2020-11-19: News Headlines

Dr. Zuhair Sabbagh (2020-11-19). Forbidden Weapons and Israeli War Crimes. globalresearch.ca In the period 2008-2014, Zionist settler colonialists launched three aggressive wars against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip: (1) Dec 2008-Jan 2009, (2) 14 Nov 2012, and (3) July-August 2014. During these aggressive wars, the Israeli military used a number …

John P. Geyman (2020-11-19). Beyond COVID-19: the Power Struggle Over Alternatives for Health Care Reform. counterpunch.org Today we face the COVID-19 pandemic, with its resultant economic downturn and systemic racism—the triple crises that have exposed the serious problems of U. S. health care. It is now obvious to most observers that the system is broken, raising the question of how it can be put together through the political process after a hotly contested election season filled with disinformation and confusion about potential reform alternatives.

Hajira Asghar (2020-11-19). Palestinians, Iran in the crosshairs as Pompeo makes farewell visit to Israel. liberationnews.org Pompeo used the occasion to deepen two of the most odious features of U.S. foreign policy: support for the colonial occupation of Palestinian land, and warmongering against Iran.

Sheren Khalel (2020-11-19). 'We are not afraid of you, Mike': Activists react to Pompeo's move against pro-BDS groups. middleeasteye.net 'We are not afraid of you, Mike': Activists react to Pompeo's move against pro-BDS groups | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated any group that supports Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as antisemitic | Thu, 11/19/2020 – 19: 35 | Palestinians demonstrate near Israeli settlement of Psagot against visit by Mike Pompeo on 18 November (AFP/File photo) | Pro-Palestine and…

Miko Peled (2020-11-19). The Last Negotiator: The Death of Saeb Erekat Could Mark the End of Palestinian Reconciliation. mintpressnews.com Saeb Erekat was one of the last of a generation of Palestinian negotiators inspired by the conciliatory style of Yasser Arafat. His death may be the end of an era of hope that a peaceful solution with Israel is possible.

Liz Theoharis (2020-11-19). The New Politics of the Poor in Joe Biden's (and Mitch McConnell's) USA. counterpunch.org In the two weeks since Election 2020, the country has oscillated between joy and anger, hope and dread in an era of polarization sharpened by the forces of racism, nativism, and hate. Still, truth be told, though the divisive tone of this moment may only be sharpening, division in the United States of America is

Soham Bandyopadhyay (2020-11-19). An Institutionally Racist Lockdown Policy. globalresearch.ca For Christians across the world, Christmas is a time for families and friends to come together and revel in their importance to one another. Similarly, for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists, Diwali represents a celebration of the relationships between …

_____ (2020-11-19). Training Bias Out Of Teachers. popularresistance.org This summer, the Des Moines, Iowa, public schools held a series of anti-racist town hall meetings in the wake of the police-led killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on people of color in their community. But the conversation rapidly turned to inequalities within in the school system. | "I would describe it as a harsh look into the current realities of what our students and our families are saying to us around anti-racism in our schools," said Goodrell Middle School Principal Peter LeBlanc, who noted the conversations are part of the district's ongoing equity aud…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-19). Peaceful movement will prevail, says BDS in response to Pompeo calling it anti-Semitic. peoplesdispatch.org In a press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the government would label the BDS movement as anti-Semitic and withdraw funds to organizations which are part of it…

Chauncey DeVega (2020-11-19). Make fun of the "Million MAGA March" all you want — white supremacy has not been defeated. salon.com American fascism held power for four years — and now controls the Republican Party. Don't look the other way…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-19). Palestinians oppose Pompeo's visit to illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. peoplesdispatch.org Mike Pompeo became the first top US diplomat to visit an illegal Israeli settlement. He also said that the US government had historically been wrong about settlements and it could be done in a lawful manner…

D. Watkins (2020-11-19). Poet Nikki Giovanni shares her wisdom about Biden, cowardly racism, and why love is a pineapple. salon.com The acclaimed activist and educator returned to "Salon Talks" to discuss the presidency & the writing process…

Joseph Gascoigne (2020-11-19). "Nazi Satan Death Cults" and other Mass Distractions. dissidentvoice.org Recently, Dissident Voice contributor, the never-compromising class- and labor-blogger, Michael K. Smith, took on a dragon of the progressive left whose slaying really seems long overdue. Writing in his typically potent style, Smith hammered out the following: How many times do we need to request a meaningless 'denunciation' of white supremacy? We, on what passes for …

