Daily Archives: November 14, 2020

2020-11-14: News Headlines

Richard Horton (2020-11-14). [Comment] Offline: A different kind of lockdown. thelancet.com In April, 2019, Dr Mai Alkaila became the first woman to be appointed Minister of Health in the occupied Palestinian territory. An obstetrician and gynaecologist by training, she later earned a PhD in health policy and systems. But she also had a taste for diplomacy and has served the State of Palestine as Ambassador to Chile and Italy. Perfect credentials, one might imagine, for a role that comes with already delicate political challenges. And then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. How was a divided land and a divided government under occupation going to handle a health emergency that was confounding even the most u…

Dana Drugmand (2020-11-14). Norway's Supreme Court to decide on climate lawsuit challenging offshore Arctic oil drilling. nationofchange.org "To disregard this is to disregard Norway's international responsibilities and science."

_____ (2020-11-14). Update: Abby Martin's Lawsuit Over Israel Loyalty Oath Mandate In US. popularresistance.org New developments in Abby Martin's major lawsuit challenging unconstitutional pro-Israel, anti-BDS law in the state of Georgia. | Abby Martin: "In February of this year, I was supposed to give a keynote speech at Georgia Southern University. Before the event, I refused to sign a state-mandated pledge to not boycott Israel in order to speak. My invitation was rescinded and the conference canceled as a result. I decided to sue the state of Georgia because signing an anti-BDS clause in order to work in the state is a direct violation of my rights to Constitutional free speech and to participate in political boycotts.

Gloria Rubac (2020-11-14). Naciones indígenas de Oklahoma ganan fallo de Corte Suprema. workers.org Una decisión sorprendentemente progresista de la Corte Suprema encontró que más de un tercio de Oklahoma todavía se denomina como "nación indígena" según la ley federal para la tribu Muscogee Creek y otras tribus de Oklahoma. En 1880, delegados indígenas de 34 tribus frente al Consejo Creek House, Territorio Indio. . . . |

Jim McMahan (2020-11-14). Seattle: Anti-racist marches continue during election week. workers.org Seattle Black-led marches against racist and economic oppression continued during election week in Seattle. Trump's racism has led more people to stay in the streets. While the vote for Biden was big, the election definitely didn't take people out of the streets. "Count Every Vote — Protect Every Person" rally, . . . |

_____ (2020-11-14). Racism In Britain Has A Long If Contested History. popularresistance.org The demobilized troopship HMT Empire Windrush that arrived at Tilbury Dock on 22 June 1948 was not Britain's first migration ship, but its passengers were the first to be promised British citizenship, which the British Nationality Act of 1948 conferred on "every person born within the United Kingdom and Colonies." Of the 1029 passengers, 802 from the Caribbean, 96 were household domestics and 85 were mechanics; there were also, in smaller numbers, scholars, civil servants and a judge. They had accepted an invitation to help rebuild the Mother Country and arrived full of hope for a warm reception.

Refuse Fascism Bay Area (2020-11-14). Saturday 11/14: Biden's Win Is a Very Good Thing, But the Struggle Is Far From Over. indybay.org Powell & Market, San Francisco…

_____ (2020-11-14). Brazil: Municipal Elections Promise Gains For Left. popularresistance.org On Sunday, November 15, residents of Brazil's 5570 municipalities will vote for mayors and city councilors in what promises to be a day of moderate gains by left wing political parties and embarrassing loses for candidates aligned with Brazil's far right President Jair Bolsonaro. | In 2012, the Brazilian Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores/PT) elected 638 mayors, including 19 in Brazil's largest 95 cities (those with population above 200,000). In 2016, after 3 years of a relentless national and international media smear campaign based on false corruption allegations…

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2020-11-14). Netpol reveals 'institutional racism' in the policing of Britain's Black Lives Matter protests. thecanary.co The Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) has released a new Netpol's report comes days after a Joint Committee on Human Right…

Fred Fuentes (2020-11-13). Women of Steel: Check out upcoming screenings near you. greenleft.org.au Denied jobs at Wollongong's steelworks, working-class migrant women refused to accept discrimination. They began a campaign for the right to work that lasted for 14 years. Women of Steel tells their story, writes Kerry Smith.

Igor Derysh (2020-11-13). Justice Samuel Alito called out for highly "partisan" speech on COVID-19 rules and same-sex marriage. salon.com The Supreme Court justice's "angry" Federalist Society speech makes a good case for court reform, scholars say…

Lyn Neeley (2020-11-13). After Defund Police victory, Portland keeps marching. workers.org Portland, Ore. After 170 days of uninterrupted protests against racism, fascism and police brutality, 82 percent of Portlanders have voted for a community oversight board to investigate and discipline cases of police violence. Rally for Black Lives Matter and to defend workers' rights, Portland, Ore., Nov. 8 Since the brutal . . . |

Staff (2020-11-13). What Wisconsin's vote says about America's future. therealnews.com Former Madison City Councilman David Ahrens and Milwaukee activist Angela Lang join TRNN's Marc Steiner to look at Wisconsin's progressive roots and racist realities—and to discuss the political battles to come.

