2019-12-31: News Headlines

RT (2019-12-31). £20m Picasso artwork ATTACKED in London's Tate Modern gallery. rt.com An oil painting by iconic Spanish artist Pablo Picasso has been attacked in the Tate Modern art gallery in London. One man has been charged with criminal damage over the incident, but it's not clear how much harm was caused. | The colorful work, titled 'Bust of a Woman,' was painted by Picasso in Paris in 1944, according to the gallery's listing, during the last weeks of the Nazi occupation of France, and depicts his lover, the photographer Dora Maar. | Seen it a million times but every time I see Picasso's Bust of a Woman, it feels like the first time. Standing here right now. üíû …

Joan Walsh (2019-12-31). This F&$%ing Decade. thenation.com For years, media and political elites refused to acknowledge the growing racism and radicalism of the Republican party. Their "both-sidesism" led to Trump's GOP takeover.

Vijay Prashad (2019-12-31). India's Democracy is Facing an Existential Threat. counterpunch.org Peaceful protests have been taking place across India. Every public event seems to be transformed into a demonstration against not only these laws, but the government itself. In Kolkata — from where I write these words — the annual Rainbow Pride Walk combined Gay Pride with opposition to these laws. Signs at the march read, 'No CAA' and 'No to Fascism.' The Indian flag — not often seen at these events — was everywhere, a symbol of the fight over how 'India' should be understood. More

news.un (2019-12-31). Israel/Palestine war crimes probe 'momentous step forward', says UN rights expert. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert hailed on Tuesday, the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to consider a formal criminal investigation into allegations of war crimes in Palestine as a "momentous step forward in the quest for accountability" in the five-decade-long Israeli occupation.

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-31). VIDEO: Israeli Forces Arrest Palestinian Youth Beaten by Settlers. imemc.org Wadi Hilweh Information Center (Silwanic) reported that, the Israeli occupation forces arrested a Palestinian youth, on Monday evening, from Batn Al Hawa neighborhood in Silwan, after settlers beat him. Witnesses said that settlers' guards attacked the young Palestinian men who were in the neighborhood. Verbal quarrels and physical fights took …

Staff (2019-12-31). India Is Teetering on the Brink of Fascism. truthdig.com If the Bharatiya Janata Party succeeds in passing a pair of discriminatory laws, it could spell the end of the nation's secular democracy.

IMEMC News & Agencies (2019-12-31). REPORT: Over 13 Million Palestinians Worldwide by 2020. imemc.org Dr. Ola Awad, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) President presents a brief on the status of Palestinian people at The end of 2019 as follows: More than 13 Million Palestinians in the world by the End of 2019 An increase in population of Palestinians in the world The projected …

James J. Zogby (2019-12-31). The Importance of Knowing Bethlehem. globalresearch.ca I have long been troubled by the way so many believing Christians in the West have either been ignorant of or turned their backs on the plight of Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim. Right-wing Evangelicals, under the sway of heretical …

Miri Wood (2019-12-31). US Uses False Flag Op to Legitimize Bombing Iraq, Syria. globalresearch.ca In warfare, the False Flag is a ruse, used to legitimize the abandonment of military rules of engagement. Its name derives from ancient cheaters in nautical warfare. The Nazi Reichstag fire and the US Gulf of Tonkin are two infamous …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-12-31). UN Researcher Hails ICC's Pursuit of War Crimes Probe in Palestine as 'Momentous Step' for Accountability. commondreams.org A United Nations human rights researcher on Tuesday hailed the International Criminal Court's recent decision to pursue a formal investigation of alleged war crimes in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel as a "momentous step forward in the quest for accountability." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

yenisafak (2019-12-31). Israeli gunfire martyrs 149 Palestinians in 2019. yenisafak.com Israeli forces martyred 149 Palestinians during the year 2019 in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian group said Tuesday.The National Gathering of Palestinian Martyrs' Families said the martyrs include 33 children and 12 women.According to the group, the Israeli authorities continue detaining the bodies of 306 martyrs including 15 from this year.

