2020-12-30: News Headlines

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-30). The US Money Tree: The Untold Story of American Aid to Israel. dissidentvoice.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 …

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….

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). 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…

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). "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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

WorkWeek (2020-12-30). 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.

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Proud and patriotic, Wuhan boasts of virus defeat. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- At 85-years-old, Korean war veteran Chen Jixian cannot hold back his emotions when he recalls the calamities that struck Wuhan when the new coronavirus first emerged a year ago and led to the deaths of 3,869 people, according to official figures. Chen was visiting People First, Lives …

Rafael Figueroa (2020-12-30). One Person Dead After Vehicle Goes in Shelby Farms Lake. laprensalatina.com SHELBY COUNTY, TN (WREG) — One person was killed after a vehicle plunged into a lake out at Shelby Farms. According to authorities, first responders received a call that a vehicle had gone into Patriot Lake around 7 a.m. Wednesday. The person was dead when emergency crews arrived. Español: CONDADO DE SHELBY, TN …

MEE staff (2020-12-29). Israeli settlers enter Al-Aqsa compound despite Covid-19 lockdown. middleeasteye.net Israeli settlers enter Al-Aqsa compound despite Covid-19 lockdown | Provocative move taken when most Palestinians in Israel and East Jerusalem are restricted from travelling to holy site | Tue, 12/29/2020 – 12: 01 | Israeli far-right activists have repeatedly pushed for an increased Jewish presence at Al-Aqsa mosque compound (Screengrab) | Dozens of Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa compound on Tuesday in occup…

Matthew Collado (2020-12-29). Western Sahara Remains a Crucial Legitimizing Crutch for the Moroccan Monarchy. counterpunch.org On Monday, December 14th, a small group of demonstrators attempted to convene a protest outside Morocco's pretend parliament in the polished French colonial era centre ville of Rabat. The demonstrators, representing a handful of Moroccan Palestine solidarity organizations, hoped to display public opposition to the Moroccan monarchy's normalization of political relations with Israel, which had

Ralph Nader (2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump

Sarah Lahm (2020-12-29). Midwest Dispatch: How Past Economic Policies Influenced Racism of Today. progressive.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.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-29). 2020: The year of united struggles against racism. peoplesdispatch.org [Peoples Dispatch brings you a series of articles and videos on 2020, a momentous year that saw humanity face unprecedented challenges. The beacon of hope remained the historic resistance mounted by people's movements, and the care and solidarity they epitomized, proving yet again that our collective struggles alone can dismantle and end oppression. You can see the full series As far-right forces are gaining power in different regions, racism is finding courage to rear its ugly head again. Humanity, as a result, is regressing, instead of mo…

WSWS (2020-12-29). Active-duty Spanish officers hail retired officers' fascist calls for mass murder. wsws.org Despite the PSOE-Podemos government's denials, calls by retired officers for a fascist coup and mass murder of left-wing voters have broad support among serving officers.

_____ (2020-12-29). Energix Faces Opposition In Syria And Virginia. popularresistance.org In early December hundreds of Syrians gathered to protest the Israeli company Energix as it began construction of massive wind turbines in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Energix is also facing growing community opposition across Virginia as it lobbies to secure permits to build airstream energy utilities on mostly agricultural parcels with cultural, forest and natural land designations. In Golan Heights, Energix freely wields the power of Israeli police and courts to transcend community opposition. In Virginia, Energix steamrolls community opponents empowered by massive federal and state subsidies and a curious…

sputniknews (2020-12-29). At Least 1 Killed, 3 Soldiers Injured After 'Israeli Aggression' in Damascus Airspace – SANA. sputniknews.com On Wednesday, state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that explosions were heard in Damascus area as Syrian air defenses were responding to what was described as "Israeli aggression".

WSWS (2020-12-29). Israel's fourth election in two years dominated by far-right forces. wsws.org Netanyahu faces a strong challenge from the far right, his former colleagues. These forces have moved to fill the vacuum left after Benny Gantz joined and served as Netanyahu's political accomplice in imposing the government's "herd immunity" policies.

