(2019-12-17). The So-called "China Threat": NATO and America's "New Cold War" on China. globalresearch.ca The powers that be in the US are now viewing China as a deadly rival in a duel for global supremacy. Their aim at the summit was to draw their European allies into their China containment strategy. This was made …
(2019-12-17). Impeach and Remove Events in Wine Country (Sonoma & Napa Counties). indybay.org Events in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Sonoma, Napa, Healdsburg…
(2019-12-17). Estonian interior minister survives confidence vote over mocking of new female Finnish PM. rt.com 
Estonia's hardline interior minister has narrowly survived a vote of confidence after his mocking of the new female Prime Minister of Finland, a close neighbor of the Baltic country, and her Social Democratic party. | Lawmakers at the 101-seat Riigikogu, Estonia's parliament, voted Tuesday by 44 to 42 to remove Mart Helme from his post. However, the motion failed to pass because it did not achieve an absolute majority of 51. The move was initiated by the opposition Reform Party. | Helme, 70, in an interview with an Estonian radio talk show on Sunday, made a jibe at Sanna Marin, Finland's new 34-year-old prime…
(2019-12-17). Russia's new REMOTE-CONTROLLED self-propelled artillery unit is shown in action for the first time (VIDEO). rt.com 
The 2S38 self-propelled gun can shower all types of enemies with explosive shells while having no crew inside its turret. The weapon is currently being tested for combat in freezing cold weather. | The cutting-edge artillery unit, also known as 'Derivatsiya,' features a fully automated turret which is operated remotely by the machine's three-man crew. While the 57mm gun is essentially an anti-aircraft piece, it's also able to strike land targets with high precision. | The versatile weapon is said to be capable of destroying almost any type of enemy targets: from piercing light-armored hardware with explosive s…
(2019-12-17). Aung San Suu Kyi Denies Burmese Genocide of Rohingya at The Hague. truthout.org Burma's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked the U.N. International Court of Justice to drop the genocide case against Myanmar, formerly Burma. Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who spent over a decade fighting against the Burmese military, which she is now defending. Last week, Suu Kyi appeared in person at the court to dispute the charges and called the allegations of genocide against Rohingya Muslims "incomplete and misleading." The Burmese military killed and raped thousands of Rohingya and f…
(2019-12-17). Impeach & Remove Demonstration in Redwood City. indybay.org Sequoia Station (outside the shopping center), intersection of Jefferson Ave and El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063…
(2019-12-17). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Refugees, indigenous languages, Niger, Syria and Kyrgyzstan. news.un.org Our top stories for Tuesday include: UN chief at refugee forum; eyes of the world need to be on Niger; International Year of Indigenous Languages closes; Strengthening minority rights in Kyrgyzstan; hostilities in Syria's Idlib.
(2019-12-17). Colombia's pending tax reform would shield financial criminals: chief prosecutor. colombiareports.com Colombia's acting prosecutor general has warned that a controversial tax reform expected to be approved by Congress on Tuesday would shield money launderers from prosecution, according to local media. Acting…
(2019-12-17). John Roberts' Last Chance to Prove There Are No Trump Judges. truthdig.com The chief justice gets a shot to show whether what he claims to be an "independent judiciary" is true in three blockbuster cases.
