Daily Archives: November 24, 2020

2020-11-24: News Headlines

Staff (2020-11-24). Juan González Remembers NYC's Only Black Mayor David Dinkins & Vieques Activist Carlos "Taso" Zenón. democracynow.org We speak with Democracy Now! co-host Juan González about the deaths of two leading figures he reported on: New York City Mayor David Dinkins and beloved Puerto Rican social leader Carlos "Taso" Zenón. "Most people forget [Dinkins] was a Democratic Socialist before democratic socialism was in vogue," notes González. He also recalls how Dinkins backed the movement against apartheid in South Africa, ordering the city to divest its pension fund from companies doing business there, and brought Nelson Mandela to the city right after he was freed. González also recalls how Zenón was a longtime activist who for decades l…

Clinton Nzala (2020-11-24). Malawi is Just the Beginning: How Israel Changed the Political Narrative of an Entire Continent. mintpressnews.com The Palestinian cause was pivotal on the agenda of many African political parties in the 1970s and '80s. Over the last three decades, however, it has been pushed to the fringes of political discourse save for a handful of countries on the continent.

Shatha Hammad (2020-11-24). What did the PA gain for resuming security coordination with Israel? middleeasteye.net What did the PA gain for resuming security coordination with Israel? | Activists say they expect the Palestinian Authority to crackdown on dissent, as Palestinians criticise a return to the coordination policy | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 14: 37 | Palestinian Authority security forces stop vehicles at a checkpoint in Nablus in the occupied West Bank on 2 July 2020, after authorities reimposed a Covid-19 loc…

Musawenkosi Cabe (2020-11-24). South Africa's constitutional Court protects domestic workers. peoplesdispatch.org "It's unbelievable. We feel like flying, we are so happy. I nearly broke into song inside [the Constitutional Court], breaking the law…" These were the words of 77-year-old Eunice Dhladhla, a domestic workers' union organizer, after the court ended years of unfair exclusion and discrimination against domestic workers. | Twenty-six years into democracy, and still domestic workers could not claim compensation for contracting a disease, being injured or disabled, or even dying while at work. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Act expressly excluded domestic workers from the class of workers who…

Eds. (2020-11-24). How Joe Biden plans to make the American empire great again. mronline.org Behind his rhetoric, Joe Biden will seek nothing less than global supremacy, escalating a new and even more dangerous arms race that risks the destruction of humanity, what he calls "decency" and "normalcy."

RT (2020-11-24). Syrian state media reports 'Israeli aggression' near Damascus & in southern Quneitra. rt.com The Israeli military has allegedly struck at least two sites in Syria, including in the Damascus countryside and near villages south of Quneitra, Syrian state media reported. Only material damage was inflicted in the attacks. | Early reports indicate the strikes, launched early Wednesday morning, hit near the town of Jabal Al-Mani in a rural area around the Syrian capital, as well as the village of Ruyhaina located south of Quneitra, which straddles the border between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It is yet unclear what munitions were used in the attacks or whether Syrian defenses attempted to…

news.un (2020-11-24). 'Deplorable' killing of Afro-Brazilian man shows need to address racism, discrimination. news.un.org The killing of an Afro-Brazilian man, and the widespread outrage it has sparked, underscores the urgent need for the Government to tackle racism and racial discrimination in South America's largest country, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.

Manlio Dinucci (2020-11-24). All'Onu l'Italia si astiene sul nazismo. globalresearch.ca Il Terzo Comitato delle Nazioni Unite — incaricato delle questioni sociali, umanitarie e culturali — ha approvato il 18 novembre la Risoluzione ´Combattere la glorificazione del nazismo, neonazismo e altre pratiche che contribuiscono ad alimentare le contemporanee forme di razzismo, …

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-24). VIDEO: Israeli aircraft crashes in southern occupied lands. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 24 (MNA) — Two were killed after an Israeli aircraft crashed near Beersheba in the southern parts of the occupied Palestinian lands on Tuesday.

