Terry Bisson (2020-12-25). "I Am the Man They Call Sue Mundy": Civil War Kentucky's "Female" Confederate Guerrilla. counterpunch.org There was no Sue Mundy. There was an orphan boy. There was a clever, unscrupulous newspaperman. And there was a long, cruel and bitter war. It was a war between slavery and freedom, between secession and union, between North and South. Kentucky was split: Southern in culture and sympathy, a slave state (originally part of Virginia), but Northern in commerce and strategic importance.

Gloria Rubac (2020-12-25). Death Row, Texas: A lonely birthday for innocent Rodney Reed. workers.org Bastrop, Texas Rodney Reed's family and supporters had a press conference and rallied outside the Bastrop County Courthouse, with its Confederate monuments 25 yards away on the lawn. Reed was railroaded to death row inside the courthouse in 1998 by Bastrop County's historically racist injustice system. Rodrick Reed, speaking to . . . |

Seth Sandronsky (2020-12-25). Ma Don't Take No Mess. counterpunch.org The Netflix film of the late August Wilson's play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a knockout. His writing informs and moves us on many levels. One is class. That is who makes and takes black music, the subject of Gerald Horne's Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music (Monthly Review Press,

MEE staff (2020-12-25). Netanyahu invites Morocco's King Mohammed VI to visit Israel. middleeasteye.net Netanyahu invites Morocco's King Mohammed VI to visit Israel | Morocco is the fourth Arab nation to normalise ties with Israel in exchange for various incentives | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 22: 45 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Morocco's King Mohammed VI congratulated each other over the renewal of ties between the countries (AFP) | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Morocco's King Mohammed…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-25). Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible. middleeasteye.net Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible | President says talks at intelligence level continue between the two sides but Israel's policies on Palestine 'unacceptable' | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 19 | The two countries have had several fallings out in recent years, despite strong commercial ties, expelling ambassadors in 2018 (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ind…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2020-12-25). Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals | The Lebanese newspaper published a report on Riyadh and Abu Dhabi's plans to finance the new Arab normalisation agreements with Israel
| Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 56 | The reception space of the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper office in Beirut (Screengrab\Haitham al-Mousawi) | The website of the Le…

Staff (2020-12-25). "The United States of America Has Gone Mad": John le Carré on Iraq War, Israel & U.S. Militarism. democracynow.org The legendary British author John le Carré has died at the age of 89. In the lead-up to the Iraq invasion, John le Carré was a fierce critic of President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In January 2003, he published a widely read essay called "The United States of America Has Gone Mad." John le Carré read the essay during an appearance on Democracy Now! in 2010.

commondreams (2020-12-24). 'The Courts Are a Sham': New Hampshire Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Rights of Nature, Healthy Climate Arguments. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-24). Arabic press review: UAE sends expired Covid-19 kits to Gaza. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: UAE sends expired Covid-19 kits to Gaza | Meanwhile, Kuwait detains six children recruited by Islamic State group via video games; new trial faces Algerian journalist released after serving term for threatening national unity | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 12: 37 | A Palestinian medical worker performs a Covid-19 test on a woman at a mosque in Gaza City on 20 September 2020 | UAE s…

teleSUR (2020-12-24). Venezuela Takes Ivan Duque's Blatant Xenophobia to the UN. telesurenglish.net The Bolivarian government of Venezuela has made a formal denouncement to the United Nations on the discriminatory statements made by Colombia's President Ivan Duque about banning Venezuelan migrants from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. | RELATED: | "This is terrible discrimination, a burden of racism and hatred against Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. We cannot allow it, we have made our strong protest and complaint t…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-24). 'Trying to Kill Me': Black Doctor Who Died of Covid-19 Posted Harrowing Video Alleging Medical Racism. commondreams.org "This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home and they don't know how to fight for themselves," said Dr. Susan Moore in a video she posted on Facebook. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Liberation Staff-Mississippi (2020-12-24). 'Utterly baffling, without merit:' University of Mississippi fires anti-racist professor. liberationnews.org The termination of Garrett Felber shocked the department's faculty and graduate students.

RT (2020-12-24). Syrian air defenses respond to 'Israeli aggression,' explosions heard over Hama countryside — state media. rt.com Syria's air defenses have been activated to repel a suspected 'Israeli attack' in Hama Governorate, as the country's state media report blasts in the skies over Masyaf. | The alleged strikes came on Friday morning, in the early hours of Christmas Day, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. The attack reportedly targeted military sites near the city of Masyaf, located some 23 miles (37km) west of Hama. | Preliminary information confirms t…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-24). A Country in Turmoil: Why Netanyahu is a Symptom, Not Cause of Israel's Political Crisis. dissidentvoice.org It is convenient to surmise that Israel's current political crisis is consistent with the country's unfailing trajectory of short-lived governments and fractious ruling coalitions. While this view is somewhat defensible, it is also hasty. Israel is currently at the cusp of a fourth general election in less than two years. Even by Israel's political standards, …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-24). Morocco and the Grand Bargain with US and Israel. peoplesdispatch.org A deal to normalize diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel was signed at the Rabat's Royal Palace, on December 22 in Morocco. The deal has been criticized by prominent Palestinian organizations, as well as by Iran and Hezbollah.

Malik Washington (2020-12-24). Racist practices at the SF Health Service System will no longer be tolerated: Remove Mitch. indybay.org SF Bay View Editor Malik Washington reports on systemic racism in the SF Health Service System…

Gershon Baskin (2020-12-24). What will Israel's next government look like? It depends on us. zcomm.org I want my political party to stand for social equality with sufficient safety nets to provide for the weakened sectors of the society…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-24). Civil Rights Groups Denounce Georgia Officials For Closing Early Voting Sites Ahead of Senate Runoffs. commondreams.org Voting rights groups on Wednesday accused officials in at least two Georgia counties of voter suppression, pointing to the closures of several early voting locations in majority-Black and Latino communities ahead of two key runoff Senate elections. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

sputniknews (2020-12-24). Explosions Heard in Central Syria, State Media Reports. sputniknews.com The report comes just weeks after the Israeli military admitted it has been conducting operations in Syrian territory this year, but claimed it was aimed at slowing Iran's alleged "entrenchment" in the Arab Republic.

Miko Peled (2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A

_____ (2020-12-23). Israel's Genocide In Gaza Goes Uninterrupted. popularresistance.org A report published by the United Nations in 2018 stated that by the year 2020 the Gaza Strip would be uninhabitable. It said specifically that, "the United Nations has stated that Gaza may well be unlivable by 2020." The report emphasized also that "Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967, drew attention to Israel's persistent non-cooperation with the Special Rapporteur's mandate. As with his two predecessors, Israel has not granted him entry to visit the country, nor the Occupied Palestinian territory." Anyone who thinks that the Gaza S…

Global Research News (2020-12-23). Selected Articles: Staff at Hospitals in DC, Texas Turn Down COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca By A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction …

Arielle Robinson and Dianne Mathiowetz (2020-12-23). Redbaiting derails people's needs in Georgia Senate runoff. workers.org Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges of "rigged elections" and threats of . . . |

WSWS (2020-12-23). Armed fascists storm Oregon state Capitol building. wsws.org Several hundred far-right anti-lockdown protesters, led by the fascist patriot Prayer group, attempted to occupy the Oregon Capitol on Monday, where a closed session of the legislature was discussing measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ben Chacko (2020-12-23). Ukraine's fascist-backed government erasing Red Army from history. peoplesworld.org Ukraine's Communists are condemning what they call "state vandalism" as authorities in the city of Lviv announced their decision to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory, a memorial to Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Nazi invasion. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko denounced the act as "moral terrorism" and called it "a crime against …

Ronnie Kasrils (2020-12-23). Against the witch-hunt. mronline.org Veteran of the fight against Apartheid RONNIE KASRILS warns that the IHRA is being used to suppress left-wing supporters of Palestine, just as anti-communist hysteria was used against the national-liberation movement in South Africa…

G. Dunkel (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter and France's Global Security Law. workers.org It is sometimes hard to realize the worldwide impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Language, culture and media indifference can all get in the way. Some countries just don't have the type of events — protests, marches, rallies — for a variety of reasons, where the influence of BLM . . . |

Meron Rapoport (2020-12-23). Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel. middleeasteye.net Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel | He's pro-settler, against a Palestinian state and targets asylum seekers. But centrists and left-wingers are flocking to the man likely to become Israel's next prime minister | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 58 | Gideon Saar, Israeli Member of Knesset for Likud, speaks during a rally as he launches his campaign for Likud party l…

Drillminister (2020-12-23). My wish for 2021? We all start fighting back, now. thecanary.co Boom. Bam. You know who it is. Yung Drilly, aka Drillminister — writing for The Canary. I'm running for London Mayor in 2021. And with the mess that our politicians have made in the past 12 months, we need radical change and quickly. So, here's my message as we head to towards the New Year.Black Lives Matter. But do they really?: This year has laid bare the open corruption and political violence in our society. It held a magnifying glass to the hate. And even though it's obvious for all to see — nothing has changed.The UK saw the reverberations of George Floyd's murder echo across the streets of…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). 'Tie normalization with Tel Aviv a stab in back of Palestine'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (MNA) — Head of political Bureau of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that tie normalization with the Zionist regime is a stab in the back of Palestine and Islamic Ummah.

Brandon Jones (2020-12-23). Remembering William Winter: Mississippi governor championed public education and civil rights. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Angelique Scott (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Black Lives Matter…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-23). 'Long Awaited and Long Overdue Victory for Democracy' as New York Approves Automatic Voter Registration. commondreams.org "At a time in our country when voting rights are under assault, New York is living up to our potential as a progressive leader." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Martha Grevatt (2020-12-22). Cleveland baseball team finally retires racist name, mascot. workers.org Cleveland It's official. And it's about time. After months of discussions and rumors, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team announced Dec. 14 that 2021 would be the last season for the racist, offensive name "Indians." With it will go the team's demeaning mascot, which was being phased out after it was . . . |

Ali Harb (2020-12-22). US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel. middleeasteye.net US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel | An enormous US spending bill that accompanied the Covid-19 relief package contains many financial and political perks for Israeli government | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 22: 27 | Israel did not receive coronavirus relief funds, but the aid to its military at a time when Americans are struggling drew criticism (AFP/File photo) | The US Congress has passed an enormous $2.3 trillion s…

Monica Moorehead (2020-12-22). Baseball's racist legacy today as MLB finally recognizes 'Negro Leagues'. workers.org Major League Baseball first announced on Dec. 9 that it would finally incorporate all of the players, statistics and records from the "Negro Leagues" (NL) into its present-day records. Many said it was about time and that this recognition is long overdue. Both sentiments are justified. Pennsylvania's Homestead Grays, founded . . . |

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-22). Brexit, Billionaires and the Little People. counterpunch.org Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will go for the market that matters, whatever the flag. A recent exponent of this proposition

Alison Weir (2020-12-22). U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act: US Congress Votes $4 Billion to Israel for 2021. globalresearch.ca Congress just voted billions of dollars of U.S. tax money to Israel, No mainstream US media appear to have told Americans that both houses of Congress just voted massive aid to Israel, a tiny country with a long record …

splcenter (2020-12-22). Freedom Denied: Minor parole violations keep Alabama man tangled in state's prison system. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Nick Licata (2020-12-22). Is a Fascist Movement Developing Here? counterpunch.org Since the media declared that former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election, the nation has witnessed a proliferation of right-wing Trump rallies. Their message: the election was a fraud and Trump's win was stolen from him. Is this the beginning of a domestic fascist movement to discredit our democratic institutions? Historian Timothy Snyder

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-24). A Country in Turmoil: Why Netanyahu is a Symptom, Not Cause of Israel's Political Crisis. dissidentvoice.org It is convenient to surmise that Israel's current political crisis is consistent with the country's unfailing trajectory of short-lived governments and fractious ruling coalitions. While this view is somewhat defensible, it is also hasty. Israel is currently at the cusp of a fourth general election in less than two years. Even by Israel's political standards, …

Liberation Staff-Mississippi (2020-12-24). 'Utterly baffling, without merit:' University of Mississippi fires anti-racist professor. liberationnews.org The termination of Garrett Felber shocked the department's faculty and graduate students.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-24). Morocco and the Grand Bargain with US and Israel. peoplesdispatch.org A deal to normalize diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel was signed at the Rabat's Royal Palace, on December 22 in Morocco. The deal has been criticized by prominent Palestinian organizations, as well as by Iran and Hezbollah.

Malik Washington (2020-12-24). Racist practices at the SF Health Service System will no longer be tolerated: Remove Mitch. indybay.org SF Bay View Editor Malik Washington reports on systemic racism in the SF Health Service System…

Gershon Baskin (2020-12-24). What will Israel's next government look like? It depends on us. zcomm.org I want my political party to stand for social equality with sufficient safety nets to provide for the weakened sectors of the society…

Miko Peled (2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A

_____ (2020-12-23). Israel's Genocide In Gaza Goes Uninterrupted. popularresistance.org A report published by the United Nations in 2018 stated that by the year 2020 the Gaza Strip would be uninhabitable. It said specifically that, "the United Nations has stated that Gaza may well be unlivable by 2020." The report emphasized also that "Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967, drew attention to Israel's persistent non-cooperation with the Special Rapporteur's mandate. As with his two predecessors, Israel has not granted him entry to visit the country, nor the Occupied Palestinian territory." Anyone who thinks that the Gaza S…

Global Research News (2020-12-23). Selected Articles: Staff at Hospitals in DC, Texas Turn Down COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca By A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction …

Ronnie Kasrils (2020-12-23). Against the witch-hunt. mronline.org Veteran of the fight against Apartheid RONNIE KASRILS warns that the IHRA is being used to suppress left-wing supporters of Palestine, just as anti-communist hysteria was used against the national-liberation movement in South Africa…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). 'Tie normalization with Tel Aviv a stab in back of Palestine'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (MNA) — Head of political Bureau of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that tie normalization with the Zionist regime is a stab in the back of Palestine and Islamic Ummah.