(2019-12-17). 'History Is Watching Us': 600+ Rallies Planned Nationwide on Trump Impeachment Eve. commondreams.org "Those marching in the streets will send a clear message to Congress: Voters are watching, and we will remember who shows more loyalty to Donald Trump and the Republican Party than to the Constitution and their oath of office." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/impeach_trump_4.jpg …
(2019-12-17). North Korea Threatens to Give the US a 'Christmas Gift'. thenation.com North Korea Threatens to Give the US a 'Christmas Gift'
(2019-12-17). Outraged Response Forces US Border Patrol to Allow 19-Year-Old Mother to Stay With Sick Newborn. commondreams.org "If this is what happens when a group of attorneys and reporters are looking, imagine what happens when they are not." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/cbp.sd_.jpeg …
(2019-12-17). This Is Why the World Is Facing Climate Catastrophe. thenation.com This Is Why the World Is Facing Climate Catastrophe…
(2019-12-17). Milky Way soiree: Our galaxy was filled with almost 100k supernovae roughly 1bn years ago. rt.com 
Approximately one billion years ago, the center of the Milky Way experienced a phenomenal period of starburst activity which produced the vast majority of stars in our galaxy, according to paradigm-shifting research. | Scientists now believe it was one of the most energetic periods in the Milky Way's history, so rowdy in fact, that it may upend our current theories about star formation in our galactic backyard. | The galactic center is like the VIP section of the Milky Way night club, given that it's so packed with stars, though admittedly most nightclubs don't contain a supermassive black hole in the middle o…
(2019-12-17). Três Triliàµes de Dólares no Poàßo Sem Fundo Afegà£o. globalresearch.ca Na Declaraàßà£o de Londres (3 de Dezembro de 2019), os 29 países da NATO reafirmaram "o empenho na seguranàßa e na estabilidade, a longo prazo, do Afeganistà£o". Uma semana depois, de acordo com a "Lei da Liberdade de Informaàßà£o" (usada …
(2019-12-17). One month of fascist coup in Bolivia. peoplesdispatch.org The civic-military, right-wing, US-backed coup d'état against the democratically elected Bolivian President Evo Morales, which installed a fascist and racist dictatorship of the right-wing usurper Jeanine Añez, completed a month on December 10. In this video, we explain the developments that have occurred in Bolivia after the coup.
(2019-12-17). Germany's Left Party hails new SPD leadership and grand coalition. wsws.org The efforts to present Saskia Esken and Nobert Walter-Borjans as fighters for a "left-wing camp" that will introduce a new era of social democracy are patently absurd.
(2019-12-17). Northeast States Take Critical Step to Tackling Climate Change, Modernizing Transportation. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-12-17). The Free College Battle. counterpunch.org 
The prospect of free public college is shaping up as one of the major divides between the more progressive candidates (Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren) and the more centrist candidates (Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg). Buttigieg in particular has been especially vocal in his opposition to making college free for everyone. He has argued that More
(2019-12-17). Wisconsin: Medicaid to cover gender-confirming medical procedures. fightbacknews.org Kenosha, WI – As of December 10, Wisconsin is now one of the 20 states that cover medically necessary gender-confirming surgeries. People in need of these procedures will receive coverage under the state's Medicaid healthcare plan. This development comes after state officials allowed the time frame to lapse for an appeal of the 2018 lawsuit that initiated the whole process. | This is undoubtedly a big win for transgender and non-binary people across the state and a huge rebuke to traditional thinking when it comes to transgender and non-binary individuals seeking surgery to help with gender dysphoria. Gender Dysp…
(2019-12-17). New Report Details How Trump Tax Scam 'Delivered Big Benefits to the Rich and Corporations But Nearly None for Working Families'. commondreams.org A joint report published Tuesday by the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Popular Democracy details how the 2017 GOP tax overhaul "delivered big benefits to the rich and corporations but nearly none for working families" in the almost two years since President Donald Trump signed the bill into law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_tax_corporations_wild.jpg …
(2019-12-17). Democrats Aren't Forcing Jeff Van Drew to Join the GOP. thenation.com Democrats Aren't Forcing Jeff Van Drew to Join the GOP…
(2019-12-17). COP25 'disappointing' as wealthy nations block several major commitments. peoplesdispatch.org After exhaustive and grueling negotiations involving nearly 200 nation-states, the 25th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP), held at Madrid, ended up with a deal that has disappointed observers and environmentalists across the globe. The summit, which was supposed to end on Friday was stretched for another two days, as it was hit by several roadblocks, making it the longest ever international negotiation on climate change. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called the conference a "lost opportunity." | As always, poorer Third World nations called on the richer countries to t…
(2019-12-17). Egypt's President Sisi warns against attempts 'to control' Libya. rt.com 