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-11-24). Netanyahu in Saudi Arabia. thealtworld.com The Arab-Israeli normalisation fad will not last long. And the regimes involved will live to regret it. | With all the Israeli media confirming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia on Sunday for talks with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin-Salman and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin-Farhan's awkward denial that any such meeting took place was unconvincing in the extreme. | True, Netanyahu's office refused to confirm or deny the gathering held at the complex of royal palaces in north-eastern Saudi Arabia at the site of the planned 'mega-city' of Neom. It su…

_____ (2020-11-24). Neighbors Explain What Protests Against Systemic Racism Mean To Them. popularresistance.org Demonstrators took to the D.C. streets in late May, protesting police brutality and the systemic racism Black people face. It was part of a larger movement inspired by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but Floyd wasn't the only name protesters chanted. They called for justice for Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and, more locally, Marqueese Alston, D'Quan Young, and others. In September, a new name was added to the list: Deon Kay. | The demonstrations have taken place against the backdrop of a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted Black and Latino Americans, including in D.C.

Ashlie D. Stevens (2020-11-24). At Trump's final bizarre turkey pardon, his ongoing refusal to concede was the elephant in the room. salon.com The president talked up the Dow and made a racist swipe at the "China virus," but no mention of the transition…

Manlio Dinucci (2020-11-24). Na ONU, a Itália abstém-se sobre o Nazismo. globalresearch.ca A Terceira Comissà£o das Naàßàµes Unidas — responsável pelas questàµes sociais, humanitárias e culturais — aprovou, em 18 de Novembro, a Resoluàßà£o "Combate à glorificaàßà£o do nazismo, do neonazismo e de outras práticas que contribuem para alimentar formas contemporâneas de …

Ralph Nader (2020-11-23). Trump's Massive, Lawless, and Immoral Legacy to Our Country Will Continue Unless … counterpunch.org Trump has gotten away with almost everything throughout his bankruptcy-driven business career and his corrupt, cruel, and costly political years in the White House. Things changed on November 3, when he was retired by the voters.

MEE and agencies (2020-11-23). Israel invites Lebanese president for direct talks over maritime dispute. middleeasteye.net Israel invites Lebanese president for direct talks over maritime dispute | No indication on whether Michel Aoun intended to respond to the invitation by Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz | Mon, 11/23/2020 – 11: 51 | President Michel Aoun delivering a televised address on the eve of the country's 77th independence day, at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital (AFP) | I…

MEE staff (2020-11-23). Israel's Netanyahu made secret trip to Saudi Arabia to meet crown prince, say reports. middleeasteye.net Israel's Netanyahu made secret trip to Saudi Arabia to meet crown prince, say reports | Saudi foreign minister denies meeting or any visit by Israeli officials, despite anonymous confirmations to US media | Mon, 11/23/2020 – 07: 37 | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, L, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to make a joint statement after meeting in Jerusalem on 19 November 2020 (AFP) | Israeli…

Jayati Ghosh (2020-11-23). Discrimination and bias in economics, and emerging responses. mronline.org Recently, mainstream economics has been forced to acknowledge some of the explicit and implicit forms of discrimination and bias that are rampant in the discipline, thanks in particular to some brave interventions by some women economists.

Paul Street (2020-11-23). A Man-Child in A Promised Land. counterpunch.org The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg recently conducted a long and obsequious interview with Barack Obama. The interview was occasioned by the apparent defeat of Obama's fascist successor Donald Trump and by the recent release of the first volume of Obama's much-awaited presidential memoir A Promised Land — Obama's third book about Obama, soon to be

