Amy Martyn (2019-12-10). Spokane vs. the Border Patrol: How Immigration Agents Stake Out a City Bus Station. theintercept.com Border Patrol agents have arrested 71 people at the Spokane bus depot this year, part of a nationwide increase in immigration enforcement on Greyhound buses.

James Risen (2019-12-10). U.S. Sanctions Are Driving Iran to Tighten Its Grip on Iraq. theintercept.com Iran was the great beneficiary of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which created an opportunity for Iraq\'s Shia majority to gain power in Baghdad.

Maj. Danny Sjursen (2019-12-10). I Knew the War in Afghanistan Was a Lie. truthdig.com A new bombshell report from The Washington Post merely confirms what those of us who served in Kandahar could see with our own eyes.

Rick Sterling (2019-12-10). A Beautiful but Deceptive Documentary: \"For Sama\" dissidentvoice.org The documentary movie \"For Sama\" has won a host of awards in Europe and North America. Its producers and protagonists, Syrians Waad Kateab and her husband Dr. Hamza Kateab plus English film-maker Edward Watts, have received gushing praise. And the awards will probably keep coming. Unfortunately, behind a human interest story, the movie \"For Sama\" …

The Canary (2019-12-10). Experience of four-year-old Jack example of what is happening in NHS — Corbyn. thecanary.co Jeremy Corbyn has insisted the experience of a four-year-old boy lying on a pile of coats to keep warm while he waited for a hospital bed is a political issue.A photograph of Jack Williment-Barr, who was waiting for treatment for suspected pneumonia at Leeds General Infirmary, was widely circulated on social media.Boris Johnson came in for heavy criticism on Monday when he initially refused to look at the photo on an ITV reporter\'s phone before taking the phone and putting it in hi…

Norman Solomon (2019-12-10). Kerry\'s Endorsement of Biden Fits: Two Deceptive Supporters of the Iraq War. indybay.org Character and Experience… in Mass Slaughter…

WSWS (2019-12-10). Australian doctor condemns Britain\'s denial of adequate medical care to Julian Assange. wsws.org Dr Chesterfield-Evans said that prior to the Assange case, he had \"never seen governments completely wipe their hands of an individual, lock people up and refuse to give them medical treatment.\"

WSWS (2019-12-10). SEP holds final UK election meeting in London. wsws.org Opening the rally, Thomas Scripps explained that one of the central pillars of the SEP\'s election campaign is the fight to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Andrew Korybko (2019-12-10). Max Blumenthal: A Hero of Our Time. globalresearch.ca Even though the charges against him were just dropped, the thuggish arrest of investigative journalist Max Blumenthal by the DC police in late October on months-old charges of allegedly \"assaulting\" a counter-protester who forcibly prevented him and others from delivering …

Text: RR Photos: Leo Leung, Pro Bono Photo (2019-12-10). Palo Alto Youth Lead Local Protest during U.N. Climate Conference. indybay.org This year is the 25th meeting of the conference under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP25. The conference is being held December 2 through the 13th in Madrid. In Palo Alto, California on December 6th, youth activists led a Climate Strike, part of a coordinated international action timed to coincide with the U.N. Conference.

John Feffer (2019-12-10). Soldiers Who Fight War. counterpunch.org One of the enduring myths connected to the Vietnam War is that the U.S. military could have won the war if the politicians and protestors back in Washington didn\'t somehow handicap the generals. When George H. W. Bush launched the first Gulf War in 1990, for instance, he said that \"this will not be another More

Leon Kunstenaar (2019-12-10). SF Climate Strike at BlackRock and March to Senator Feinstein\'s Office. indybay.org Photos: Leon Kunstenaar, Pro Bono Photo | Message of climate urgency delivered where most needed in day of world wide protests…

WSWS (2019-12-10). The Dirty War on the National Health Service: John Pilger documentary \"goes to the heart of the struggle for democracy today\" wsws.org Pilger\'s work is a deeply passionate appeal to working people in the UK to oppose the decades-long, covert assault on the NHS by all three major parties.

Jason Ditz (2019-12-10). US Army Prepares Biggest Deployment to Europe in 25 Years. theantimedia.com In 2020, the US Army will be carrying out its biggest deployment in 25 years into Europe.

