2019-12-04: News Headlines

Lee Camp (2019-12-04). The Left Is Finally Winning the War of Ideas. commondreams.org Our media is owned and operated by the largest, most aggressive corporations in the world leaving little to no room on the air for the anti-war activists offering free hugs and senseless acts of kindness. But that's why it's all the more impressive that in so many areas, we are winning the seemingly endless battle for the mindscape of our country. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/shutter_0.jpeg

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2019-12-04). Failed Action on the Climate Crisis Makes Resistance Imperative. dissidentvoice.org On December 2, the 25th two-week long United Nations climate conference begins in Madrid, Spain. The stated task of the conference, referred to as COP 25 (Conference Of Parties), is to make sure there are plans to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The goals of that agreement, which are nonbinding, are: Reduce …

Ted Pearson (2019-12-04). The short story of Fred Hampton, assassinated Black Panther leader. peoplesworld.org This is an excerpted version of an article that originally appeared in People's World's predecessor publication, Daily World, on January 17, 1970. The short political biography appeared just weeks after the assassination of Fred Hampton, a leader of the Black Panther Party. It is reprinted now on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his …

The Tricontinental (2019-12-04). Dossier 23: Peace, neoliberalism and political shifts in Colombia. mronline.org Once again, the people of Colombia straddle two realities—the drums of war and the hope of peace. This tension has along, complex, and multi-dimensional historical process. This dossier from Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research examines the root causes of the crisis and the two realities of war and peace. | Source

Prensa Latina (2019-12-04). Colombia: Miles de personas marchan contra políticas del Gobierno. peoplesworld.org Bogotá — Miles de personas se movilizan hoy en Colombia en rechazo a políticas del Gobierno, contra la violencia y por la paz, como parte de las protestas que se realizan desde el 21 de noviembre último. Sindicatos, maestros, indígenas, estudiantes, entre otros, manifiestan su descontento por la gestión gubernamental y piden reformas profundas en …

John Wojcik (2019-12-04). NATO gathering this week did nothing for world peace and progress. peoplesworld.org This week, the heads of the NATO countries have been meeting in London to "celebrate" the 70th anniversary of the military alliance. The main news coverage coming out of the gathering revolves around Trump demanding that the members up their contributions to the alliance piggy bank, tales of how leaders of many countries are gossiping …

Media Lens (2019-12-04). The Conspiracy to Stop Corbyn: Reopening Auschwitz. dissidentvoice.org Thoreau got it right: 'Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.' (Thoreau, 'Walden', Penguin, 1983, p.68) The same is certainly true of propaganda. We can laugh now at McCarthyite paranoia warning of Soviet tentacles threatening every aspect of Western life during the Cold War. In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood …

Special to People's World (2019-12-04). People's World Awards Gala to honor Chicago Teachers. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO—The annual People's World Awards Gala, to be held on Sunday, Dec. 8, will honor Stacy Davis Gates, vice-president of the Chicago Teachers Union, and feature Howard Kling as keynote speaker. Gates will receive the Frank Lumpkin-Rudy Lozano award at the dinner. The Chicago Teachers Union, AFT Local 1, and the Chicago Public School system …

PACBI (2019-12-04). Indian University Agrees Not to Host Future Israeli Government Events Following Student Protests. bdsmovement.net Indian University Agrees Not to Host Future Israeli Government Events Following Student Protests: UpdateIn a courageous show of solidarity, students in New Delhi held firm against the university administration's violent crackdown on protests of an Israeli government event until their demands were met. | Academic BoycottNovember 20, 2019 | By:…

Ben Norton (2019-12-04). Ukrainian neo-Nazis flock to the Hong Kong protest movement. thegrayzone.com Ukrainian fascists who previously fought in a US-backed neo-Nazi militia joined the anti-China protests in Hong Kong, sharing their tactics…

Staff (2019-12-04). McKinsey Has Its Fingerprints All Over Trump's Immigration Policy. truthdig.com ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. | This article is co-published with The New York Times. | Just days after he took office in 2017, President Donald Trump set out to make good on his campaign pledge to halt illegal immigration. In a pair of executive orders, he ordered "all legally available resources" to be shifted to border detention facilities and called for hiring 10,000 new immigration officers. | The logistical challenges were daunting, but as luck w…

