Daily Archives: January 1, 2021

2021-01-01: News Headlines

Ramzy Baroud (2021-01-01). The US Money Tree: The Untold Story of American Aid to Israel. counterpunch.org On December 21, the United States Congress passed the COVID-19 Relief Package, as part of a larger $2.3 trillion bill meant to cover spending for the rest of the fiscal year. As usual, US representatives allocated a massive sum of money for Israel. While unemployment, thus poverty, in the US is skyrocketing as a result

Ramzy Baroud (2021-01-01). The US Money Tree: The Untold Story of American Aid to Israel. zcomm.org Expecting the US to play a constructive role in achieving a just peace in Palestine does not only reflect indefensible naivety but willful ignorance as well…

Editor (2021-01-01). Best of 'Scheer Intelligence' 2020: Chomsky, Abdullah, Prins, and More. scheerpost.com Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and the 2020 general election, Robert Scheer and the "Scheer Intelligence" team made sure to bring you progressive perspectives from a wide range of distinguished voices including Noam Chomsky, Melina Abdullah, Nomi Prins, Oliver Stone, and many more, to grapple with a crisis-ridden year and offer hopeful …

_____ (2021-01-01). Equity Is More Than Words. popularresistance.org On behalf of Physician Women SOAR, an antiracist physician group, we wish to respond to the Indiana University Health (IU Health) statement regarding the medical treatment provided to the late Dr. Susan Moore, a Black physician who was admitted to IU Health in early December for COVID-19. | Twelve hours after she was discharged from IU Health, Dr. Moore was readmitted to another hospital in respiratory failure, where she was quickly transferred to the ICU. Dr. Moore remained in critical condition for over two more weeks and died on December 20th. While admitted to IU Health, Dr. Moore was treated so poorly that s…

RT (2021-01-01). Hundreds of Israelis get infected with Covid-19 after receiving Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine — reports. rt.com With the vaccine not providing immediate immunity to the coronavirus, over two hundred Israeli citizens have been diagnosed with the disease days after getting the Pfizer/BioNTech jabs, local media reported. | The number of those who got Covid-19 despite being vaccinated was at around 240 people, according to data from Channel 13 News. | The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which the Israeli health authorities rely on, doesn't contain the coronavirus and can't infect the recipient. But time is needed for the genetic code in the drug to train the immune system to recognize and attack the disease. | The course of the US…

Brett Wilkins (2021-01-01). National park ranger condemned for attacking unarmed Indigenous man on sacred Native land. nationofchange.org "Public lands are stolen lands," asserted Red Nation. "Indigenous people have the right to practice their culture and spiritual ways on Indigenous land without fear of repression, discrimination, or violence."

Eve Ottenberg (2021-01-01). The Aftermath of the George Floyd Rebellion. counterpunch.org The media may not cover them much anymore, but Black Lives Matter protests have not died out completely. At their height, last summer, multiple cities convulsed in protest simultaneously. Smaller gatherings still trickle into public parks in cities like Washington, D.C., they have not stopped totally; nor, at all, have the police killings that prompted

Desiree Hellegers (2021-01-01). Victor Jara's Hands: An Anti-Fascist Memoir-festo and Brief Personal History of Neoliberalism. counterpunch.org You can easily carbon date your friends on Facebook based on where they were during any major milestone in U.S. history. As a university professor teaching now for decades at what we euphemistically call a "land grant" university, many of my students these days were born after 9-11—into the U.S.'s seemingly endless "War on Terror." It's a war that some of their family members died in, but one that few of them seem to know much about.