_____ (2020-11-23). The Art of Political Lying. strategic-culture.org With idle tales this fills our empty ears; | The next reports what from the first he hears; | The rolling fictions grow in strength and size, | Each author adding to the former lies. | Here vain credulity, with new desires, | Leads us astray, and groundless joy inspires; | The dubious whispers, tumults fresh designed, | And chilling fears astound the anxious mind. | -Ovid's Metamorphosis | While the foundations of the USA tremble under the force of unprecedented vote fraud, color revolutionary operations, and the danger of a renewed fascist takeover of the Wall Street-Big Tech-NSA/FBI/CIA combine, certain…

commondreams (2020-11-23). To Protect Wild Steelhead, Salmon, Orcas, Environmental Groups Appeal Approval of Puget Sound Commercial Net Pen Aquaculture To Washington's Supreme Court. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-23). Gantz, Ashkenazi not-informed of Netanyahu visit to S. Arabia. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 23 (MNA) — Netanyahu informed neither Gantz nor Ashkenazi of his secret visit to Saudi Arabia.

sputniknews (2020-11-23). Israeli Researchers Use Gene Editing to Destroy Cancer Cells in Mice – Study. sputniknews.com CRISPR/Cas9, or clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats, is a technique that involves identifying the location of mutations in genes and then using Cas9, a gene-editing enzyme, to cut and remove unwanted portions of DNA along a gene sequence.

_____ (2020-11-23). As Racism Plagues Health Care, Unions Offer A Treatment. popularresistance.org Like many nursing homes across the country, the Genesis HealthCare center in Greenville, Rhode Island, primarily houses white residents and employs people of color. Adelina Ramos, who's Cape Verdean, works at the center as a certified nursing assistant and faces a number of challenges common to the caregiving profession. Each day, she cares for 11 dementia patients on her own, with that number sometimes rising to 18 if a co-worker can't come in. The job comes with long hours on her feet and the occasional risk of physical harm when dealing with aggressive patients.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-23). Following air strikes, Iran warns Israel against violating Syria's sovereignty. peoplesdispatch.org Israel carried out airstrikes inside Syria on November 18 and again on November 21. At least three Syrian soldiers and close to 15 militiamen were killed in the airstrikes…

Richard Falk (2020-11-23). A Comic Display of Geopolitical Subservience: Mike Pompeo's Visit to Israel. zcomm.org Pompeo's gratuitous remark is a gesture of solidarity with the Netanyahu government, and irresponsibly treats the BDS Campaign as antisemitic…

Amnesty International (2020-11-23). State Department's attack on the BDS Movement Violates Freedom of Expression and Endangers Human Rights Protection. globalresearch.ca Responding to the United States Department of State announcement designating the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement as antisemitic and planning to identify organizations supporting BDS with a view to reviewing and halting their funding, Bob Goodfellow, the Interim …

WSWS (2020-11-23). This week in history: November 23-29. wsws.org On November 29, 1945, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed following the successful repulsion of Nazi Germany's attempt to subjugate the country, and Germany's defeat in World War II in May. The establishment of the republic involved the deposing of King Peter II and the end of the Karađorđević dynasty that he headed. It was the outcome of a mass partisan struggle against fascism.

Ariel Natan Pasko (2020-11-23). Pollard for President of Israel. indybay.org Pollard for President of Israel, Give Him Justice…

Never Forgive, Never Forget (2020-11-23). 57 Years Since 11/22/63 Kennedy Assassination. indybay.org We managed to get rid of the worst president in memory, Nazi Trump, in this year's election, but the nuclear holocaust threat remains. Instructive to all in public speaking and war & peace as a basic issue is Pres. John Kennedy's speech on 6/10/63 at American University, now on Youtube, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZsG4qbw_tY&#038…

Ruth Conniff (2020-11-23). Middle America: A Bridge to a New Era. progressive.org Finally, we've made it to the other side—to a vision of America that includes powerful women and people of color, that looks to the future instead of wallowing in our racist past.

