Jim Hightower (2019-12-11). \'Tax the Rich\' Is No Longer Just a Political Slogan. commondreams.org Years of rank avarice and arrogance have caught up with the superrich and their enablers, turning \"billionaire\" into a synonym for \"thief\" and focusing rising public anger on the inequality they've fostered.(Photo: Austin Kirk/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/money_11.jpeg …

Joe Sims (2019-12-11). Impeachment: It\'s not just about Trump but also deepening democracy. peoplesworld.org This is truly an extraordinary moment. Now, for only the fourth time in U.S. history, a president faces impeachment. Impeachment is a huge people\'s victory. And let\'s be clear—it is a victory born of struggle. The American people from many different walks of life compelled the House of Representatives to take this step. It may not …

Ramzy Baroud (2019-12-11). Elected by Donors: How the University of Cape Town Was Bullied into Embracing Israel. mintpressnews.com While the story may only seem relevant in South Africa\'s political and academic contexts, in reality, it exemplifies the nature of a brewing war between supporters of Palestinian rights and Israeli interests, worldwide.

Joshua Cho (2019-12-11). Papers Owned by Oligarchs Unsurprisingly Oppose a Wealth Tax. fair.org When wealth-tax advocates like senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are two of the top three contenders for winning the 2020 Democratic primaries, you can bet that the US ruling class is terrified by the possibility of being slightly less rich (FAIR.org, 4/16/19). Notably, US oligarch Jeff Bezos (who ow…

Bill Meyer (2019-12-11). Documentary about journalist Robert Fisk a highlight of Toronto International Film Festival. peoplesworld.org TORONTO—One of the most progressive films at the Toronto International Film Festival this year was a National Film Board of Canada documentary, This Is Not a Movie, celebrating the work of lifelong foreign correspondent Robert Fisk. For more than 40 years, he\'s reported on some of the most violent and divisive conflicts in the world. …

Eric Lichtblau (2019-12-11). How the FBI Botched Its Russia Inquiry, One of the Most Closely Watched Cases in Its History. theintercept.com The investigation was slowed by communication failures, concerns about political optics, and an overall lack of urgency, along with plenty of mistakes.

Staff (2019-12-11). Thunberg \'a Bit Surprised\' to Be Time \'Person of the Year\'. truthdig.com The Swedish activist who has sparked a youth climate protest movement after starting a solo protest is the youngest at 16 to earn the honor.

Juan Cole (2019-12-11). The Scariest Climate Stories Emerging From the Arctic. truthdig.com This piece originally appeared on Informed Comment. | NOAA has issued its annual report on the Arctic. It is a big report, but there are some terrifying findings. | Because this point is not always made in journalism, it is important to underline why these monstrous things are happening. It is because you are driving your gasoline-fueled automobile and heating your house with coal and voting for politicians like Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. The wrecking of our beaut…

Aaron Maté (2019-12-11). Jeremy Corbyn faces Russiagate smear campaign before UK vote. thegrayzone.com Jeremy Corbyn, a real progressive, could win UK\'s elections. Max Blumenthal joins Pushback to discuss how powerful forces are trying…

IMEMC News (2019-12-11). Israeli Troops Invade West Bank; Abduct Seven Palestinians. imemc.org In pre-dawn raids on Wednesday, Israeli forces invaded several parts of the West Bank, driving into sleeping towns and refugee camps and forcing residents out of bed, abducting seven and ransacking a number of homes. They also fired tear gas to disperse residents of the invaded areas who had come …

Joseph Essertier (2019-12-11). Julian Assange, Thanks for Warning Japanese About Washington. counterpunch.org \"The hostility or fear against WikiLeaks that resides in these arguments [about whether to publish or not] comes from a philosophy that these things should be kept between the people in question and not revealed, so as not to disturb smooth diplomacy.\" The WikiLeaks shock has retaught us a basic principle of journalism, he adds. More

WSWS (2019-12-11). Corporate media silent on journalists\' letter demanding freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org The media blackout continues the nine-year collaboration of major outlets in the US-led campaign to smear, vilify and silence the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

WSWS (2019-12-11). SEP (UK) candidate Dennis Leech speaks at hustings in Manchester. wsws.org Leech emphasised the global campaign to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and prevent his extradition to the US.