Arielle Robinson and Dianne Mathiowetz (2020-12-23). Redbaiting derails people's needs in Georgia Senate runoff. workers.org Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges of "rigged elections" and threats of . . . |

WSWS (2020-12-23). Armed fascists storm Oregon state Capitol building. wsws.org Several hundred far-right anti-lockdown protesters, led by the fascist patriot Prayer group, attempted to occupy the Oregon Capitol on Monday, where a closed session of the legislature was discussing measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

MEE and agencies (2020-12-23). Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says. middleeasteye.net Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says | Four people diagnosed with coronavirus variant that first emerged in the United Kingdom | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 16: 04 | An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gets vaccinated against Covid-19 at Clalit Health Services Center in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, on 21 December 2020 (AFP) | Israel has detected four cases of a new Covid-19 strain, a highl…

MEE staff (2020-12-23). Israel's High Court avoids calls to nullify or amend nation-state law. middleeasteye.net Israel's High Court avoids calls to nullify or amend nation-state law | Court hints that law could be interpreted but avoided discussing it during hearing, following 15 legal petitions | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 14: 03 | Israeli protesters carry national flags as they watch Supreme Court deliberations broadcast live in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem, on 3 May 2020 (AFP) | The Israeli High Court on Tuesday avoided…

Ben Chacko (2020-12-23). Ukraine's fascist-backed government erasing Red Army from history. peoplesworld.org Ukraine's Communists are condemning what they call "state vandalism" as authorities in the city of Lviv announced their decision to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory, a memorial to Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Nazi invasion. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko denounced the act as "moral terrorism" and called it "a crime against …

G. Dunkel (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter and France's Global Security Law. workers.org It is sometimes hard to realize the worldwide impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Language, culture and media indifference can all get in the way. Some countries just don't have the type of events — protests, marches, rallies — for a variety of reasons, where the influence of BLM . . . |

Drillminister (2020-12-23). My wish for 2021? We all start fighting back, now. thecanary.co Boom. Bam. You know who it is. Yung Drilly, aka Drillminister — writing for The Canary. I'm running for London Mayor in 2021. And with the mess that our politicians have made in the past 12 months, we need radical change and quickly. So, here's my message as we head to towards the New Year.Black Lives Matter. But do they really?: This year has laid bare the open corruption and political violence in our society. It held a magnifying glass to the hate. And even though it's obvious for all to see — nothing has changed.The UK saw the reverberations of George Floyd's murder echo across the streets of…

Meron Rapoport (2020-12-23). Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel. middleeasteye.net Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel | He's pro-settler, against a Palestinian state and targets asylum seekers. But centrists and left-wingers are flocking to the man likely to become Israel's next prime minister | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 58 | Gideon Saar, Israeli Member of Knesset for Likud, speaks during a rally as he launches his campaign for Likud party l…

Brandon Jones (2020-12-23). Remembering William Winter: Mississippi governor championed public education and civil rights. splcenter.org &nbsp…

teleSUR (2020-12-23). Israel Heads to New Elections as Government Collapses. telesurenglish.net Israel will hold its fourth national election in two years amid a political collapse prompted by the dissolution of the Parliament on early Wednesday. | RELATED: | The Knesset (Israeli Parliament) failed to pass a budget law by the midnight Tuesday deadline. That caused the legislative power to dissolve. On Wednesday, the Parliament President Yariv Levin set new elections for late March. | The call for the new…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-12-23). 'Long Awaited and Long Overdue Victory for Democracy' as New York Approves Automatic Voter Registration. commondreams.org "At a time in our country when voting rights are under assault, New York is living up to our potential as a progressive leader." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Angelique Scott (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Black Lives Matter…

sputniknews (2020-12-23). Morocco Urges Biden to 'Preserve' Trump's Recognition of Its Western Sahara Sovereignty Claims. sputniknews.com While all of the recent peace deals between Israel and Muslim nations have come under fire for one reason or another, the most recent accord with Morocco has attracted a bevy of naysayers from the highest echelons of US political circles as well.

Staff (2020-12-22). Black Critical Care Dr. Taison Bell of UVA on Fighting COVID, Racism & Securing Fair Vaccine Access. democracynow.org More than 40 countries have temporarily suspended some or all travel from the United Kingdom after British health officials announced a highly infectious variant of the novel coronavirus has been spreading in the country. South Africa has detected a similar variant. The new variant is believed to be 70% more contagious, but health experts say existing vaccines will still be effective against it. "What's important to remember is that mutations will naturally happen in the course of a virus that's in the community and circulating," says Dr. Taison Bell, critical care and infectious disease physician at the Universi…

Ali Harb (2020-12-22). US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel. middleeasteye.net US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel | An enormous US spending bill that accompanied the Covid-19 relief package contains many financial and political perks for Israeli government | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 22: 27 | Israel did not receive coronavirus relief funds, but the aid to its military at a time when Americans are struggling drew criticism (AFP/File photo) | The US Congress has passed an enormous $2.3 trillion s…

commondreams (2020-12-22). Patriotic Millionaires On COVID Relief Bill: "The American People Deserve Better" commondreams.org ______________________________…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-22). Brexit, Billionaires and the Little People. counterpunch.org Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will go for the market that matters, whatever the flag. A recent exponent of this proposition

Monica Moorehead (2020-12-22). Baseball's racist legacy today as MLB finally recognizes 'Negro Leagues' — a WW commentary. workers.org Twitter feed: @mmashcat Major League Baseball first announced on Dec. 9 that it would finally incorporate all of the players, statistics and records from the "Negro Leagues" (NL) into its present-day records. Many said it was about time and that this recognition is long overdue. Both sentiments are justified. Pennsylvania's . . . |

Martha Grevatt (2020-12-22). Cleveland baseball team finally retires racist name, mascot. workers.org Cleveland It's official. And it's about time. After months of discussions and rumors, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team announced Dec. 14 that 2021 would be the last season for the racist, offensive name "Indians." With it will go the team's demeaning mascot, which was being phased out after it was . . . |

RT (2020-12-22). Israel to hold fourth election in 2 years as parliament fails to meet budget deadline. rt.com Israel is set to hold a snap election after the Knesset failed to pass a spending package by a deadline set earlier this month, sending the country into its fourth vote in just two years as a fragile unity government fractures.

splcenter (2020-12-22). Freedom Denied: Minor parole violations keep Alabama man tangled in state's prison system. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Alison Weir (2020-12-22). U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act: US Congress Votes $4 Billion to Israel for 2021. globalresearch.ca Congress just voted billions of dollars of U.S. tax money to Israel, No mainstream US media appear to have told Americans that both houses of Congress just voted massive aid to Israel, a tiny country with a long record …

Nick Licata (2020-12-22). Is a Fascist Movement Developing Here? counterpunch.org Since the media declared that former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election, the nation has witnessed a proliferation of right-wing Trump rallies. Their message: the election was a fraud and Trump's win was stolen from him. Is this the beginning of a domestic fascist movement to discredit our democratic institutions? Historian Timothy Snyder

Online News Editor (2020-12-22). First direct flight between Morocco, Israel lands in Rabat. laprensalatina.com Rabat, Dec 22 (efe-epa).- The first direct commercial flight between Morocco and Israel since the two countries normalized relations landed in Rabat from Tel Aviv on Tuesday with an Israeli-American delegation led by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to outgoing US president Donald Trump. The flight follows the agreement on the restoration of bilateral ties …

Joseph Gedeon (2020-12-21). A Covid Christmas in Palestine. thenation.com A Covid Christmas in Palestine…

Fight Back (2020-12-21). Today is Stalin's birthday. fightbacknews.org December 21 marks the birthday of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. | Though reviled in the West, Stalin oversaw the period of socialist construction in the USSR. Under his leadership the country abolished illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness, and put an end to Russia's centuries-long history of famines. Under the leadership of Stalin, the USSR played a key role in turning back the tide of fascism and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This victory was not just a victory for the Soviet Union and socialism, but a victory for the peoples of the world…

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-21). Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals | Meanwhile, Jordanian prisoner numbers soar and Egypt revokes citizenship of 17 people under nationality law | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 16: 12 | A Moroccan diplomat said that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were sponsoring normalisation agreements on behalf of the US (AFP) | Saudi Arabia, UAE bankrolling normalisation agreeme…

Matthew Ehret-Kump (2020-12-21). Today's China Espionage Scandals Revive the Gouzenko Hoax That Unleashed the Cold War. globalresearch.ca Today, a new coordinated psychological operation has been sprung to convince every living patriot across the Five Eyes sphere of influence that the enemy of the free world who lurks behind every conspiracy to overthrow governments, and western values is…China….

news.un (2020-12-21). Return to 'path of meaningful negotiations', UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians. news.un.org Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to "take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage" in the peace process.

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

James Zogby (2020-12-21). Conservative Christians Remain Silent About Suffering Bethlehem. commondreams.org "To most in the West, Palestinian Christians are simply invisible. To conservative Christians, they are at best a nuisance who stand in the way of their unquestioning ideological attachment to Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Ben Chacko (2020-12-23). Ukraine's fascist-backed government erasing Red Army from history. peoplesworld.org Ukraine's Communists are condemning what they call "state vandalism" as authorities in the city of Lviv announced their decision to dismantle the city's Monument of Glory, a memorial to Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Nazi invasion. Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko denounced the act as "moral terrorism" and called it "a crime against …

Ronnie Kasrils (2020-12-23). Against the witch-hunt. mronline.org Veteran of the fight against Apartheid RONNIE KASRILS warns that the IHRA is being used to suppress left-wing supporters of Palestine, just as anti-communist hysteria was used against the national-liberation movement in South Africa…

G. Dunkel (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter and France's Global Security Law. workers.org It is sometimes hard to realize the worldwide impact of the Black Lives Matter movement. Language, culture and media indifference can all get in the way. Some countries just don't have the type of events — protests, marches, rallies — for a variety of reasons, where the influence of BLM . . . |

Arielle Robinson (2020-12-23). With racism, red-baiting/Georgia run-off elections fail to focus on people's needs. workers.org By Arielle Robinson and Dianne Mathiowetz Atlanta, Georgia So what's it like living in the political circus of the Jan. 5, 2021, run-off in Georgia for U.S. Senate—while the deadly scourge of the pandemic rages, fear of mass evictions and the rise of poverty and unemployment grow, and incessant charges . . . |

Miko Peled (2020-12-23). The Gaza Strip is "Uninhabitable": Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, but Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? globalresearch.ca A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza. | *** | A

Drillminister (2020-12-23). My wish for 2021? We all start fighting back, now. thecanary.co Boom. Bam. You know who it is. Yung Drilly, aka Drillminister — writing for The Canary. I'm running for London Mayor in 2021. And with the mess that our politicians have made in the past 12 months, we need radical change and quickly. So, here's my message as we head to towards the New Year.Black Lives Matter. But do they really?: This year has laid bare the open corruption and political violence in our society. It held a magnifying glass to the hate. And even though it's obvious for all to see — nothing has changed.The UK saw the reverberations of George Floyd's murder echo across the streets of…

_____ (2020-12-23). Israel's Genocide In Gaza Goes Uninterrupted. popularresistance.org A report published by the United Nations in 2018 stated that by the year 2020 the Gaza Strip would be uninhabitable. It said specifically that, "the United Nations has stated that Gaza may well be unlivable by 2020." The report emphasized also that "Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967, drew attention to Israel's persistent non-cooperation with the Special Rapporteur's mandate. As with his two predecessors, Israel has not granted him entry to visit the country, nor the Occupied Palestinian territory." Anyone who thinks that the Gaza S…

Meron Rapoport (2020-12-23). Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel. middleeasteye.net Gideon Saar: The right-winger who could unseat Netanyahu and remake Israel | He's pro-settler, against a Palestinian state and targets asylum seekers. But centrists and left-wingers are flocking to the man likely to become Israel's next prime minister | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 58 | Gideon Saar, Israeli Member of Knesset for Likud, speaks during a rally as he launches his campaign for Likud party l…

MEE staff (2020-12-23). Israel's High Court avoids calls to nullify or amend nation-state law. middleeasteye.net Israel's High Court avoids calls to nullify or amend nation-state law | Court hints that law could be interpreted but avoided discussing it during hearing, following 15 legal petitions | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 14: 03 | Israeli protesters carry national flags as they watch Supreme Court deliberations broadcast live in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem, on 3 May 2020 (AFP) | The Israeli High Court on Tuesday avoided…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-23). Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says. middleeasteye.net Israel detects new Covid-19 strain, health ministry says | Four people diagnosed with coronavirus variant that first emerged in the United Kingdom | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 16: 04 | An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gets vaccinated against Covid-19 at Clalit Health Services Center in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, on 21 December 2020 (AFP) | Israel has detected four cases of a new Covid-19 strain, a highl…

Global Research News (2020-12-23). Selected Articles: Staff at Hospitals in DC, Texas Turn Down COVID-19 Vaccine. globalresearch.ca By A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction …

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-23). 'Tie normalization with Tel Aviv a stab in back of Palestine'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (MNA) — Head of political Bureau of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that tie normalization with the Zionist regime is a stab in the back of Palestine and Islamic Ummah.

WSWS (2020-12-23). Armed fascists storm Oregon state Capitol building. wsws.org Several hundred far-right anti-lockdown protesters, led by the fascist patriot Prayer group, attempted to occupy the Oregon Capitol on Monday, where a closed session of the legislature was discussing measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-23). Israel's parliament dissolves, fresh elections to be held in March 2021. peoplesdispatch.org Parliament was dissolved after the government could not pass the budget in the stipulated time. The upcoming elections in March will be the fourth election in less than two years…

Brandon Jones (2020-12-23). Remembering William Winter: Mississippi governor championed public education and civil rights. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Malik Washington (2020-12-23). Racist practices at the SF Health Service System will no longer be tolerated: Remove Mitch. indybay.org SF Bay View Editor Malik Washington reports on systemic racism in the SF Health Service System…

Angelique Scott (2020-12-23). Black Lives Matter. thenation.com Black Lives Matter…

Martha Grevatt (2020-12-22). Cleveland baseball team finally retires racist name, mascot. workers.org Cleveland It's official. And it's about time. After months of discussions and rumors, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team announced Dec. 14 that 2021 would be the last season for the racist, offensive name "Indians." With it will go the team's demeaning mascot, which was being phased out after it was . . . |

Monica Moorehead (2020-12-22). Baseball's racist legacy today as MLB finally recognizes 'Negro Leagues' — a WW commentary. workers.org Major League Baseball first announced on Dec. 9 that it would finally incorporate all of the players, statistics and records from the "Negro Leagues" (NL) into its present-day records. Many said it was about time and that this recognition is long overdue. Both sentiments are justified. Pennsylvania's Homestead Grays, founded . . . |

Staff (2020-12-22). Black Critical Care Dr. Taison Bell of UVA on Fighting COVID, Racism & Securing Fair Vaccine Access. democracynow.org More than 40 countries have temporarily suspended some or all travel from the United Kingdom after British health officials announced a highly infectious variant of the novel coronavirus has been spreading in the country. South Africa has detected a similar variant. The new variant is believed to be 70% more contagious, but health experts say existing vaccines will still be effective against it. "What's important to remember is that mutations will naturally happen in the course of a virus that's in the community and circulating," says Dr. Taison Bell, critical care and infectious disease physician at the Universi…

Ali Harb (2020-12-22). US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel. middleeasteye.net US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel | An enormous US spending bill that accompanied the Covid-19 relief package contains many financial and political perks for Israeli government | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 22: 27 | Israel did not receive coronavirus relief funds, but the aid to its military at a time when Americans are struggling drew criticism (AFP/File photo) | The US Congress has passed an enormous $2.3 trillion s…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-22). Brexit, Billionaires and the Little People. counterpunch.org Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will go for the market that matters, whatever the flag. A recent exponent of this proposition