Sheren Khalel (2021-01-01). Israeli forces shoot Palestinian in neck as they attempt to confiscate generator. middleeasteye.net Israeli forces shoot Palestinian in neck as they attempt to confiscate generator | Harun Abu Aram, 24, is hospitalised in critical condition after being shot while trying to stop Israeli forces from seizing electric generator | Fri, 01/01/2021 – 19: 26 | Harun Abu Aram is hospitalised and in critical condition (Screenshot) | Israeli forces shot a 24-year-old Palestinian man in the neck on Friday as…

sputniknews (2021-01-01). From Largest Communal Dispute to an End to Colonial Baggage: Top 10 India Events in 2020. sputniknews.com From a pandemic-induced migration crisis to a Supreme Court judgement in favour of Ram Mandir, 2020 has been an eventful year for India. Here is a recap of 10 major developments in the nation that have made the boldest headlines.

Sam Bahour (2021-01-01). Jews of the World, Disunite…in Israel! counterpunch.org Stop loving Israel to death. If you are Jewish and living outside of Israel, what are you waiting for? Israel awaits you. What's taking you so long? Uncle Bibi wants YOU! As a Palestinian living in Palestine, I anxiously await your arrival. I have spoken directly to thousands of you over decades about Israel and

Paolo Vittoria (2021-01-01). Migration and Racism: Lessons From Antonio Gramsci, an interview with Peter Mayo. counterpunch.org Italian political theorist and activist Antonio Gramsci, who died eighty-four years ago, in an Italy that was a far cry from the multiethnic country it is today, provides much grist for the mill when it comes to a complex analysis of migration and racism. He underscores the need to interpret migratory movements through complex analyses.

Peter Mayo, Paolo Vittoria (2021-01-01). Migration and Racism: Lessons From Antonio Gramsci. counterpunch.org Italian political theorist and activist Antonio Gramsci, who died eighty-four years ago, in an Italy that was a far cry from the multiethnic country it is today, provides much grist for the mill when it comes to a complex analysis of migration and racism. He underscores the need to interpret migratory movements through complex analyses.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-01). 1st VP felicitates world Christians on New Year. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 01 (MNA) — Iran's First Vice President Es'hagh Jahangiri in a message on Wed. congratulated the world nations on the advent of New Christian Year and the followers of Prophet of Peace Jesus Christ (PBUH) especially Christian compatriots.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-01). Martyr Gen. Soleimani stood against Western plots in region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 01 (MNA) — Representative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that Martyr Lt. Gen. Soleimani firmly stood against the plots hatched by western countries in the region.

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-01). Cowardice in killing foreign leaders, 'US-Israeli trademark'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 01 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that cowardice in assassinating foreign leaders is a US-Israeli trademark.

Wallace Shawn (2021-01-01). Breakfast Table With Jewish Newsletters. thenation.com Breakfast Table With Jewish Newsletters…

WorkWeek (2021-01-01). WorkWeek Exposes Racist & Corrupt SF City Health Service System Boss Mitch Griggs. indybay.org WorkWeek on Thursday 12/31/20 at 12 noon on San Francisco's KPOO 94.1 FM www.kpoo.com will have guests who expose the systemic racism and corruption at the San Francisco City Health Service System run by Mitch Griggs and also at the Department of Public Health. Joining the show will be the new editor of the SF Bay View Malik Washington who broke the story of the racist terrorism against SF City Health Service worker Malika Alima. Also joining the show will be SFCC Department of Public Health nurse and whistleblower W.D. Flient.

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2021-01-01). 2020 California State Capitol – Racism in the Farm to Fork Capitol. indybay.org Our 22nd Annual, 2020 California State Capitol Kwanzaa continues a special tradition in the seat of authority of our Great State of California, Farm to Fork Capitol of America, where "Racism" is officially a Public Health Crisis throughout the Capitol Region.