Paul Messersmith-Glavin (2020-12-29). Black Lives Matter and the Future of Humanity. zcomm.org Those of us organizing and theorizing need to see commonalities between movements and recognize we are in this for the long haul…

Danny Haiphong (2020-12-29). US fearmongering on China not rooted in facts, but racism. zcomm.org Bipartisan mistrust of the world's emerging economic superpower rooted largely in bigoted tropes and stereotypes…

RT (2020-12-28). Sacrificing freedom for the environment? German MP suggests restrictions 'similar' to Covid-19 lockdowns to fight climate change. rt.com Humanity should sacrifice "personal freedom" just as many nations did during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to successfully fight climate change, a German MP has said, adding that there will "never" be a vaccine against CO2. | Germany had barely started its coronavirus vaccination campaign when a Social Democratic MP, Karl Lauterbach, warned that his compatriots need to brace themselves for yet another challenge: global warming. | "We need measures to deal with climate change that are similar to the restrictions on personal freedom [imposed] to combat the pandemic," the professor of health economics and epidem…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-28). Covid-19: Infected Israelis to vote at drive-through polling stations. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Infected Israelis to vote at drive-through polling stations | Coronavirus-hit voters can cast ballots through their car windows in March's election | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 15: 41 | Drive-through polling stations will be installed for Israel's national election in March (Screengrab) | With politicians desperate for every vote in March's election, Israelis suffering from the coronaviru…

Staff (2020-12-28). "The Priorities Are Wrong": Rep. Ro Khanna Says He Won't Vote to Override Trump Veto on Defense Bill. democracynow.org Congress is set to override President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, the $740 billion annual defense policy bill that funds the U.S. military. Trump vetoed the legislation last week over objections to liability protections for social media companies and because he did not want to rename military bases currently named for Confederate generals. Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna says Trump's reasons for vetoing the bill are "disingenuous," but that he will not be voting to override the veto. "The bottom line is $740 billion is way too much defense spending," says Khanna. "The priorities ar…

splcenter (2020-12-28). SPLC President: Stories of hope from a difficult year. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-12-28). United States and Morocco Redraw Map of North African Territory. globalresearch.ca There is a major effort underway to convince and coerce African and Asian nations to "normalize" relations with the State of Israel in exchange for promised United States financial, military and diplomatic assistance. | The Kingdom of Morocco is the latest …

Yanis Iqbal (2020-12-28). Corporate Dictatorship, Mass Incarceration, and Imperialism. dissidentvoice.org Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution. — George Jackson, …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-28). Shamkhani reacts to increase of US Army provocation in region. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 28 (MNA) — Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) reacted to the increase of US Army provocation in the region and called it as defensive and fear-mongering show because of its past mischief.

Staff (2020-12-28). Rep. Ro Khanna Won't Vote to Override Trump Veto on Defense Bill. truthout.org Congress is set to override President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, the $740 billion annual defense policy bill that funds the U.S. military. Trump vetoed the legislation last week over objections to liability protections for social media companies and because he did not want to rename military bases currently named for Confederate generals. Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna says Trump's reasons for vetoing the bill are "disingenuous," but that he will not be voting to override the…

Sebastiaan Faber, Bécquer Seguín (2020-12-28). How the Fight Over Spain's Anti-Fascist Legacy Involves a Former 'Nation' Editor. thenation.com How the Fight Over Spain's Anti-Fascist Legacy Involves a Former 'Nation' Editor…

Sebastiaan Faber, Bécquer Seguín (2020-12-28). How the Fight Over Spain's Antifascist Legacy Involves a Former 'Nation' Editor. thenation.com How the Fight Over Spain's Antifascist Legacy Involves a Former 'Nation' Editor…

Online News Editor (2020-12-27). Israel hopes third lockdown will be last. laprensalatina.com By Pablo Duer Jerusalem, Dec 27 (efe-epa).- Israel on Sunday began a third lockdown and drastically reduced social activity while authorities continue to roll out a mass vaccination campaign. Third time lucky — at least this is what the Israeli government is hoping for. The Israeli response to Covid-19 has gone from exemplary in the …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-27). Two injured in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. peoplesdispatch.org The airstrikes on Saturday also caused damage to a hospital, a mosque and a several residential buildings. Electricity and water supply of the citizens of Gaza was also affected…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-27). Israeli minister orders jails not to vaccinate Palestinian security prisoners. middleeasteye.net Israeli minister orders jails not to vaccinate Palestinian security prisoners | Order defies health ministry guidelines that prisoners should be part of second group of Israelis to be vaccinated | Sun, 12/27/2020 – 15: 26 | Public Security Minister Amir Ohana's statement did not single out Palestinian inmates, but there are no non-Palestinian security prisoners in Israel (AFP) | Israel's P…