RT (2020-12-22). Israel to hold fourth election in 2 years as parliament fails to meet budget deadline. rt.com Israel is set to hold a snap election after the Knesset failed to pass a spending package by a deadline set earlier this month, sending the country into its fourth vote in just two years as a fragile unity government fractures.

teleSUR (2020-12-22). 'Patriot Prayers' Storm Oregon Capitol to Reject Restrictions. telesurenglish.net Dozens of protesters, some of them carrying firearms, stormed the Oregon Capitol in Salem city on Monday to protest COVID-19 restrictions. | RELATED: | "Right-wing thugs intimidated and threatened journalist Brian Hayes for trying to cover their unlawful assembly at the Capitol in Salem," the DemCast Director Nick Knudsen tweeted. | "Just before their violent physical assaults on journalists, the right-wing extr…

commondreams (2020-12-22). Patriotic Millionaires On COVID Relief Bill: "The American People Deserve Better" commondreams.org ______________________________…

splcenter (2020-12-22). Freedom Denied: Minor parole violations keep Alabama man tangled in state's prison system. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Alison Weir (2020-12-22). U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act: US Congress Votes $4 Billion to Israel for 2021. globalresearch.ca Congress just voted billions of dollars of U.S. tax money to Israel, No mainstream US media appear to have told Americans that both houses of Congress just voted massive aid to Israel, a tiny country with a long record …

Online News Editor (2020-12-22). First direct flight between Morocco, Israel lands in Rabat. laprensalatina.com Rabat, Dec 22 (efe-epa).- The first direct commercial flight between Morocco and Israel since the two countries normalized relations landed in Rabat from Tel Aviv on Tuesday with an Israeli-American delegation led by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to outgoing US president Donald Trump. The flight follows the agreement on the restoration of bilateral ties …

Nick Licata (2020-12-22). Is a Fascist Movement Developing Here? counterpunch.org Since the media declared that former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election, the nation has witnessed a proliferation of right-wing Trump rallies. Their message: the election was a fraud and Trump's win was stolen from him. Is this the beginning of a domestic fascist movement to discredit our democratic institutions? Historian Timothy Snyder

sputniknews (2020-12-22). After Parliament Dissolution, Israel Will Hold Snap Election, Speaker Says. sputniknews.com The political coalition of the two Israeli party leaders has been the verge of collapse, as Gantz, Israel's defence minister, and Netanyahu failed to agree on the country's budget for this year and 2021, as the prime minister sought to postpone the deadline for submitting the budget to the Knesset for a vote…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-21). The Great Divider: Covid-19 Reflects Global Racism, Not Equality. counterpunch.org The notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was 'the great equalizer' should be dead and buried by now. If anything, the lethal disease is another terrible reminder of the deep divisions and inequalities in our societies. That said, the treatment of the disease should not be a repeat of the same shameful scenario.

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-21). Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals | Meanwhile, Jordanian prisoner numbers soar and Egypt revokes citizenship of 17 people under nationality law | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 16: 12 | A Moroccan diplomat said that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were sponsoring normalisation agreements on behalf of the US (AFP) | Saudi Arabia, UAE bankrolling normalisation agreeme…

CP Editor (2020-12-21). Beer in Palestine. counterpunch.org …

Joseph Gedeon (2020-12-21). A Covid Christmas in Palestine. thenation.com A Covid Christmas in Palestine…

Fight Back (2020-12-21). Today is Stalin's birthday. fightbacknews.org December 21 marks the birthday of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. | Though reviled in the West, Stalin oversaw the period of socialist construction in the USSR. Under his leadership the country abolished illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness, and put an end to Russia's centuries-long history of famines. Under the leadership of Stalin, the USSR played a key role in turning back the tide of fascism and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This victory was not just a victory for the Soviet Union and socialism, but a victory for the peoples of the world…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-21). The Brexiteer Elites and Britain's Patriotic Billionaires: "Making Britain Great Again" (MBGA). globalresearch.ca Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will …

Matthew Ehret-Kump (2020-12-21). Today's China Espionage Scandals Revive the Gouzenko Hoax That Unleashed the Cold War. globalresearch.ca Today, a new coordinated psychological operation has been sprung to convince every living patriot across the Five Eyes sphere of influence that the enemy of the free world who lurks behind every conspiracy to overthrow governments, and western values is…China….

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

news.un (2020-12-21). Return to 'path of meaningful negotiations', UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians. news.un.org Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to "take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage" in the peace process.

James Zogby (2020-12-21). Conservative Christians Remain Silent About Suffering Bethlehem. commondreams.org "To most in the West, Palestinian Christians are simply invisible. To conservative Christians, they are at best a nuisance who stand in the way of their unquestioning ideological attachment to Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-22). Brexit, Billionaires and the Little People. counterpunch.org Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will go for the market that matters, whatever the flag. A recent exponent of this proposition

Martha Grevatt (2020-12-22). Cleveland baseball team finally retires racist name, mascot. workers.org Cleveland It's official. And it's about time. After months of discussions and rumors, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team announced Dec. 14 that 2021 would be the last season for the racist, offensive name "Indians." With it will go the team's demeaning mascot, which was being phased out after it was . . . |

Monica Moorehead (2020-12-22). Baseball's racist legacy today as MLB finally recognizes 'Negro Leagues'. workers.org Major League Baseball first announced on Dec. 9 that it would finally incorporate all of the players, statistics and records from the "Negro Leagues" (NL) into its present-day records. Many said it was about time and that this recognition is long overdue. Both sentiments are justified. Pennsylvania's Homestead Grays, founded . . . |

Miko Peled (2020-12-22). Israel's Genocide in Gaza Goes Uninterrupted, But Is Europe Finally Taking Notice? mintpressnews.com A long and cruel siege, constant Israeli attacks resulting in the killing of countless civilians, destruction of homes and infrastructure, extreme poverty, and trauma remain the daily bread of Palestinians in Gaza.

MEE staff (2020-12-22). Kushner leads US-Israeli delegation to Morocco to mark normalisation deal. middleeasteye.net Kushner leads US-Israeli delegation to Morocco to mark normalisation deal | Officials land in Morocco and are expected to meet King Mohammed VI and restore relations that existed in the 1990s | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 15: 33 | Kushner said normalisation of ties between Morocco and Israel will bring new opportunities for the two countries (Reuters) | Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner led a delegation from Isra…

Ali Harb (2020-12-22). US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel. middleeasteye.net US spending bill: Five gifts to Israel | An enormous US spending bill that accompanied the Covid-19 relief package contains many financial and political perks for Israeli government | Tue, 12/22/2020 – 22: 27 | Israel did not receive coronavirus relief funds, but the aid to its military at a time when Americans are struggling drew criticism (AFP/File photo) | The US Congress has passed an enormous $2.3 trillion s…

Staff (2020-12-22). Black Critical Care Dr. Taison Bell of UVA on Fighting COVID, Racism & Securing Fair Vaccine Access. democracynow.org More than 40 countries have temporarily suspended some or all travel from the United Kingdom after British health officials announced a highly infectious variant of the novel coronavirus has been spreading in the country. South Africa has detected a similar variant. The new variant is believed to be 70% more contagious, but health experts say existing vaccines will still be effective against it. "What's important to remember is that mutations will naturally happen in the course of a virus that's in the community and circulating," says Dr. Taison Bell, critical care and infectious disease physician at the Universi…

splcenter (2020-12-22). Freedom Denied: Minor parole violations keep Alabama man tangled in state's prison system. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Alison Weir (2020-12-22). U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act: US Congress Votes $4 Billion to Israel for 2021. globalresearch.ca Congress just voted billions of dollars of U.S. tax money to Israel, No mainstream US media appear to have told Americans that both houses of Congress just voted massive aid to Israel, a tiny country with a long record …

Online News Editor (2020-12-22). First direct flight between Morocco, Israel lands in Rabat. laprensalatina.com Rabat, Dec 22 (efe-epa).- The first direct commercial flight between Morocco and Israel since the two countries normalized relations landed in Rabat from Tel Aviv on Tuesday with an Israeli-American delegation led by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to outgoing US president Donald Trump. The flight follows the agreement on the restoration of bilateral ties …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-21). The Brexiteer Elites and Britain's Patriotic Billionaires: "Making Britain Great Again" (MBGA). globalresearch.ca Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-21). Dozens of Al-Jazeera journalists allegedly hacked using Israeli spyware. peoplesdispatch.org On Monday, December 21, Monday, the Citizen's Lab of Toronto University in Canada claimed that the UAE and Saudi Arabia have used the Israel-made Pegasus malware to hack the personal phones of at least 36 journalists, producers and anchors working with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera in July. This was weeks before the UAE announced a " The hacking was allegedly part of an espionage campaign launched by these countries against Al…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-21). The Great Divider: Covid-19 Reflects Global Racism, Not Equality. counterpunch.org The notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was 'the great equalizer' should be dead and buried by now. If anything, the lethal disease is another terrible reminder of the deep divisions and inequalities in our societies. That said, the treatment of the disease should not be a repeat of the same shameful scenario.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Elliott Smith (2020-12-21). Remembering Bruce Carver Boynton, anti-segregation fighter and Freedom Ride inspiration. peoplesworld.org On Dec. 20, 1958, exactly 62 years ago, a young law student on his way home for the holiday break was on the brink of setting the country one step forward towards racial equality. His arrest on misdemeanor charges in a racially charged case resulted two years later in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation …

MEE and agencies (2020-12-21). 'The new Khashoggi': Death threats prompted probe of Al Jazeera hack. middleeasteye.net 'The new Khashoggi': Death threats prompted probe of Al Jazeera hack | Dozens of journalists' phones hacked in operation suspected to be led by Saudi and Emirati governments | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 12: 44 | Several reports have shown Israeli technology being used by Gulf states against political opponents (AFP) | An Al Jazeera journalist said he was told he would be made "the new Jamal Khashog…

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-21). Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals | Meanwhile, Jordanian prisoner numbers soar and Egypt revokes citizenship of 17 people under nationality law | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 16: 12 | A Moroccan diplomat said that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were sponsoring normalisation agreements on behalf of the US (AFP) | Saudi Arabia, UAE bankrolling normalisation agreeme…

CP Editor (2020-12-21). Beer in Palestine. counterpunch.org …

Joseph Gedeon (2020-12-21). A Covid Christmas in Palestine. thenation.com A Covid Christmas in Palestine…

WSWS (2020-12-21). Active-duty Spanish soldiers chant fascist songs in online videos. wsws.org This underscores the criminal role of the Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government, which downplayed fascist sentiment in the army.

Fight Back (2020-12-21). Today is Stalin's birthday. fightbacknews.org December 21 marks the birthday of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. | Though reviled in the West, Stalin oversaw the period of socialist construction in the USSR. Under his leadership the country abolished illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness, and put an end to Russia's centuries-long history of famines. Under the leadership of Stalin, the USSR played a key role in turning back the tide of fascism and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This victory was not just a victory for the Soviet Union and socialism, but a victory for the peoples of the world…

teleSUR (2020-12-21). Germany: Author of Anti-Semitic Attack Gets Life in Prison. telesurenglish.net Stephan Balliet, the author of the anti-Semitic attack in Halle in 2019, was sentenced to life imprisonment at a Naumburg court on Monday. | RELATED: | The ruling classifies this 28-year-old German as a "danger" to society and removes the option of conditional freedom during his sentence. This means that the sentence amounts to at least 15 years in prison for Balliet. | Contrary to what his defenders argued, a psyc…

Matthew Ehret-Kump (2020-12-21). Today's China Espionage Scandals Revive the Gouzenko Hoax That Unleashed the Cold War. globalresearch.ca Today, a new coordinated psychological operation has been sprung to convince every living patriot across the Five Eyes sphere of influence that the enemy of the free world who lurks behind every conspiracy to overthrow governments, and western values is…China….

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

news.un (2020-12-21). Return to 'path of meaningful negotiations', UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians. news.un.org Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to "take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage" in the peace process.

James Zogby (2020-12-21). Conservative Christians Remain Silent About Suffering Bethlehem. commondreams.org "To most in the West, Palestinian Christians are simply invisible. To conservative Christians, they are at best a nuisance who stand in the way of their unquestioning ideological attachment to Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Juan Cole (2020-12-20). Everyday War Crimes: Israeli PM Netanyahu Gets Covid Vaccine, Squatters Get Vaccine, But Not Occupied Palestinians. commondreams.org Vaccines will be supplied to the hundreds of thousands of government-backed illegal Israeli squatters on Palestinian land in the West Bank, but not to the indigenous Palestinian population. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

South Front (2020-12-20). Video: Is Israel Searching for A Pretext to Invade Southern Syria? globalresearch.ca The Russian military and Russian-backed Syrian forces have been increasing their presence on the border with Iraq. | Less than a week ago, the Russian Military Police established a local HQ in al-Bukamal. Recently, the 5th Corps of the Syrian Army, …

Kaamil Ahmed (2020-12-20). Far-right US group Boogaloo Bois member admits plans to work with Hamas. middleeasteye.net Far-right US group Boogaloo Bois member admits plans to work with Hamas | Palestinian movement Hamas has denied links to US militia members who call themselves 'Boojahideen' | Sun, 12/20/2020 – 09: 39 | An American man pleaded guilty of plotting to help Hamas to support far-right group Boogaloo Bois (AFP) | A "self-described member" of an United States group calling for a second civil war has admitted…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-20). At least 140 Palestinians contract COVID-19 in Israeli jails. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) — At least 140 Palestinian inmates in the Zionist regime's jails have contracted COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in early March this year, a Palestinian official said.

Newsclick (2020-12-20). Now China achieves quantum supremacy — What does this mean? peoplesdispatch.org Chinese quantum computer Jiuzhang achieved quantum supremacy. It is only the second quantum computer to ever do so, after Google's Sycamore. How does this computer work and what does quantum supremacy mean for us?

Campaign for Free Speech (2020-12-20). UK 'Campaign for Free Speech' 12/12 – How & Why Free Speech Is Coming Under Attack. indybay.org An international panel in London was held to discuss the attack on free speech and how the Zionists are seeking to codify laws and rules that criticism of Israel is anti-semitism.