Jack Rasmus (2019-12-10). Trump vs. Democracy. counterpunch.org The US House of Representatives marked a milestone on November 6, 2019, as it decided to report out articles of impeachment on Trump. But there\'s a bigger picture to consider. The impeachment represents a new stage in the political \'food fight\' between the two wings of the political-economic elite in the USA. It also represents More

Nick Licata (2019-12-10). Was Trump Looking for Corruption or a Personal Favor? counterpunch.org Congress\'s first round of impeachment hearings wound up largely focused on whether President Trump had offered a quid pro quo for receiving a favor from Ukraine, i.e. Trump would release held up military aid and other signs of US support only after Ukraine investigated a particular company that employed Joe Biden\'s son, and the former More

Lynda Carson (2019-12-10). The politics of Hollywood & the Trump impeachment parties. indybay.org As the impeachment of Donald J. Trump in the House of Representatives excites people across the nation and inspires people to party down with some impeachment parties in celebration, it appears that the GOP and the Republican Party has gone totally insane with their lies and feeble attempts to defend Trump from himself!

Impeach Piñera (2019-12-10). \"The Oppressive State is a Macho Rapist\" Chilean flashmob dance comes to San Francisco. indybay.org The viral anti-state, anti-femicide dance flashmob from Chile has come to San Francisco.

Thomas M. Magstadt (2019-12-10). What\'s the Matter With America? counterpunch.org To impeach or not to impeach. A lot of decent voters don\'t know what to think. Kansas is no exception, but Kansas has a number of exceptional role models for our troubled times, leaders who demonstrated that it\'s okay to change one\'s mind in politics. In fact, it\'s a mark of true character. Changing Sides: Emporia\'s More

Binoy Kampmark (2019-12-10). A Troubled Family: NATO Turns 70. counterpunch.org Summit anniversaries are not usually this abysmally interesting. While those paying visits to Watford, England on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation are supposedly signatories to the same agreement, a casual glance would have suggested otherwise. This was a show of some bickering. France, never the most comfortable member, More

Howie Wolke (2019-12-10). Willingness to Compromise Puts Wilderness at Risk. counterpunch.org Many wilderness advocates would be surprised to learn that some well-known conservation organizations that purport to protect wild nature, actually facilitate the destruction of wild nature. Specifically, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, The Wilderness Society and the Montana Wilderness Association, via the \"Gallatin Forest Partnership\" (GFP), support mechanized transportation and resource extraction for many of the More

Jacob Hornberger (2019-12-10). Afghanistan: a Pentagon Paradise Built on Lies. counterpunch.org The Pentagon cannot be pleased with the Washington Post. That\'s because…

Brian Horejsi (2019-12-10). Citizens Are Never Trusted. counterpunch.org My personal impression of Canada is that of a tattered nation where social cohesiveness based on equality of all citizens in the eyes of the law and within our political system, and with a common-good agenda, has been in continuous decline since…

Michael Barker (2019-12-10). Self-Defense in the Civil Rights Movement: the Lessons of Birmingham, 1963. counterpunch.org Hope is the fuel upon which working-class movements for social change draw their core strength. But hope divorced from solid organizing leads no-where. So, if we are to continue to propel our class forward it is vital that we learn the full lessons of how our sweetest victories are seized from the hands of our More

John Grant (2019-12-10). American Culture Loves a Good Killer. counterpunch.org Donald Trump\'s narcissistic, authoritarian instincts and the man\'s clear admiration of Vladimir Putin\'s gangster-capitalist leadership style makes me think of archetypal killers. During his campaign for president he spoke often of killing; he would anonymously refer to some of his business friends as \"real killers,\" which was meant as a compliment on their skills and effectiveness. There was the remark he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Lately, it\'s his public intervention in military discipline issues lionizing Seal Team Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who\'s accused of being an ov…

Walden Bello (2019-12-10). Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics. counterpunch.org China\'s experiment with socialism was chaotic and failed to produce the much-desired transition to development and prosperity. When the country broke with socialism and cautiously ventured into market-led development in the countryside in the late 1970s, China was one of most equal societies on earth. It was also quite poor, with over 30 percent of More

Brian Tokar (2019-12-10). Climate Talks in Madrid: What Will It Take to Prevent Climate Collapse? counterpunch.org The two-week marathon of the annual UN climate conference is underway in Madrid, and the world\'s expectations have perhaps never been lower. The Amazon is burning and unprecedented storms are raging worldwide, but the world\'s climate diplomats are still mostly talking business-as-usual. Never mind that this year\'s 25th Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN More

WSWS (2019-12-10). The \"Afghanistan papers\": the criminality and disaster of a war based upon lies. wsws.org The documents published by the Washington Post constitute a damning indictment of both major parties as well as the media for lying to the American people for two decades.