Egypt's President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi has reportedly warned against attempts "to control" neighboring Libya, as tensions grow over Turkey's expanding ties with the Tripoli-based government. Sisi's remarks come after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed a readiness to send troops to Libya if requested by the country's Government of National Accord (GNA). | Erdogan, who supports the GNA, met in Istanbul on Sunday with its head Fayez al-Sarraj, after the two countries signed maritime and military deals last month. Egypt's Foreign Ministry has lambasted the agreements as "illegitimate." | On Tuesday, s…
(2019-12-17). While the Northern Ireland health service is in crisis, a DUP MP wants Boris Johnson to build a bridge to Scotland. thecanary.co As the health crisis worsens in the north of Ireland, DUP MP Sammy Wilson has called on Boris Johnson to build a bridge between the north and Scotland. According to Wilson, this would help Johnson "win back the trust" of the DUP. But the response from people living in the north is clear — it's healthcare that matters, not bridges.Stormont talks: On 15 Dec…
(2019-12-17). After Corbyn goes, the aspiration for public ownership must remain. thecanary.co Following the devastating loss for Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party in the 12 December election, the Labour right has already been crowing about how the result 'proves' that Corbyn and "the far-left" were "toxic". As the recriminat…
(2019-12-17). Bulgaria's Willingness to Host NATO Naval Center Is Aimed at Containing Russia in the Black Sea. globalresearch.ca In a joint statement between NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the latter announced last Thursday that the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna is a willing new home of NATO's Naval Force Coordination …
(2019-12-17). Where Now for Britain's Labour Party? thenation.com Where Now for Britain's Labour Party?
(2019-12-17). Colombia's military buried civilian victims in at least 16 mass graves: report. colombiareports.com Colombia's war crimes tribunal has so far discovered only one of at least 16 mass graves used by the military to dump victims of extrajudicial executions, Caracol Radio reported Monday….
(2019-12-17). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org High school teachers across the Canadian province of Ontario are planning another partial strike December 18 while workers at Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers in Mexico City have carried out a one-day strike.
(2019-12-17). Palestinian Car Repair Shop for Second Time in Three Months. imemc.org Israeli forces, on Monday, demolished a cave in the village of Deir Razih, southwest of the city of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. Soldiers also razed the flooring for a car repair shop, and in the process destroyed several vehicles …
(2019-12-17). Citing 'Clear and Present Danger' to US Constitution, 750+ Historians Join Call for House to Impeach Trump. commondreams.org Arguing that President Donald Trump's abuse of his position as the most powerful leader in the U.S. is "precisely what the Framers had in mind" when they asserted Congress should have the right to impeach a president, more than 750 historians released an open letter Tuesday, demanding the U.S. House vote for impeachment. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-11801239171_0.jpg …
(2019-12-17). Progressives Need a United Front for Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. indybay.org Clear differences and a nonaggression pact…
(2019-12-17). Ethics Watchdogs Sound Alarm After Transportation Secretary Chao Delivers Major Federal Contract to Husband Mitch McConnell's Kentucky. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/chao.mcconnell.jpg …
(2019-12-17). Take Action Now: Protect Workers' Rights. thenation.com Take Action Now: Protect Workers' Rights…
(2019-12-17). Indian students unite in solidarity against police brutality. peoplesdispatch.org On Sunday December 15, police brutally attacked two Muslim institutions (Jamia Millia Islamia University in the New Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh) where students were protesting the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). At least 125 people were injured in the police attacks and 50 were detained. In response to the barbaric violence, students from across India have taken to the streets against police brutality and the 'unconstitutional' CAA. | The university campus and the surrounding areas remain besieged by the police. Despite the imminent risk of further violent repression by t…
(2019-12-17). Soulstice grub, or How to awaken the mordant inner writer with French Toast. indybay.org Notable House | 189 Ellsworth St. | San Francisco…
(2019-12-17). Trump Decries 'Attempted Coup' as Impeachment Highly Likely. telesurenglish.net United States President Donald Trump accused Democrats of pursuing an "illegal, partisan attempted coup" Tuesday and declaring war on "democracy" as they seek to remove him from office for pressing Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden. | RELATED: | U.S. House Committee Approves Charges For Trump Impeachment | "This is nothing more than an illegal, partisan attempted coup that will be based on recent sentiment, badly fail at the voting booth," Trump's let…
(2019-12-17). Impeach & Remove Demonstration in Silicon Valley. indybay.org Intersection of Stevens Creek Blvd & Winchester Blvd, at the border of Santa Clara 95050 and San Jose 95128.