MEE staff (2020-11-13). 'Dangerous precedent': Palestinian premier warns Pompeo over settlement visit. middleeasteye.net 'Dangerous precedent': Palestinian premier warns Pompeo over settlement visit | Mike Pompeo's visit, a first for a US secretary of state, will 'legitimise' Israeli settlements despite international consensus over their illegality, warns Prime Minister Shtayyeh | Fri, 11/13/2020 – 21: 32 | Protesters in Nablus burn cardboard cutout of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this year during demonstration agai…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Met Commissioner admits force 'not free of discrimination, racism or bias'. thecanary.co The Metropolitan Police commissioner has said she feels "very sorry" that trust among Black communities is so low, as she admitted her force "is not free of discrimination, racism or bias".Cressida Dick issued a statement as the force outlined plans for 40% of new recruits to be from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME) from 2022.It comes as London mayor Sadiq Khan published an action plan to address concerns over the use of police powers affecting Black Londoners, including stop and search and the use of Tasers. It also comes after the mother of Stephen Lawrence argued "that there has been very li…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Black nurses 'petrified' of being sent to frontline without adequate protection. thecanary.co Black nurses are "petrified" they will be sent back to the frontline without adequate protection or risk assessment during the second coronavirus wave, a support organisation has said. Equality 4 Black Nurses, a nurse-led organisation which aims to eradicate racial discrimination in the NHS, also raised concerns that stresses caused by the pandemic were "bringing racial inequalities to the surface".Discrimination: A survey conducted by the organisation found that a third (32%) of Black nurses were not supplied with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) during the peak of the first wave. The study al…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-11-13). Widespread experiences and perceptions of Islamophobia in UK Labour, report reveals. middleeasteye.net Widespread experiences and perceptions of Islamophobia in UK Labour, report reveals | Damning study finds Muslim supporters of Labour don't trust or feel represented by the opposition's leadership | Fri, 11/13/2020 – 11: 25 | Muslim supporters of the Labour Party campaign during the UK general election in December 2019 (Labour Muslim Network) | A significant proportion of Muslim supporters of the Labo…

MEE staff (2020-11-13). Obama says disagreements with Israel carried 'domestic political cost': Report. middleeasteye.net Obama says disagreements with Israel carried 'domestic political cost': Report | In excerpts from upcoming book, former US president accuses Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating political pressure on his administration | Fri, 11/13/2020 – 16: 43 | Obama says AIPAC echoed Israeli government even when it was "contrary to US policy" (AFP/File photo) | In his upcoming memoir, A Promised Land, former US president Ba…

_____ (2020-11-13). Black Cops Don't Make Policing Any Less Anti-Black. popularresistance.org Amid recent growing calls for defunding police this summer, a set of billboards appeared in Dallas, Atlanta, and New York City. Each had the words "No Police, No Peace" printed in large, bold letters next to an image of a Black police officer. Funded by a conservative right-wing think tank , the billboards captured all the hallmarks of modern pro-policing propaganda. The jarring choice of language, a deliberate corruption of the protest chant "no justice, no peace," follows a pattern we see frequently from proponents of the police state.

Rory Fanning (2020-11-13). Far Right Militias Are Recruiting Vets. We Must Organize Against This Trend. zcomm.org Challenging U.S. imperialism and combating white supremacy are part of the same struggle…

Amanda Marcotte (2020-11-13). The far right is cracking up, as their violent fantasies of Trump's fascist takeover evaporate. salon.com QAnon, the Proud Boys and white nationalist groups flail around helplessly as twilight falls on the Trump era…

Staff (2020-11-13). The Fight to Re-Enfranchise Voters Continues. truthout.org Image Credit: Florida Rights Restoration Coalition | In Florida, tens of thousands of newly eligible voters who were previously disenfranchised due to their criminal records turned out to the polls for the 2020 election. Amendment 4, a measure that in 2018 overturned a Jim Crow-era law aimed at keeping African Americans from voting, restored voting rights to people with nonviolent felonies who have completed their sentences and was hailed as the biggest win for voting rights in decades. However, hundreds of thousands of people…

Richard Falk (2020-11-13). Making Sense of Hunger Strikes and Symbolic Politics. zcomm.org The inspirational example of the Irish hunger strikers who did not abandon their quest for elemental justice at the doorstep of death was not lost on the Palestinians…