Norman Solomon (2019-12-11). Will the Democratic Presidential Nomination Be Bought? indybay.org Billionaires on a shopping spree…

Norman Solomon (2019-12-11). Plutocrats Are Trying to Buy the Democratic Nomination. truthdig.com From three different vectors, the oligarchy is on the march to capture the Democratic presidential nomination. Pete Buttigieg has made big gains. A timeworn ally of corporate power, Joe Biden, is on a campaign for his last hurrah. And Michael Bloomberg is swooping down from plutocratic heights. | Those three men are a team of rivals—each fiercely competitive for an individual triumph, yet arrayed against common ideological foes named Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. | The obvious differences between Buttigieg, Biden and Bloomberg are apt to distract from their underlying political similarities. Fundamen…

Rania Khalek (2019-12-11). US-backed parties have infiltrated Lebanon\'s protests, pushing the country toward war amid economic collapse. thegrayzone.com By joining the roadblocks around Beirut, protesters allowed themselves to be used by US-allied parties playing a dangerous game that…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Riot Police Attack Peaceful Protesters in Colombian Capital. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, the Mobile Riot Squadron ( Esmad ) carried out attacks against the protesters who were peacefully demonstrating at the National University of Colombia in the capital city of Bogotá. | RELATED: | Colombia: UN Denounces Murder Of 86 Human Rights Defenders | According to reports from social activists, the attacks against the protesters who participated in the peaceful demonstrations began shortly after they gathered at the university in the Colombian capital. | The people…

Staff (2019-12-11). Protesters Call for Climate Justice at the Peoples\' Summit in Chile. truthout.org Overshadowed by events in Madrid, where the United Nations COP25 conference is taking place, activists in the Chilean capital, Santiago, are eager that social justice becomes more central to international climate discussions. On December 2, the first day of COP25, more than 100 environmental groups launched a parallel conference in Santiago. And on Friday, several thousand people participated in a series of marches organized by these groups and their allies. | The week-long Peoples\' Summit drew climate…

Black Alliance for Peace (2019-12-11). On International Human Rights Day, Oppose U.S. Coup in Bolivia and Global Lawlessness: Black Alliance for Peace (BAP). globalresearch.ca December 10, 2019, on this day 71 years ago the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was launched by the United Nations. The Declaration reflected the agreed-upon principles that were expected to usher in a new period in which this …

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Colombia: Medellin Will Host a Concert Pro National Strike. telesurenglish.net A student assembly of the University of Antioquia summoned at least 30 local bands to play in Medellin, on December 22nd in support of the national strike, as it happened previously in Bogota with the concert \'A song for Colombia\'. | RELATED: | Riot Police Attack Peaceful Protesters in Colombian Capital | The show \"will not only be musical, but will be mixed with comparsas (carnival singers)\", Alejandra Montoya, one of the organizers of the ev…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Indian Parliament Passes Controversial Citizenship Law. telesurenglish.net India\'s ruling Hindu nationalist government on Wednesday won parliamentary approval for a far-reaching citizenship law that critics say undermines the country\'s secular constitution, as protests against the legislation intensified. | RELATED: | India\'s \'Anti-Muslim\' Citizenship Bill Sparks Mass Protests | The Citizenship Amendment Bill seeks to grant Indian nationality to Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs who fled Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan before 20…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Algerian Gov\'t Paves the Way for Foreign Financial Institutions. telesurenglish.net Algeria\'s Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah Wednesday signed the \"finance law\" which defines the 2020 fiscal budget, reduces public spending, eliminates some conditions for foreign investments, and allows indebtedness with International Financial Institutions (IFIs). | RELATED: | Algeria: Protesters Rally Against Dec. 12 Presidential Election | This hap…

Peter Koenig (2019-12-11). Operation Condor 2.0 Expanded. dissidentvoice.org According to US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, the US will help \"legitimate governments\" in Latin America, in order to prevent protests from \"morphing into riots\". From what we are seeing this \"legitimization\" may be expanded to rest of the world. Because Washington-instigated destabilizing unrest goes on throughout the world. We may as well call …

Paul Antonopoulos (2019-12-11). Sudan\'s Withdrawal from Yemen Is Part of Its Alignment with the U.S. globalresearch.ca In an October article, I made the argument that Yemen has become Saudi Arabia\'s \"Vietnam\" because despite their technological, demographical and economical advantage over Yemen, it has completely failed to break the Yemeni resistance, headed by the Houthi-led Ansarullah …

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-11). Russia\'s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov\'s \"Timely Visit\" to Washington. Coincides with House Impeachment Procedure. Discusses \"Russiagate\" with Trump in Oval Office. globalresearch.ca On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov met with Pompeo at the State Department as well as Trump in the White House Oval Office. | Several issues discussed including \"Russiagate\" | [Careful timing?: | \"House Democrats will begin work on completing their articles of …