Mitchell Plitnick (2020-11-23). Pompeo's Attack on BDS Is an Assault on Free Speech. globalresearch.ca Secretary of State Mike Pompeo broke a long-standing taboo and became the first American secretary of state to visit an Israeli settlement. Then, Pompeo announced that the United States would recognize products made in West Bank settlements as "made in …

Staff (2020-11-23). Reports of Meeting Between Netanyahu, Pompeo, bin Salman Spark Fear of Iran War. truthout.org The alarming possibility of a military attack on Iran — a nation that has long been in the sights of war hawks in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel — was immediately invoked by foreign policy analysts Monday following

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-11-22). The Yemen "Civil War" Arms Bonanza. Mammoth Weapons Sales to UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel. globalresearch.ca "Making billions from arms exports which fuel the conflict while providing a small fraction of that in aid to Yemen is both immoral and incoherent." So

Elijah Magnier (2020-11-22). Comment l'Iran peut-il convaincre que le règlement de la question du nucléaire iranien est une priorité? (2). thealtworld.com De nombreux pays du Moyen-Orient estiment que les conflits actuels en Syrie, en Irak, au Yémen, en Palestine et au Liban pourraient être résolus si les USA et l'Iran s'assoyaient à la table des négociations, même si l'Arabie Saoudite et Israà´l préféreraient une guerre contre l'Iran afin de paralyser ses capacités militaires et économiques. | La ´ pression maximale ª exercée par les USA, la plus dure subie par un pays dans le monde, n'a pas réussi à soumettre l'Iran au diktat américain, ni à réduire le programme de missiles de l'Iran, ni à modifier son soutien à ses puissants alliés au Moyen-Orie…

The Canary (2020-11-22). Parties unite to call for Pat Finucane killing public inquiry. thecanary.co Four political parties in the north of Ireland have united to call for a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane. | Mr Finucane, 39, was murdered by loyalist terrorists in front of his family in 1989 amid claims of collusion with state security forces. | In February last year, the Supreme Court ruled that investigations into the fatal shooting of the solicitor have not been effective and fell short of international human rights standards. | BREAKING: Letter from the four parties to Brandon Lewis calling on the British Government to hold a public inquiry into the killing of human rights l…

MEE staff (2020-11-22). Imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard flying to Israel after US parole ends. middleeasteye.net Imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard flying to Israel after US parole ends | Cold War spy passed on information about American intelligence agencies to Israel | Sun, 11/22/2020 – 09: 30 | Jonathan Pollard spent 30 years in prison for spying for Israel (AFP) | The spy Jonathan Pollard, who was jailed for spying against the United States in the 1980s, has been cleared to fly to Israel, where he will be welcomed by th…

MEE and agencies (2020-11-22). Israeli jets strike Gaza after rocket fire hits factory. middleeasteye.net Israeli jets strike Gaza after rocket fire hits factory | Israel and Hamas trade blame for fire exchanged over Gaza just a week after similar strikes | Sun, 11/22/2020 – 10: 30 | Smoke rises over Gaza buildings after an Israeli air strike on 22 November 2020 (Reuters) | Israel carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning after rockets from the blockaded territory hit an Isra…

MEE staff (2020-11-22). Outrage at 'normalisation' photo of Egyptian singer with Israeli celebrities in UAE. middleeasteye.net Outrage at 'normalisation' photo of Egyptian singer with Israeli celebrities in UAE | Egypt's Mohammed Ramadan sparks criticism after attendance at event with Israeli public figures in Dubai | Sun, 11/22/2020 – 16: 04 | (L-R) Omer Adam, Mohamed Ramadan and Hamad al-Mazrouie (Twitter) | Egyptian singer and actor Mohamed Ramadan has sparked a social media backlash after his image with two Israeli celebrities in…

RT (2020-11-22). Israel ratifies deal with UAE allowing first visa-free travel to Arab state. rt.com Israel has ratified a visa exemption agreement with the United Arab Emirates — its first such deal with an Arab state — as rapprochement between the former foes continues at a rapid pace. | Israeli ministers unanimously voted to support the treaty during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. | The visa exemption agreement had been signed between the sides in Tel-Aviv in October, when two UAE ministers paid a historic visit to Israel. The government in Abu Dhabi reportedly ratified it earlier this month. | This means that Israeli and UAE citizens will be able travel to each other's countries without applying…

Zack Buck (2020-11-22). While the Supreme Court deliberates on the ACA, Congress and the White House may act. salon.com The Affordable Care Act's third date with the Supreme Court was Nov. 10, and it will be months before a decision…

news.un (2020-11-22). First Person: Four years on, hopes of return still distant for refugee pianist. news.un.org When UN News first interviewed award-winning Palestinian pianist Aeham Ahmad in 2016, he was a recent arrival in Germany, having fled a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. Four years on, he wants to return home, but accepts that his chances are slim.