RT (2019-12-31). Israeli court dismisses attempts to block Netanyahu's reelection campaign over charges. rt.com Three Israeli High Court judges have rejected a petition attempting to bar PM Benjamin Netanyahu from seeking reelection due to the indictments hanging over him, arguing that the matter only becomes an issue if he wins. | There are no legal reasons Netanyahu cannot run for reelection, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut declared in Tuesday's court session, dismissing the petition filed in response to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's decision to indict the embattled PM last month. The panel agreed that it would be irrelevant and quite unprecedented to discuss the matter before the March 2 election results…

RT (2019-12-31). 'Macron would do well to reread the history of France': Plan to confer Legion of Honor on London gets frosty reception. rt.com News that French President Emmanuel Macron plans to give his country's greatest honor to the city of London has not gone down well among his fellow citizens, who have been left wondering what Napoleon would make of it. | Le Figaro reports that the Legion of Honor, France's highest order of merit, will be conferred on London during France's 'year of de Gaulle' in 2020, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the death of former president and French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle. He lived in exile in the British capital during the Nazi occupation of France in the Second World War. | However, the revelat…

Muhammed Shabeer (2019-12-30). Who can stop the far-right? peoplesdispatch.org Fascism is no longer a horror story from the last century. With the rise of ultra-right forces in several parts of the world, talk of fascism has re-emerged with a vengeance. Debates and comparisons abound on whether the ultra-right of today is a direct descendant of the hordes of Hitler and Mussolini or a new creature. What remains a certainty is that the working class must fight these forces worldwide before its too late. | Capitalism, confronted with a historic crisis, has unleashed the regressive narratives of hyper-nationalism and hate. At the core of the current fascist, ultra-right regimes is a desperate a…

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-30). Hundreds of Settlers Invade Joseph's Tomb, 9 Palestinians Injured. imemc.org Security sources stated that nine Palestinians were injured, by Israeli army gunfire as hundreds of Israeli settlers forced their way into Joseph's Tomb, on Monday morning, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. Israeli forces escorted a convoy of buses packed with hundreds of illegal settlers onto the site, …

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-30). Palestinian Farmers Prevented from Working on Their Own Land. imemc.org Gun-toting Israeli soldiers, on Monday, forced a number of Palestinian farmers to leave their lands adjacent to the illegal settlement of Shavi Shomron, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. According to the mayor of Sebastia, Mohammed Azim, Israeli forces along with the settlement's security prevented the farmers, with …

IMEMC News (2019-12-30). Israeli Soldiers Abduct Thirteen Palestinians in Hebron, Ramallah And Tulkarem. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, thirteen Palestinians, including two children, from their homes in the West Bank governorates of Hebron, Ramallah, and Tulkarem, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. The PPS said several army jeeps invaded the al-'Arroub refugee camp, north of the southern West Bank city …

IMEMC News (2019-12-30). Soldiers Shoot A Palestinian Near Hebron. imemc.org Israeli soldiers shot, late on Sunday at night, a young Palestinian man with a rubber-coated metal bullet, and caused others to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation, in Halhoul town, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. Media sources said several army jeeps accompanied dozens …

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-30). Palestinian PM: Israel Decision to Withhold Tax Revenues "Brings us Back to Square One of the Crisis" imemc.org Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh said today that the Israeli cabinet's decision to deduct additional amounts from the Palestinian tax revenues amounting to 150 million shekels ($43 million), under the pretext of making payments to the families of the prisoners and those killed by Israel, "brings us back to square …

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-30). Palestinian FM: "Systematic Economic War Waged by the Israeli Occupation" imemc.org The Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry, on Monday, slammed Israel's decision to deduct millions of dollars from the Palestinian tax revenues, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. The ministry denounced Israel's decision to deduct 150 million Israeli shekels ($43 million) from the taxes it collects on behalf of …

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-30). Israel Detained 5,500 Palestinians in 2019, Including 889 Children. imemc.org Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested more than 5,500 Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territory during 2019; among them were 889 children and at least 128 women, the Palestine News Network reported. The Palestinian Prisoners and Human Rights Institutions issued a fact sheet, on Monday, stating that the number of Palestinian …

Chelli Stanley (2019-12-30). The Tail Don't Wag the Dog: Israel and the United States. counterpunch.org The tail don't wag the dog, and the United States government was not somehow infiltrated and manipulated into supporting the capitalistic, ever-expansive, angry, and war-like successive governments in Israel, nor was it manipulated into supporting the right-wing Israeli settlers who undermined every attempt at peace any Israeli president ever made. The United States government did these More

splcenter (2019-12-30). SPLC Statement on Hanukkah Celebration Attacks. splcenter.org

Alan Macleod (2019-12-30). New York Hanukkah Stabbing Latest in Wave of Trump-Era Anti-Semitic Attacks. mintpressnews.com While poverty, inequality and social and economic dislocation that breed fear and resentment of the other continue to grow, the problem of racist attacks is bound to increase.