Holy Names University in Oakland (2021-01-01). Thursday 1/14: The Cost of Racism for Everyone: Conversation w/ Racial Justice Advocate, Heather McGhee. indybay.org Online event (FREE)…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-31). The US Money Tree: The Untold Story of American Aid to Israel. commondreams.org Expecting the US to play a constructive role in achieving a just peace in Palestine does not only reflect indefensible naivety but willful ignorance as well. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Staff (2020-12-31). 2020 Was a Record Year for Far Right Violence in the US. truthout.org This year was quite active for the far right in the United States, especially after its relative downturn in 2019 as an active street movement compared to the recent past. Although the far right may not have committed as many high-profile massacres as previous years, 2020 saw more murders and car attacks at demonstrations than any year in recent memory. | While the openly fascist wing of the "alt-right" continued to implode over the past year, some on the far right picked up steam: the Boogaloo movement — a…

Staff (2020-12-31). "America's Moment of Reckoning": Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Cornel West on Uprising Against Racism. democracynow.org Scholars Cornel West and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor respond to the global uprising against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "We're seeing the convergence of a class rebellion with racism and racial terrorism at the center of it," said Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. "And in many ways, we are in uncharted territory in the United States."

Staff (2020-12-31). The Freedom Struggle in 2020: Angela Davis on Protests, Defunding Police & Toppling Racist Statues. democracynow.org In a Democracy Now! special, we revisit our June 2020 interview with the legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis about the uprising against police brutality and racism launched in May after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The protests have helped dramatically shift public opinion on policing and systemic racism, as "defund the police" became a rallying cry of the movement. Davis is professor emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz. For half a century, she has been one of the most influential activists and intellectuals in the United States and an icon of the Black liberation mov…

Staff (2020-12-31). The Year of COVID, Elections and Police Brutality Also Saw LGBTQ Activism. truthout.org For the past five years, Truthout has looked back at the queer and trans news you might've missed because corporate news outlets decided not to cover it. This year, almost all of us were tangled up with the biggest news stories — queer and trans people felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the feuds between the rich and powerful in Washington; the anti-racist uprisings; and the global warming-fueled hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. | This year has reaffirmed what many of us have kn…

Sophia Seawell (2020-12-31). 7 Ways Women of Colour Resisted Racism This Year. commondreams.org Women are leading anti-racist activism around the world, from Black Brazilians running for election to Germany's migrant rights movement. #12DaysofResistance | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Eds. (2020-12-31). Palestinian rights have always been secondary to the 'national interest' of Arab regimes. mronline.org Normalisation with Israel is just the latest example of Arab rulers advancing their own interests at the expense of Palestinians.

MEE staff (2020-12-31). Israelis protesting settler's death in police chase arrested in West Bank. middleeasteye.net Israelis protesting settler's death in police chase arrested in West Bank | Tensions between extremist settlers and the police have risen sharply following the death of 16-year-old Ahuvia Sandak | Thu, 12/31/2020 – 13: 58 | Israeli protesters stand next to an image of Ahuvia Sandak, who died during a police chase when his car rolled over and crashed near a junction in the West Bank (Screengrab) | Hundreds of I…

Lily Galili (2020-12-31). Why Israel is now delighted about the Arab Spring. middleeasteye.net Why Israel is now delighted about the Arab Spring | The self-styled 'only democracy in the Middle East' was never comfortable with pro-democracy protests. But the autocratic counter-revolution that followed gave it new friends | Thu, 12/31/2020 – 12: 51 | A Palestinian boy walks past a section of Israel's separation wall and a billboard that reads in Arabic "The Arab Spring Coffee Shop" in the West Bank…

Staff (2020-12-31). US Has Entered Uncharted Territory in Uprising Against Racism. truthout.org Scholars Cornel West and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor respond to the global uprising against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. "We're seeing the convergence of a class rebellion with racism and racial terrorism at the center of it," said Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. "And in many ways, we are in uncharted territory in the United States." | TRANSCRIPT: | This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy…

teleSUR (2020-12-31). Venezuela: Top Court Supports New Parliament's Inauguration. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Supreme Court (TSJ) Wednesday ruled to void a legislative reform submitted by opposition lawmakers of the outgoing Parliament, which sought to prevent the inauguration of a new legislative period set to begin on January 5. | RELATED: | The TSJ ruling responds to an appeal requesting a mandate extension of the 2015 Parliament which is currently in contempt and is set to end with the installation in…