The Canary (2020-11-13). Comedian says she is 'disabled and proud' after Question Time speech. thecanary.co Comedian Rosie Jones said she is "bloody proud" to be disabled after speaking on Question Time 25 years since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act. | "Groundbreaking": | The legislation, which was introduced in 1995, prohibited discrimination on the grounds of disability, and was significantly extended in 2006 to include areas such as employment and education. | Jones, who has cerebral palsy, appeared on the BBC's discussion programme to talk about her experience, and said that the "groundbreaking" act had helped her lead a better life. She told Fiona Bruce: Without a doubt my life has bee…

Dolores Perez Heilbron (2020-11-13). Sunday 11/29: Dr. Benjamin Madley, "An American Genocide" Zoom Presentation. indybay.org First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco | ZOOM PRESENTATION…

Ali Harb (2020-11-12). 'Antithesis of peace': Palestine advocates decry Israeli settlers' visit to UAE. middleeasteye.net 'Antithesis of peace': Palestine advocates decry Israeli settlers' visit to UAE | After visit to Dubai, right-wing settler leader Yossi Dagan says direct trade between settlements and UAE will start soon | Thu, 11/12/2020 – 22: 00 | 'Normalisation is betrayal,' reads mural in Palestinian West Bank city of Hebron (AFP/File photo) | Palestinian rights advocates condemned a visit by Israeli settlers to the United Ar…

Codepink (2020-11-12). CODEPINK Condemns False Accusations of Antisemitism Against GA Senate Candidate Rev. Warnock. zcomm.org As an organization committed to ending racism and militarism in the United States, as well as apartheid and injustice in Israel/Palestine, CODEPINK encourages Reverend Warnock to continue to speak out for freedom and equality for all in Palestine and Israel…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-12). Iran's support for Palestine 'a matter of faith'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 12 (MNA) — A senior member of Hamas Islamic Resistance Movement said the martyrdom of General Soleimani indicated that Iran's support for Palestine and the ideals of the Palestinian people is not political hypocrisy but a firm belief.

Hajira Asghar (2020-11-12). Healthcare for millions on the line as ultra-right Supreme Court hears challenge to ACA. liberationnews.org For the third time in the past 10 years, Republicans have launched yet another legal attack at the Supreme Court in an attempt to eliminate healthcare coverage for millions.

_____ (2020-11-12). Supreme Court Challenge To ACA Highlights Why We Need Medicare For All. popularresistance.org Once again, the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health law passed under the Obama administration in 2010, will be in the hands of the Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments in the case, California v. Texas, on Tuesday. A decision is expected in the spring. This is the third time the law has been tested in the Supreme Court, but this time experts are not certain the outcome will be as favorable as it was in 2012 and 2015 due to the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her replacement with Amy Coney Barrett.

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-11-12). Trump's Frivolous Lawsuits Are the Tip of the Iceberg in His Refusal to Concede. globalresearch.ca As masses of people poured into the streets to celebrate the end of Donald Trump's fascist rule, the lame duck president's lawyers were filing frivolous lawsuits in an attempt to nullify Joe Biden's victory. But none of these suits, …

Steve Sweeney (2020-11-12). South Africa's Communists condemn possible release of Chris Hani's assassin. peoplesworld.org The South African Communist Party (SACP) is voicing strong opposition to the application for the release of the murderer of its former general secretary Chris Hani. Janusz Walus was jailed for life for the 1993 killing, which took place while negotiations to end the country's racist apartheid system were at an advanced stage. Walus's latest …

Olujimi Alade (2020-11-12). Black Lives Matter — from Nigeria to the U.S. workers.org People protest against abuses by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos, Nigeria, Oct. 12. As a Nigerian-American, I was very disappointed in myself for my lack of knowledge about #EndSARS protests in Nigeria that have captivated the world recently. (In Nigeria, SARS stands for the so-called "Special Anti-Robbery Squad" . . . |

Eds. (2020-11-12). Identity politics, the far right, and masks. mronline.org On the right, identity politics is leveraged to deliberately divide and fracture workers, pitting them against each other, most frequently on the basis of race, gender, religion, or nationality.