Fight Back (2019-12-04). Immigrant rights activists protest ICE detention at Sherburne County commissioners' meeting. fightbacknews.org Elk River, MN – Immigrant rights activists mobilized to the Sherburne County commissioners' meeting at 9: 00 in the morning Tuesday, December 3 in Elk River, a town of around 20,000 people an hour northwest of Minneapolis. They held signs throughout the meeting, and several of them spoke passionately during the public comment section of the agenda, appealing to the commissioners to stop participating in and profiting from immigrant detention in the Sherburne County Jail. | The Sherburne County Jail has a contract for 300 beds to detain immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), making it the la…

teleSUR (2019-12-04). Italy: EU Countries to Receive 121 Migrants Rescued at Sea. telesurenglish.net Italy's Interior Minister Wednesday announced that it will allow the landing of 121 migrants who remained aboard the Alan Kurdi and Ocean Viking vessels. Subsequently, they will be relocated to other European Union (EU) countries. | RELATED: | Italian Authorities Uncover Plot to Create New Nazi Party | Both the Sea Eye's vessel (Alan Kurdi) and the Doctors Without Borders' ship (Ocean Viking) waited more than five days for authorization to disembark in the port of Sicily. | The lan…

Robert Fisk (2019-12-04). The Remembrance Poppy is Becoming a Weapon Against Immigrants to Canada. counterpunch.org Canada's "diversity" is famous — or a bit infamous for the redneckers in a country larger than the US who still cannot quite accept that this is an immigrant nation. On a Toronto tram, I've often found myself the only Anglo-Saxon aboard. But I don't find this odd. I am not a Canadian, but my Canadian More

Vijay Prashad (2019-12-04). Wealthy Countries' Approach to Climate Change Condemns Hundreds of Millions of People to Suffer. counterpunch.org In Madrid, Spain, the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference—known as COP25—began on December 2. Representatives of the world's countries gathered to discuss what is decidedly a serious problem for the planet; no one, except dangerous political forces in the neofascist right, denies the reality of climate change. More

Fredrik S. Heffermehl (2019-12-04). Julian Assange: An Appeal From International Lawyers. globalresearch.ca The ongoing proceedings against Australian citizen Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, presently held in Belmarsh Prison near London, display a grave erosion of time-honoured principles of human rights, the rule of law, and the democratic freedom to gather and …

WSWS (2019-12-04). Protesters against London NATO summit speak in defence of Julian Assange. wsws.org At the Socialist Equality Party's stall in Trafalgar Square, many were attracted by posters calling for Assange's freedom.

WSWS (2019-12-04). WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson addresses the Australian press club. wsws.org Hrafnsson said Assange's "rendition" was not taking place "with a sack over the head and an orange jumpsuit, but with the enabling of the UK legal system and with the apparent support of the Australian government."

Mohamed Elmaazi (2019-12-04). 'NATO is a threat to the very survival of life on earth', says peace campaigner Medea Benjamin. thecanary.co Medea Benjamin, of the US-based peace group CODEPINK, joined hundreds of people in bitterly cold London on 3 December to denounce US president Donald Trump and the western military alliance of NATO. The demonstration and speeches began in Trafalgar Square and then slowly moved to Buckingham Palace where leaders of NATO countries, including president Trump, were reportedly having dinner. | 'NATO always needs an enemy': | Benjamin, a veteran peace activist, told The Canary she came to the UK to 'Say No to NATO' because: NATO is all about militarism and it [always] nee…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-12-04). Does the US Military "Own the Weather"? "Weaponizing the Weather" as an Instrument of Modern Warfare? globalresearch.ca Weather-modification, according to the US Air Force document AF 2025 Final Report, "offers the war fighter a wide range of possible options to defeat or coerce an adversary", capabilities, it says, extend to the triggering of floods, hurricanes, droughts and earthquakes…

Fight Back (2019-12-04). Activists decry Minnesota investments in border militarization, climate destruction. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) held its quarterly meeting at the State Capitol December 2 and got sharp criticism from immigrant rights and anti-war activists, as new documents revealed a nearly $1 million increase in investment in a controversial military technology company. Youth climate strikers also highlighted the SBI's inaction over state ties to environmental destruction. Both groups were met with vacillation and excuses from the board which is tasked with the responsible investment of public pensions and related funds. | At issue was Elbit Systems, an Israel-based manufacture…

Jeffrey C. Isaac (2019-12-04). Watergate Teaches Us That Democrats Should Broaden the Impeachment Charges. commondreams.org Hundreds of activists attend a rally in New York City on October 13, 2019 demanding that Congress fulfill its constitutional duty and impeach President Donald Trump. "Broadening the impeachment makes constitutional sense," writes Isaac, "and it makes political sense, too." (Photo: Gabriele Holtermann-Gorden/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_impeachment.jpg