Taj Ali (2020-12-20). Islamophobia: a year-round struggle. zcomm.org Islamophobia Awareness Month may be over, but the fight must continue now more than ever…

RT (2020-12-19). Netanyahu calls Covid-19 vaccine 'giant step for health' as he becomes first Israeli to get Pfizer jab. rt.com Hoping to lead by example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a jab of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in an event broadcast live, as the polls showed a high level of mistrust to the immunization drive among Israelis. | The ceremonial injection took place at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv on Saturday, with Netanyahu sticking to his earlier promise and becoming the first person in the country to be vaccinated against Covid-19. | The PM was administered a shot of the immunization jointly developed by US pharma giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Israel, which plans to begin the vaccination of…

Editor (2020-12-19). France Cynically Hides Its Islamophobia Behind 'LaàØcité'. scheerpost.com MEAE ] By Mariamne Everett "… Our country is one that has no problems with any of the world's religions whatsoever, because they are all practised freely in our country. And to all French people of the Muslim faith, and indeed to citizens from anywhere else in the world whose religion is Islam, I should like to say to them that France is a country in which this religion, too, is freely practised."… |

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

_____ (2020-12-19). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis. popularresistance.org The United States and Ukraine were the only two nations to vote against a United Nations resolution Wednesday on, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance." The resolution passed 130-2. | The resolution featured 70 fairly bland statements condemning the crimes of Adolf Hitler, while also expressing concern at the rise of contemporary Neo-Nazi groups. | "Neo-Nazism is more than just the glorification of a past movement, it is a contemporary phenomenon with strong vested inte…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-21). The Great Divider: Covid-19 Reflects Global Racism, Not Equality. counterpunch.org The notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was 'the great equalizer' should be dead and buried by now. If anything, the lethal disease is another terrible reminder of the deep divisions and inequalities in our societies. That said, the treatment of the disease should not be a repeat of the same shameful scenario.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, Elliott Smith (2020-12-21). Remembering Bruce Carver Boynton, anti-segregation fighter and Freedom Ride inspiration. peoplesworld.org On Dec. 20, 1958, exactly 62 years ago, a young law student on his way home for the holiday break was on the brink of setting the country one step forward towards racial equality. His arrest on misdemeanor charges in a racially charged case resulted two years later in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-21). Dozens of Al-Jazeera journalists allegedly hacked using Israeli spyware. peoplesdispatch.org On Monday, December 21, Monday, the Citizen's Lab of Toronto University in Canada claimed that the UAE and Saudi Arabia have used the Israel-made Pegasus malware to hack the personal phones of at least 36 journalists, producers and anchors working with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera in July. This was weeks before the UAE announced a " The hacking was allegedly part of an espionage campaign launched by these countries against Al…

Fight Back (2020-12-21). Today is Stalin's birthday. fightbacknews.org December 21 marks the birthday of Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. | Though reviled in the West, Stalin oversaw the period of socialist construction in the USSR. Under his leadership the country abolished illiteracy, unemployment, homelessness, and put an end to Russia's centuries-long history of famines. Under the leadership of Stalin, the USSR played a key role in turning back the tide of fascism and the defeat of Nazi Germany. This victory was not just a victory for the Soviet Union and socialism, but a victory for the peoples of the world…

WSWS (2020-12-21). Active-duty Spanish soldiers chant fascist songs in online videos. wsws.org This underscores the criminal role of the Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government, which downplayed fascist sentiment in the army.

CP Editor (2020-12-21). Beer in Palestine. counterpunch.org …

Joseph Gedeon (2020-12-21). A Covid Christmas in Palestine. thenation.com A Covid Christmas in Palestine…

MEE staff (2020-12-21). Israeli woman found dead near settlement in West Bank. middleeasteye.net Israeli woman found dead near settlement in West Bank | Police reportedly suspect the killing was 'politically motivated' | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 09: 25 | Esther Horgen, a 52-year-old mother of six from Tal Menashe settlement, did not return from a run (Social media) | Israeli police opened an investigation on Monday into the death of an Israeli woman whose body was found on Sunday near a settlement in the north o…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-21). 'The new Khashoggi': Death threats prompted probe of Al Jazeera hack. middleeasteye.net 'The new Khashoggi': Death threats prompted probe of Al Jazeera hack | Dozens of journalists' phones hacked in operation suspected to be led by Saudi and Emirati governments | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 12: 44 | Several reports have shown Israeli technology being used by Gulf states against political opponents (AFP) | An Al Jazeera journalist said he was told he would be made "the new Jamal Khashog…

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-21). Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Saudi Arabia and UAE bankrolling Arab states' Israel deals | Meanwhile, Jordanian prisoner numbers soar and Egypt revokes citizenship of 17 people under nationality law | Mon, 12/21/2020 – 16: 12 | A Moroccan diplomat said that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were sponsoring normalisation agreements on behalf of the US (AFP) | Saudi Arabia, UAE bankrolling normalisation agreeme…

Staff (2020-12-21). Biden Taps Climate Team Focused on Environmental Racism & Science to Take Over from Industry Lobbyists. democracynow.org Under pressure from progressives and communities of color, President-elect Joe Biden vowed Saturday to make environmental justice and science top concerns as he selects his climate team, which he formally introduced Saturday. If confirmed, many will represent historic firsts, including Michael Regan, who will be the first Black man to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Regan's selection comes after weeks of speculation Biden would instead tap Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board, but faced opposition for what critics called her "bleak track record in addressing environmental racism." Bi…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-21). The Brexiteer Elites and Britain's Patriotic Billionaires: "Making Britain Great Again" (MBGA). globalresearch.ca Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-21). Brexit, Billionaires, and the Little People. dissidentvoice.org Capitalism and patriotism do not share the same stable. When those in the business of accumulating profits suggest a love for flag and country, be wary. Wars might take place and trade agreements struck by governments, but the capitalist will go for the market that matters, whatever the flag. A recent exponent of this proposition …

Matthew Ehret-Kump (2020-12-21). Today's China Espionage Scandals Revive the Gouzenko Hoax That Unleashed the Cold War. globalresearch.ca Today, a new coordinated psychological operation has been sprung to convince every living patriot across the Five Eyes sphere of influence that the enemy of the free world who lurks behind every conspiracy to overthrow governments, and western values is…China….

news.un (2020-12-21). Return to 'path of meaningful negotiations', UN envoy urges Israelis, Palestinians. news.un.org Addressing the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN envoy for the Middle East Peace Process urged Israelis, Palestinians, regional States and the broader international community to "take practical steps to enable the parties to re-engage" in the peace process.

James Zogby (2020-12-21). Conservative Christians Remain Silent About Suffering Bethlehem. commondreams.org "To most in the West, Palestinian Christians are simply invisible. To conservative Christians, they are at best a nuisance who stand in the way of their unquestioning ideological attachment to Israel." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Chris Gelardi (2020-12-21). Detroit is Suing Black Lives Matter Protesters for "Civil Conspiracy" zcomm.org The city's lawsuit came after protesters won a restraining order against Detroit cops for their violent response to the George Floyd protests…

Juan Cole (2020-12-20). Everyday War Crimes: Israeli PM Netanyahu Gets Covid Vaccine, Squatters Get Vaccine, But Not Occupied Palestinians. commondreams.org Vaccines will be supplied to the hundreds of thousands of government-backed illegal Israeli squatters on Palestinian land in the West Bank, but not to the indigenous Palestinian population. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Kaamil Ahmed (2020-12-20). Far-right US group Boogaloo Bois member admits plans to work with Hamas. middleeasteye.net Far-right US group Boogaloo Bois member admits plans to work with Hamas | Palestinian movement Hamas has denied links to US militia members who call themselves 'Boojahideen' | Sun, 12/20/2020 – 09: 39 | An American man pleaded guilty of plotting to help Hamas to support far-right group Boogaloo Bois (AFP) | A "self-described member" of an United States group calling for a second civil war has admitted…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-20). At least 140 Palestinians contract COVID-19 in Israeli jails. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) — At least 140 Palestinian inmates in the Zionist regime's jails have contracted COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in early March this year, a Palestinian official said.

Online News Editor (2020-12-20). Israel begins push to vaccinate health workers against Covid-19. laprensalatina.com Jerusalem, Dec 20 (efe-epa).- Israel on Sunday began a campaign to vaccinate hospital workers against Covid-19, a program that saw the country's president get involved in a bid to boost public confidence in the jab. "When you go and you get vaccinated, you are not only taking care of your own health but also of …

South Front (2020-12-20). Video: Is Israel Searching for A Pretext to Invade Southern Syria? globalresearch.ca The Russian military and Russian-backed Syrian forces have been increasing their presence on the border with Iraq. | Less than a week ago, the Russian Military Police established a local HQ in al-Bukamal. Recently, the 5th Corps of the Syrian Army, …

Newsclick (2020-12-20). Now China achieves quantum supremacy — What does this mean? peoplesdispatch.org Chinese quantum computer Jiuzhang achieved quantum supremacy. It is only the second quantum computer to ever do so, after Google's Sycamore. How does this computer work and what does quantum supremacy mean for us?

Campaign for Free Speech (2020-12-20). UK 'Campaign for Free Speech' 12/12 – How & Why Free Speech Is Coming Under Attack. indybay.org An international panel in London was held to discuss the attack on free speech and how the Zionists are seeking to codify laws and rules that criticism of Israel is anti-semitism.

Taj Ali (2020-12-20). Islamophobia: a year-round struggle. zcomm.org Islamophobia Awareness Month may be over, but the fight must continue now more than ever…

A Guest Author (2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |

RT (2020-12-19). Less than 25% of Israelis prepared to take Covid-19 jab immediately, poll shows, as country heads for mass-vaccination campaign. rt.com Israeli citizens have demonstrated great mistrust towards the immunization campaign against coronavirus, scheduled to kick off this weekend, a just-released poll shows, with only a fourth prepared to get vaccinated immediately. | Some 25 percent of Israelis have expressed their readiness to receive a coronavirus jab off the bat, the poll, released by Ynet News, has found. | The level of mistrust towards the vaccination campaign turned out to be particularly high among younger Israelis. At the same time, some 50 percent of people over the age of 65 expressed their readiness to get a Covid-19 shot without delay.

Editor (2020-12-19). France Cynically Hides Its Islamophobia Behind 'LaàØcité'. scheerpost.com MEAE ] By Mariamne Everett "… Our country is one that has no problems with any of the world's religions whatsoever, because they are all practised freely in our country. And to all French people of the Muslim faith, and indeed to citizens from anywhere else in the world whose religion is Islam, I should like to say to them that France is a country in which this religion, too, is freely practised."… |

_____ (2020-12-19). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis. popularresistance.org The United States and Ukraine were the only two nations to vote against a United Nations resolution Wednesday on, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance." The resolution passed 130-2. | The resolution featured 70 fairly bland statements condemning the crimes of Adolf Hitler, while also expressing concern at the rise of contemporary Neo-Nazi groups. | "Neo-Nazism is more than just the glorification of a past movement, it is a contemporary phenomenon with strong vested inte…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

Alan Macleod (2020-12-18). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis, Labels It "Russian Disinformation" mintpressnews.com This is far from the first time the US has voted against similar resolutions; it has done so every year since 2014, dismissing them as Russian attempts to delegitimize the Ukrainian government.

Jessica Buxbaum (2020-12-18). Under Guise of Green Energy, Israel Entrenches Itself in Syria's Golan Heights. mintpressnews.com If Israeli energy firm Energix is successful, a sprawling complex of wind turbines will soon cover up to a quarter of the agricultural land still under the control of Syria's indigenous Golan residents.

Ali Harb (2020-12-18). Boycotting Israeli settlements is antisemitic, says US envoy. middleeasteye.net Boycotting Israeli settlements is antisemitic, says US envoy | Elan Carr, who was tasked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to identify groups that support BDS, says hatred for Israel is 'hatred for the Jewish people' | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 22: 51 | US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism says it is "flatly wrong" to deny that Israel has right to West Bank (AFP/File photo) | Boycotting Israel's illegal We…

commondreams (2020-12-18). U.S. Supreme Court Dismisses Census Apportionment Case. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mnar Muhawesh Adley (2020-12-18). Podcast: Chris Hedges on the Collapse of US Empire, Liberal Suicide and the Rise of Fascism. mintpressnews.com Chris Hedges joins MintCast to discuss the decline of US empire, the breakdown of society, the rise of militarized Christian fascism, and the discredited liberal class among other hard-hitting topics.

teleSUR (2020-12-18). Interview: Curitiba's First Afro-Brazilian Woman City Councilor. telesurenglish.net Carol Dartora, a history teacher and union activist in the Brazilian state of Parana has recently been elected as the first Black woman city councilor for Curitiba. She comes from the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores/PT) and recently gave an interview to Brian Mier. | Curitiba, the center of the US DOJ and FBI-backed Lava Jato investigation, has a reputation as a very conservative city. Priding itself on its German, Italian, Ukrainian and Polish heritage, during the 1930s it was the site of the largest Nazi rally ever to take place outside of Europe, and a recent study shows that there are currently at…

Joe Glenton (2020-12-18). Get to Fouc: the real reason Tories like Liz Truss obsess over lefty philosophy. thecanary.co In her latest speech, minister for women and equalities Liz Truss took the opportunity to have a crack at the late French philosopher Michel Foucault. | Truss complained: While we were taught about racism and sexism, there was too little time spent making sure everyone could read and write. | She blamed this on the French postmodernist thinker: These ideas have their roots in post-modernist philosophy — pioneered by Foucault — that put societal power structures and labels ahead of individuals and their endeavours. | In this school of thought, there is no space for evidence, as there is no objective view…

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-20). At least 140 Palestinians contract COVID-19 in Israeli jails. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) — At least 140 Palestinian inmates in the Zionist regime's jails have contracted COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in early March this year, a Palestinian official said.

Juan Cole (2020-12-20). Everyday War Crimes: Israeli PM Netanyahu Gets Covid Vaccine, Squatters Get Vaccine, But Not Occupied Palestinians. commondreams.org Vaccines will be supplied to the hundreds of thousands of government-backed illegal Israeli squatters on Palestinian land in the West Bank, but not to the indigenous Palestinian population. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Online News Editor (2020-12-20). Israel begins push to vaccinate health workers against Covid-19. laprensalatina.com Jerusalem, Dec 20 (efe-epa).- Israel on Sunday began a campaign to vaccinate hospital workers against Covid-19, a program that saw the country's president get involved in a bid to boost public confidence in the jab. "When you go and you get vaccinated, you are not only taking care of your own health but also of …

Kaamil Ahmed (2020-12-20). Far-right US group Boogaloo Bois member admits plans to work with Hamas. middleeasteye.net Far-right US group Boogaloo Bois member admits plans to work with Hamas | Palestinian movement Hamas has denied links to US militia members who call themselves 'Boojahideen' | Sun, 12/20/2020 – 09: 39 | An American man pleaded guilty of plotting to help Hamas to support far-right group Boogaloo Bois (AFP) | A "self-described member" of an United States group calling for a second civil war has admitted…

South Front (2020-12-20). Video: Is Israel Searching for A Pretext to Invade Southern Syria? globalresearch.ca The Russian military and Russian-backed Syrian forces have been increasing their presence on the border with Iraq. | Less than a week ago, the Russian Military Police established a local HQ in al-Bukamal. Recently, the 5th Corps of the Syrian Army, …

Campaign for Free Speech (2020-12-20). UK 'Campaign for Free Speech' 12/12 – How & Why Free Speech Is Coming Under Attack. indybay.org An international panel in London was held to discuss the attack on free speech and how the Zionists are seeking to codify laws and rules that criticism of Israel is anti-semitism.