_____ (2020-11-19). The U.S. Working Class Meets the Elections and Loses Ground. strategic-culture.org W. T. WHITNEY | The recent election campaign pitted one capitalist-oriented political party against another. But class conflict continued and working people did not fare well. | The election period was show-time for U.S. racial antagonisms. Candidates of both parties responded variously to racism. With working-class voters filling the ranks of each one, the U.S. working class was shown to be divided as it responded to racism. These are divisions that weaken the working class. | The police killing of George Floyd occurred in late May. Soon crowds of white and Black people were protesting together in little towns a…

news.un (2020-11-19). UN holds dialogues to examine racism in its ranks. news.un.org In an address on Thursday at an event for UN staff, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the need to confront racism within the world body, initiating a series of discussions on the subject.

splcenter (2020-11-19). Neo-Nazi, Klan Leader Thomas Metzger Dies in California. splcenter.org Thomas Linton Metzger, a neo-Nazi former Ku Klux Klansman who later formed the White Aryan Resistance, died early this month, according to his website.

Carla Stea (2020-11-19). Strangling Sanctions against North Korea. "Psychopathic Double Standards" at the UN Security Council. globalresearch.ca Do They Have a Conscience? | "A key difference between a psychopath and a sociopath is whether he has a conscience, the little voice inside that lets us know when we're doing something wrong, says L. Michael Tompkins, EdD. He's a …

Fight Back (2020-11-19). Israeli missile attack kills 3 Syrian soldiers. fightbacknews.org The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports Israel launched an attack on Syria, November 18. Citing a military source, SANA states "at about 03: 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the Israeli enemy launched an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan that targeted the southern region as the Syrian air defenses confronted it and downed a number of rockets." | The SANA report added "three soldiers were martyred in the aggression, and a soldier was injured, in addition to causing material damages." | With U.S. backing, Israel regularly launches air assaults on Syria and is illegally occupying the Golan Hei…

Glen Ford (2020-11-19). Black "Misleaders" Back Susan Rice as Top Diplomat. Black Democrats See Her a Role Model. globalresearch.ca Genocide in Congo and militarization of the African continent are Susan Rice's specialties, but Black Democrats see her as a "role model." | "Rice cultivated relations with every pro-U.S. warlord in Africa." | No one in high levels of U.S. government …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-19). Palestinian Authority to restore ties with Israel. peoplesdispatch.org The PA had cut ties with Israel in May after it announced plans to annex parts of the West Bank. The proposal for restoration of relations comes after assurances by Israel of a return to the status quo before May…

teleSUR (2020-11-18). Brazil: Supreme Court Rules Out Lula's Motion on Guaruja Case. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Supreme Court (STJ) Tuesday rejected unanimously former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's (2003-2011) appeal regarding the sentence on the Guaruja Triplex case which led to his arrest between April 2018 and November 2019. | RELATED: | The decisions was voted down by ministers Felix Fischer, Joao Otavio de Noronha, Reynaldo Soares da Fonseca, and Ribeiro Dantas. | Lula's defense team called for a change in th…

Nathaniel Chase (2020-11-18). The white vote for Trump: Is multinational working class solidarity possible? workers.org Why did nearly 73 million people vote for Trump, given his disastrous pandemic response and the economic collapse? The answer, simply put, is racism. In a country built on white supremacy, from slavery and genocide to mass incarceration and imperialist war, it should come as no surprise that a substantial . . . |

Akram Al-Waara (2020-11-18). Sour grapes: Pompeo's vineyard visit met with Palestinian protests. middleeasteye.net Sour grapes: Pompeo's vineyard visit met with Palestinian protests | Palestinians who have been locked out of their land by Israeli settlers rail against secretary of state's controversial visit to Psagot | Wed, 11/18/2020 – 13: 03 | Palestinians demonstrate near the Israeli settlement of Psagot against the visit by Mike Pompeo (AFP) | Thundering booms and clouds of smoke adorned the entrance to…

Sheren Khalel (2020-11-18). Senators urge Trump to axe 'Made in West Bank' settlement labels before end of term. middleeasteye.net Senators urge Trump to axe 'Made in West Bank' settlement labels before end of term | Four Republican senators warn Trump administration that labelling Israeli settlement products anything other than 'Made in Israel' encourages BDS movement | Wed, 11/18/2020 – 19: 35 | Israeli protestor carries national flag and US President Donald Trump campaign hat after heckling tour by EU diplomats at settlemen…

Editor (2020-11-18). Amazon is censoring: We need your help to distribute this book! workers.org "Capitalism on a Ventilator" is a new anthology comparing the effective Chinese response to COVID-19 to the disastrous response in the U.S. This book pushes back against the racist anti-China campaign in U.S. media. However, Amazon is currently censoring the book's distribution. We need your support to get the book . . . |

