1_0.jpg

Yifat Susskind (2020-12-29). A Feminist Blueprint for Saving Democracy in the U.S.—and Beyond. zcomm.org Feminists know that building transnational solidarity is often crucial when trying to counter domestic oppression…