Elijah J. Magnier (2019-12-04). Iraq Protests: Who Holds the Initiative and Who Has the Power. globalresearch.ca There is little doubt that Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr controls the streets in Iraq and can make peaceful protests violent when he chooses. Notwithstanding the presence of several smaller players and those genuinely asking for serious reforms, Sayyed Moqtada can move …

teleSUR (2019-12-04). Colombians Make Third National Strike in Less Than Two Weeks. telesurenglish.net Thousands of Colombians Wednesday took to the streets to reject President Ivan Duque and perform their third nationwide strike in the last 14 days, which sets an unprecedented record in Latin America. | RELATED: | Colombia: TIAR Ministers to Plan New Actions Against Venezuela | In Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Nieva, Bucaramanga, Barranquilla, Cartagena, a…

Lucas Koerner (2019-12-04). TIAR Countries Blacklist Top Venezuelan Officials as US Slaps New Sanctions. venezuelanalysis.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Venezuela of "hijacking" mass anti-neoliberal protests in "our own backyard."

Brian Cloughley (2019-12-04). Rioting in Hong Kong and Iraq: Human Rights and Hypocrisy in the White House and Congress. globalresearch.ca For months Western media outlets have been retailing stories about riots in Hong Kong. With lip-smacking relish there have been such reports as "On October 1, China's National Day, the first live round to hit a protester was fired by …

teleSUR (2019-12-04). 'US Is Responsible for Discontent in Latin America' Cuba Blames. telesurenglish.net Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Tuesday rejected the "sanctions, threats, and slander" of the United States against his country and held Washington and the conservative Latin American elites responsible for social protests. | RELATED: | Cuba and EU Share Positions About US Blockade | "We do not comply with sanctions, threats, or slander from the U.S. government,…

teleSUR (2019-12-04). French Left Calls Protest Against Pension Reform This Thursday. telesurenglish.net The French Communist Party (PCF) and La France Insoumise (LFI) on Wednesday called on citizens to participate in the national anti-pension reform strike to be held on Thursday. | RELATED: | Trump Slams European Allies Ahead of NATO Anniversary | LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called for a massive mobilization tomorrow, to reject a reform with which 'everyone is going to lose.' | Regarding the promise of guaranteeing pensions above 1,000 euros with the si…

teleSUR (2019-12-04). Dominica: What Is Behind the Conflict Over Friday's Elections. telesurenglish.net Dominica, a former French and British colony of about 75,000 residents, is holding new general elections on Dec. 6. However, the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has been pushing Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to enact reforms in a bid to gain a better electoral advantage. | Who is really behind the protests in Dominica? | The right-wing opposition UWP party, which is led by Lennox Linton, is not the only sector behind the call for electoral reform. | The first group to…

Jeff Abbott (2019-12-04). The Other Americans: Latin America's Uprising Against Neoliberalism. progressive.org Colombians join a wave of protest across the continent.

IMEMC News (2019-12-04). Palestinian Detainees In Asqalan Prison Declare Hunger Strike. imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that 33 detainees, held by Israel in the infamous Asqalan Israeli Prison, have started a hunger strike, rejected a series of punitive measures against them. The PPS said that the detainees decided to start the strike to protest the bad living conditions, but …

Richard Greeman (2019-12-04). French Unions and Yellow Vests Converge, Launch General Strike. counterpunch.org Montpellier, France. On the eve of an "unlimited" (open-ended) General Strike called for Dec. 5, more and more unions and protest groups are pledging join it. Two things are unusual about this strike. The first is that it is open-ended, rather than the usual one-day of ritualistic protest marches, and may be prolonged from day More

Dave Lindorff (2019-12-04). Billionaire Entitlement Run Amok: the Case of Michael Bloomberg. counterpunch.org Michael Bloomberg, according to Forbes Magazine the 9th richest man in the world with a net worth this year of $54.7 billion, isn't just the real billionaire candidate for President in 2020 (Donald Trump's net worth is almost certainly not counted in the billions, and could be negative for all we know, since he won't release his tax records) Bloomberg More

South Front (2019-12-04). Video: The New Arms Race. Is Russia Overtaking the US in the Realm of Strategic Bombers? globalresearch.ca The Russian Armed Forces put into action an ambitious program to modernize and expand the strategic bomber fleet. | In March 2018, Russia announced that it would completely overhaul its entire Tu-160 long-range strategic bomber fleet by 2030. According to Deputy …

South Front (2019-12-04). Video: Russian Military Police Under Attack in Northern Syria. globalresearch.ca Three Russian military police officers received light injuries when an improvised explosive device went off near their armored vehicle in northeastern Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on December 2. The incident happened when the Russian Military Police were fulfilling …

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-04). House Dems Release Sham Impeachment Inquiry Report. globalresearch.ca Make no mistake. What's going on is one of the most disturbing political spectacles in US history — one right wing of the one-party state trying to defrock the other wing's leader for politicized reasons, not legitimate ones. | Daily theater …

F. William Engdahl (2019-12-04). Climate and the Money Trail. globalresearch.ca The very mega-billionaires behind the globalization of the world economy who have wreaked so much damage to our environment are the leading backers of the "grassroots" climate movement. Is it pangs of guilty conscience, or could it be a deeper agenda of the financialization of the very air we breathe and more?