_____ (2020-11-22). When Fascists Roam The Streets, Staying Home Isn't An Option. popularresistance.org The Million MAGA March in Washington, D.C. on November 14th has become a flashpoint about how the Left should respond to the far-Right in a post-2020 election terrain. Footage distorted to fit a narrative of unprovoked violence against conservatives, Proud Boys employing specific fighting tactics to down as many people as possible; police splitting up crowds, standing with riot shields facing only one way, conveniently absent once the Proud Boys found the antifascists. Much of the conversation, however, has centered on the conflict between showing up or staying in.

Susan Jaffe (2020-11-21). [World Report] US Supreme Court poised to keep the Affordable Care Act. thelancet.com A lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act may be floundering after Supreme Court justices questioned why the law should be dismantled. Susan Jaffe reports from Washington, DC.

sputniknews (2020-11-21). Video: Factory Building in Israel's Ashkelon Damaged After Rocket Launch From Gaza. sputniknews.com Rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip are frequently reported in the area, with the latest incident described by the Israeli military on Sunday, 15 November. According to IDF, two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip toward central and sourthern Israel.

Yves Engler (2020-11-21). Double Standard Blatant on Israel and China "Foreign Influence" in Canada. dissidentvoice.org Foreign influence in Canada is bad if it comes from China, but not even worth mentioning if it comes from Israel. That seems to be the position of the Globe and Mail. Canada's 'paper of record' is so gripped with anti-Chinese fervor that it is blind to a blatant double standard. Contrasting the Globe and …

Jonathan Cook (2020-11-21). Netanyahu Seeks to Smash the Joint List and Cement Permanent Rule by Israel's Far-Right. dissidentvoice.org Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is only weeks away from the scheduled start of his long-awaited corruption trial — the endgame in a series of investigations that have been looming over him for years. As a result, he has been taking extraordinary measures to save his political skin. One of the most surprising is his …

Matthew J.L. Ehret (2020-11-21). John F. Kennedy and America's Lost Patriotic Heritage. dissidentvoice.org Man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe…. — President Kennedy, 1961 Inaugural Address Where China and Russia are currently leading a new paradigm …

WSWS (2020-11-21). Fascist Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse released after posting $2 million bail. wsws.org The bail money was raised by defense attorneys and generously supported by Republican party donors.

Seye Abimbola, Madhukar Pai (2020-11-21). [Perspectives] Will global health survive its decolonisation? thelancet.com There are growing calls to decolonise global health. This process is only just beginning. But what would success look like? Will global health survive its decolonisation? This is a question that fills us with imagination. It is a question that makes us reflect on what Martin Luther King Jr saw when he said in 1968, in the last speech he gave before he was killed, that "I've been to the mountaintop…and I've seen the Promised Land." If what he saw was an equal, inclusive, and diverse world without a hint of supremacy, then, that world is still elusive.

Sarah Hawkes (2020-11-21). [Perspectives] The banality of the patriarchy. thelancet.com When German—American philosopher Hannah Arendt covered the 1961 trial of the Nazi Adolf Eichmann for The New Yorker magazine—her reports led to her book of 1963, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil—she was struck by the concept of banality. Arendt wrote that Eichmann, this bureaucrat who was "medium-sized, slender, middle-aged, with receding hair, ill-fitting teeth, and nearsighted eyes" was responsible for participation in one of the greatest crimes in history. The banality to which Arendt referred, however, was not Eichmann's unexceptional physical appearance, but "an inabi…