(2021-12-18). Hedges: The Execution of Julian Assange. orinocotribune.com By Chris Hedges — Dec 13, 2021 | He committed empire's greatest sin. He exposed it as a criminal enterprise. He documented its lies, callous disregard for human life, rampant corruption and innumerable war crimes. And empires always kill those who inflict deep and serious wounds. | Let us name Julian Assange's executioners. Joe Biden. Boris Johnson. Scott Morrison. Theresa May. Lenin Moreno. Donald Trump. Barack Obama. Mike Pompeo. Hillary Clinton. Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett and Justice Timothy Victor Holroyde. Crown Prosecutors James Lewis, Clair Dobbin and Joel Smith. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser.
(2021-12-18). Donald Trump invokes antisemitic tropes in interview with Israeli journalist. wsws.org In newly-aired clips from an audio interview by an Israeli journalist, Donald Trump articulated a series of antisemitic tropes including that Jews control the US Congress and media and have "dual loyalty" to both Israel and America.
(2021-12-18). Israel pushes U.S. into 'aggressive posture toward Iran that could spiral into war' — but mainstream press is indifferent. mronline.org 
Trump says, Netanyahu was 'willing to fight Iran to the last American soldier.' That ought to be big news, as Israel's defense minister gets unrivaled access in D.C. to threaten war and block the U.S. path to a new Iran deal.
(2021-12-18). As COVID-19 cases skyrocket in New York City, schools, offices remain open. wsws.org The rapid growth in infections this week have not deterred the Democratic mayor and governor of New York from keeping schools, government offices and other public institutions open.
(2021-12-18). Democrats allow child tax credit to lapse as Omicron surges. wsws.org The elimination of the last social support measures implemented during the pandemic threaten destitution to working class families facing dislocation as a new, deadly wave of the virus gathers force.
(2021-12-18). [Correspondence] Another public health catastrophe. thelancet.com The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is considering prescription of e-cigarettes on the National Health Service.1 This consideration heralds the next big revenue stream for big tobacco, whose lobbyists have campaigned for the prescription of e-cigarettes as UK smoking rates dwindle. We absolutely disagree that "doctors, medical leaders and health campaigners welcomed the move".2…
(2021-12-17). Congress Passes Massive $778 Billion NDAA. popularresistance.org On Tuesday, the Senate passed the massive $778 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a vote of 89 to 10. | The legislation is a compromise version of the NDAA that was already passed by the House and now just needs President Biden's signature to become law. Congress added $25 billion more to the spending bill than Biden requested. | The bill authorizes $740.3 billion for the Pentagon, $27.8 billion for the Energy Department's nuclear weapons program, and $9.9 billion for "Defense-related Activities Outside NDAA Jurisdiction." | In September, the House passed a different version of the NDAA that inc…
(2021-12-17). Biden's Threat: Is Ethiopia Next? With Matt Ehret. strategic-culture.org Many westerners trying to make sense of the events in the "dark continent" of Africa have many barriers standing in the way of their minds and reality. This must be the case, for without such filters of spin proclaiming Africa's problems to be self-induced (or the consequence of Chinese debt slavery), we in the west, might actually feel horrified enough to demand systemic change. We might come to recognize that the plight of Africa has less to do with Africa and more to do with an intentional program of depopulation, and exploitation of vital resources.
(2021-12-17). Why We Must Defend Julian Assange. popularresistance.org December 10 is International Human Rights Day. It is always a sham holiday for the United States, which locks up its own people at rates exceeding those of every other country, and routinely makes war against the rest of the world. In 2021 the date was treated as even more of a mockery than in the past. Joe Biden convened a bizarre democracy summit, wherein he declared other nations good or bad based on whether they go along with the dictates of the U.S. empire. Although it was in London where the U.S. behaved in a particularly shameful manner, working with the United Kingdom to secure the right to extradite Juli…
(2021-12-17). They Won't Ever Find Us Because Our Love Is Bound To The Rocks. popularresistance.org At the US State Department's Summit for Democracy (9—10 December), US President Joe Biden announced a range of initiatives to 'bolster democracy and defend human rights globally'. These measures are to be funded by $424.4 million from the United States. This money will go towards the same institutions that have — for the past sixty years — intervened to undermine the sovereignty of democratic processes from Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954) to Honduras (2009) and Bolivia (2019). The US focuses on falsely portraying governments that are unwilling to accept US leadership as corrupt — as was w…
(2021-12-17). First 'Summit For Democracy' Should Be The Last. popularresistance.org More than 100 nations' presidents, prime ministers, and kings met virtually at the Summit for Democracy on Dec. 9 and 10. It was the first meeting in history on this scale where the application — or ostensible application — of the democratic principle in the governance of national affairs was used as a criterion to invite participants to an international meeting. | There are three ways to look at the summit. | A naàØve view is to consider it as a meeting of like-minded states, interested in learning from each other about how to improve the application of democratic principles at home. (For that…
(2021-12-17). They won't ever find us because our love is bound to the rocks: The Fiftieth Newsletter (2021). mronline.org 
At the U.S. State Department's Summit for Democracy (9—10 December), U.S. President Joe Biden announced a range of initiatives to 'bolster democracy and defend human rights globally'.