Paul Antonopoulos (2019-12-04). Erdogan Opened a Pandora's Box in Libya that Will be Difficult to Close. globalresearch.ca Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean are rapidly rising after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan met with a Libyan official of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), based in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, in Ankara last week. They …

IMEMC & Agencies (2019-12-04). Palestinian Foreign Minister Urges Urgent Criminal Investigation of Israeli Crimes. imemc.org Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riad al-Malki, discussed with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, the developments of ICC's preliminary examinations in light of US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo declaration on settlements, warning against Israel's exploitation of this declaration by taking illegal actions to …

teleSUR (2019-12-04). Jair Bolsonaro's Son Has Been Suspended From Brazil's PSL Party. telesurenglish.net Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's lawmaker son Eduardo, once considered for…

Staff (2019-12-04). Iceland Fights Climate Change the Same Way It Beat the Banking Crisis. truthdig.com The small nation island knows exactly what to do to avoid total collapse. Just look at how it handled the 2008 banking crisis.

Gwyneth Bernier (2019-12-04). The New Stateless Peoples: Confronting US Culpability in the Climate Refugee Crisis. commondreams.org A group of Syrian refugees arrives on the island of Lesbos after traveling in an inflatable raft from Turkey near Skala Sikaminias, Greece on July 15, 2015. (Photo: UNHCR/Andrew McConnell) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/refugeeswarming_0.jpg

William Astore (2019-12-04). Want to Stop Climate Change? Start With the US Military. thenation.com Want to Stop Climate Change? Start With the US Military…

United Nations (2019-12-04). Greener tourism: Greater collaboration needed to tackle rising emissions. news.un.org The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is calling for enhanced cooperation between the transport and tourism sectors to combat climate change.

John Nichols (2019-12-04). Ukraine? Yes. But Trump Must Also Be Impeached for Obstruction. commondreams.org If a president can get away with obstructing an inquiry, he can avoid accountability. If that prospect exists for a president, any president, then the system of checks and balances collapses. (Photo: Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/impeach_trump_climate_0.jpeg

teleSUR (2019-12-04). Venezuelan FM Condemns New Sanctions Imposed by TIAR Nations. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan Foreign MinisterJorge Arreaza condemned on Tuesday the activation of measures on sanctions against officials of the Venezuelan government during the meeting of the Inter – American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance ( Rio Treaty ), which was held in Bogotá, Colombia on December 3. | RELATED: | With Climate Change the Victims Are Always the Poorest: Venezuelan Gov't | Arreaza said that some of the allied regional governments of the United States seek to push for war again…

XR South Bay (2019-12-04). Meditation & Prayer for Climate. indybay.org near the Circle of Palms, Downtown San Jose (beside Christmas in the Park) – just look for our signs…

teleSUR (2019-12-04). 70 Percent of Mexico's Illegal Weapons Come From US: Report. telesurenglish.net The Secretary of National Defense of Mexico, Luis Sandoval, reported on Wednesday that the 19,317 firearms that have been seized inside 26 states of the country have recently been destroyed. | RELATED: | Morales Accuses Bolivian Gov't of Blocking His Migratory Status | Based on the statistics, 70 percent of the weapons that enter Mexico come from the U.S., while 30 percent come from Spain, Austria and other countries, the official said during the morning press conference with P…

teleSUR (2019-12-04). Trump Blasts 'Two Faced' Trudeau Over Leaked NATO Summit Video. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump denounced Justin Trudeau as "two-faced" on Wednesday after the Canadian prime minister was caught on camera laughing over Trump's press appearances during a chat with other leaders at a Buckingham Palace reception. | RELATED: | U.S. Sends First Salvadoran To Guatemala Under Asylum Agreement | The incident came at a reception on Tuesday evening, after Trump had criticized French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders during long question-and-answe…

Staff (2019-12-04). 50 Years Ago Today, Police Murdered Fred Hampton. His Activism Lives On. truthout.org Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Police Department's (CPD) assassination of Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP). | The story of his assassination is harrowing. In the predawn hours of December 4, 1969, a heavily armed Chicago police team — under the direction of the Cook County state's attorney, and with a floor plan previously obtained from a paid FBI i…