Fight Back (2019-12-30). Make a resolution to build Fight Back! in 2020. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — As we see a rising tide of struggle in this country and across the globe, the newspaper Fight Back! is expanding its reach and capacity. Each day, 365 times a year, we provide cutting edge coverage and analyses of the people's struggle against exploitation and oppression, with the perspective of ending capitalism and replacing it with socialism — a system where political power is in the hands of the working class. | Be it in the fight of striking copper miners in Arizona, protests against Trump, the conference to refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression,…

Staff (2019-12-30). This Court Case Could Be a Turning Point in Tackling Gun Violence. truthout.org The decision by the Supreme Court last month to allow a major case against the gun industry to go forward is setting the stage for what could finally be a turning point in the fight to hold gun manufacturers accountable for gun violence. The case was brought by family members of people who died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. | At issue in the case, called Remington Arms Co. v. Soto, is whether a law passed…

Futher Column, By Abby Zimet, Staff Writer (2019-12-30). At the Heart of the Darkness That Is Trumpian Fascism. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

RT (2019-12-30). All West Virginia prison guard trainees pictured giving NAZI salute on viral photo SACKED after review. rt.com Three staff members and all of the West Virginia corrections cadets, who posed for a photo making a hand gesture resembling a Nazi salute, have been sacked after an inquiry found the class instructor encouraged the practice. | All 34 would-be prison guards and three West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Academy employees have been fired after an in-depth investigation into the viral photo showing the trainees giving a Nazi salute in a class photo accompanied by the words "HAIL BYRD!" | "As I said from the beginning, I condemn the photo of Basic Training Class 18 in the strongest possible ter…

teleSUR (2019-12-29). Israel Cuts More Palestinian Tax Funds Over Militant Casualties. telesurenglish.net The Israeli security cabinet announced Sunday Israel's decision to trim around US$43 million in tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority (PA), over the financial support the PA grants to the families of slain or wounded Palestinian militants. | RELATED: | On the Road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla Will Sail Again | A similar freezing had already occurred in February when the Jewish state approved the freezing of US$140 million for the fiscal year, which meant the withholding of…

RT (2019-12-29). Stabbing at rabbi's home is 'act of domestic terrorism' — New York Governor Cuomo. rt.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the stabbing in a rabbi's home next to a synagogue in Monsey, NY that left five people wounded is "an act of domestic terrorism" fueled by intolerance. | Five Hasidic Jews were stabbed by a machete-wielding attacker who broke into the house of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg late on Saturday night. The perpetrator, allegedly a black male, slashed at victims indiscriminately as they attempted to flee the chaotic scene. | "This is intolerance meets ignorance meets illegality," Cuomo told reporters on Sunday, calling the attack the 13th incidence of anti-Semitism in recent weeks. "Th…

Larry Holmes (2019-12-28). 1974 March Against Racism: 'An important experience for a young revolutionary'. workers.org Here are edited excerpts from a talk given by Workers World Party First Secretary Larry Holmes in Boston Dec. 14 on the 45th anniversary of the 1974 Boston March Against Racism. Larry Holmes speaking in Boston Dec. 14. I was living in New York at the time of the march, . . . | Continue reading 1974 March Against Racism: 'An important experience for a young revolutionary' at Workers.org

Fight Back (2019-12-28). Top 20 Fight Back! articles of 2019: the struggle grows and spreads. fightbacknews.org There was a high tide of struggle on many fronts in 2019 – both in the U.S. and around the world. Within the U.S. there were large strikes of General Motors workers, Chicago teachers and others. There was a successful movement to defend public education from mega-charters in Los Angeles. There were mass protests nation-wide for immigrant rights and against the concentration camps at the U.S.-México border. And there were growing movements against police crimes and for community control of the police that came together to refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression in Chicago in November.

Miko Peled (2019-12-27). Will the ICC's Investigation into Israeli War Crimes Finally Bring Justice to Palestine? mintpressnews.com It doesn't take a great legal scholar to understand that dropping tons of bombs from fighter jets on a defenseless civilian population constitutes a war crime.

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-27). Israel Bombs Gaza For Xmas, Israel Threatens To Attack All Helping Iran & Saudis Bomb Yemen Market. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/26/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Lillian House (2019-12-26). Supreme Court allows Kentucky anti-abortion law to stand. liberationnews.org The Kentucky law was among a set of anti-abortion laws that have reached the Supreme Court this term.

Fight Back (2019-12-26). Large protest in Dallas against Indian Citizenship Amendment Act. fightbacknews.org Dallas, TX – On December 22, about 1000 people gathered at Dealey Plaza in Dallas to protest the Indian Citizenship Amendment Act. The protest was called by the Indian American Muslim Council of Dallas. | In speeches and chants, protesters condemned the act, which targets Muslims and other religious minorities. They also spoke out against the government of Narendra Modi which has passed the act. Several speakers called the act fascist and compared Modi to historical fascist leaders.