(2021-12-17). Biden's Summit for Democracy, a good idea hurt by compromise and geopolitics. nationofchange.org It's progress that needs to be defended.
(2021-12-17). Democratic Production and Self-Organized Labor: How the Che Guevara Commune Confronts the Crisis. libya360.wordpress.com Cira Pascual Marquina and Chris Gilbert Part I: Highland Resistance: How the Che Guevara Commune Confronts the Crisis First-hand accounts of the impact of the US sanctions on a coffee and cocoa growing commune in the Venezuelan Andes. The Che Guevara Commune lies on the fertile hillsides that rise up from the shores of Lake…
(2021-12-17). GOP Candidate JD Vance Accuses Walmart of "Slave Labor" But Invests in Its Stock. truthout.org 
Ohio Republican Senate candidate Vance, who made a fortune as a venture capitalist before writing the best-selling book Hillbilly Elegy, submitted his persona…
(2021-12-17). UAW members OK direct election of officers. peoplesworld.org 
(2021-12-17). Faith Leaders Call on Biden to End Economic Sanctions. globalresearch.ca Leaders of 18 American faith and faith-based humanitarian organizations appealed to President Joe Biden this week to eliminate general U.S. economic sanctions against nations that are dealing with the ravages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as with the …
(2021-12-17). Biden's Bounty on Your Life: Hospitals' Incentive Payments for COVID-19. globalresearch.ca Upon admission to a once-trusted hospital, American patients with COVID-19 become virtual prisoners, subjected to a
(2021-12-17). Poll Shows Kamala Harris Overwhelmingly Likely to Be the Next Democratic Presidential Nominee. moderndiplomacy.eu The Politico and Morning Consult Poll, published on December 15th, shows the following question and its answers, among the 1,998 U.S. registered voters sampled: [Question #5] If Joe Biden did not run for president in the 2024 election, for whom would you vote in a Democratic presidential primary? (N=916 [registered Democratic Party voters responding]) Cory …
(2021-12-17). US Congress approves record defense budget of USD 778 billion. peoplesdispatch.org 
Despite its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration's first defense budget is USD 38 billion higher than last year's and more than the combined defense budgets of the next 11 countries…
(2021-12-17). Putin, Xi Running Circles around Biden's Hybrid War. globalresearch.ca Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin spent an hour and 14 minutes in a video conversation on Wednesday. Geopolitically, paving the way for 2022, this is the one that really matters — much more than Putin-Biden a week ago. | Kremlin press …
(2021-12-17). Headlines for December 17, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Warns of "Winter of Severe Illness and Death" for Unvaccinated Americans, CDC Recommends Moderna and Pfizer Vaccines Over Johnson & Johnson, Citing Rare Blood Clots, Thousands of ICE Prisoners Denied Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters, FDA Relaxes Restrictions on Access to Abortion Pills , Federal Judge Throws Out Opioid Settlement That Shielded Sackler Family from Lawsuits, Lucía Hiriart, Widow of Chilean Dictator Pinochet, Dies on Eve of Presidential Election, At Least Seven Die as Super Typhoon Rai Slams Philippines with 160 MPH Winds, Workers at Candle Factory Destroyed by Tornado Sue Company over "Fla…
(2021-12-17). Piñera Worried About Boric's Possible Victory, Lashes Out Against Bachelet. orinocotribune.com The Chilean president is concerned about the support expressed by Michelle Bachelet for the leftist presidential candidate, Gabriel Boric. | On Tuesday, December 14, former president of Chile and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, announced her support for Gabriel Boric in the second round of the Chilean presidential elections scheduled for this Sunday, December 19, where center-left Boric and far-right José Antonio Kast are contesting the presidency. | "It does matter which candidate you vote for, and that is why I am going to vote for Gabriel Boric, and I want to make a ca…
(2021-12-17). Moussa Ibrahim: Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi has the Widest Support Heading into Libyan Elections. orinocotribune.com We speak to Moussa Ibrahim, the former spokesperson for late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He discusses the overturning of the decision banning Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi (the son of Muammar Gaddafi) from running in the Libyan Presidential elections, current polling for the elections and why he beli…
(2021-12-17). Stolen Elections Have Consequences. moguldom.com The Obama coalition of Black voters didn't come out for Hillary Clinton in 2016 as they did for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Black voters were chastised with the phrase, "elections have consequences." Indeed, they do, however, the most consequential election of my lifetime wasn't the election of 2016. Rather, it was the election …
(2021-12-17). The Mark Meadows documents: The smoking gun of the January 6 coup plot. wsws.org Texts and emails turned over to the House Select Committee confirm the central role of Trump and his top White House aides in orchestrating the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election by force.