Fight Back (2020-12-20). National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression demands release of Filipino trade unionists. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) demanding the release of jailed trade union leaders in the Philippines. | Greetings of solidarity to the Filipino people as they struggle courageously for the national liberation of their people from the bondage of U.S. imperialism | As always, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) stands in solidarity with the struggle of the Filipino people for national democracy and call for the immediate release of the HRDay7. Six trade unionists with the…

Taj Ali (2020-12-20). Islamophobia: a year-round struggle. zcomm.org Islamophobia Awareness Month may be over, but the fight must continue now more than ever…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-19). The Great Divider: Covid-19 Reflects Global Racism, Not Equality. dissidentvoice.org The notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was 'the great equalizer' should be dead and buried by now. If anything, the lethal disease is another terrible reminder of the deep divisions and inequalities in our societies. That said, the treatment of the disease should not be a repeat of the same shameful scenario. For an entire …

RT (2020-12-19). Netanyahu calls Covid-19 vaccine 'giant step for health' as he becomes first Israeli to get Pfizer jab. rt.com Hoping to lead by example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a jab of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine in an event broadcast live, as the polls showed a high level of mistrust to the immunization drive among Israelis. | The ceremonial injection took place at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv on Saturday, with Netanyahu sticking to his earlier promise and becoming the first person in the country to be vaccinated against Covid-19. | The PM was administered a shot of the immunization jointly developed by US pharma giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech. Israel, which plans to begin the vaccination of…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-19). Palestinians left waiting as Israel rolls out Covid-19 vaccine jab. middleeasteye.net Palestinians left waiting as Israel rolls out Covid-19 vaccine jab | The national vaccination campaign will include Jewish settlers living in the occupied West Bank but exclude millions of Palestinians | Sat, 12/19/2020 – 23: 15 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives a coronavirus vaccine at the Sheba Medical Center (AFP) | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a…

A Guest Author (2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |

Editor (2020-12-19). France Cynically Hides Its Islamophobia Behind 'LaàØcité'. scheerpost.com MEAE ] By Mariamne Everett "… Our country is one that has no problems with any of the world's religions whatsoever, because they are all practised freely in our country. And to all French people of the Muslim faith, and indeed to citizens from anywhere else in the world whose religion is Islam, I should like to say to them that France is a country in which this religion, too, is freely practised."… |

Staff (2020-12-19). Let's Reject the Violent vs. Nonviolent Crime Dichotomy to End the War on Drugs. truthout.org November's election saw criminal legal system and drug policy reform win big at the polls. Oregon became the first state to decriminalize all drugs, and voters overwhelmingly passed other reforms to drug laws, even in deeply red states like South Dakota. Policing took center stage in the national dialogue. And both the vice president and president-elect in their first addresses to the nation promised to "root out systemic racism" in the criminal legal system. | The people have spoken, and we…

_____ (2020-12-19). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis. popularresistance.org The United States and Ukraine were the only two nations to vote against a United Nations resolution Wednesday on, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance." The resolution passed 130-2. | The resolution featured 70 fairly bland statements condemning the crimes of Adolf Hitler, while also expressing concern at the rise of contemporary Neo-Nazi groups. | "Neo-Nazism is more than just the glorification of a past movement, it is a contemporary phenomenon with strong vested inte…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

Workers World Party (2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

Jessica Buxbaum (2020-12-18). Under Guise of Green Energy, Israel Entrenches Itself in Syria's Golan Heights. mintpressnews.com If Israeli energy firm Energix is successful, a sprawling complex of wind turbines will soon cover up to a quarter of the agricultural land still under the control of Syria's indigenous Golan residents.

teleSUR (2020-12-18). Brazil's Supreme Court Orders Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) on Thursday approved mandatory vaccination against COVID-19, while allowing subnational governments to sanction people who do not get vaccinated. | RELATED: | By a ruling 10 votes in favor and one against, STF judges also rejected an appeal to free parents from vaccinating their children on philosophical, religious, or existential grounds. | Judge Kassio Nunes Marques, who was appointe…

Alan Macleod (2020-12-18). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis, Labels It "Russian Disinformation" mintpressnews.com This is far from the first time the US has voted against similar resolutions; it has done so every year since 2014, dismissing them as Russian attempts to delegitimize the Ukrainian government.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-18). Killing of 15-year-old by Israel is a "grave violation of international law", says UN human rights office. peoplesdispatch.org On December 4, Israeli occupation forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Ali Abu Alia, during a protest in the occupied West Bank against the building of an illegal Israeli settlement…

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-12-18). Universal Soldiers of Resistance to Fascist Thinking: Chomsky on Extinction. counterpunch.org "Earth abides." — Toilet stall graffiti, West Bank I reckon, after all is said and said about the man, he'll end up being considered the closest we modern political movement types have had to a real life Socrates. In more recent photos, Noam Chomsky, with his glasses off, even resembles the ancient dialectician. Check it

Chris Mullin (2020-12-18). Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel. middleeasteye.net Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 21: 07 | Like Jeremy Corbyn, any British politician who condemns Israel's treatment of Palestinians risks being sucked into the vast, toxic sludge surrounding the issue of antisemitism | The day after Labour leader Keir Starmer

Shatha Hammad (2020-12-18). Israeli settlement hits Palestinian dreams and memories of Jerusalem airport. middleeasteye.net Israeli settlement hits Palestinian dreams and memories of Jerusalem airport | Construction near Palestinian village of Qalandiya has residents reminiscing about when they could still access Jerusalem International Airport | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 11: 32 | Raafat Awadallah, the head of the Qalandiya village council, points to lands that have been confiscated by Israel due to settlement construction and…

Ali Harb (2020-12-18). Boycotting Israeli settlements is antisemitic, says US envoy. middleeasteye.net Boycotting Israeli settlements is antisemitic, says US envoy | Elan Carr, who was tasked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to identify groups that support BDS, says hatred for Israel is 'hatred for the Jewish people' | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 22: 51 | US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism says it is "flatly wrong" to deny that Israel has right to West Bank (AFP/File photo) | Boycotting Israel's illegal We…

Betsey Piette (2020-12-18). Barrier to Mumia's appeal dismissed: Case can move forward. workers.org Philadelphia A significant roadblock to Mumia Abu-Jamal's appeal of his unjust 1982 murder conviction was removed on Dec. 16, when Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices dismissed an attempt by the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police to obtain a change of venue in the case. With this new ruling, all of Abu-Jamal's . . . |

commondreams (2020-12-18). ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Census Ruling. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Mnar Muhawesh Adley (2020-12-18). Podcast: Chris Hedges on the Collapse of US Empire, Liberal Suicide and the Rise of Fascism. mintpressnews.com Chris Hedges joins MintCast to discuss the decline of US empire, the breakdown of society, the rise of militarized Christian fascism, and the discredited liberal class among other hard-hitting topics.

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

Joe Glenton (2020-12-18). Get to Fouc: the real reason Tories like Liz Truss obsess over lefty philosophy. thecanary.co In her latest speech, minister for women and equalities Liz Truss took the opportunity to have a crack at the late French philosopher Michel Foucault. | Truss complained: While we were taught about racism and sexism, there was too little time spent making sure everyone could read and write. | She blamed this on the French postmodernist thinker: These ideas have their roots in post-modernist philosophy — pioneered by Foucault — that put societal power structures and labels ahead of individuals and their endeavours. | In this school of thought, there is no space for evidence, as there is no objective view…

news.un (2020-12-18). UN rights experts 'deeply troubled' by impunity for killing of Palestinian children. news.un.org UN independent human rights experts, on Thursday, called for an impartial and independent investigation into the killing of a 15-year-old child by Israeli security forces at a West Bank protest this month.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-17). Hoarding the Jabs: The Inequalities of Vaccine Distribution. globalresearch.ca Public health is no excuse to keep business and patriotism at bay. Not a very humanitarian sentiment, but then again, healing the sick and preserving the healthy can become parochial, nationalist objectives. The least convincing language of the pandemic has …

Yossi Melman (2020-12-17). Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad. middleeasteye.net Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad | The man for now only identified as 'D' is heralded by the spy agency's establishment, and is likely to be more cautious than his predecessor | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 11: 36 | Image from a job advertisement put out by Mossad that appeared in Israeli newspapers in 2000 (AFP) | Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to appoint a man for now only known as "D"

MEE staff (2020-12-17). 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child. middleeasteye.net 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child | Fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ali Abu Aliya a 'grave violation of international law', says UN Human Rights Office | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 19: 36 | Experts call for transparent investigation into killing of Ali Abu Aliya (Photo supplied) | United Nations experts condemned the Israeli military for killing a Palestinian child during a…

Racial Justice Reprint (2020-12-17). Racism a long legacy in Sacramento County Public Health Crisis. indybay.org Sacramento County, seat of the Capitol Region of the 5th largest economy on earth, continues to refuse acknowledgement of complicity in the enslavement of people of Pan African Ancestry.

Joseph Massad (2020-12-17). History: Israeli Propaganda on the 'Expulsion' of Arab Jews. globalresearch.ca Israeli propaganda about the "expulsion" of Arab Jews from Arab countries in the late 1940s and early 1950s continues without respite. Earlier this month, Israel's UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan,

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-19). The Great Divider: Covid-19 Reflects Global Racism, Not Equality. dissidentvoice.org The notion that the COVID-19 pandemic was 'the great equalizer' should be dead and buried by now. If anything, the lethal disease is another terrible reminder of the deep divisions and inequalities in our societies. That said, the treatment of the disease should not be a repeat of the same shameful scenario. For an entire …

A Guest Author (2020-12-19). Ramsey Prison Unit: The terror of Texas. workers.org By Nanon M. Williams Nanon Williams was arrested in 1992 at age 17 for capital murder and spent years on death row. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled people under 18 could not be sentenced to death. His sentence, along with 70 others, was commuted to life and he . . . |

Editor (2020-12-19). France Cynically Hides Its Islamophobia Behind 'LaàØcité'. scheerpost.com MEAE ] By Mariamne Everett "… Our country is one that has no problems with any of the world's religions whatsoever, because they are all practised freely in our country. And to all French people of the Muslim faith, and indeed to citizens from anywhere else in the world whose religion is Islam, I should like to say to them that France is a country in which this religion, too, is freely practised."… |

_____ (2020-12-19). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis. popularresistance.org The United States and Ukraine were the only two nations to vote against a United Nations resolution Wednesday on, "Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance." The resolution passed 130-2. | The resolution featured 70 fairly bland statements condemning the crimes of Adolf Hitler, while also expressing concern at the rise of contemporary Neo-Nazi groups. | "Neo-Nazism is more than just the glorification of a past movement, it is a contemporary phenomenon with strong vested inte…

Campaign for Free Speech (2020-12-19). UK 'Campaign for Free Speech' 12/12 – How & Why Free Speech Is Coming Under Attack. indybay.org An international panel in London was held to discuss the attack on free speech and how the Zionists are seeking to codify laws and rules that criticism of Israel is anti-semitism.

Staff (2020-12-19). Let's Reject the Violent vs. Nonviolent Crime Dichotomy to End the War on Drugs. truthout.org November's election saw criminal legal system and drug policy reform win big at the polls. Oregon became the first state to decriminalize all drugs, and voters overwhelmingly passed other reforms to drug laws, even in deeply red states like South Dakota. Policing took center stage in the national dialogue. And both the vice president and president-elect in their first addresses to the nation promised to "root out systemic racism" in the criminal legal system. | The people have spoken, and we…

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2020-12-19). Health Care and Black Lives Matter. zcomm.org "The backlash in which white people proclaimed All Lives Matter clearly had no understanding of the issue. Blacks weren't saying that Black lives mattered more, they were emphasizing that, the way the system works now, Black Lives Matter … Less."

teleSUR (2020-12-18). Brazil's Supreme Court Orders Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) on Thursday approved mandatory vaccination against COVID-19, while allowing subnational governments to sanction people who do not get vaccinated. | RELATED: | By a ruling 10 votes in favor and one against, STF judges also rejected an appeal to free parents from vaccinating their children on philosophical, religious, or existential grounds. | Judge Kassio Nunes Marques, who was appointe…

Jessica Buxbaum (2020-12-18). Under Guise of Green Energy, Israel Entrenches Itself in Syria's Golan Heights. mintpressnews.com If Israeli energy firm Energix is successful, a sprawling complex of wind turbines will soon cover up to a quarter of the agricultural land still under the control of Syria's indigenous Golan residents.

Workers World Party (2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

Alan Macleod (2020-12-18). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis, Labels It "Russian Disinformation" mintpressnews.com This is far from the first time the US has voted against similar resolutions; it has done so every year since 2014, dismissing them as Russian attempts to delegitimize the Ukrainian government.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-18). Killing of 15-year-old by Israel is a "grave violation of international law", says UN human rights office. peoplesdispatch.org On December 4, Israeli occupation forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Ali Abu Alia, during a protest in the occupied West Bank against the building of an illegal Israeli settlement…

Chris Mullin (2020-12-18). Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel. middleeasteye.net Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 21: 07 | Like Jeremy Corbyn, any British politician who condemns Israel's treatment of Palestinians risks being sucked into the vast, toxic sludge surrounding the issue of antisemitism | The day after Labour leader Keir Starmer

Ali Harb (2020-12-18). Boycotting Israeli settlements is antisemitic, says US envoy. middleeasteye.net Boycotting Israeli settlements is antisemitic, says US envoy | Elan Carr, who was tasked by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to identify groups that support BDS, says hatred for Israel is 'hatred for the Jewish people' | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 22: 51 | US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism says it is "flatly wrong" to deny that Israel has right to West Bank (AFP/File photo) | Boycotting Israel's illegal We…

Shatha Hammad (2020-12-18). Israeli settlement hits Palestinian dreams and memories of Jerusalem airport. middleeasteye.net Israeli settlement hits Palestinian dreams and memories of Jerusalem airport | Construction near Palestinian village of Qalandiya has residents reminiscing about when they could still access Jerusalem International Airport | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 11: 32 | Raafat Awadallah, the head of the Qalandiya village council, points to lands that have been confiscated by Israel due to settlement construction and…

Betsey Piette (2020-12-18). Barrier to Mumia's appeal dismissed: Case can move forward. workers.org Philadelphia A significant roadblock to Mumia Abu-Jamal's appeal of his unjust 1982 murder conviction was removed on Dec. 16, when Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices dismissed an attempt by the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police to obtain a change of venue in the case. With this new ruling, all of Abu-Jamal's . . . |

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-12-18). Universal Soldiers of Resistance to Fascist Thinking: Chomsky on Extinction. counterpunch.org "Earth abides." — Toilet stall graffiti, West Bank I reckon, after all is said and said about the man, he'll end up being considered the closest we modern political movement types have had to a real life Socrates. In more recent photos, Noam Chomsky, with his glasses off, even resembles the ancient dialectician. Check it

South Front (2020-12-18). Video: Israel Will Take Care of Gulf Monarchies. US Alliance against Iran. globalresearch.ca Finally, democracy is coming to the Persian Gulf. | Israel announced plans to deploy a joint missile defense system in the Persian Gulf as a part of a joint effort with US- and Israeli-allied monarchies to deter Iran. | The idea was …

Mnar Muhawesh Adley (2020-12-18). Podcast: Chris Hedges on the Collapse of US Empire, Liberal Suicide and the Rise of Fascism. mintpressnews.com Chris Hedges joins MintCast to discuss the decline of US empire, the breakdown of society, the rise of militarized Christian fascism, and the discredited liberal class among other hard-hitting topics.

commondreams (2020-12-18). U.S. Supreme Court Dismisses Census Apportionment Case. commondreams.org ______________________________…

news.un (2020-12-18). UN rights experts 'deeply troubled' by impunity for killing of Palestinian children. news.un.org UN independent human rights experts, on Thursday, called for an impartial and independent investigation into the killing of a 15-year-old child by Israeli security forces at a West Bank protest this month.