Hugo Turner (2020-12-27). Guatemala: War and Revolution. globalresearch.ca The CIA coup to overthrow Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 would put the nation of Guatemala on the path to a nightmare future of poverty, war, and genocide. The United States would reshape Guatemala's intelligence military and police to fight a …

Askiah Adam (2020-12-27). Is Iran Contemplating Vengeance in Regards to the Murder of Its Two Prominent Leaders? globalresearch.ca Brigadier General Mohsen Fakhrizadeh of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Command (IRGC) and Iran's most important nuclear scientist was assassinated not too far from Tehran recently. Iran immediately accused Israel , an allegation confirmed by a senior Washington official soon after. …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-27). Israelis on high alert after Iran scientist assassination. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (MNA) — Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah says the Israeli regime's forces are on high alert after the assassination of top Iranian scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

_____ (2020-12-27). The 2020s Bring The Crises We Face Into Clear Focus. popularresistance.org The 2020s is the beginning of an era in which the roots of the crises we face are coming into clear focus. The Trump administration openly exposed these crises through its candid disdain for the wellbeing of people and the planet. But the systems that are bringing our demise – capitalism, white supremacy, racism, colonialism, patriarchy and imperialism – have been in place for a long time, since the founding of the United States on stolen land using forced labor. | I interviewed Miko Peled, an author and activist for Palestinian rights, on Clearing the FOG this week about current affairs in the Occupied Palestini…

Hanh Nguyen (2020-12-27). From race to incels, the modern "Bridgerton" twists hold a mirror up to today's shortcomings. salon.com Showrunner Chris Van Dusen spoke to Salon about race-bending history, ruination and that revealing ending…

Aaron Maté (2020-12-26). Veteran diplomat: US confronts China to protect supremacy, not security. thegrayzone.com Veteran US diplomat Chas Freeman says that despite talk of a New Cold War between the US and China, the US in reality is reacting aggressively to a rising Chinese power whose economic gains threaten US global supremacy. "We've become accustomed over the past 75 years to be the overlord in East Asia," Freeman says. Chas Freeman, who served in top State Department positions and as Richard Nixon's chief interpreter on his historic 1972 visit to China, discusses the state …

MEE and agencies (2020-12-26). Hamas says 'barbaric' Israeli strike damaged children's hospital in Gaza. middleeasteye.net Hamas says 'barbaric' Israeli strike damaged children's hospital in Gaza | Medical sources in the besieged enclave said the strikes 'lightly wounded' two civilians, including a child | Sat, 12/26/2020 – 15: 27 | Israel has maintained a crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007, which critics say amounts to collective punishment of the impoverished enclave's two million residents (Fil…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-26). Moscow backs amb. comments on Israeli-Palestinian conflict. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 26 (MNA) — Moscow said it is surprised by the Israeli regime's aggravated reaction to the issues raised by Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov on West Asia's issues, adding that it backs his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

_____ (2020-12-26). The Violent Story Of American Whiteness. popularresistance.org The United States of America is a white suprema ≠cist nation. It always has been. Its white founders, ven ≠er ≠at ≠ed and lion ≠ized though they are in text ≠books and on cour ≠t ≠house lawns, explic ≠it ≠ly intend ≠ed the coun ≠try to be this way. The country's found ≠ing doc ≠u ≠ments make that goal clear. Through the cen ≠turies, the pre ≠dom ≠i ≠nant ≠ly white rul ≠ing class has worked over ≠time to uphold this sta ≠tus quo, even as the goal ≠posts peri ≠od ≠i ≠cal ≠ly shift. A trio of new books delve into this rot ≠ten hea…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-26). Palestinians, Advocates Blast New U.S. Rule Requiring 'Made in Israel' Label on Settlement Goods. commondreams.org "Such a decision attempts to legitimize settlement-manufactured goods as well as the theft of Palestinian land and products," said the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…