_____ (2020-12-31). The Death Of Democracy In Brazil. popularresistance.org The dismantling of Brazil's democracy, which culminated in the jailing of former president Lula Da Silva as he looked certain to be reelected, is the subject of a new English-language investigative podcast. | Cícero Ezequiel Filho lay beneath the sweltering sun of Brazil's capital, Brasilia. He wore khaki shorts, John Lennon glasses and a long white beard, which stretched far below his chin and over a red long-sleeved shirt with the face of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the front. | When I met him in August 2018, Cícero had been outside Brazil's Supreme Court for two weeks. He refused to eat until…

_____ (2020-12-31). Victories For Palestine Continued On US Campuses In 2020. popularresistance.org Despite the challenges of online/remote learning, campus activism has not stopped over the past year. National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) is currently planning their 2021 conference, celebrating 10 years of this annual reunion of SJP chapters from around the nation. And many student chapters have passed significant resolutions around some major issues, from censorship, to the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, to divestment and, most recently, the training of campus police by the Israeli military. As we wrap up 2020, here is a representative sample of…

WSWS (2020-12-31). Why was the 2019 New Zealand terror attack not prevented? wsws.org The royal commission's findings that fascist Brenton Tarrant could not have been stopped from killing 51 people in Christchurch, and that he had no connections with far-right groups, are not believable.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-31). In Potential Final Protest Targeting UN, Trump Administration—Joined by Just Israel—Votes Against 2021 Budget. commondreams.org U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft said the decision was based on alleged "anti-Israel bias" and global refusal to reimpose sanctions on Iran. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-31). Yemen sets condition for freeing Saudi pilots. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) — Head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs Abdulqadir Al-Murtadha in the Salvation Government said that Saudi pilots will not be released from prison except in exchange for the Palestinian prisoners.

news.un (2020-12-31). Argentina: 'Ground-breaking' new abortion law crucial to ending gender discrimination — UN experts. news.un.org The year drew to a close in Argentina with "a ground-breaking law" that legalizes abortions up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, in a move that independent UN rights experts called on Thursday, "a crucial step in eliminating discrimination against women and girls".

Gershon Baskin (2020-12-31). Israel needs to form a Jewish-Arab party to change the game. zcomm.org It is indeed clear that what is left of the Left is not only small, it is very fragmented…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-30). The American Money Tree: The Untold Story of US Aid to Israel. mintpressnews.com Congress quietly wedged billions of dollars of aid to Israel even as it debated for months over a measly $600 to help Americans endure the COVID downturn.

Staff (2020-12-30). "This Is How Black People Get Killed": Dr. Susan Moore Dies of COVID After Decrying Racist Care. democracynow.org ‚Ä®As the United States reports record deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the final days of 2020, we look at how the pandemic that ravaged the country this year has shone a stark new light on racism in medical care. In a viral video recorded by Black physician Dr. Susan Moore, she describes racist treatment by medical staff at a hospital in Indianapolis and says they did not respond to her pleas for care, despite being in intense pain and being a doctor herself. In the video, Dr. Moore says she had to beg to receive pain medication and the antiviral drug remdesivir, and accuses a doctor a…

Staff (2020-12-30). "Say Her Name: Dr. Susan Moore." Black Female Doctors Condemn Racial Disparities in Healthcare. democracynow.org When Black doctor Susan Moore died from COVID-19 after posting a video from her hospital bed describing racist treatment by medical staff, her chilling message was compared to the video of George Floyd begging for his life as he was killed by Minneapolis police. We speak to two leading Black women doctors fighting racial disparities in healthcare who wrote The Washington Post opinion piece, "Say her name: Dr. Susan Moore." "It is a typical and ongoing devaluation of our lives and distrust of our word," says Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones, a family physician and former president of the American Public Health Association…

Staff (2020-12-30). "The Truth in Black and White": The Kansas City Star Apologizes for History of Racist Coverage. democracynow.org In a historic step, The Kansas City Star, one of the most influential newspapers in the Midwest, has apologized for the paper's racist history. The paper's top editor, Mike Fannin, admitted the Star and a sister paper had reinforced segregation, Jim Crow laws and redlining, and "robbed an entire community of opportunity, dignity, justice and recognition" with its biased coverage over many decades. We speak with Fannin and Mará Rose Williams, a longtime education writer at the paper who led the effort to examine the newspaper's coverage of the Black community following the police killing of George Floyd and the na…

Staff (2020-12-30). Dr. Susan Moore Died of COVID 2 Weeks After Recording Video Decrying Racist Care. truthout.org As the United States reports record deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 in the final days of 2020, we look at how the pandemic that ravaged the country this year has shone a stark new light on racism in medical care. In a viral video recorded by Black physician Dr. Susan Moore, she describes racist treatment by medical staff at a hospital in Indianapolis and says they did not respond to her pleas for care, despite being in intense pain and being a doctor herself. In the video, Dr. Moore says she had to beg…

news.un (2020-12-30). Bias, racism and lies: facing up to the unwanted consequences of AI. news.un.org Powerful digital tools using artificial intelligence (AI) software are helping in the fight against COVID-19, and have the potential to improve the world in many other ways. However, as AI seeps into more areas of daily life, it's becoming clear that its misuse can lead to serious harm, leading the UN to call for strong, international regulation of the technology.

South Front (2020-12-30). Video: Russia Suffers Casualties in Greater Idlib. Israeli Air Force Strikes Damascus Countryside. globalresearch.ca On the morning of December 30th, warplanes of the Israeli Air Force once again carried out strikes on alleged Iranian targets in the countryside of Damascus. According to reports one person was killed and 3 others injured in the attack….

MEE staff (2020-12-30). Kushner family business plans $100m bond sale in Israel: Report. middleeasteye.net Kushner family business plans $100m bond sale in Israel: Report | Kushner Companies filed paperwork with Israeli Securities Authorities earlier this month, with sale to take place in 2021, Wall Street Journal says | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 15: 30 | Jared Kushner resigned from his family's real estate business in 2016 after joining White House (AFP) | The family business of senior White House adviser Jared Kushner ha…

Akram Al-Waara (2020-12-30). A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site. middleeasteye.net A rave, a DJ and a debate. Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site | Despite issuing an event permit, the Palestinian government arrests renowned Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi and extend her detention for 15 days | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 12: 26 | Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi poses outside her Parisian flat during a photo session on 7 December 2017 (AFP) | A dance party on Saturday has c…

Akram Al-Waara (2020-12-30). A rave, a DJ and a debate: Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site. middleeasteye.net A rave, a DJ and a debate: Palestinians outraged over techno party at holy site | Despite issuing an event permit, the Palestinian government arrests renowned DJ Sama Abdulhadi and extend her detention for 15 days | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 12: 26 | Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi poses outside her Parisian flat during a photo session on 7 December 2017 (AFP) | A dance party on Saturday has caused contro…

MEE staff (2020-12-30). Prominent Moroccan historian and human rights activist arrested in Rabat. middleeasteye.net Prominent Moroccan historian and human rights activist arrested in Rabat | Maati Monjib, who has been targeted by authorities using Israeli spyware, is accused of money laundering | Wed, 12/30/2020 – 11: 36 | Maati Monjib, a Moroccan historian, political analyst and human rights activist, speaks in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, 20 February 2014 (AFP) | Moroccan historian and human rights activist Maati Monjib w…

Sarah Lahm (2020-12-30). How Past Economic Policies Influenced Racism of Today. commondreams.org Though the 2020 murder of George Floyd inspired a global racial reckoning, the injustices he faced date back to his childhood in the 1980s. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…