Joe Glenton (2020-12-18). Get to Fouc: the real reason Tories like Liz Truss obsess over lefty philosophy. thecanary.co In her latest speech, minister for women and equalities Liz Truss took the opportunity to have a crack at the late French philosopher Michel Foucault. | Truss complained: While we were taught about racism and sexism, there was too little time spent making sure everyone could read and write. | She blamed this on the French postmodernist thinker: These ideas have their roots in post-modernist philosophy — pioneered by Foucault — that put societal power structures and labels ahead of individuals and their endeavours. | In this school of thought, there is no space for evidence, as there is no objective view…

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

G. Dunkel (2020-12-17). Car hits anti-ICE march in New York Cit. workers.org New York Since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, there have been at least 100 car attacks on protesters in the U.S. Most recently, in Manhattan near 39th St. and Third Ave., a car plowed at high speed through a group of protesters on Dec. 12. . . . |

MEE staff (2020-12-17). 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child. middleeasteye.net 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child | The fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ali Abu Aliya a 'grave violation of international law', says UN Human Rights Office | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 19: 36 | The experts called for a transparent investigation into the killing of Ali Abu Aliya (Photo supplied) | United Nations experts have condemned the Israeli military for killing a Palest…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2020-12-17). Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper. middleeasteye.net Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper | The minister of defence told Asharq al-Awsat that Jerusalem should remain fully under Israeli control and pushed for annexation of parts of the West Bank | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 15: 14 | Benny Gantz speaks to the media near Kibbutz Ravid in the northern part of Israel, on 27 October 2020 (AFP) | Israeli Defence Minister Benny G…

Yossi Melman (2020-12-17). Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad. middleeasteye.net Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad | The man for now only identified as 'D' is heralded by the spy agency's establishment, and is likely to be more cautious than his predecessor | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 11: 36 | Image from a job advertisement put out by Mossad that appeared in Israeli newspapers in 2000 (AFP) | Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to appoint a man for now only known as "D"

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-17). Hoarding the Jabs: The Inequalities of Vaccine Distribution. globalresearch.ca Public health is no excuse to keep business and patriotism at bay. Not a very humanitarian sentiment, but then again, healing the sick and preserving the healthy can become parochial, nationalist objectives. The least convincing language of the pandemic has …

Joseph Massad (2020-12-17). History: Israeli Propaganda on the 'Expulsion' of Arab Jews. globalresearch.ca Israeli propaganda about the "expulsion" of Arab Jews from Arab countries in the late 1940s and early 1950s continues without respite. Earlier this month, Israel's UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan,

Racial Justice Reprint (2020-12-17). Racism a long legacy in Sacramento County Public Health Crisis. indybay.org Sacramento County, seat of the Capitol Region of the 5th largest economy on earth, continues to refuse acknowledgement of complicity in the enslavement of people of Pan African Ancestry.

Yasmina Allouche (2020-12-16). Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara. middleeasteye.net Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara | Tunisia's former foreign minister provoked anger after blaming Algiers for pushing Morocco to normalise with Israel | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 15: 07 | Tunisia's foreign minister Othman Jerandi has reiterated "Tunisia's pride in brotherly relations with Algeria" (Photo/Screengrab) | Tunisian and Algerian officials are attempting to pu…

Nur Ayoubi (2020-12-16). Chicken run: Lebanese boy risks life and limb to rescue runaway fowl from Israel. middleeasteye.net Chicken run: Lebanese boy risks life and limb to rescue runaway fowl from Israel | Hussein Shartoony becomes an unexpected hero after Israeli soldiers fire bullets into the air as he attempts to rescue his friend | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 11: 59 | The reaction of the Israeli soldiers to Hussein and his chicken garnered ridicule online (Screengrab/Twitter) | Hezbollah may be Israel's most pressing threat on the Le…

Jonathan Cook (2020-12-16). Antisemitism Claims Mask a Reign of Political and Cultural Terror Across Europe. counterpunch.org The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has run a fascinating long report this week offering a disturbing snapshot of the political climate rapidly emerging across Europe on the issue of antisemitism. The article documents a kind of cultural, political and intellectual reign of terror in Germany since the parliament passed a resolution last year equating support for non-violent boycotts

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-16). Civil Rights Groups Urge Biden to Nominate Attorney General Dedicated to 'Bedrock Principle of Equal Justice'. commondreams.org "We need an attorney general… committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Almasdar News (2020-12-16). Will Israel Deploy Missile Defense Systems to Persian Gulf Amid Growing Tension with Iran? globalresearch.ca On Tuesday, a senior Israeli official expressed his country's readiness to cooperate in the future in the field of missile defense with Gulf states that share their concerns about Iran. | Moshe Patil, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Missile Defense …

splcenter (2020-12-16). Proud Boys Destroy Churches' Black Lives Matter Signs During Protest in Washington, D.C. splcenter.org Proud Boys attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday that ended with members of the group tearing down and destroying Black Lives Matter banners from two historic Black churches.

_____ (2020-12-18). How The Intifada Changed The Political Discourse Around Palestine. popularresistance.org December 8 came and went as if it was an ordinary day. For Palestinian political groups, it was another anniversary to be commemorated, however hastily. It was on this day, thirty-three years ago, that the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) broke out, and there was nothing ordinary about this historic event. | Today, the uprising is merely viewed from a historic point of view, another opportunity to reflect and, perhaps, learn from a seemingly distant past. Whatever political context to the Intifada, it has evaporated over time. | The simple explanation of the Intifada goes as follows: Ordinary Palestinians at…

Workers World Party (2020-12-18). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

Jessica Buxbaum (2020-12-18). Under Guise of Green Energy, Israel Entrenches Itself in Syria's Golan Heights. mintpressnews.com If Israeli energy firm Energix is successful, a sprawling complex of wind turbines will soon cover up to a quarter of the agricultural land still under the control of Syria's indigenous Golan residents.

Alan Macleod (2020-12-18). US Votes Against UN Resolution Condemning Nazis, Labels It "Russian Disinformation" mintpressnews.com This is far from the first time the US has voted against similar resolutions; it has done so every year since 2014, dismissing them as Russian attempts to delegitimize the Ukrainian government.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-18). Killing of 15-year-old by Israel is a "grave violation of international law", says UN human rights office. peoplesdispatch.org On December 4, Israeli occupation forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Ali Abu Alia, during a protest in the occupied West Bank against the building of an illegal Israeli settlement…

Chris Mullin (2020-12-18). Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel. middleeasteye.net Labour antisemitism: Why it has become impossible to criticise Israel | Fri, 12/18/2020 – 21: 07 | Like Jeremy Corbyn, any British politician who condemns Israel's treatment of Palestinians risks being sucked into the vast, toxic sludge surrounding the issue of antisemitism | The day after Labour leader Keir Starmer

Betsey Piette (2020-12-18). Barrier to Mumia's appeal dismissed: Case can move forward. workers.org Philadelphia A significant roadblock to Mumia Abu-Jamal's appeal of his unjust 1982 murder conviction was removed on Dec. 16, when Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices dismissed an attempt by the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police to obtain a change of venue in the case. With this new ruling, all of Abu-Jamal's . . . |

Mnar Muhawesh Adley (2020-12-18). Podcast: Chris Hedges on the Collapse of US Empire, Liberal Suicide and the Rise of Fascism. mintpressnews.com Chris Hedges joins MintCast to discuss the decline of US empire, the breakdown of society, the rise of militarized Christian fascism, and the discredited liberal class among other hard-hitting topics.

South Front (2020-12-18). Video: Israel Will Take Care of Gulf Monarchies. US Alliance against Iran. globalresearch.ca Finally, democracy is coming to the Persian Gulf. | Israel announced plans to deploy a joint missile defense system in the Persian Gulf as a part of a joint effort with US- and Israeli-allied monarchies to deter Iran. | The idea was …

Greg Hyver (2020-12-18). Free Speech Protest in Downtown Santa Cruz. indybay.org Watch the free speech protest held on Church Street on December 11th in downtown Santa Cruz, challenging for city of 1st and 14th Amendment rights violations. Also, recently published survey results of Santa Cruz County residents on political issues ranging from their media to Black Lives Matter. Eye-opening.

news.un (2020-12-18). UN rights experts 'deeply troubled' by impunity for killing of Palestinian children. news.un.org UN independent human rights experts, on Thursday, called for an impartial and independent investigation into the killing of a 15-year-old child by Israeli security forces at a West Bank protest this month.

Joe Glenton (2020-12-18). Get to Fouc: the real reason Tories like Liz Truss obsess over lefty philosophy. thecanary.co In her latest speech, minister for women and equalities Liz Truss took the opportunity to have a crack at the late French philosopher Michel Foucault. | Truss complained: While we were taught about racism and sexism, there was too little time spent making sure everyone could read and write. | She blamed this on the French postmodernist thinker: These ideas have their roots in post-modernist philosophy — pioneered by Foucault — that put societal power structures and labels ahead of individuals and their endeavours. | In this school of thought, there is no space for evidence, as there is no objective view…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-17). Hoarding the Jabs: The Inequalities of Vaccine Distribution. globalresearch.ca Public health is no excuse to keep business and patriotism at bay. Not a very humanitarian sentiment, but then again, healing the sick and preserving the healthy can become parochial, nationalist objectives. The least convincing language of the pandemic has …

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-17). When the People Rose: How the Intifada Changed the Political Discourse around Palestine. dissidentvoice.org December 8 came and went as if it were an ordinary day. For Palestinian political groups, it was another anniversary to be commemorated, however hastily. It was on this day, thirty-three years ago, that the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) broke out, and there was nothing ordinary about this historic event. Today, the uprising is merely …

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2020-12-17). Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper. middleeasteye.net Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper | The minister of defence told Asharq al-Awsat that Jerusalem should remain fully under Israeli control and pushed for annexation of parts of the West Bank | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 15: 14 | Benny Gantz speaks to the media near Kibbutz Ravid in the northern part of Israel, on 27 October 2020 (AFP) | Israeli Defence Minister Benny G…

MEE staff (2020-12-17). 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child. middleeasteye.net 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child | Fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ali Abu Aliya a 'grave violation of international law', says UN Human Rights Office | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 19: 36 | Experts call for transparent investigation into killing of Ali Abu Aliya (Photo supplied) | United Nations experts condemned the Israeli military for killing a Palestinian child during a…

G. Dunkel (2020-12-17). Car hits anti-ICE march in New York Cit. workers.org New York Since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, there have been at least 100 car attacks on protesters in the U.S. Most recently, in Manhattan near 39th St. and Third Ave., a car plowed at high speed through a group of protesters on Dec. 12. . . . |

Yossi Melman (2020-12-17). Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad. middleeasteye.net Meet the man Netanyahu has picked to lead Israel's Mossad | The man for now only identified as 'D' is heralded by the spy agency's establishment, and is likely to be more cautious than his predecessor | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 11: 36 | Image from a job advertisement put out by Mossad that appeared in Israeli newspapers in 2000 (AFP) | Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to appoint a man for now only known as "D"

Racial Justice Reprint (2020-12-17). Racism a long legacy in Sacramento County Public Health Crisis. indybay.org Sacramento County, seat of the Capitol Region of the 5th largest economy on earth, continues to refuse acknowledgement of complicity in the enslavement of people of Pan African Ancestry.

Joseph Massad (2020-12-17). History: Israeli Propaganda on the 'Expulsion' of Arab Jews. globalresearch.ca Israeli propaganda about the "expulsion" of Arab Jews from Arab countries in the late 1940s and early 1950s continues without respite. Earlier this month, Israel's UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan,

commondreams (2020-12-17). New Photo Undermines Loeffler Campaign's Claim to Not Know Former Kkk Leader She Posed With. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-16). Civil Rights Groups Urge Biden to Nominate Attorney General Dedicated to 'Bedrock Principle of Equal Justice'. commondreams.org "We need an attorney general… committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Steve Gillis (2020-12-16). Boston rallies for striking Indian workers, farmers. workers.org Hundreds of millions of Indian workers and farmers staged the world's largest strike on Nov. 26 and are continuing to shut down areas of the economy. On Dec. 12, the anniversary of the racist and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act of India's fascist-minded Modi government, the Boston South Asian Coalition brought . . . |

Eds. (2020-12-16). Lynchings by law. mronline.org The U.S. death penalty has always been a symbol of white supremacy and a violation of human rights law. Having already executed 11 people this year, the Trump administration plans to execute five people (four of them Black) during a lame-duck session.

Miko Peled (2020-12-16). Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck Endured a Nearly a Century of Struggle for His Beliefs. mintpressnews.com Having dodged Nazi soldiers at 10 years old and later beatings by Israeli police, Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck is not the type to let a bit of adversity stand in the way of fighting for his beliefs.

David Rovics (2020-12-16). Privileged People Complaining About Privileged People. dissidentvoice.org How NPR Divides and Conquers What is the result when a media outlet does a new story every day about the history of racism in the US, without ever mentioning the history of the multiracial radical labor movement whose white and BIPOC organizers were lynched for fighting for equality and freedom? I listen to NPR …

Priti Gulati Cox (2020-12-16). JatiIndia: Atrocities Caste, Present and Future. counterpunch.org The jingoist nation and nationalism have got weaponized by the political class to destroy dissent and polarize people. The mass frenzy has accomplished complete derationalization and inversion of meanings where destroyers of the nation become deshbhakts (patriots) and selfless servers of people become deshdrohis (traitors). As I see my India being ruined, it is with

Staff (2020-12-16). What a radical basketball coach looks like; Kamilah Forbes brings Ta-Nehisi Coates's words to life. therealnews.com We talk with Jesse Washington about how college basketball coach John Thompson took on the racist sports power brokers and changed the game. Then, Kamilah Forbes discusses the politics of her dramatic adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates's book, "Between the World and Me."