Aseel Jundi (2020-11-18). Twice refugees: Palestinians in Jerusalem at imminent risk of losing their homes to Israeli settlers. middleeasteye.net Twice refugees: Palestinians in Jerusalem at imminent risk of losing their homes to Israeli settlers | Once displaced by the 1948 Nakba, Palestinian families of a historic district in Occupied East Jerusalem are on the brink of eviction after losing lengthy legal battles with Israeli courts | Wed, 11/18/2020 – 09: 38 | ‚ÄéHome of the Sabbagh family in the Sheikh Jarrah district in…

Nadda Osman (2020-11-18). Jordanian children's channel 'servant' song causes backlash online. middleeasteye.net Jordanian children's channel 'servant' song causes backlash online | The song has been condemned as racist and accused of dehumanising domestic workers | Wed, 11/18/2020 – 12: 06 | Many have demanded that the video is removed for its derogatory and offensive content towards domestic workers (Screengrab/Twitter) | A children's song played on the Jordanian children's channel Karameesh, in which children si…

John Wojcik (2020-11-18). People power stops a racist GOP electoral coup in Michigan. peoplesworld.org The Wayne County, Michigan Board of Canvassers did an about-face late last night and voted to certify the results of the Nov. 3 election in the predominantly African-American city of Detroit and its suburbs. The vote was a unanimous 4-0. Only three hours earlier, the board was deadlocked, 2-2, with two GOP members opposed to …

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-18). I Am Greta isn't about Climate Change. dissidentvoice.org Erich Fromm, the renowned German-Jewish social psychologist who was forced to flee his homeland in the early 1930s as the Nazis came to power, offered a disturbing insight later in life on the relationship between society and the individual. In the mid-1950s, his book The Sane Society suggested that insanity referred not simply to the …

Media Lens (2020-11-18). The Dead and Those about to Die: Climate Protests and the Corporate Media. dissidentvoice.org The Roman poet Horace famously declared: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. Wilfred Owen, the great English poet of the First World War, described this phrase as 'the old Lie' in his famous war poem, 'Dulce et decorum est'. Patriotism so often means 'honouring' …

Fight Back (2020-11-18). Demand immediate release of Palestinian women's movement leader Khitam Saafin. fightbacknews.org Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) demands Israel immediately release Khitam Saafin, the president of the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, who has been jailed without charge or trial. Saafin was taken into custody on November 2 along with six other Palestinian human rights activists. Her imprisonment is another in the long list of crimes by the callous and cruel Zionist occupiers of Palestine. | Khitam Saafin is among those who stand in the forefront of the Palestinian women's movement and is a tireless organizer for social and national liberation. She has spoken at many international venues on th…

WSWS (2020-11-18). The anti-Semitism witch-hunt and the failure of Corbynism. wsws.org This speech was delivered by Socialist Equality Party National Secretary Chris Marsden to a public meeting titled, "The Blairites' anti-Semitism witch-hunt and the failure of Corbynism," held on November 15, 2020.

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-18). Traitors to Holy Quds have no future in region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 18 (MNA) — Iranian Parliament Speaker's Special Aide for International Affairs said that traitors to Holy Quds and Palestine have no future in the region.

Ralph Nader (2020-11-18). Abdicating to Boeing: An Open Letter to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson. counterpunch.org November 13, 2020 Stephen Dickson, Administrator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) U.S. Department of Transportation 800 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20591 Dear Mr. Dickson, It is now abundantly clear that instead of clearing out top Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operatives who have worked to make the FAA safe for Boeing, you have thrown in your

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-18). "I Am Greta" Isn't About Climate Change. It's About the Elusiveness of Sanity in an Insane World. globalresearch.ca Erich Fromm, the renowned German-Jewish social psychologist who was forced to flee his homeland in the early 1930s as the Nazis came to power, offered a disturbing insight later in life on the relationship between society and the individual. | In …

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-18). No safe, impenetrable refuge for criminals: Shamkhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 18 (MNA) — Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said that Iran's security forces will eventually terminate any aggressor or criminal.

news.un (2020-11-18). Envoy welcomes restart of Israeli-Palestinian coordination amid COVID-19 rise. news.un.org With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the Middle East following weeks of decline, the top UN official in the region has welcomed the Palestinian Authority's decision to resume coordination with Israel.

