November 30, 2020

Joe Biden elected with increased support from white, male voters. “Biden made an impressive 11 percentage point gain among white, college-educated men and a 6 percentage point gain among white, non-college educated men, supposedly Trump’s core constituency…. the most important gender dynamic in this year’s election occurred among white men.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/11/29/how-biden-needs-handle-his-new-voter-base-white-males-column/6347523002/

Mother of Florida police shooting victim is shot during his funeral. “The shooting happened as guests gathered at Riverview Memorial Gardens to pay their respects to 18-year-old Sincere Pierce. Pierce and 16-year-old Angelo Crooms were killed Nov. 13 by a Brevard County Sheriff’s deputy…. The teens were killed when Deputy Jafet Santiago-Miranda fired multiple shots into their car when the teens didn’t pull over.”   https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/nation-world/mother-of-slain-florida-teen-shot-during-burial-service/507-b80f9408-ca1a-405f-8e92-4ac61599a109

2020 Atlantic hurricanes set records. “The 30 hurricanes and tropical storms used all the names on the list maintained by the World Meteorological Organization, and the final nine were named for letters of the Greek alphabet. The last hurricane of the season, Iota, (which made landfall in mid-November,) was the latest in the year that any storm has reached Category 5 status.”   https://www.npr.org/2020/11/30/937986687/too-many-storms-not-enough-names

Unarmed man hiding in dumpster is pepper sprayed, and then tasered, attacked by a police dog and shot twice after allegedly charging at officers. “No officers were injured.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/29/us/saint-paul-police-shooting/index.html   He was wanted in connection with a ‘domestic incident’ and vehicle crash.

NYPD officers swarm business owner after he complains about officers parked in front of his business. “What you see is a gang running up onto my client when he’s sitting on his own property, and then literally beating on him.”   https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/loud-noise-complaint-led-to-excessive-force-arrest-on-staten-island-man-claims/2750934/   Video of the incident can be viewed here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQGQvchJYQk

Schertz, Texas police release body camera video of violent arrest of unarmed teen accused of driving through a red light. “(Zekee) Rayford arrives home and officers are seen chasing him up to his family’s front porch. Officers then deploy a stun gun as he calls for his father. Additional officers then arrive and tackle the man to the ground.”   https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/arrest-footage-released-after-central-texas-police-accused-of-excessive-force-with-black-18-year-old/   Video of the incident can be viewed here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7zOLPmP-7s

Syracuse, New York to settle pair of excessive force lawsuits involving same police officer for $400,000. “Lawyers for (Maurice) Crawley and (Jabari) Boykins claimed Officer Vallon Smith violated their Constitutional rights during forceful arrests in 2016 and 2017…. During the arrest, Smith broke Boykins’ arm as he threw him to the ground, according to the (14 year-old) boy’s mother.”   https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/11/taxpayers-to-pay-400k-to-settle-pair-of-brutality-lawsuits-against-syracuse-cop.html

Jihadist group accused of killing 110 farmers in Nigeria. “The attack took place in the village of Koshobe near the main city of Maiduguri, with assailants targeting farmers (in) rice fields.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/29/nigeria-attack-boko-haram-farm-workers-killed

UK to phase out payments to farm owners. “The £1.6bn subsidy farmers receive every year for simply owning land will be phased out by 2028, with the funds used instead to pay them to restore wild habitats, create new woodlands, boost soils and cut pesticide use…. Some of the biggest recipients of the existing scheme have been the Duke of Westminster, the inventor Sir James Dyson, racehorse owner Prince Khalid bin Abdullah al Saud and the Queen.”   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/30/environment-to-benefit-from-biggest-farming-shake-up-in-50-years   Note that these wealthy landowners will still be receiving tax dollars, just not for farming!

President Trump’s Fox News interview ‘filled with lies’. “We had glitches where they moved thousands of votes from my account to Biden’s account…. We’re doing better than the rest of the world (against the pandemic)…. I came up with vaccines that people didn’t think we’d have for five years….”   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/29/media/bartiromo-trump-interview/index.html

Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan photographed flying Nazi flag, holding Confederate flag. “The photo, obtained exclusively by the ABC, was taken in August 2007. The photograph shows the large swastika emblem hoisted over an Australian military vehicle.”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-14/photo-shows-nazi-flag-flown-over-australian-army-vehicle/9859618   “New footage obtained by Australia’s ABC public broadcasting network shows a pair of Australian special forces soldiers posing with the Confederate flag emblazoned with the words “Southern Pride” while deployed to Afghanistan.”   https://taskandpurpose.com/analysis/australian-military-confederate-flag-video/

Police in Turkey round up 641 people accused of being Kurdistan Workers’ Party activists. “A large number of guns, pistols, rifles and cartridges as well as organizational documents and digital materials were seized in the raids…”   http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-11/28/c_139549949.htm

 

 