Jonathan Cook (2020-12-16). Antisemitism Claims Mask a Reign of Political and Cultural Terror Across Europe. counterpunch.org The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has run a fascinating long report this week offering a disturbing snapshot of the political climate rapidly emerging across Europe on the issue of antisemitism. The article documents a kind of cultural, political and intellectual reign of terror in Germany since the parliament passed a resolution last year equating support for non-violent boycotts

RT (2020-12-16). US & Ukraine vote AGAINST anti-Nazi resolution proposed by Russia at UN General Assembly, eyebrows raised as Germany abstains. rt.com A Russian resolution condemning the "glorification of Nazism" was passed by the UN General Assembly, on Wednesday, with overwhelming support, though, remarkably. both the US and Ukraine made a point of voting against the motion | Equally noteworthy was the fact that all delegations from European Union member states, including Germany, abstained from the vote, with the United Kingdom following suit. | Many other European countries – such as Serbia, Moldova and Bosnia – supported the motion, as did Israel. | The UN General Assembly adopted the Russian draft resolution on "combating glorification of Nazism, neo-N…

Yasmina Allouche (2020-12-16). Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara. middleeasteye.net Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara | Tunisia's former foreign minister provoked anger after blaming Algiers for pushing Morocco to normalise with Israel | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 15: 07 | Tunisia's foreign minister Othman Jerandi has reiterated "Tunisia's pride in brotherly relations with Algeria" (Photo/Screengrab) | Tunisian and Algerian officials are attempting to pu…

Nur Ayoubi (2020-12-16). Chicken run: Lebanese boy risks life and limb to rescue runaway fowl from Israel. middleeasteye.net Chicken run: Lebanese boy risks life and limb to rescue runaway fowl from Israel | Hussein Shartoony becomes an unexpected hero after Israeli soldiers fire bullets into the air as he attempts to rescue his friend | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 11: 59 | The reaction of the Israeli soldiers to Hussein and his chicken garnered ridicule online (Screengrab/Twitter) | Hezbollah may be Israel's most pressing threat on the Le…

teleSUR (2020-12-16). Salvadoreans Demand Justice for the Jesuits Murder Case. telesurenglish.net The Central American University Jose Simeon Cañas (UCA) denounced two judges of the Supreme Court for ruling in favor of the intellectual authors of the murder of six Jesuit priests in 1989. | RELATED: | The complaint was submitted to the Attorney General's Office (FGR) against judges Jose Roberto Argueta Manzano and Juan Manuel Bolaños who ordered the closure of the Jesuits' case. | The ruling did not take into acc…

splcenter (2020-12-16). SPLC statement on the passing of Jeannie Graetz. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Almasdar News (2020-12-16). Will Israel Deploy Missile Defense Systems to Persian Gulf Amid Growing Tension with Iran? globalresearch.ca On Tuesday, a senior Israeli official expressed his country's readiness to cooperate in the future in the field of missile defense with Gulf states that share their concerns about Iran. | Moshe Patil, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Missile Defense …

Tobita Chow (2020-12-16). Post-Election Reflections on Sinophobia in U.S. Politics. zcomm.org The last 12 months have seen a sharp rise in anti-China sentiment and, consequently, anti-Asian racism…

sputniknews (2020-12-16). Netanyahu to Become First Israeli to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine. sputniknews.com MOSCOW, (Sputnik) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to be the first person in Israel to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Norman Stockwell (2020-12-15). W.E.B. Du Bois Is as Relevant as Ever. progressive.org Elvira Basevich's new book takes a look at the scholar's work through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Pablo Navarrete (2020-12-15). Stop weaponising antisemitism: 'Never again ever, for anyone!'. thecanary.co Dan Glass is the grandson of four Nazi Holocaust survivors, two from Germany and two from Poland. He says "the last thing I'm ever going to let happen is that my grandparents' story and what they went through, be weaponised to oppress other people". | You can watch the full Redfish documentary featured in this video Alongside the launch of this video, the following Q&A with Dan Glass and The Canary's

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-17). When the People Rose: How the Intifada Changed the Political Discourse around Palestine. counterpunch.org December 8 came and went as if it was an ordinary day. For Palestinian political groups, it was another anniversary to be commemorated, however hastily. It was on this day, thirty-three years ago, that the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) broke out, and there was nothing ordinary about this historic event. Today, the uprising is merely

Workers World Party (2020-12-17). PDF of December 17 issue. workers.org Download the 12-page PDF. 'Red House on Mississippi Ave.' Portland activists block eviction Fight for Mumia's freedom; NYC cops & landlords, hand in hand; Boston solidarity with workers, farmers in India; Buffalo anti-racists face down fascists; Michigan: Confronting white supremacy; Justice for Casey Goodson! Attack on anti-ICE marchers; Indigenous land . . . |

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-17). Hoarding the Jabs: The Inequalities of Vaccine Distribution. globalresearch.ca Public health is no excuse to keep business and patriotism at bay. Not a very humanitarian sentiment, but then again, healing the sick and preserving the healthy can become parochial, nationalist objectives. The least convincing language of the pandemic has …

_____ (2020-12-17). Bezos' Earth Fund Is An Unnatural Disaster. popularresistance.org Now is the time for undeniably powerful grassroots leadership. If we've learned anything this year from the brilliant, brave, bold, and beautiful Black, Brown, Indigenous and other frontline communities and workers fighting inequitable impacts of pandemics, pollution, poverty, climate disaster and emboldened racism, it's that real change happens at the grassroots. | Yet, in a year when frontline leadership is clearly critical, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (through his newly launched Earth Fund) has doubled down on philanthropy's inequitable modus operandi by funneling hundreds of millions into outdated, ineffective, top…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2020-12-17). Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper. middleeasteye.net Israel's Benny Gantz gives interview to Saudi newspaper | The minister of defence told Asharq al-Awsat that Jerusalem should remain fully under Israeli control and pushed for annexation of parts of the West Bank | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 15: 14 | Benny Gantz speaks to the media near Kibbutz Ravid in the northern part of Israel, on 27 October 2020 (AFP) | Israeli Defence Minister Benny G…

MEE staff (2020-12-17). 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child. middleeasteye.net 'Intentional lethal force': UN experts slam Israel for killing Palestinian child | Fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ali Abu Aliya a 'grave violation of international law', says UN Human Rights Office | Thu, 12/17/2020 – 19: 36 | Experts call for transparent investigation into killing of Ali Abu Aliya (Photo supplied) | United Nations experts condemned the Israeli military for killing a Palestinian child during a…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-17). Palestinian man found dead in illegal settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. peoplesdispatch.org The 37-year-old man, identified as Abdul Fattah Obeiat, was a father of two children. His body was found by his relatives in one of the buildings of the illegal Gilo settlement…

Racial Justice Reprint (2020-12-17). Racism a long legacy in Sacramento County Public Health Crisis. indybay.org Sacramento County, seat of the Capitol Region of the 5th largest economy on earth, continues to refuse acknowledgement of complicity in the enslavement of people of Pan African Ancestry.

Joseph Massad (2020-12-17). History: Israeli Propaganda on the 'Expulsion' of Arab Jews. globalresearch.ca Israeli propaganda about the "expulsion" of Arab Jews from Arab countries in the late 1940s and early 1950s continues without respite. Earlier this month, Israel's UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan,

Eds. (2020-12-16). Lynchings by law. mronline.org The U.S. death penalty has always been a symbol of white supremacy and a violation of human rights law. Having already executed 11 people this year, the Trump administration plans to execute five people (four of them Black) during a lame-duck session.

Miko Peled (2020-12-16). Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck Endured a Nearly a Century of Struggle for His Beliefs. mintpressnews.com Having dodged Nazi soldiers at 10 years old and later beatings by Israeli police, Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck is not the type to let a bit of adversity stand in the way of fighting for his beliefs.

G. Dunkel (2020-12-16). Behind Morocco's recognition of Israel. workers.org A February demonstration was held in Rabat, Morocco's capital, in support of Palestine. It was a deal, pure — but not so simple. The U.S. recognized the Western Sahara — the last remaining colony in Africa according to the United Nations — as part of Morocco, while Morocco upgraded its . . . |

Priti Gulati Cox (2020-12-16). JatiIndia: Atrocities Caste, Present and Future. counterpunch.org The jingoist nation and nationalism have got weaponized by the political class to destroy dissent and polarize people. The mass frenzy has accomplished complete derationalization and inversion of meanings where destroyers of the nation become deshbhakts (patriots) and selfless servers of people become deshdrohis (traitors). As I see my India being ruined, it is with

Steve Gillis (2020-12-16). Boston rallies for striking Indian workers, farmers. workers.org Hundreds of millions of Indian workers and farmers staged the world's largest strike on Nov. 26 and are continuing to shut down areas of the economy. On Dec. 12, the anniversary of the racist and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act of India's fascist-minded Modi government, the Boston South Asian Coalition brought . . . |

David Rovics (2020-12-16). Privileged People Complaining About Privileged People. dissidentvoice.org How NPR Divides and Conquers What is the result when a media outlet does a new story every day about the history of racism in the US, without ever mentioning the history of the multiracial radical labor movement whose white and BIPOC organizers were lynched for fighting for equality and freedom? I listen to NPR …

Staff (2020-12-16). What a radical basketball coach looks like; Kamilah Forbes brings Ta-Nehisi Coates's words to life. therealnews.com We talk with Jesse Washington about how college basketball coach John Thompson took on the racist sports power brokers and changed the game. Then, Kamilah Forbes discusses the politics of her dramatic adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates's book, "Between the World and Me."

RT (2020-12-16). US and Ukraine vote AGAINST anti-Nazi resolution proposed by Russia at UN General Assembly, Germany abstains. rt.com Russia's resolution condemning the "glorification of Nazism" passed in the UN General Assembly with overwhelming support, though the two countries voted against and most of the European delegations, including Germany, abstained. | The UNGA adopted the Russian draft resolution on "combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance" on Wednesday. | The resolution called on member states to pass legislation to "eliminate all forms of racial discrimination," and condemned the "glorific…

Jonathan Cook (2020-12-16). Antisemitism Claims Mask a Reign of Political and Cultural Terror Across Europe. counterpunch.org The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has run a fascinating long report this week offering a disturbing snapshot of the political climate rapidly emerging across Europe on the issue of antisemitism. The article documents a kind of cultural, political and intellectual reign of terror in Germany since the parliament passed a resolution last year equating support for non-violent boycotts

Yasmina Allouche (2020-12-16). Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara. middleeasteye.net Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara | Tunisia's former foreign minister provoked anger after blaming Algiers for pushing Morocco to normalise with Israel | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 15: 07 | Tunisia's foreign minister Othman Jerandi has reiterated "Tunisia's pride in brotherly relations with Algeria" (Photo/Screengrab) | Tunisian and Algerian officials are attempting to pu…

Nur Ayoubi (2020-12-16). Chicken run: Lebanese boy risks life and limb to rescue runaway fowl from Israel. middleeasteye.net Chicken run: Lebanese boy risks life and limb to rescue runaway fowl from Israel | Hussein Shartoony becomes an unexpected hero after Israeli soldiers fire bullets into the air as he attempts to rescue his friend | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 11: 59 | The reaction of the Israeli soldiers to Hussein and his chicken garnered ridicule online (Screengrab/Twitter) | Hezbollah may be Israel's most pressing threat on the Le…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-16). Civil Rights Groups Urge Biden to Nominate Attorney General Dedicated to 'Bedrock Principle of Equal Justice'. commondreams.org "We need an attorney general… committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

teleSUR (2020-12-16). Salvadoreans Demand Justice for the Jesuits Murder Case. telesurenglish.net The Central American University Jose Simeon Cañas (UCA) denounced two judges of the Supreme Court for ruling in favor of the intellectual authors of the murder of six Jesuit priests in 1989. | RELATED: | The complaint was submitted to the Attorney General's Office (FGR) against judges Jose Roberto Argueta Manzano and Juan Manuel Bolaños who ordered the closure of the Jesuits' case. | The ruling did not take into acc…

Almasdar News (2020-12-16). Will Israel Deploy Missile Defense Systems to Persian Gulf Amid Growing Tension with Iran? globalresearch.ca On Tuesday, a senior Israeli official expressed his country's readiness to cooperate in the future in the field of missile defense with Gulf states that share their concerns about Iran. | Moshe Patil, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Missile Defense …

splcenter (2020-12-16). Proud Boys Destroy Churches' Black Lives Matter Signs During Protest in Washington, D.C. splcenter.org Proud Boys attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday that ended with members of the group tearing down and destroying Black Lives Matter banners from two historic Black churches.

sputniknews (2020-12-16). Netanyahu to Become First Israeli to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine. sputniknews.com MOSCOW, (Sputnik) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to be the first person in Israel to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Tobita Chow (2020-12-16). Post-Election Reflections on Sinophobia in U.S. Politics. zcomm.org The last 12 months have seen a sharp rise in anti-China sentiment and, consequently, anti-Asian racism…

John Pilger (2020-12-15). The Most Lethal Virus is Not COVID. It is War. counterpunch.org In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Boris Johnson has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defence spending — a figure that would restore the under-resourced NHS many times over.

A Guest Author (2020-12-15). Nature under settler colonialism in Palestine. workers.org By Rana Baker This slightly edited presentation was given by Rana Baker, a Palestinian PhD student at Columbia University, during the online Palestine Writes Festival, Dec. 5. Baker's research focuses on infrastructure and environmental resources as micro-sites of political struggle in colonial and anti-colonial contexts. A Palestinian incendiary kite crosses . . . |

MEE and agencies (2020-12-15). Moroccan authorities prevent protest against ties with Israel in Rabat. middleeasteye.net Moroccan authorities prevent protest against ties with Israel in Rabat | Heavy police presence backed by water cannons and anti-riot forces deployed in main avenue leading to parliament | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 08: 27 | A woman flashes the victory sign while security forces block an avenue in front of Morocco's parliament building on Monday (AFP) | Moroccan authorities on Monday prevented a pro…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-15). Soleimani entered Gaza to repel Israeli attacks, blockade. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 15 (MNA) — Firas Al Najim, a Canada-based human rights activist, points to the role of Martyred Lieutenant General Ghasem Soleimani in the fight against terrorism in West Asia, and his support for Palestinian resistance.

Sarah Lahm (2020-12-15). Midwest Dispatch: Beware of Proud Boys and Liability Shields. progressive.org We know racist violence runs rampant on the far right, but it's also familiar in Congress.

Norman Stockwell (2020-12-15). W.E.B. Du Bois Is as Relevant as Ever. progressive.org Elvira Basevich's new book takes a look at the scholar's work through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Anthony Pahnke (2020-12-15). How Vilsack Should Use His Second Chance. progressive.org The problems he struggled with during his first stint as agriculture secretary, from corporate concentration to racism, have not gone away.

WSWS (2020-12-15). Editor of New Zealand's major corporate think tank exposed as a bigot. wsws.org Nathan Smith, chief editor of the New Zealand Initiative and a major writer for the National Business Review, ran a personal blog featuring anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim diatribes.