Dr. Jack Rasmus (2019-12-11). Trump-Pelosi Trade Maneuvers: The New NAFTA 2.0, China Tariffs, and Brazil-Argentina Steel. globalresearch.ca According to the corporate media, revisions to the USMCA demanded …

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Brazil\'s Senate Advances Bill That May Send Lula Back to Prison. telesurenglish.net Brazil\'s Senate took a step on Tuesday toward restoring mandatory imprisonment for convicts after they lose their first appeal, a move that could return former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to jail for corruption. | RELATED: | Brazil: Opposition Accuses Bolsonaro Before UN for Censorship | President Jair Bolsonaro attends a promotion ceremony for generals in Brasilia, Brazil, Dec. 9, 2019. | Photo: Reuters | The Senate\'s constitution and justice committee voted 22-…

WSWS (2019-12-11). Brazilian Workers Party backs Bolsonaro\'s draconian \"anti-crime\" bill. wsws.org The vote has shattered the year-long claim by Bolsonaro\'s opposition that it represents some kind of democratic \"resistance\".

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-12-11). The Most Significant Afghanistan Papers Revelation. theantimedia.com The Washington Post has published undeniable evidence that the US government has been lying to the public about the war in Afghanistan.

Jason Ditz (2019-12-11). Leadership Strips Approved Antiwar Measures From NDAA. theantimedia.com The final version makes no attempt to rein in the military in any serious way.

Staff (2019-12-11). Are These Two Articles of Impeachment the Best the Democrats Can Do? truthout.org When the House Democratic leadership announced on Tuesday morning that only two articles of impeachment will be charged against Donald Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — I was ready to start flipping tables and punching holes in the drywall. | After everything that has transpired in the three years since that wad of pub cheese first darkened the White House doorstep, after all the…

John W. Whitehead (2019-12-11). Who Will Protect Us From an Unpatriotic Patriot Act? counterpunch.org \"It is the responsibility of the patriot to protect his country from its government.\" — Thomas Paine While Congress subjects the nation to its impeachment-flavored brand of bread-and-circus politics, our civil liberties continue to die a slow, painful death by a thousand cuts. Case in point: while Americans have been fixated on the carefully orchestrated More

Lenny Siegel (2019-12-11). Impeachment Eve Vigil. indybay.org Gateway Park, Castro Street and El Camino Real, Mountain View…

WSWS (2019-12-11). Democrats release articles of impeachment against Trump on \"national security\" grounds. wsws.org The articles of impeachment assert that the president \"betrayed the nation\" and \"compromised the national security of the United States\" by temporarily delaying military aid to Ukraine.

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Death Toll from New Zealand Volcano Eruption Rises to 8. telesurenglish.net New Zealand officials lifted the death toll from this week\'s volcano eruption to eight on Thursday after two victims died in hospital, as ongoing seismic activity prevented teams from accessing the island to recover bodies. | RELATED: | Peru Announces State of Emergency After Volcano Displaces 1,300 | Authorities said eight bodies remained on the islan…

Emily Apple (2019-12-11). A letter from Alastair Campbell is the final straw. I\'m grassing up the Lib Dems. thecanary.co One of my personal rules in life is don\'t grass. But a letter I received from Alastair Campbell on behalf of the Lib Dems has pushed me over the edge and I\'m reporting the party to find out if this meets the necessary standards or breaches electoral law.Receiving a letter from \'dodgy dossier\' Campbell isn\'t exactly something that would ever brighten my day. But this letter left me almost shaking with rage. Because it looks like it\'s sent from the Labour Party.<...

Ricardo Vaz (2019-12-11). Venezuela Oil Production Continues Slow Recovery. venezuelanalysis.com According to state oil company PDVSA, production is again approaching one million barrels per day.

WSWS (2019-12-11). PG&E reaches minimal $13.5 billion settlement with victims of Californian fires. wsws.org If approved, the deal will do nothing to make victims and their families whole, and will position PG&E to qualify for a $21 billion state wildfire fund to bail them out of future liabilities.

commondreams (2019-12-11). Chevron to Write Down Assets by at Least $10 Billion, Elevating Investor Concern. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Bashar al Assad (2019-12-11). Video: President al-Assad: Europe Was the Main Player in Creating Chaos in Syria. globalresearch.ca President Bashar al-Assad said that Syria is going to come out of the war stronger and the future of Syria is promising and the situation is much better, pointing out to the achievements of the Syrian Arab army in the …