(2021-12-17). Pat O'Shane to stand in Leichhardt for the Socialist Alliance. greenleft.org.au Pat O'Shane, a Kuku Yalanji woman from Mossman, will run for the Socialist Alliance in the Far North Queensland lower house seat of Leichhardt in the federal election. Jonathan Strauss reports.
(2021-12-17). The Fall of the Dream of Elections in Libya. libya360.wordpress.com Dr. Mustafa Al-Zaidi Many, including myself, did not believe that the international community managing the Libyan crisis was serious about establishing a Libyan national authority with popular legitimacy, so they looked with suspicion at the announcement of general elections on the twenty-fourth of December, especially since the so-called Dialogue Committee, appointed by the UN mission…
(2021-12-17). Modi's Hindu Nationalism in Assam and Manipur. moderndiplomacy.eu The rise of nationalism is going global. From the success of Brexit, the popularity of the far-right movements across Europe, and to Donald Trump winning the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In India, the nationalist government is led by Narendra Modi. This article highlights the strategies of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its parent organization …
(2021-12-17). Militias Threaten Military Escalation to Postpone the Libyan Elections. libya360.wordpress.com Editorial Comment: The Dabaiba government, following orders from Turkey, failed to prepare the security environment for holding elections. Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Government of National Unity, Najla Al-Manqoush, is in Istanbul today, attending the Turkish-African Summit. — A.V. Libyan political circles described the military escalation that some militias…
(2021-12-17). Know This, Trump's Attempted Coup on Jan. 6 Was Just Practice. zcomm.org What are the institutions—public and civic—that could roll back this fast-approaching U.S.-style fascism with the snarling visage of serial criminal and constitutional violator, Donald J. Trump?>
(2021-12-17). Strikers at Battle Creek Kellogg's stand strong, Bernie Sanders to join Friday rally. fightbacknews.org Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg's workers are continuing the fight after a rejection of a proposed contract last week. At the Battle Creek headquarters, there is determination to hold the line despite the company's plan to permanently replace 1400 workers. | Jason Rose, a mechanic who has worked at Kellogg's for 15 years, said the company is going to have a difficult time filling all the positions. In Battle Creek, the plant's downward trend in working conditions is well known. "They had a hard enough time hiring people in the first place," said Rose. | The strikers are asking to abolish the two-tier system of hiring…
(2021-12-17). 20th ALBA-TCP Summit Declaration. popularresistance.org The Heads of State and Government and the Heads of Delegations of the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America — Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), meet in Havana, Cuba, on December 14, 2021 to commemorate the 17th Anniversary of the Alliance. In signing this Declaration, we renew our commitment to strengthen this mechanism of political coordination based on the principles of solidarity, social justice, cooperation and economic complementarity, a result of the political will of its founders, the Commanders Fidel Castro Ruz and Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías.
(2021-12-17). Democracy not a one-size-fits-all product: Chinese envoy. ecns.cn Democracy is not a one-size-fits-all product that has only one model or configuration for the whole world, a senior Chinese envoy in Australia has said in an article published on The Canberra Times on Wednesday.
(2021-12-17). Hypocrite GOPers rail against federal dollars, then claim credit for them. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—It's a recurring pattern: A right-wing Republican, such as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz or, this week, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, rails against Democratic lawmakers voting for federal dollars and opposes the funding—and then grabbing for the gelt, taking credit and bragging about what the dollars are doing in their …
(2021-12-17). Ben Crump: Derek Chauvin's Guilty Plea of Violating George Floyd's Civil Rights Sends Strong Message. democracynow.org 
Former police officer Derek Chauvin has pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd's civil rights, marking the first time he publicly admitted to his role in Floyd's death. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, killing him with the excessive use of force in 2019. Floyd's dying words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for social justice protests and calls to defund the police across the country. Chauvin also pleaded guilty for violating the civil rights of a 14-year-old juvenile in 2017. "To be held accountable on both levels, on state level and federal level, we believe, sends a very clear m…
(2021-12-17). "She Should Be Found Guilty": Ben Crump on Trial of Ex-Cop Kim Potter for Killing Daunte Wright. democracynow.org 
The former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, who faces manslaughter charges for fatally shooting 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, is expected to take the stand in her own defense Friday. Potter claims she reached for her Taser and drew a pistol by mistake. "Black people should not be killed in America over misdemeanor, pretextual traffic stops," says Benjamin Crump, attorney for Wright's family.