(2019-12-17). The DNC's Bad Rules Are Mangling the 2020 Race by Excluding Diverse Voices From the Debates. thenation.com The DNC's Bad Rules Are Mangling the 2020 Race by Excluding Diverse Voices From the Debates…
(2019-12-17). Johnson to legislate to block any further delay to Brexit. thecanary.co 
Boris Johnson is to legislate to prevent MPs extending the Brexit transition period beyond the end of 2020, government sources have said.Ministers are understood to have re-worked the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) — due to come before the commons this week — to "legally prohibit" any further extension.The move comes as MPs gather at Westminster for the first sitting of the new parliament on Tuesday following last week's general election.The Tories return in buoyant mood after Johnson was swept to an unexpected 80-seat majority as a swathe of Labour strongholds fell to the Tories.Boris Johnson, leaving…
(2019-12-17). Two indigenous languages are dying every month: UN Assembly President. news.un.org Despite UN efforts throughout this International Year of Indigenous Languages to highlight the daily disappearance of mother tongues across the world, the President of the General Assembly (PGA) warned on Tuesday that "challenges persist nonetheless".
(2019-12-17). Over 100 doctors demand Australian government act to save the life of Julian Assange "before it is too late" wsws.org Addressing Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, the doctors write: "Should Mr Assange die in a British prison, people will want to know what you, Minister, did to prevent his death."
(2019-12-17). Banning Fracking, Five Years Later: New York, Maryland and the Nation? commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-12-17). What Snowden Wrought. counterpunch.org 
When Edward Snowden was a tyke in North Carolina in the mid-1980s, his father, an engineer in the Coast Guard, got a Commodore 64. One night little Ed saw him playing a rudimentary game in the den and he was instantly enthralled. After the family moved to the Beltway, his father set up a Compaq More
(2019-12-17). Our Vanishing World: Birds. globalresearch.ca At the beginning of the nineteenth century, it is estimated that the total number of passenger pigeons in the United States was about three billion birds. The bird was immensely abundant, as illustrated by this passage written by the famous …
(2019-12-17). Failure by Congress to Support Tax Credits for Clean Energy and EVs is Unacceptable. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-12-17). Indian students spotted cleaning the streets after days of protests against citizenship law (PHOTOS, VIDEO). rt.com 
Jamia Millia Islamia university students have been filmed cleaning battle-worn streets around their college after days of protests over a controversial citizenship law which has been criticized as discriminatory against Muslims. | Unsurprisingly, the protests and sporadic violence took their toll on the environment around the university. | Also on rt.com | | Tear gas fired as protesters hurl stones at police & damage cars in New Delhi in massive rally over citizenship bill (VIDEO) | Posters, placards, food, and other waste were all left in the wake of the…
(2019-12-17). Support needed for emergency rental assistance program to fight evictions. indybay.org Help may be on the way to fight back against evictions if enough people support some legislation that would fund what is known as the eviction crisis act, also known as the emergency rental assistance program!
(2019-12-17). Josh Gordon suspended by NFL yet again for one more bout of drug abuse. rt.com 
Josh Gordon just can't stay clean. The 28-year-old Seattle Seahawks receiver was informed Monday by the NFL that he has been suspended indefinitely after violating league policy on performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. | This is the fifth time in his NFL career that Gordon has been suspended for drug use. He had previously been suspended during playing stints with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. | Gordon had been released by the Patriots earlier this year, and he was signed by the Seahawks shortly thereafter. | He has been considered one of the most talented receivers in the league becau…