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Venezuela Charges 509 Human Rights Violators: Attorney General. telesurenglish.net The Venezuelan Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, said Tuesday that since the start of this administration, the Public Ministry (MP) has charged 509 alleged human rights violaters in the Bolivarian Republic. | RELATED: | \'OAS Is Major Human Rights Violator Against Venezuela\' Dussan | \"770 have been charged for crimes such as homicide, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, illegitimate deprivation of liberty, and domicile violations among others. Of that total, 131 conviction…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Argentina and Cuba Agree to Increase Food and Medicine Exchange. telesurenglish.net Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel met Wednesday in Buenos Aires to speak about bilateral relations, agreeing to continue and expand the exchange of food and medicine between both nations. | RELATED: | Argentina: President Fernandez Calls for a New Social Compact | \"The heads of state stressed the importance of increasing the exchange of medicine and food, with special emphasis on generic drugs for senior adults in our country,\" Ar…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). \'Bolivian Coup Plotters to Be Tried for Massacres\' Morales Says. telesurenglish.net Bolivia\'s former President Evo Morales Wednesday said that the main actors involved in the coup d\'etat against him will be tried for the massacres committed in Sacaba and Senkala. | RELATED: | Evo Morales Vows to Return to Bolivia After Right-Wing Coup | The Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) leader highlighted the preliminary results of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) special mission, which confirmed killings in Cochabamba and El Alto during the coup d\'etat i…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Chile: Senate Approves Indictment of Former Interior Minister. telesurenglish.net The two parts of the constitutional accusation obtained 23 votes in favor and 18 against, mostly from the former minister\'s right-wing allies. | The first part of the accusation against Chadwick points to the violation of the \"Constitution and laws, omitting effective measures to prevent the violation of human rights and not having maintained public order in a rational manner.\" | The second and final chapter pointed to the violation of the Constitution \"by declaring a state of emergency and having allowed events not contemplated in this figure. He is accused of restricting the freedom of movement and assembly…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Constitutional Accusation Against Chilean President Goes Ahead. telesurenglish.net A constitutional accusation filed by opposition parties against President Sebastian Piñera was approved today by a committee of deputies, as the first step in that process. | RELATED: | Chile Denounces Over 350 Eye Injuries On Human Rights Day | The Committee, formed by five legislators of the Socialist, Communist and Christian Democratic parties (opposition), as well as the National Renewal and Independent Democratic Union parties of the ruling coalition, supported by three votes…

teleSUR (2019-12-11). Chile Expands Search Operation for Missing Plane in Drake Sea. telesurenglish.net Chile\'s Armed Forces Wednesday announced that they are expanding the search operation for the Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft that disappeared on its way to Antarctica with 38 people on board on Monday. There are no clues to the location of the plane or indications of what happened so far. | RELATED: | Chilean Military Aircraft Crashes Near Southern Coast: 38 Dead | A greater number of officers will be involved in searching for the crashed plane in the Sea of Brake, which is on…

teleSUR, jg (2019-12-11). Mexico\'s Ex-Head Of Public Security Took Bribes From Cartel. telesurenglish.net The former Mexican Head of Public Security was arrested in the United States this week after he was accused of conspiring to smuggle cocaine and accepting multi-million dollar bribes to protect jailed drug trafficker Joaquin \"El Chapo\" Guzman of the Sinaloa cartel. | RELATED: | US, Canada, and Mexico Sign Trade Deal Again to Replace NAFTA | The U.S. Dep…

news.un (2019-12-11). North Korea missile tests \'deeply troubling\': senior UN official. news.un.org Recent developments concerning North Korea\'s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are \"deeply troubling\", the UN\'s Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific said on Wednesday, briefed the Security Council.

Fight Back (2019-12-11). UPS Teamsters across country mourn co-worker murdered by cops. fightbacknews.org Miami, FL – UPS Teamsters across the country are participating in a nationwide moment of silence today, December 9, for #Frank Ordonez, the 27-year-old UPS package car driver killed in a police shootout after being taken hostage by armed robbers. Many Teamsters are questioning the tactics used by police, noting that the officers\' trigger-happy actions were not normal for a hostage situation and resulted in not only the death of Frank Ordonez but the death of union representative Rick Cutshaw and endangered the lives of many others. | The moment of silence took place at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, the time Frank Ordonez\'

Nauman Sadiq (2019-12-11). White Helmets Founder Was Allegedly Assassinated, Turkish Report. globalresearch.ca Speculation is rife in the local Turkish media that the founder of the White Helmets, James Le Mesurier, might have been running away from someone before he fell or was pushed to his death in a case that was …