Ramzy Baroud (2019-12-25). The Freedom Flotilla Will Make its 35th Attempt to Sail to Gaza in 2020. mintpressnews.com The solidarity mission is scheduled for the summer of 2020, and, like most of the 35 previous attempts, the Flotilla is likely to be intercepted by the Israeli navy.

Staff (2019-12-24). Where is the Outrage Over British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Book, '72 Virgins'? therealnews.com Marc Steiner and Moshe Machover discuss why the lack of outrage over Johnson's book is so concerning.

Staff (2019-12-24). NAARPR Relaunch Renews National Fight Against Police Repression. therealnews.com As we enter a new phase of racist and political repression in the US with the convergence of a myriad of political and social issues, how are we planning to fight against this? Jacqueline Luqman talks with Frank Chapman about the relaunch of the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression.

Fight Back (2019-12-24). Anti-war leader blasts Klobuchar for backing U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — Amy Klobuchar, a 'centrist' who is trying to become the Democratic Party standard-bearer in the upcoming elections for president, states that she will not reverse Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. There has long been a consensus among most Republican and Democratic politicians to support the Zionist occupation of Palestine. | Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a leader of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee responded, "It doesn't surprise any of us in the anti-war movement that Klobuchar doesn't want to reverse Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy fr…

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-24). Israel AGAIN Attacks Syria Over Christmas, Khashoggi Trial Theater & MSM N Korea Xmas Fear-Mongering. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/24/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Ramzy Baroud (2019-12-24). On the Road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla Will Sail Again. dissidentvoice.org What is Gaza to us but an Israeli missile, a rudimentary rocket, a demolished home, an injured child being whisked away by his peers under a hail of bullets? On a daily basis, Gaza is conveyed to us as a bloody image or a dramatic video, none of which can truly capture the everyday reality …

Douglas Valentine (2019-12-23). Impeachment Derangement: Or How I Learned to Stop Hating and Love Trump. dissidentvoice.org I'm not an Evangelical Christian, lover of Israel, or someone who wants to ban Muslims from entering America. Would never put a kid in a cage or a dog in a box. I'm not a wounded warrior, won't allow guns or flag waving in my house, don't voluntarily stand for the Anthem. Don't ride a …

Staff (2019-12-23). Headlines for December 23, 2019. democracynow.org White House Halted Ukraine Aid 91 Minutes After Trump & Zelensky Phone Call, U.S. Considering Plan to Deport Mexican Asylum Seekers to Guatemala, WaPo: White House Pushes to Use Migrant Children to Ensnare Parents, Saudi Arabia Sentences 5 People to Death for Khashoggi's Murder, ICC Takes Step to Investigating Israel for War Crimes, India: Protests Continue as Modi Defends "Anti-Muslim" Citizenship Law, Iraq: Thousands Demand Appointment of Independent Prime Minister, Reuters: Up to 1,500 Dead in Iran's Bloody Crackdown Against Nov. Protests, Pentagon: U.S. Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, French Unions Continue St…

Joe Rodriguez (2019-12-22). Quad-Cities community members condemn hate after anti-immigrant event. liberationnews.org Outraged protesters displayed signs condemning racism and the capitalist system which allows bigotry to flourish.

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-21). ICC To Investigate Israeli Government War Crimes & UN Again Contradicts US Claims Of Iran "Proof" thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/20/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Tom Anderson (2019-12-20). BDS movement defiant after Tories announce anti-boycott measures and threaten international solidarity. thecanary.co Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigners have responded defiantly to Tory plans to pass an anti-BDS law. | The law is a threat to any international solidarity campaign which seeks to boycott companies or products because of the state policies of another country. As such, it presents a threat to international solidarity efforts as a whole. | Boycotting Israeli apartheid: | BDS is an international movement calling for a boycott of Israeli goods. It also calls for grassroots groups to initiate boycott campaigns against companies complicit in Israel…

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-20). Israel Bombs Gaza, 2020 NDAA's Israel Focus, Iran Excuse Now In Afghanistan & West Bank Take Over. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/19/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Middle East Eye (2019-12-20). International Criminal Court to Launch Full Investigation Into Israeli War Crimes. theantimedia.com "In brief, I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip."

splcenter (2019-12-20). Investigation: Washington State Rep. Matt Shea Poses Threat of 'Political Violence' Against U.S. splcenter.org Washington state Rep. Matt Shea has been vocal about his support for antigovernment and anti-public lands activists in the West, and a new report alleges those activities pose a threat of "political violence" against the U.S. government.