WSWS (2019-12-10). Paris summit in Ukraine overshadowed by inter-imperialist conflicts. wsws.org The escalation of warfare within the US ruling class and the intensification of the conflicts between the imperialist powers occur amid the unraveling of the strategy that US imperialism has pursued in the region since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

Mike Rhodes (2019-12-10). 50 Years of Resistance. indybay.org This is a radio show I produced about the 50 Years of Resistance event held in Fresno in June 2019. The show features several speakers, including David Harris, Vince Lavery, Sandra Iyall and Don Teeter talking about the anti-war/Draft Resistance movement in Fresno in the late 1960\'s and early 70\'s.

teleSUR, jg (2019-12-10). China Orders Removal of U.S. Computers from Government Offices. telesurenglish.net China has ordered that all hardware and software from the United States be removed from government offices and public institutions within three years. | RELATED: | US, China Trade Deal Likely After 2020 Elections: Trump | After little progress in the negotiations between the two countries, the government directive is likely to be a blow to U.S. multinational compan…

WSWS (2019-12-10). Thousands of children in New Jersey found to have elevated blood lead levels. wsws.org The New Jersey Department of Health\'s annual report shows that scandalous levels of lead contamination in public water are not limited to the city of Newark, where local officials\' criminal response made headlines this year.

WSWS (2019-12-10). Turkish government blocks care of Kurdish HDP\'s jailed ex-leader Demirtaş. wsws.org Ankara is broadly cracking down on Kurdish politicians, including Kurdish mayors elected this year, amid growing ethnic conflicts linked to the imperialist war in Syria.

Sunrise Movement Bay Area (2019-12-10). Changing Climate: Aligning Tech, Policy, Activism, & Equity. indybay.org DXLabs, 690 18th St, Oakland, CA 94612-1339…

WSWS (2019-12-10). Appreciative audience at Australian launch of Why Are They Back? wsws.org The Sydney event probed the political climate behind the re-emergence of fascism and militarism in Germany and internationally.

Fight Back (2019-12-10). Milwaukee: People\'s Climate Coalition marches on Wells Fargo, Chase Bank. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI — Several hundred people gathered on the morning of December 6 in downtown Milwaukee at Zeidler Park to demand that the big banks like Wells Fargo, Chase and other corporations divest from the fossil fuel industry. | Several classrooms worth of children from local public schools attended the event in support of a safe and livable planet for their futures. The People\'s Climate Coalition, consisting of local climate justice groups, put out the call and organized the event. | All representatives from the coalition and its allies were given an opportunity to speak. Each highlighted in different wa…

The Big Wobble (2019-12-10). Fish All Gone! Gulf of Alaska Fishery to Close for the First Time Ever: No More Cod: Salmon All but Gone: Millions of Small Sea Birds Died Since 2015. globalresearch.ca November 2019, thousands of short-tailed shearwaters birds migrating from Alaska were washing up dead on Sydney\'s iconic beaches. | Extremely low cod numbers have lead feds to close the Gulf of Alaska fishery for the first time ever. In an unprecedented …

Greek City Times (2019-12-10). Kalamata City Council Blocks 5G Pilot Program Due to Health Risks. globalresearch.ca Kalamata Council has decided to block further development and operation of the 5G network program, which is currently being piloted in the Peloponnesian city. | The council held a meeting and considered the radiation of the mobile network upgrade to be …

Kevin Reed (2019-12-10). Uranium Contaminated Site Collapsed into the Detroit River During the Thanksgiving Holiday. globalresearch.ca The shoreline of a Detroit, Michigan property contaminated by uranium and other chemicals dating back to the 1940s collapsed into the Detroit River during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The public was not alerted to the existence of the toxic spill …

pip.hinman (2019-12-10). Real climate action requires cutting coal exports. greenleft.org.au climate emergency Zane AlcornIssue 1248 Australia coal exports Adani Carmichael coal mineDecember 10, 2019On December 9, Labor leader Anthony Albanese reaffirmed his party\'s support f…

RT (2019-12-10). Russian military delivers first humanitarian aid to Raqqa, left in ruins by US-led coalition (VIDEO). rt.com Russian military forces have delivered food and provided medical assistance to the residents of Raqqa in the first such humanitarian mission aimed at helping civilians who are struggling to survive in the city scarred by war. | The first column of Russian military trucks loaded with food and medical supplies entered the capital of Syria\'s northern province on Monday. | Once designated as the unofficial capital of the notorious Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), the city was recaptured by the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in 2017 after spending three years under extremist rule. However, what wa…

RT (2019-12-10). Duterte to lift martial law in S. Philippines by year\'s end — aide. rt.com President Rodrigo Duterte will lift martial law in the southern Philippines by year\'s end, his spokesman said on Tuesday. | Duterte put the Mindanao region under military rule in May 2017, hours after gunmen flying the black Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) flag seized the mainly Muslim city of Marawi, sparking a five-month battle that left 1,200 people dead, AFP said. | The presidential palace \"is confident on the capability of our security forces in maintaining the peace and security of Mindanao without extending martial law\" beyond December 31, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said. Duterte\'s securit…

RT (2019-12-10). \'Guided by prejudices & biases\': India hits back at US after it threatened sanctions over citizenship bill. rt.com New Delhi slammed the US state-run religious freedom watchdog after it claimed that India\'s new citizenship bill is discriminatory towards the country\'s Muslims and threatened India with sanctions. | The criticism of the citizenship bill by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is \"neither accurate nor warranted,\" India\'s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday. | The position articulated by USCIRF is not surprising given its past record. It is, however, regrettable that the body has chosen to be guided only by its prejudices and biases on a matter on which it clea…

RT (2019-12-10). Shooting at Czech hospital leaves at least 6 killed, suspect on the run. rt.com Six people have been killed in a hospital shooting in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The police are on the hunt for the suspected perpetrator and have ramped up security in other places. | The shooting happened on Tuesday morning at University Hospital Ostrava in the northeastern part of the country. The Czech police initially said four people were killed and two others were seriously injured. Those two succumbed to their wounds, Prime Minister Andrej Babis confirmed. | The shooting reportedly happened in the traumatology ward of the hospital. | Policisté p≈ôijali oznámení o st≈ôelbƒ&oti…

RT (2019-12-10). Seoul says N. Korea\'s recent test was \'of rocket engine\'. rt.com South Korea\'s defense minister said on Tuesday that Pyongyang\'s recent unspecified test at a launch site was of a rocket engine, amid speculation that the North was making preliminary steps toward a prohibited long-range rocket launch, AP reported. | Jeong Kyeong-doo said during a visit to Sydney that Seoul expressed its \"deep concerns\" over the engine test and North Korea\'s recent ballistic missile launches into the sea, according to his office in Seoul. | It was the first official outside assessment of what North Korea called \"a very important test\" at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch site. The North\'s Academy…

RT (2019-12-10). World\'s entire history, every revolution, every war, is shaped by taxation — RT\'s Keiser Report. rt.com The most innovative societies in history were always low-tax civilizations, according to British author and co-host of Money Pit Dominic Frisby. He joins Keiser Report to discuss the history of taxation. | A big believer in low taxes, Frisby says labor should be taxed far less than it is now, noting that 50 percent of governments\' revenue is derived from income tax. | \"The ultimate form of taxation is, of course, slavery, where you lose all ownership of your labor,\" he says, adding that throughout history taxes had unintended consequences. | \"The entire history of the world, the entire history of civilizati…

RT (2019-12-10). US knows best? Washington threatens India with sanctions over citizenship bill for persecuted religious minorities. rt.com The US has decided to give India its foreign take on the country\'s hotly debated citizenship bill, threatening Indian government officials with sanctions for failing to list Muslims among \'persecuted\' minorities. | The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) claimed it was \"deeply troubled\" by the citizenship bill, which passed the Indian parliament\'s lower house, the Lok Sabha, in a 311-80 vote, calling it nothing short of a \"religious test for Indian citizenship\" which \"excludes Muslims.\" | \"The United States government should consider sanctions against the home minister and other principal…

RT (2019-12-10). Key suspect in St. Petersburg metro blast in 2017 sentenced to life. rt.com Russia\'s Second Western District Military Court on Tuesday found Abror Azimov guilty of bankrolling a terror attack in St. Petersburg in April 2017 and sentenced him to life in jail, TASS said. | Prosecutors earlier demanded a life sentence for Azimov, who was a key suspect in the metro blast, his brother Akram, as well as Ibragim and Mukhamadyusup Ermatov. The court sentenced 10 other men to between 19 and 28 years in jail for the bombing. None of the suspects pled guilty. | The blast killed 15 and injured 67 people on April 3, 2017, after suicide bomber, Akbarzhon Djalilov, brought two explosive devices to t…

RT (2019-12-10). Georgian killed in Berlin was a murderer & terrorist, but \'I don\'t know what happened to him\' — Putin. rt.com The Georgian national killed in Berlin was a murderous terrorist, but Russia had nothing to do with his death, President Vladimir Putin said. He was commenting on Germany\'s expulsion of two Russian diplomats. | Last week, the German government banished two Russian diplomats for insufficient cooperation with the police probe into the death of Tornike K, also known as Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian national gunned down in Berlin\'s Tiergarten Park in August. | Asked about it after the \'Normandy Four\' meeting in Paris on Monday, Putin said that to call the man a \"Georgian\" is not quite right, as he is not an e…

RT (2019-12-10). Hong Kong police disarm two radio-controlled 10kg nail-filled bombs found at school ground. rt.com The Hong Kong police bomb unit disposed of two home-made bombs \"made to kill and maim\", which were found on Monday at a school premises. The school said there was no indication any of its students had anything to do with them.

Dahr Jamail (2019-12-09). Savoring What Remains in an Age of Climate PTSD. commondreams.org Symphony Lake, near Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo: mcav0y/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/alaskalake.jpeg …

The Canary (2019-12-09). Scottish Greens outline importance of \'climate election\'. thecanary.co Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said the UK \"can\'t afford\" for the general election not to be climate focused.Harvie, speaking to the PA news agency ahead of polling day on 12 December, said the world had been given about a decade to take radical action.And he outlined the importance of having strong Green voices in the room at Westminster, to push the other parties beyond their \"comfort zone\" on taking climate action.Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie speaking at a climate strike in Glasgow\'s George Square (Lewis McKenzie/PA)\"People on pretty much every doorstep that I\'ve knocked on have been…

Richard Grassl (2019-12-09). Time to move U.S.-Cuba relations forward again—despite Trump. peoplesworld.org Cuba gained international prominence when their government consolidated political power after the defeat of U.S. mercenary forces in 1961 at the Bay of Pigs. With the victory of the Cuban revolution assured, these two events altered the course of history in Latin America. Cuba was no longer a U.S. semi-colony. Cuba\'s status as a pseudo-republic …

Rick Sterling (2019-12-09). For Sama: A Beautiful Yet Deceptive Documentary That Betrays Reality in Syria. mintpressnews.com The documentary movie \"For Sama\" has won a host of awards in Europe and North America. Its producers and protagonists, Syrians Waad Kateab and her husband Dr. Hamza Kateab plus English film-maker Edward Watts, have received gushing praise. And the awards will probably keep coming. | Unfortunately, behind the human interest story, the film \"For Sama\" is little more than propaganda: biased, misleading, and politically partisan. | Hiding Basic Facts about Aleppo: | \"For Sama\" is a full-length documentary with a moving personal story. It combines…

Staff (2019-12-09). Watchdog Report on Russia Probe Finds No Political Bias. truthdig.com WASHINGTON—The Justice Department\'s internal watchdog will release a highly anticipated report Monday that is expected to reject President Donald Trump\'s claims that the Russia investigation was illegitimate and tainted by political bias from FBI leaders. But it is also expected to document errors during the investigation that may animate Trump supporters. | The report, as described by people familiar with its findings, is expected to conclude there was an adequate basis for opening one of the most politically sensitive investigations in FBI history and one that Trump has denounced as a witch hunt. It began…

Staff (2019-12-09). Anti-Doping Agency Slaps 4-Year Ban on Russia. truthdig.com The ruling means that its flag and anthem won\'t appear at next summer\'s Tokyo Olympics, but its athletes may still be able to compete.

Dahr Jamail (2019-12-09). Savoring What Remains: Dealing With Climate PTSD. counterpunch.org Recently, I was in Homer, Alaska, to talk about my book The End of Ice. Seconds after I had thanked those who brought me to the small University of Alaska campus there, overwhelmed with some mix of sadness, love, and grief about my adopted state — and the planet generally — I wept. I tried More

Staff (2019-12-09). Grief Over Climate Hits More of Us Each Day. truthdig.com It\'s no secret that many scientists are mourning for the planet\'s future, with some calling their symptoms a climate-change version of PTSD.

Mark Gruenberg (2019-12-09). AFT\'s Weingarten urges members: Push lawmakers to impeach Trump. peoplesworld.org …

Ben Norton (2019-12-09). US and UK Military-Intelligence Apparatus Campaigns to Destroy Jeremy Corbyn. globalresearch.ca Days before Britain\'s historic election, the UK\'s military-intelligence apparatus is turning to the corporate media and US government-funded NATO cut-outs to smear Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with evidence-free Russiagate allegations. | *** | The popular socialist leader of Britain\'s Labour Party, Jeremy …

Matthew Segal (2019-12-09). Immigrants have been denied due process for years. In New England, that\'s about to change. aclu.org One of the bedrock principles of our judicial | system is that the government can\'t just lock people up without showing why | it\'s necessary. | For noncitizens caught up in Trump\'s deportation | machine, though, that principle doesn\'t always apply. But now because of our | litigation in New England that\'s about to change. | Gilberto Pereira Brito was detained in March by ICE | — snatched from his wife and three children, all of whom are U.S. citizens — and | brought before an immigration judge for a bond hearing. To keep him in | detention, the government had to prove nothing, whereas Gilberto had…

Jack Herrera (2019-12-09). PHOTOS: A Year After the Caravans, Has Trump Won? thenation.com PHOTOS: A Year After the Caravans, Has Trump Won?

Naureen Shah (2019-12-09). Under Attack by Trump, Immigrant Justice is Advancing in the States. aclu.org This year was another of devastating attacks on immigrants\' rights | by the Trump administration. However, in both red and blue states, we fought | and won new measures that stymie Trump\'s deportation machine. These local wins, | though often overshadowed by the president\'s xenophobia, are powerful. Here are | some of the most surprising and significant of our 2019 immigrant justice victories | in the states. | In | Michigan, a former marine\'s arrest prompts police reform | Grand Rapids, Michigan police kept veteran and U.S. citizen Jilmar | Ramos-Gomez in immigration detention for 3 days — even though <...

Norman Solomon (2019-12-09). Kerry\'s Endorsement of Biden Fits: Two Deceptive Supporters of the Iraq War. indybay.org Character and Experience… in Mass Slaughter…

Norman Solomon (2019-12-09). Kerry\'s Endorsement of Biden Fits: Two Deceptive Supporters of the Iraq War. globalresearch.ca The spectacle of Kerry praising Biden as a seasoned leader amounts to one supporter of the Iraq catastrophe attesting to the character and experience of another supporter of the same catastrophe. | *** | On Thursday afternoon, the Washington Post sent out …

Alan MacLeod (2019-12-09). \'Sexy tricks\': How journalists demonize Venezuela\'s socialist government, in their own words. thegrayzone.com Journalists revealed to me the tactics they use to sell stories painting Venezuela as a socialist dystopia. One described himself…

Heather Stroud (2019-12-09). Question for Kirbymoorside UK Hustings Meeting: Would you stand up for Julian Assange? dissidentvoice.org To those candidates who are putting themselves forward as MPs to become a voice within the UK Parliament — would you stand up for Julian Assange and for those who. in speaking truth, have the audacity to challenge the dialogue of power? I am disappointed that my question relating to the arbitrary detention of Julian …

WSWS (2019-12-09). Exiled NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden condemns persecution of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. wsws.org Edward Snowden gave an interview via live video link to The Right Livelihood Awards in Stockholm, in which he categorically defended WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange and imprisoned whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

WSWS (2019-12-09). UN Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer: \"With censorship inevitably comes tyranny\" wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site interviewed Nils Melzer, who denounced the role of governments and the mainstream media in the persecution of Julian Assange and warned of the dangerous consequences of the erosion of democratic rights.

WSWS (2019-12-09). Hundreds of journalists around the world sign open letter demanding freedom for Assange. wsws.org The signatories declare: \"As journalists and journalists\' organizations that believe in human rights, freedom of information and of the public\'s right to know, we demand the immediate release of Julian Assange.\"

Staff (2019-12-09). Indigenous and Youth Activists Slam Global Leaders for Climate Inaction. truthout.org We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the 25th United Nations climate conference is in its second week and representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered for the final days of negotiations. The summit — known as COP25, or conference of parties — has so far focused on meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to \"well below 2 degrees Celsius,\" or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. But climate scientists say the talks are failing to produce the drastic measures nec…

Staff (2019-12-09). Police Halt Activist-Led \"Toxic Tour\" of Corporate Polluters Sponsoring COP25. truthout.org In Spain, the country\'s biggest fossil fuel polluters are also some of the most generous sponsors for this year\'s U.N. climate talks. On Saturday, we joined activists on a \"toxic tour\" of Madrid from the Madrid stock exchange to Santander Bank. Activists explained that when Spanish President Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain would host COP25, he went to IBEX 35 — the 35 biggest listed companies in the Spanish stock exchange — offering them a 90% tax break on a $2 million sponsorship.

Text: RR Photos: Leo Leung, Pro Bono Photo (2019-12-09). Palo Alto Youth Lead Local Protest during U.N. Climate Conference. indybay.org This year is the 25th meeting of the conference under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP25. The conference is being held December 2 through the 13th in Madrid. In Palo Alto, California on December 6th, youth activists led a Climate Strike, part of a coordinated international action timed to coincide with the U.N. Conference.

Fight Back (2019-12-09). Arizona educators, progressives confront ALEC summit and Betsy DeVos. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – On December 4, a coalition of union educators, immigrant rights, police crimes, and climate change activists confronted the agenda of corporations like UPS and energy industry giants and billionaires like Charles Koch and Sheldon Achelson. At its height the crowd numbered around 200 with signs reading: \"ALEC: Oligarchy in progress\" and \"Privatization, criminalization, incarceration, climate change, imperialism: #ALECisBehindIt.\" | The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a notorious organization of hardcore conservatives, was holding its States and Nation Policy Summit in Arizona. ALEC hoste…

IMEMC News (2019-12-09). Israeli Soldiers Demolish Shed, Uproot Lands, Near Hebron. imemc.org Israeli soldiers demolished, Monday, a shed and uprooted six Dunams (1.48 Acres) of Palestinian farmlands in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. Media activist, Mohammad Awad, said the soldiers demolished a shed, owned by a Palestinian, identified as Ahmad Bader Abu …

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-09). Israel\'s War Minister Naftali Bennett Threatens Iran. globalresearch.ca Israeli ruling authorities are the most extremist in Jewish state history. Arab MKs aside, the vast majority of Knesset members are militantly hardline racists, threatening regional peace and stability. | New Right party head Naftali Bennett earlier held various ministries, including …

Leon Kunstenaar (2019-12-09). SF Climate Strike at BlackRock and March to Senator Feinstein\'s Office. indybay.org Photos: Leon Kunstenaar, Pro Bono Photo | Message of climate urgency delivered where most needed in day of world wide protests…

Kirkpatrick Sale (2019-12-09). Political Collapse: The Center Cannot Hold. counterpunch.org Have you noticed? From Hong Kong to Baghdad, Paris to Tehran, 2019 is shaping up to be, as the New York Times dubbed it, \"the year of the protest.\" Violent—and often deadly—anti-government protests are breaking out throughout the world in an unprecedented fashion, in rich countries as well as poor, as people everywhere are expressing their anger at corrupt, inefficient, brutal, and unresponsive regimes. More

WSWS (2019-12-09). Youth demonstrating in Australia speak out against climate change and war. wsws.org Students attended climate change protests in major cities in solidarity with rallies organised globally on November 29.

Fréa Lockley (2019-12-09). Here\'s more proof that Johnson doesn\'t give a s*** about the climate emergency. thecanary.co On 9 December, Boris Johnson showed once again that he really doesn\'t care about the climate emergency. | Jet set: | In a last-minute effort to woo voters, Johnson visited Labour strongholds in the north of England. But following a trip to a fish market in Grimsby, he took a private jet from Doncaster to Teeside. This is an 84-mile t…

Elijah J. Magnier (2019-12-09). What Have the US and Protesters in Lebanon Achieved over Iran and Its Allies? globalresearch.ca For several weeks now, much of the Lebanese population has turned on the country\'s traditional political leaders and wrought havoc on the corrupt domestic political system. Those who have ruled the country for decades have offered little in the way …

Pepe Escobar (2019-12-09). What Really Happened in Iran? Wave of Protests in 100 Cities. globalresearch.ca On November 15, a wave of protests engulfed over 100 Iranian cities as the government resorted to an extremely unpopular measure: a fuel tax hike of as much as 300%, without a semblance of a PR campaign to explain the …

IMEMC News & Agencies (2019-12-09). Hunger-striker in Serious Condition. imemc.org Ahmad Zahran, a Palestinian administrative detainee held in Israeli jails who has been on hunger strike for 78 consecutive days, in protest against his incarceration without charge or trial, is in serious health condition and has been admitted to an Israeli hospital, today, said the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS). Zahran, …

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-09). Banning Russian Athletes? Politicized International Sports Competition Rears Its Ugly Head Again. globalresearch.ca Olympism and other major international sports events are all about profiteering, exploiting athletes, scandalous wheeling, dealing, collusion, and bribery, marginalizing the poor, other disenfranchised groups, and affected communities, sticking taxpayers with the bill, and providing nothing in return but hype …

Paul Antonopoulos (2019-12-09). NATO Doesn\'t Care that Montenegro Is a Haven for Crime and Corruption. globalresearch.ca There was international jubilation when Montenegro seceded from its union with Serbia in 2006 after a controversial referendum. The Referendum Law prevented Montenegrins living and registered in Serbia from voting in the referendum, ensuring that tens of thousands of Montenegrins, …

Robert Fisk (2019-12-09). Meet the Controversial Actor and Businessman Standing Up Against Egypt\'s el-Sisi. counterpunch.org Mohamed Ali infuriates Field Marshal President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt. His waspish, cruel, outrageously funny, solemnly pedantic videos and social media messages transmitted from his self-exile in Spain, mocking the man who overthrew Egypt\'s first elected president, even brought demonstrators back on to the streets of Cairo in September. But the 45-year-old actor and More

Scott Tucker (2019-12-09). Premature Democratic Socialists: Reasons for Hope and Change. counterpunch.org In the United States there was a time in the previous century when a political campaign was waged against \"premature antifascists,\" namely against members of the socialist left who warned and fought against fascism well before World War II. In the wake of that war, the leading career politicians also worked within a corporate consensus More

Ralph Nader (2019-12-09). Why Not Also Go With \"The Kitchen Table\" Impeachable Offenses for Removal? counterpunch.org Will the Democrats move to impeach Trump for a narrow brace of violations and accept that the Senate Republicans will keep this outlaw in the White House? Or will they present the Senate with the President\'s many proven impeachable offenses, thereby requiring the Senate Republicans, before live national television, in a public trial to defend More

Dahr Jamail (2019-12-09). Dealing with climate PTSD. nationofchange.org Alaska, in other words, is suffering climate death by a thousand cuts, while I struggle daily to accept the new reality: that the state is already irreparably changed.

Ramzy Baroud (2019-12-09). Money, Power and Turf: Winning the Middle East Media War at Any Cost. dissidentvoice.org It is hardly surprising to see Middle Eastern countries at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index, as the worst violators of freedom of the press. But equally alarming is the complete polarization of public opinion as a result of self-serving media and, bankrolled by rich Arab countries, whose only goal is to serve …

Ramzy Baroud (2019-12-09). Money, Power and Turf: Winning the Middle East Media War at Any Cost. mintpressnews.com Honest, objective and trust-worthy journalism in the Middle East is suffering a long, agonizing death, thanks not only to crackdowns on the media but also to well-financed propaganda empires.

W. T. Whitney (2019-12-09). Hitting at Cuban Doctors and at Human Solidarity. counterpunch.org News item: Three rightwing Latin American governments have forced out Cuban doctors working in their countries. Over 8000 of them departed from Brazil in late 2018 and 382 doctors left Ecuador in mid-November, 2019. Some 700 Cuban doctors exited Bolivia after the coup there on November 10. Brazilian President Bolsonaro alleged that Cuban doctors were More

Staff (2019-12-09). From Health Insurance Spin Doctor to Truth Teller. truthout.org \"I was getting people to make decisions based on misleading information that could have life or death consequences.\" | That\'s Wendell Potter, the former head of public relations for CIGNA. As the executive spin doctor for one of the biggest health insurance companies in the country, he was responsible for concocting tales that enabled CIGNA to deny coverage, discredit critics, and otherwise cast the corporate health insurance machine in a positive light. That was until the numbers in his spreadsheets became actual people…

Staff (2019-12-09). Big Energy Front Group Launches Push for Troubled Atlantic Coast Pipeline. truthout.org A lobbying group formed by oil and gas industry insiders to push for increased fossil fuel production has turned its focus from promoting offshore drilling in the Atlantic to championing Dominion Energy\'s and Duke Energy\'s controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). It\'s doing so under the guise of being a pro-consumer group concerned about energy justice, even while its members include major gas production companies as well as Dominion Energy. | Last week, the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) ha…

Staff (2019-12-09). Alaska Is Already Irreparably Changed by Climate Disruption. truthout.org Recently, I was in Homer, Alaska, to talk about my book The End of Ice. Seconds after I had thanked those who brought me to the small University of Alaska campus there, overwhelmed with some mix of sadness, love and grief about my adopted state — and the planet generally — I wept. | I tried to speak but could only apologize and take a few moments to collect myself. It\'s challenging for me, ev…

Staff (2019-12-09). WATCH LIVE: House Democrats Lay Out Case for Impeaching Trump. truthout.org Members and legal staff of the Democratic-controlled House Judiciary Committees on Monday will lay out their case for the impeachment of President Donald Trump in a hearing scheduled to begin at 9: 00am EST. | According to the New York Times: | After hearing from constitutional scholars last week, the House Judiciary Committee turns f…

Staff (2019-12-09). Chemical Companies Are Building Their Plants Overseas and Shipping Them Back In. truthout.org This article was produced in partnership with The Times-Picayune and The Advocate, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. | Twice during the last decade, chemical giant Methanex has disassembled a massive methanol plant located at the southern tip of Chile and moved it to Louisiana. | The ship traveled through the Strait of Magellan, along the east coast of South America, into the Gulf of Mexico and up…

Staff (2019-12-09). Trump Is Raising Taxes on Middle-Class Consumers With His Trade War. truthout.org Just when many policy types thought that Donald Trump was about to wind down his trade war with China and work out a deal, he announced that he was in no rush to reach an agreement. He said that he might wait until after the election next year, boasting about the \"massive\" amount of money he was pulling in from his tariffs. | In addition to his China attack, Trump also …

Thomas Knapp (2019-12-09). Meet Virgil Griffith: America\'s Newest Political Prisoner. counterpunch.org On November 29, FBI agents arrested hacker and cryptocurrency developer Virgil Griffith. His alleged crime: Talking. Yes, really. The FBI alleges that Griffith \"participated in discussions regarding using cryptocurrency technologies to evade sanctions and launder money.\" Griffith, a US citizen who lives in Singapore, gave a talk at conference on blockchain technology in April. Because More

IMEMC News & Agencies (2019-12-09). Settlers Storm Al-Aqsa Courtyards. imemc.org 39 Israeli settlers, on Monday morning, stormed the Islamic court yards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, guarded by Israeli occupation police. Local media sources reported that police opened the Moroccan Gate in front of 36 settlers, who broke into the mosque in four groups. Police escorted the settlers while they toured the …