Ron Jacobs (2020-11-12). Fascism, Trumpism and the Future. counterpunch.org Fascism is both a symptom and the essence of capitalism in decay. Its development into a movement tends to begin when small-time capitalists (the petit bourgeoisie, if you will) see their wealth, political power and survival as a stratum of society disappearing in the maws of the giant monopolies and financial houses. Not having the

MEE staff (2020-11-12). Groups critical of Israel to be branded 'antisemitic' under Pompeo plan: Report. middleeasteye.net Groups critical of Israel to be branded 'antisemitic' under Pompeo plan: Report | Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Oxfam and others would likely be targeted by campaign | Thu, 11/12/2020 – 18: 01 | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jerusalem after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in August (AFP/File photo) | The US State Department is expected to announce plans to create a ne…

MEE and agencies (2020-11-12). Missing Israeli soldier found dead in West Bank, military says. middleeasteye.net Missing Israeli soldier found dead in West Bank, military says | The body of the soldier, reported missing this week, was found near an army checkpoint close to Jerusalem | Thu, 11/12/2020 – 09: 34 | Israel's military and police were investigating the circumstances of his death (AFP) | An Israeli soldier reported missing this week was found dead in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the I…

Simon Hooper (2020-11-12). 'Hostile environment' supporter appointed to EHRC equality watchdog. middleeasteye.net 'Hostile environment' supporter appointed to EHRC equality watchdog | David Goodhart, who says he has 'grown used to being accused of racism even by my own children', appointed to Equality and Human Rights Commission board | Thu, 11/12/2020 – 14: 59 | David Goodhart described Black Lives Matter complaints of systemic racism in the UK as "statistically naive" (Screengrab) | The UK government has appoin…

Chauncey DeVega (2020-11-12). Chris Hedges on the task ahead: Will Biden surrender to plutocrats and paralysis?>. salon.com Pulitzer-winning author: Biden and the Democrats will "just dig themselves deeper," fueling a fascist comeback…

Ashlie D. Stevens (2020-11-12). As winter approaches, America's racist produce distribution system makes food insecurity worse. salon.com While gardens serve as a stopgap in summer, communities of color struggle to access fresh produce in colder months…

splcenter (2020-11-12). 'A New Dawn': How four young Black activists powered movement to remove Confederate emblem from Mississippi flag. splcenter.org &nbsp…

splcenter (2020-11-12). Far-Right Extremists Heading to Washington Amid Talk of Trump "Coup" splcenter.org A cluster of far-right extremists including neo-fascists, white nationalists and militia members are expected to descend on Washington D.C. Saturday, amidst President Trump's refusal to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

_____ (2020-11-12). County Must Stop Development Of Moses African Cemetery. popularresistance.org As someone who grew up in Montgomery County, I've heard and seen countless declarations from acquaintances, teachers and government officials that the county is incredibly progressive when it comes to racial justice. In my experience, many of those who sustain this claim will back it up with references to the diversity of county residents or to progressive legislation such as the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles. | In addition, praise for Montgomery County's progressivism has almost always included some kind of juxtaposition to more "backwards" parts of Maryland…

Roger Sollenberger (2020-11-12). Obama: Trump "promised an elixir" for the "racial anxiety" of Americans spooked by a Black president. salon.com Tump "promised an elixir" for the racist anxiety Obama's election stirred in white Americans, the ex-president says…

Emily Peck (2020-11-12). From Marijuana To Minimum Wage, Progressives Won Policy Fights On Election Night. zcomm.org Taken together, these types of measures could go a long way in reducing race and gender discrimination around the country…

Philip Weiss (2020-11-12). Will Trump Push Israeli Annexation Before January 20? And Israel Might Grab 'Once in a Lifetime' Chance. globalresearch.ca Trump will push annexation of West Bank, and if Netanyahu sees it as in his political interest to be antagonistic to Biden, he will accede, say two prominent Israel lobbyists. | *** | In the few weeks he has left, Donald Trump…

WSWS (2020-11-11). US Supreme Court justices signal support for upholding Affordable Care Act. wsws.org Most of the justices gave a skeptical hearing to arguments that Obamacare should be struck down in its entirety because Congress eliminated the tax penalty for those who did not purchase insurance.

Health Care Voter (2020-11-11). Tuesday 11/10: #SaveTheACA Rally at Supreme Court w/ Health Care Voter (livestream). indybay.org Livestream recording of protest rally…

Media Lens (2020-11-11). Robert Fisk: Death of a "Controversial" Journalist. dissidentvoice.org Robert Fisk, the Independent's Middle East correspondent, died on 30 October aged 74. In reviewing his life and career, the newspaper for which he worked for more than two decades wrote of their star reporter: 'Much of what Fisk wrote was controversial…' As John Pilger noted, in describing Fisk's journalism as 'controversial' the Independent was …

Staff (2020-11-11). Marc Steiner Show: Black and Indigenous antifascism; Cindy Blackman Santana on music and social justice. therealnews.com In the premier episode of the Marc Steiner Show, Dr. Nikki Taylor and Dr. Gerald Horne talk about the history of, and resistance to, fascist violence against Indigenous and Black communities in the US, and Cindy Blackman Santana talks about our trying times and her music's place in them.