(2021-12-17). Dems Urged to "Grow a Backbone" and Negate Parliamentarian on Immigration Reform. truthout.org 
The Senate parliamentarian, an unelected functionary tasked with interpreting the upper chamber's rules, advised Democrats late Thursday to exclude an immigration reform plan from their Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, a form…
(2021-12-17). After working to the bone … German orchestra leader sacked following musicians' protest. wsws.org The response of the Social Democratic Party here, as in other areas of society, is typical. For many years the SPD has imposed austerity measures in cooperation with the trade unions while seeking to dissipate all opposition.
(2021-12-17). Black Feminist bell hooks's Trailblazing Critique of "Imperialist White Supremacist Heteropatriarchy" democracynow.org 
We look at the life and legacy of trailblazing Black feminist scholar and activist bell hooks, who died at the age of 69 on Wednesday. We speak with her longtime colleague Beverly Guy-Sheftall, professor of women's studies at Spelman College, who remembers her as "a person who would sit with young people and community people and students and help them understand this world in which we live, which is full of all kinds of domination." Working in the tradition of intersectionality and Black radical feminism, hooks's critiques of "imperialist white supremacist heteropatriarchy" called attention to the interlocking sy…
(2021-12-17). China Rescues Myanmar From Dangerous Dollar-Dominated Waters. journal-neo.org 
For nearly a year now the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar has been racked by US-sponsored terrorism attempting to reinstall Washington's client regime of choice headed by Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Compounding the daily violence carried out by the US-sponsored opposition, are growing sanctions leveled by the …
(2021-12-17). Bipartisanship at Whose Expense? Sen. Raphael Warnock Calls to End Filibuster, Pass Voting Rights Acts. democracynow.org 
Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia implored conservative members of his party to stop obstructing voting rights legislation in a powerful speech on the floor of the Senate Tuesday. While Warnock did not name Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the two have come out against doing away with the filibuster in order to allow Democrats to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Warnock said there was no chance of Republicans joining the effort to safeguard democracy and that only a change to the filibuster could secure passage of the bills. "Who is being asked to…
(2021-12-17). Sen. Raphael Warnock Urges End to Filibuster, Passage of Voting Rights Bills. truthout.org 
Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia implored conservative members of his party to stop obstructing voting rights legislation in a powerful speech on the floor of the Senate Tuesday. While Warnock did not name Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the two have come out against doing away with the filibuster in order to allow Democrats to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Warnock said there was no chance of Republicans joining the effort to s…
(2021-12-17). "We Must See Action": Police Killings Continue as George Floyd Justice in Policing Act Languishes. democracynow.org 
The county of Williamson, Texas, has announced a settlement of $5 million in the wrongful death of Javier Ambler II in 2019. The 40-year-old Black man died after being repeatedly tased by police during a traffic stop. Police bodycam footage showed Ambler telling officers, "I have congestive heart failure," and "I can't breathe," as they continued to tase him. This comes as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act languishes in Congress and activists urgently demand lawmakers to vote to stop the nationwide police killings of people of color. "We must see action," says Benjamin Crump, attorney for Ambler's family.
(2021-12-17). Radical Feminist Scholar bell hooks Passed Away: Here's What Black America Has To Say. moguldom.com Feminist author, activist and academic bell hooks died of kidney failure at her Berea, Kentucky home on Wednesday, Dec. 16. She was 69. A history-making trailblazer, hooks inspired many through her body of work, which spanned more than five decades. She focused on race, class, gender, love, the patriarchy, sexuality and more. hooks is credited …
(2021-12-17). Infectious Disease Researcher: A Covid Viral Blizzard Is Headed For America, Millions Will Be Infected With Omicron. moguldom.com With covid-19 infections sharply on the rise due to the omicron variant, one infectious disease researcher has predicted a "viral blizzard" is going to hit millions in America. "We're really just about to experience a viral blizzard," Michael Osterholm told CNN on Thursday, Dec. 16. "In the next three to eight weeks, we're going to …
(2021-12-17). Barbados Has Thrown Off Its Colonial Shackles. popularresistance.org The island was so central to Britain's transatlantic slave trade system it was commonly referred to as 'Little England'. Today, Barbados marks a defining break from 400 years of British rule. While there are still many challenges in overhauling all structures of governance inherited by the colonial system, Barbadians should be proud of this moment. | Barbados has completed its transition to a republican system of government. From 30 November, which marks the 55th anniversary of its independence from Britain, Barbados's head of state is no longer the British Queen. The word 'royal' will be removed from the names o…