Roger Sollenberger (2020-12-15). How did a Proud Boys leader with a felony record get into the White House?>. salon.com Enrique Tarrio claims he visited the White House on Saturday, hours before a major pro-Trump rally…

Gary M. Kramer (2020-12-15). Hollywood is still overlooking Latinx filmmakers: "My story matters, my pain matters" salon.com "Real Women Have Curves" writer Josefina Lopez details racist industry experiences & needing better storytelling…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-15). 'On the Verge of Global Vaccine Apartheid': Rich Countries Hoard Supplies as Poorest Left Out. commondreams.org Global public health officials fear that the push for international solidarity "has mostly been lost" as the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe has claimed a vast majority of the available vaccines. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Pablo Navarrete (2020-12-15). Stop weaponising antisemitism: 'Never again ever, for anyone!'. thecanary.co Dan Glass is the grandson of four Nazi Holocaust survivors, two from Germany and two from Poland. He says "the last thing I'm ever going to let happen is that my grandparents' story and what they went through, be weaponised to oppress other people". | You can watch the full Redfish documentary featured in this video Alongside the launch of this video, the following Q&A with Dan Glass and The Canary's

commondreams (2020-12-14). ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Action on Kansas Voting Lawsuit. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Hamda Mustafa (2020-12-14). Syria: Weapons Found, Including Israeli Made Ones, and a Drone Left Behind by Terrorists in Syria's Southern Region. globalresearch.ca Syrian authorities on Sunday found a quantity of weapons and ammunition, including Israeli-made weapons as well as a drone left behind by terrorists in Syria's southern region, SANA reporter said on Sunday, citing a source from authorities. | The source told …

G. Dunkel (2020-12-16). Behind Morocco's recognition of Israel. workers.org A February demonstration was held in Rabat, Morocco's capital, in support of Palestine. It was a deal, pure — but not so simple. The U.S. recognized the Western Sahara — the last remaining colony in Africa according to the United Nations — as part of Morocco, while Morocco upgraded its . . . |

Ramzy Baroud (2020-12-16). When the People Rose: How the Intifada Changed the Political Discourse around Palestine. mintpressnews.com Very few popular movements around the world, and throughout modern history, can be compared to the First Intifada, which remains as relevant today as it was when it began thirty-three years ago.

Steve Gillis (2020-12-16). Boston rallies for striking Indian workers, farmers. workers.org Hundreds of millions of Indian workers and farmers staged the world's largest strike on Nov. 26 and are continuing to shut down areas of the economy. On Dec. 12, the anniversary of the racist and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act of India's fascist-minded Modi government, the Boston South Asian Coalition brought . . . |

Miko Peled (2020-12-16). Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck Endured a Nearly a Century of Struggle for His Beliefs. mintpressnews.com Having dodged Nazi soldiers at 10 years old and later beatings by Israeli police, Rabbi Moshe Ber Beck is not the type to let a bit of adversity stand in the way of fighting for his beliefs.

Eds. (2020-12-16). Lynchings by law. mronline.org The U.S. death penalty has always been a symbol of white supremacy and a violation of human rights law. Having already executed 11 people this year, the Trump administration plans to execute five people (four of them Black) during a lame-duck session.

Staff (2020-12-16). What a radical basketball coach looks like; Kamilah Forbes brings Ta-Nehisi Coates's words to life. therealnews.com We talk with Jesse Washington about how college basketball coach John Thompson took on the racist sports power brokers and changed the game. Then, Kamilah Forbes discusses the politics of her dramatic adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates's book, "Between the World and Me."

David Rovics (2020-12-16). Privileged People Complaining About Privileged People. dissidentvoice.org How NPR Divides and Conquers What is the result when a media outlet does a new story every day about the history of racism in the US, without ever mentioning the history of the multiracial radical labor movement whose white and BIPOC organizers were lynched for fighting for equality and freedom? I listen to NPR …

splcenter (2020-12-16). SPLC statement on the passing of Jeannie Graetz. splcenter.org &nbsp…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-16). Palestinian healthcare is crumbling in face of COVID-19, Israeli occupation. peoplesdispatch.org Authorities are worried that if drastic steps are not taken, the health system might face a major crisis putting the lives and health of Palestinian people at risk…

Almasdar News (2020-12-16). Will Israel Deploy Missile Defense Systems to Persian Gulf Amid Growing Tension with Iran? globalresearch.ca On Tuesday, a senior Israeli official expressed his country's readiness to cooperate in the future in the field of missile defense with Gulf states that share their concerns about Iran. | Moshe Patil, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Missile Defense …

RT (2020-12-16). US and Ukraine vote AGAINST anti-Nazi resolution proposed by Russia at UN General Assembly, Germany abstains. rt.com Russia's resolution condemning the "glorification of Nazism" passed in the UN General Assembly with overwhelming support, though the two countries voted against and most of the European delegations, including Germany, abstained. | The UNGA adopted the Russian draft resolution on "combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance" on Wednesday. | The resolution called on member states to pass legislation to "eliminate all forms of racial discrimination," and condemned the "glorific…

MEE staff (2020-12-16). Covid-19: Ten Palestinians die in 24 hours as Gaza reaches 'dangerous stage' in pandemic. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Ten Palestinians die in 24 hours as Gaza reaches 'dangerous stage' in pandemic | Rising cases of coronavirus infections have strained the medical system in the besieged Gaza Strip | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 14: 45 | A Palestinian man walks past a mural showing mask-clad doctors in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, 16 November (AFP) | Ten Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip have died o…

Yasmina Allouche (2020-12-16). Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara. middleeasteye.net Tunisia and Algeria try to cool tensions over Western Sahara | Tunisia's former foreign minister provoked anger after blaming Algiers for pushing Morocco to normalise with Israel | Wed, 12/16/2020 – 15: 07 | Tunisia's foreign minister Othman Jerandi has reiterated "Tunisia's pride in brotherly relations with Algeria" (Photo/Screengrab) | Tunisian and Algerian officials are attempting to pu…

Jonathan Cook (2020-12-16). Antisemitism Claims Mask a Reign of Political and Cultural Terror Across Europe. counterpunch.org The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has run a fascinating long report this week offering a disturbing snapshot of the political climate rapidly emerging across Europe on the issue of antisemitism. The article documents a kind of cultural, political and intellectual reign of terror in Germany since the parliament passed a resolution last year equating support for non-violent boycotts

Tobita Chow (2020-12-16). Post-Election Reflections on Sinophobia in U.S. Politics. zcomm.org The last 12 months have seen a sharp rise in anti-China sentiment and, consequently, anti-Asian racism…

_____ (2020-12-16). Latin American Academics Endorse Boycott Of Complicit Israeli Academic Institutions. popularresistance.org In their statement, the signatories commit not to participate in any type of academic exchange or cooperation with or accept funding from complicit Israeli institutions or the State of Israel. In addition, they call on Latin American universities to suspend cooperation with complicit Israeli institutions, until Israel respects the UN- sanctioned political and human rights of the Palestinian people. | The boycott of complicit Israeli academic institutions was initiated in 2004 and later became a key part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel's occupation and apartheid regime. It wa…

Racial Justice Reprint (2020-12-16). Racism a long legacy in Sacramento County Public Health Crisis. indybay.org Sacramento County, seat of the Capitol Region of the 5th largest economy on earth, continues to refuse acknowledgement of complicity in the enslavement of people of Pan African Ancestry.

A Guest Author (2020-12-15). Nature under settler colonialism in Palestine. workers.org By Rana Baker This slightly edited presentation was given by Rana Baker, a Palestinian PhD student at Columbia University, during the online Palestine Writes Festival, Dec. 5. Baker's research focuses on infrastructure and environmental resources as micro-sites of political struggle in colonial and anti-colonial contexts. A Palestinian incendiary kite crosses . . . |

MEE and agencies (2020-12-15). Lebanon sentences activist for allegedly collaborating with Israel. middleeasteye.net Lebanon sentences activist for allegedly collaborating with Israel | Family and activists have denounced Kinda al-Khatib's case as political because of her stance against parties in power | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 10: 23 | Prior to her arrest, Khatib had criticised Hezbollah on social media (Twitter) | Lebanon's military prosecution has sentenced prominent activist Kinda al-Khatib to three years…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2020-12-15). No, an Israeli company can't hack into Signal on your phone. middleeasteye.net No, an Israeli company can't hack into Signal on your phone | Cellebrite said its product can crack the messaging app, but its technology is not 'groundbreaking' according to experts | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 14: 24 | Grafitti urging people to use Signal, a highly encrypted messaging app, is spray-painted on a wall during a protest in Berkeley, California, 1 February 2017 (AFP) | Journa…

John Pilger (2020-12-15). The Most Lethal Virus is Not COVID. It is War. counterpunch.org In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Boris Johnson has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defence spending — a figure that would restore the under-resourced NHS many times over.

teleSUR (2020-12-15). Bolivia: Electoral Fraud Case Against Ex-President Morales Voided. telesurenglish.net A Bolivian court Monday overturned the case filled by de facto authorities against former President Evo Morales (2006-2019), former Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, and other ex-ministers for alleged electoral fraud during the elections held in October last year. | RELATED: | The decision was approved by judge Claudia Castro who pointed out that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) failed to determine the occurrence of fraud in the 2019 presidentia…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-15). Soleimani entered Gaza to repel Israeli attacks, blockade. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 15 (MNA) — Firas Al Najim, a Canada-based human rights activist, points to the role of Martyred Lieutenant General Ghasem Soleimani in the fight against terrorism in West Asia, and his support for Palestinian resistance.

Norman Stockwell (2020-12-15). W.E.B. Du Bois Is as Relevant as Ever. progressive.org Elvira Basevich's new book takes a look at the scholar's work through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sarah Lahm (2020-12-15). Midwest Dispatch: Beware of Proud Boys and Liability Shields. progressive.org We know racist violence runs rampant on the far right, but it's also familiar in Congress.

Anthony Pahnke (2020-12-15). How Vilsack Should Use His Second Chance. progressive.org The problems he struggled with during his first stint as agriculture secretary, from corporate concentration to racism, have not gone away.

WSWS (2020-12-15). Editor of New Zealand's major corporate think tank exposed as a bigot. wsws.org Nathan Smith, chief editor of the New Zealand Initiative and a major writer for the National Business Review, ran a personal blog featuring anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim diatribes.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-15). 'On the Verge of Global Vaccine Apartheid': Rich Countries Hoard Supplies as Poorest Left Out. commondreams.org Global public health officials fear that the push for international solidarity "has mostly been lost" as the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe has claimed a vast majority of the available vaccines. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Gary M. Kramer (2020-12-15). Hollywood is still overlooking Latinx filmmakers: "My story matters, my pain matters" salon.com "Real Women Have Curves" writer Josefina Lopez details racist industry experiences & needing better storytelling…

Roger Sollenberger (2020-12-15). How did a Proud Boys leader with a felony record get into the White House?>. salon.com Enrique Tarrio claims he visited the White House on Saturday, hours before a major pro-Trump rally…

Pablo Navarrete (2020-12-15). Stop weaponising antisemitism: 'Never again ever, for anyone!'. thecanary.co Dan Glass is the grandson of four Nazi Holocaust survivors, two from Germany and two from Poland. He says "the last thing I'm ever going to let happen is that my grandparents' story and what they went through, be weaponised to oppress other people". | You can watch the full Redfish documentary featured in this video Alongside the launch of this video, the following Q&A with Dan Glass and The Canary's

sputniknews (2020-12-15). Israel Performs First Successful Tests of Sea-Based Missile Defense System. sputniknews.com Tests of a new sea-based aerial defense system were performed during the past few weeks. The so-called Iron Dome and David's Sling and Arrow are short-, medium- and long-range missiles, designed to intercept a variety of objects, including enemy aircraft, drones, ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles.

Defense for Children International, Palestine (2020-12-14). Israel's Isolation of Palestinian Child Prisoners Amounts to Torture. globalresearch.ca Israeli authorities routinely detain Palestinian children in isolation solely for interrogation purposes, a practice that amounts to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, Defense for Children International — Palestine said in a report released today. | The 73-page …

Orinoco Tribune (2020-12-14). Venezuelan Gold Seized by the Bank of England: British Court Accepts Guaidó's Appeal. globalresearch.ca Thursday December 10 the British Supreme Court accepted the appeal issued by the lawyers of the opposition for exiting deputy Juan Guaidó, and ruled in favor of hearing his appeal regarding control of Venezuela's gold reserves, valued at $1.3 …

commondreams (2020-12-14). ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Action on Kansas Voting Lawsuit. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Umar A Farooq (2020-12-14). US elections 2020: Muslims in state of Georgia mobilise for Senate runoff. middleeasteye.net US elections 2020: Muslims in state of Georgia mobilise for Senate runoff | As early voting begins, the contest will have implications on issues of Islamophobia, police reform and systemic racism across US | Mon, 12/14/2020 – 20: 20 | Georgia is home to more than 100,000 Muslim residents, and of that number, more than 71,000 are registered to vote (AFP/File photo) | Ahead of the consequential US Se…

Phil Knight (2020-12-14). Have the Machines Already Taken Over? counterpunch.org "The planet groans every time it registers another birth" — Paul Simon, The Obvious Child According to Ron Milo and his colleagues at Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, in 2020 the mass of artificial, human made objects on Earth is likely greater than the mass of all living things. The human-made world — steel,

Hamda Mustafa (2020-12-14). Syria: Weapons Found, Including Israeli Made Ones, and a Drone Left Behind by Terrorists in Syria's Southern Region. globalresearch.ca Syrian authorities on Sunday found a quantity of weapons and ammunition, including Israeli-made weapons as well as a drone left behind by terrorists in Syria's southern region, SANA reporter said on Sunday, citing a source from authorities. | The source told …

Michael Edison Hayden and Hannah Gais (2020-12-14). White Nationalists Sought Resumes for Trump White House, Emails Show. splcenter.org Activists linked to the white nationalist hate group VDARE sought resumes to fill out White House administration jobs days after media outlets declared Donald J. Trump the winner of the 2016 election, leaked emails show.

Aqib Sattar (2020-12-14). Pakistan and the Question of Recognizing Israel. globalresearch.ca The changing geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East have re-opened an old debate in Pakistan; should Pakistan re-examine its policy towards Israel? This is not the first time that Pakistanis are discussing this issue pertaining to the recognition of Israel, …

Andrew O'Hehir (2020-12-14). Trump, the Proud Boys and the Kraken: Is the #EndofDemocracy just a meme — or the real thing?>. salon.com Did Trump and his flunkeys "really" try to stage a coup? Is it really over? Those aren't even the right questions…

Robert Freeman (2020-12-14). It's Time We Called It What It Is: Fascism. commondreams.org The epic thrash we're witnessing is because the forces of capitalism, seeing a terminal economic crash approaching, are attempting to preemptively replace democracy with authoritarianism—fascism—so that they can control the outcome. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …

Stephen Lendman (2020-12-13). US Supreme Court Backs "Grand Theft" Election 2020. globalresearch.ca On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to hear arguments in what may be remembered one day as the most significant political dispute in US history. | Texas et al v. Pennsylvania et al was the judicial equivalent of Hollywood's Godzilla v. …

Futher Column, By Abby Zimet, Staff Writer (2020-12-13). Nothing To See Here, Just Marauding Neo-Fascists Wearing Frocks. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …