(2019-12-19). The Post-American Middle East. iranian.com The Trump administration is learning that pulling back from the Middle East is neither easy nor without risks and costs. What is needed is clear: greater US readiness to use limited military force, if necessary, and a willingness to pair sanctions with diplomacy. It was August 5, 1990, just days after Saddam Hussein's Iraq had …
(2019-12-19). Video: Military Intervention in Libya and Turkey's Grand Game in the Eastern Mediterranean. globalresearch.ca During the past week, the situation significantly escalated in Libya, with Turkey expanding its military involvement in the conflict. | In late November, Turkey signed with the Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls only a small part of northern Libya, …
(2019-12-19). Trump EPA Sued for Putting Millions of Lives at Risk With Rollback of Chemical Safety Rules. commondreams.org "We are fighting for the lives and safety of our families and workers. Our lives are more valuable than the bottom line of a few chemical barons." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/chemical_plant.jpg …
(2019-12-19). Oaklanders Hold Powerful "Impeach And Remove" Demonstration. indybay.org Photos: Leon Kunstenaar. Pro Bono Photo | Hundreds of rallies throughout the country in support of House vote to impeach Trump…
(2019-12-19). Algerians continue mass mobilizations, reject offers of talks. peoplesdispatch.org Thousands of Algerians, including students and teachers, participated in mass protests in the capital, Algiers, on Tuesday, December 17, against the country's newly elected president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The protesters, belonging to the popular Hirak movement that has been organizing protests across the country since February, have also rejected the offer for dialogue by the new president. President-elect Tebboune had, on Friday, said that he was ready to participate in talks "to build a new Algeria" following his presidential victory. Tebboune won the presidential election that was held last Thursday, December…
(2019-12-19). Samsung executives sentenced in South Korea for union-busting. peoplesdispatch.org 26 senior executives and former employees of the Samsung Group have been sentenced to jail, while the company has been charged a minor fine for violating the country's labor laws…
(2019-12-19). From a Blessing to a Curse: How UN Resolution 2334 Accelerated Israel's Colonization in the West Bank. commondreams.org Not only did UN Resolution 2334 fail to hold Israel accountable, it, in some way, facilitated further Israeli expansion in the West Bank, paving the road for the annexation that will surely follow. (Photo: Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-11571776201.jpeg …
(2019-12-19). On the picket line. workers.org 
New Illinois labor law seeks to counter Janus decision The Dec. 2 Labor Tribune reported that a bill to uphold rights of public sector unions, which are threatened by the Supreme Court's 2018 Janus decision, was passed by the Illinois Legislature on Nov. 13. Ill. Gov. Pritzker promises to sign . . . | Continue reading On the picket line at Workers.org
(2019-12-19). If Current Trends Hold, Women Around the World Will Have to Wait 257 More Years for Gender Pay Gap to Close. commondreams.org The World Economic Forum warned Wednesday that women around the world face "centuries of inequality ahead" with the current rate at which the gender pay gap is being closed. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/45902356345_a5313858ef_o1.jpg …
(2019-12-19). Congress Passes Somalia Debt Relief. indybay.org As part of the Federal government's year-end spending package or "minibus," Congress passed the first phase of debt relief for Somalia.
(2019-12-19). Nicola Sturgeon warns 'democracy will prevail' as she demands indyref2. thecanary.co 
Nicola Sturgeon has insisted "democracy must and will prevail" as she confirmed she has now written to Boris Johnson formally requesting the power for Holyrood to hold a second independence referendum.The SNP leader and Scottish first minister said that following last week's election victory in which her party took 47 of the 59 Scottish seats at Westminster, the case for another referendum is "unarguable".Speaking at Bute House, her official residence in Edinburgh, Sturgeon said: "The alternative is a future that we have rejected being imposed upon us.Nicola Sturgeon has written to the PM to request the right to…
(2019-12-19). Memorial to Remember Those Who Died on Our Streets. indybay.org Outside the Downtown Post Office at Front and Water Streets in Santa Cruz…
(2019-12-19). Gender parity out of reach for 100 years: Report. yenisafak.com The world must wait almost 100 years to see gender parity, according to the new World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report.The report, released on Tuesday, found that none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and few of our children will either.Gender parity has been considered an integral part of economic development in countries around the world.The report evaluates 153 countries on their progress towards gender parity in four dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment."It will take 95 years to close the gender ga…
(2019-12-19). Indian govt going to war against its own people. zcomm.org What the IMF proposes is what the BJP government wants to do: push a much deeper austerity agenda in India. This is precisely what students and workers, farmers and youth have argued against in protest upon protest…
(2019-12-19). Anti-labor USMCA NAFTA 2.0 With IAM Matt Mckinnon & LCLAA Al Rojas. indybay.org WorkWeek interviews IAM Legislative staff member Matt Mckinnon and LCLAA Sacramento Al Rojas about the effect of UMCA NAFTA 2.0 on working people in the US and Mexico. It is being supported by Trump, National Chamber of Commerce, Pelosi and most Democrats as well as AFL-CIO president Trumpka and the UAW, USWA and most unions.
(2019-12-19). Chileans Demand New Constitution as Protests Continue. therealnews.com 
For two months, Chileans have been protesting all over the country on a daily basis.
(2019-12-19). 'She has some power': Boxing legend Mike Tyson teaches Serena Williams to throw punches (VIDEO). rt.com 
Boxing great Mike Tyson has held a sparring session with US tennis superstar Serena Williams admitting that she has heavy punches and he "would not love to get in the ring" with her. | The former heavyweight champion participated in the annual 'Mouratoglou Preseason', a warm-up for the upcoming 2020 season organized by Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou. | READ MORE: 'He's still got it!' Mike Tyson gives MMA stars a power-punching tutorial during fighter media day (VIDEO) | In a video posted on T…
(2019-12-19). Songs of Resilience: Emma's Revolution With Annie Patterson. indybay.org Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists' Hall | 1924 Cedar (@Bonita), Berkeley www.bfuu.org…
(2019-12-19). FBI Surveillance of Trump Aide Reflects Flaws in Secretive FISA System That Mostly Targets Muslims. democracynow.org 
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Wednesday the FBI should have considered halting its surveillance of Trump's campaign aide Carter Page months before it did, after it was revealed that accusations against him may not be credible. Horowitz made the comments while testifying to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, saying the FBI used false information to obtain approval to wiretap Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and raising wider concerns about the agency's use of surveillance. He testified a day after the highly secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Co…
(2019-12-19). 'Most rushed, least thorough & most unfair' impeachment vote in history sets 'toxic' precedent — Sen. McConnell. rt.com 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell addressed the House voting to impeach President Donald Trump from the Senate floor and said the effort is "rushed" and unlike any other in history. | Speaking from the Senate floor on Thursday morning, McConnell blasted the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump as "the most rushed, least thorough and most unfair" in American history. | House Dems were celebratory on Wednesday night after passing articles of impeachment against Trump. The charges are abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. McConnell said the standard for the charges are based on a "pandora's…
(2019-12-19). Pentagon chief says US troops in Afghanistan to be redeployed against China. wsws.org The remark by Mike Esper came amid reports that some 4,000 of the roughly 13,000 US troops now deployed in the war-ravaged country may be pulled out within weeks.
(2019-12-19). Victimhood and the Nigerian Civil War. globalresearch.ca The concatenation of violence in Nigeria from 1966 to 1970, a train of events which involved communal fighting, army mutinies and a civil war, is correctly viewed as a period during which the ethnic Igbos of the country's south east …
(2019-12-19). Brexit Could See the Return of the Falkland Islands to Argentina. globalresearch.ca The Islas Malvinas, or more commonly known as the Falkland Islands, archipelago was invaded by the United Kingdom in 1833 and its occupation has continued to date. Argentina's claim for sovereignty through diplomatic means has been a state policy since …
(2019-12-19). 500 shows and almost nothing to watch: 2019's top ten TV series. peoplesworld.org 
I could not fit all the series I liked this year into a Top Ten so I have what amounts to a Top 30 best series in global television. At first glance this might indicate that series are improving but let's not be so hasty. In the U.S. alone, not to mention worldwide, there were …
(2019-12-19). Group Discussion: The Christian Church and Marxism. indybay.org NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
(2019-12-19). Winter Shelter Demands for Law Enforcement. indybay.org These flyers are being distributed to encourage the community to contact police and politicians and demand a sane, compassionate and lawful winter policy regarding those outside in public places. They include a Sentinel opinion piece exposing criminal inaction regarding Winter Shelter by the Santa Cruz City Council…
(2019-12-19). 10 LGBTQ Moments that Defined 2019. aclu.org 
1. Aimee Stephens goes to the Supreme Court: | In October, the Supreme Court heard its first trans civil rights case ever. The case was brought by our client Aimee Stephens, who was fired from her job at a funeral home solely for being transgender. That's sex discrimination and it violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. , | We have yet to see whether the Supreme Court will uphold the civil rights of trans people. But no matter what, history has already been made. , | "I'll never forget the feeling of coming out of the Supreme Court and seeing a crowd of trans people and allies chanting to…
(2019-12-19). Taxing the surplus—not. mronline.org 
There aren't many ways ordinary Americans have a say in what happens to the surplus that determines their fate. | Source
(2019-12-19). Despite Progress Around Gun Violence Research, Final 2020 Congressional Funding Bills Fall Far Short of Making Human Rights a Priority. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-12-19). Pelosi indefinitely delaying turnover of impeachment docs to Senate kicks trial up a notch in absurdity. rt.com 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to say when she will turn over the articles of impeachment to the Senate, hinting it could be a while — at least until the Senate's "process" looks "fair" — and infuriating Republicans. | Pelosi declined to say when — or even if — she would deliver the articles the House approved on Wednesday night to the Senate, explaining after the vote that Democrats needed to "see what the process is on the Senate side" before they could even think of parting with the documents or naming the impeachment managers required to prosecute the case. | Also on rt.com…
(2019-12-19). VIDEO reportedly showing last moments of Moscow shooter emerges online. rt.com 
Footage has surfaced on social media that purports to show the final moments of the gunman who opened fire at the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in central Moscow. | SOME READERS MAY FIND THE CONTENT DISTURBING | The video shows a black-clad person with a backpack, armed with what looks like an assault rifle, hiding behind a column of a building right next to the FSB HQ. The hooded man is visibly engaged in a shootout. | He is shown shooting, supposedly at police or FSB officers, and then apparently getting hit himself. The video shows him crouching and eventually falling to the ground.
(2019-12-19). Common Cause Hails $425 Million Election Security Funding but Warns Much More Is Needed. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-12-19). New study names modern pollution a major cause of premature deaths worldwide; US ranks in top 10. nationofchange.org "Pollution is an enormous and poorly addressed health problem."
(2019-12-19). In Commune: Pancha Vásquez. mronline.org 
This chapter of "In Commune" explores the Pancha Vásquez Commune in Apure state, where communards are working hand in hand with local farmers to fight smuggling and speculation with autonomous barter systems and communal markets. | Source
(2019-12-19). Colombia's labor unions receive death threats as government considering negotiations to end protests. colombiareports.com Colombia's government is inching towards negotiations to end weekly-long anti-government protests as strike leaders on Thursday denounced new death threats. The government agreed to study 104 specifications of the 13…
(2019-12-19). Good COP Bad COP. zcomm.org The results (or lack of them) during the COP in Madrid are proof enough that our leaders have abandoned their people…
(2019-12-19). Julian Assange lawyers will challenge the 'political' framing of charges against him. thecanary.co WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's legal team will argue he should not be extradited to the US because his alleged offences are being framed as "political" in nature, a court heard. | His lawyers believe that a 2007 extradition treaty agreed between the UK and US offers the 48-year-old protection. | Assange appeared via video-link at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19 November for a case management hearing to set the timetable leading up to a full extradition hearing in February. | He's being…
(2019-12-19). Soldiers Abduct A Young Man, Injure Dozens, Near Hebron. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, Thursday, a young Palestinian man, and caused dozens of residents to suffer the severe effects of teargas inhalation, in the al-'Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. Media sources said the soldiers attacked many Palestinians, protesting the invasion near …
(2019-12-19). CIIS Terminates Esteemed Latina Professor After She Advocated for Pay Equity. indybay.org CIIS doubled down on its retaliatory campaign against Dr. Sandra Pacheco, who previously filed a Fair Pay Act and retaliation claim on November 20 — Latina Equal Pay Day — when CIIS President Judie Wexler terminated her on December 10, 2019.
(2019-12-19). On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, disabled activists, allies demand elevators, not more subway cops. workers.org 
Dec. 3, inside Macy's. The United Nations established the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3, 1992, in a victory for the worldwide struggle of people with disabilities. IDPD has been celebrated around the planet to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, . . . | Continue reading On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, disabled activists, allies demand elevators, not more subway cops at Workers.org
(2019-12-19). 'Out of touch & out of time': Angry Brits react to pomp & ceremony of Queen's Speech. rt.com 
Queen Elizabeth has delivered a post-election speech opening Parliament, but not all were enthralled by the pageantry of the occasion, many complaining on Twitter about poverty, homelessness and the 'out of touch' monarch. | New figures from the Shelter charity earlier this week showed that more than 280,000 people will be homeless on Christmas Day in England alone — up 23,000 since 2017. The numbers are a conservative estimate, too, since they d…
(2019-12-19). Trump's EPA Revoked Chemical Disaster Prevention Rules. Now Groups Are Suing. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-12-19). Thursday's Daily Brief: tobacco burn-out, cholera cases down, 'shifting the needle' on climate. news.un.org Among today's stories: more men are quitting nicotine than ever before, a big drop in cholera cases was recorded between 2017 and 2018, and the UN calls on developed countries to raise their climate ambitions, following the disappointment of COP25.
(2019-12-19). The Grizzly Cost of Coexistence: Funding the Great Bear's Future. counterpunch.org In part one of this essay, I laid out the ingredients for successful coexistence with grizzly bears, and why we need more resources. Here I delve into the costs and some ideas for meeting funding needs. Now more than ever, we need to be innovative in thinking about how to meet the need for More
(2019-12-19). The Push to Quash Criticism of Israel Is a Push to Quash Free Speech. thenation.com The Push to Quash Criticism of Israel Is a Push to Quash Free Speech…
(2019-12-19). Wilderness and the Fear of Fire. counterpunch.org The roar of chain saws was noticeably absent this fall in the forests near where I live in Santa Fe. We can thank the Mexican spotted owl, a courageous federal judge who exposed Forest Service misdeeds and decades of advocacy by WildEarth Guardians, successor to the scrappy advocacy group I founded 30 years ago. The More
(2019-12-19). 2020 California Urban Homestead Act. indybay.org Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. first began California Urban Agriculture at his Yerba Buena Garden, today a robust California public policy is needed for our 333 billion dollar, 1.5 million job "California Working Landscape" and Nationwide.
(2019-12-19). 'Got the ball, ref!' Fans joke online after seeing violent foul in Argentinian lower-division game (VIDEO). rt.com 
Twitter is a great place to find the weird and wonderful in the sport of sport, and it served up a classic piece of on-field football carnage, courtesy of CBS reporter Roger Gonzalez's tweet of a lower-league game in Argentina. | Gonzalez shared a video via his Twitter account showing the wild scenes that followed a reckless and violent foul during an Argentinian lower-division match. | The offending challenge – a potential leg-breaker – saw a player come flying into the screen as he lunged, studs-up and connected hard on the player in possession. | The fouled player went to ground immediately, as players from…
(2019-12-19). Rights expert welcomes Pope's decision to lift 'veil of secrecy' on child abuse cases. news.un.org The Vatican must take action to ensure justice for people who were sexually abused by priests during childhood, a UN independent human rights expert said on Thursday.
(2019-12-19). History Will Judge Republicans for Protecting an Impeached President. truthout.org Last night, Donald Trump became the third president in U.S. history to be impeached by the House of Representatives. Two hundred and thirty members of Congress voted to impeach on abuse of power; 229 on the obstruction of Congress question. | A president who has built his entire business and political career on hyperbole, on bluster, on unfounded claims of being the best or…