_____ (2020-11-18). Why A 58-day vigil Is Going On Outside The Governor's House. popularresistance.org Demonstrators gathered outside the Executive Mansion on Sunday to demand that Gov. Roy Cooper use his powers of pardon and clemency to protect people who are incarcerated during the pandemic. | Members of Decarcerate Now NC, a coalition of organizations which say they're working to end to mass incarceration, have been holding daily vigils outside the governor's mansion since Election Day and plan to continue through Jan. 1, when Cooper begins his second term. That's a total of 58 days. | "We stand vigil to bring attention to your Administration's ongoing failure to prioritize and appropriately protect Black lives…

teleSUR (2020-11-18). Hamas Urges Regional Mobilization After New Israeli Offensive. telesurenglish.net This Wednesday, Israel launched a missile attack from the occupied Golan Heights on Syria's capital, Damascus, claiming it was in response to discovering some landmines found on its territory. Syrian air defense units succeeded in shooting down several missiles, while others hit military targets, leaving at least three dead and one injured among the Syrian soldiers. | RELATED: | "The new aggression by the Zionist regime against Sy…

teleSUR (2020-11-18). Brazil: Superior Justice Court Rules Out Lula's Motion on Guaruja Case. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Superior Justice Court (STJ) Tuesday rejected unanimously former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's (2003-2011) motion regarding the sentence on the Guaruja Triplex case which led to his arrest between April 2018 and November 2019. | RELATED: | The decisions was voted down by ministers Felix Fischer, Joao Otavio de Noronha, Reynaldo Soares da Fonseca, and Ribeiro Dantas. | Lula's defense team called for a cha…

sputniknews (2020-11-17). Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules Philadelphia Did Not Violate State Election Law – Filing. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said in a ruling that the city of Philadelphia did not violate state election law when it restricted the distance poll observers had to maintain to observe the processing of mail-in ballots due to the novel coronavirus, a court document revealed.

MEE staff (2020-11-17). Palestinian Authority to restore security, financial coordination with Israel. middleeasteye.net Palestinian Authority to restore security, financial coordination with Israel | Official says President Mahmoud Abbas is ready to restore ties with Israel, a move that could disrupt reconciliation talks with Hamas | Tue, 11/17/2020 – 19: 07 | Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a placard with historical maps showing Palestinian land loss during video conference with Palestinian factions on 3 September (A…

MEE staff (2020-11-17). Scores of Israelis evicted from former settlement in West Bank. middleeasteye.net Scores of Israelis evicted from former settlement in West Bank | Around 20 families, including a Likud MP, ejected from Sa-Nur by the military 15 years after first being expelled | Tue, 11/17/2020 – 12: 14 | Israeli settlers inside a property in the former settlement of Sa-Nur north of the occupied West Bank (Twitter\@EladHumi) | Scores of Israeli settlers attempting to repopulate an illegal settlement near th…

Erica Steib (2020-11-17). Anti-racist protesters shut down Wisconsin school board meeting. liberationnews.org School board unwilling to seriously discuss racism in the schools.

Alex MacDonald (2020-11-17). Barack Obama's legacy in the Middle East: Six things we learned from 'A Promised Land'. middleeasteye.net Barack Obama's legacy in the Middle East: Six things we learned from 'A Promised Land' | In his latest memoir, the former president discusses being pressured by the Israel lobby, Bahrain's assault on the pro-democracy movement, and the vagaries of having 12 wives | Tue, 11/17/2020 – 16: 21 | Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) and his US counterpart Barack Obama take part in a welcoming ceremon…

C.J. Atkins (2020-11-17). How did àÅlvaro Cunhal's 'Five Days, Five Nights' get its English translation? peoplesworld.org There are only a few Communist Parties in the western world that can claim to have fought a decades-long underground battle against an actually-existing fascist regime and survived. Among them is the storied Portuguese Communist Party. From 1932 to 1974, Portugal was ruled by the nationalist and conservative regime of dictator António de Oliveira Salazar. …

Karen Conner (2020-11-17). "A Silent Pandemic": Racism, Negligence, and Medical Assault in ICE Detention Centers. cepr.net After a whistleblower revealed that an ICE detention facility in Georgia sterilized immigrant women without consent, members of the House Judiciary Committee and Hispanic Caucus visited the facility and heard directly from the whistleblower and immigrant women who experienced forced sterilizations at the facility. Congress members called for an investigation of the Department of …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-11-17). House Progressives Call on Pompeo to Condemn Israeli Demolition of West Bank Village That Left Dozens Homeless. commondreams.org "This is a grave humanitarian issue that demands your immediate attention and our collective condemnation," the lawmakers told the outgoing secretary of state, who is visiting the region this week. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-11-17). Albania's Attempts to Refocus Kosovo War Crime Tribunal onto Serbia Will Not Work. globalresearch.ca Kosovo Albanians via their allies in Tirana are once again attempting to antagonize Serbia, this time through the Self-Determination Movements initiative. The Movement is trying to push through the Albanian Parliament a declaration condemning the so-called "Serbian genocide in Kosovo." …

sputniknews (2020-11-17). Joe Biden Pledges 'Deep Commitment' to Israel in Call With PM Netanyahu. sputniknews.com Former vice-president Joe Biden has pledged to break with US President Donald Trump's 'America First' policy, but pundits fear his projected election could see a return to the military interventionist policies of the Barack Obama administration.