November 29, 2020

Protests in France, Thailand, Poland and India. “Violent clashes erupted in Paris Saturday as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against new security legislation, with tensions intensified by the police beating and racial abuse of a black man that shocked France…. Protest organisers said some 500,000 joined nationwide…. ‘The fundamental and basic liberties of our democracy are being attacked — freedom of expression and information.'”   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/protests-over-security-law-as-france-reels-from-police-violence/ar-BB1bruNj   “(Thai) protesters accuse the monarchy of enabling decades of military domination…. Protests which began in July initially demanded the departure of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader, and a new constitution, but now also seek to curb the powers of the king.”   https://uk.reuters.com/article/instant-article/idUKKBN2890B9   “Hundreds of protesters gathered in Warsaw and other Polish cities on Saturday to voice their opposition to further proposed restrictions to the country’s abortion law…. The move sparked widespread protests, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the street in Poland’s largest protest movement since the fall of Communism in the country.”   https://www.dw.com/en/polish-police-attempt-to-block-protest-against-abortion-ruling/a-55761863   “Thousands of farmers in and around the Indian capital on Saturday pressed on with their protest against agricultural legislation they said could devastate crop prices, while the government sought talks with their leaders…. They say the laws could cause the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices and result in their exploitation by corporations that would buy their crops cheaply.”   https://apnews.com/article/india-new-delhi-legislation-asia-pacific-agriculture-621e16f2c7cf18bc28375d4bdb579f3c

More than 150 arrested at anti-lockdown protest in London. “England is currently in a month-long lockdown that began Nov. 5, which closed nonessential businesses and allowed people to leave their homes only for work and other necessities.”   https://thehill.com/policy/international/527833-more-than-150-arrested-in-london-during-anti-lockdown-protest

Religious groups attack anti-government protesters in Nasiriya, Iraq. “… at least three people were killed and dozens wounded in the clashes, a Reuters witness and a medical source said…. A hospital source said the protesters died from bullet wounds.”   https://news.yahoo.com/three-killed-clashes-iraq-clerics-174824862.html   “Clashes continued into the night, with medics reporting a total of six dead by Saturday morning, five of them from bullet wounds, and at least 60 wounded.”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-sadr-protesters-clash-nasiriyah

What will be Bernie Sanders’ legacy? “The Sanders project was among the most significant left political events of the twenty-first century, linking for the first time minimal but foundational socialist demands to a base of millions in the nerve center of global capitalism…. (His campaigns) demonstrated that bold social-democratic ideas, well beyond the regulatory ambitions of Obama-era progressives, can win a mass base in today’s United States.”   https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/08/bernie-sanders-five-year-war

November 28, 2020

Iran calls assassination of nuclear physicist an act of state sponsored terrorism. “Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, considered one of the masterminds of Iran’s controversial nuclear program, died after his car was apparently ambushed in a district east of Tehran.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/27/middleeast/iran-top-nuclear-scientist-killed-intl/index.html   Fakhrizadeh is reportedly the fifth Iranian nuclear scientist to be assassinated. “During the past decade, at least four had been killed in vehicle bombings and shootouts, and several others were targeted but survived.”   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-nuclear-scientists-fakhrizadeh-targets-assassination

President Trump attempts to shift election fraud burden of proof to Joe Biden. “Biden can only enter the White House as President if he can prove that his ridiculous ‘80,000,000 votes’ were not fraudulently or illegally obtained.”   https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1332352538855747584   and   https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2020/11/27/trump-u-turns-on-day-old-promise-to-leave-white-house-insists-biden-prove-his-votes-were-legal/

Man who donated $2.5 million to help Trump campaign uncover election fraud sues for a refund. “The (lawsuit) accuses True the Vote of breach of contract, and also ‘conversion’, a legal concept linked to the misuse of someone else’s property.”   https://www.businessinsider.com/donor-25m-group-trying-find-election-fraud-wants-refund-report-2020-11

Long-time president of Belarus says he will step down after new constitution is passed. “In true dictator fashion, however, (Alexander) Lukashenko did not set any timetable for his departure.”   https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ny-belarus-dictator-lukashenko-step-down-constitution-20201128-o7ocfizzejdsrp7kqdnajioqhm-story.html

Pandemic results in surge in violence against women, U.N. marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. “As countries implemented lockdown measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, especially domestic violence, intensified – in some countries, calls to help lines have increased fivefold.”   https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/un-warns-shadow-pandemic-domestic-violence-increases-globally

Russian opposition leader asks EU to impose sanctions on oligarchs. “(Alexei) Navalny, who has spent years investigating corruption in the Russian political elite, said that instead of targeting those directly responsible for executing criminal orders, a more powerful move would be to target the Kremlin’s financial pillars.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/27/alexei-navalny-calls-for-eu-sanctions-on-russian-oligarchs-abramovich-usmanov

Canadian court strikes down consecutive life sentences as ‘cruel and unusual punishment’. “In Canada, a life sentence allows for parole eligibility after 25 years.”   https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55095956

Aircraft carrier Nimitz and its battle group headed for Persian Gulf, says Pentagon. “This action ensures we have sufficient capability available to respond to any threat and to deter any adversary from acting against our troops during the (Iraq and Afghanistan) force reduction.”   https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/11/27/pentagon-orders-nimitz-back-persian-gulf-during-troop-drawdown/6447825002/

Pakistan releases leftist who served 9 years of life sentence. “Baba Jan, a left-wing political and climate activist from the Hunza Valley in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, was convicted by an anti-terrorism court for participating in political riots in 2011 and lost an appeal against his life sentence in 2016.”   https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pakistan-frees-left-wing-activist-205100940.html

40% of covid-19 dead were reportedly people who lived or worked in nursing homes. “According to physician and public health expert Michael Barnett, 7.7% of the nation’s nursing home residents, or one in 13, have now died as a result of Covid-19…. Soon after reaching the ‘bleak milestone’ of 100,000 pandemic deaths in long-term care facilities, which happened on Tuesday, the U.S. on Thursday experienced a new record-high number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations…”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/27/bleak-milestone-more-100000-nursing-home-residents-and-staff-killed-pandemic

Amazon workers around the world demand higher pay. “… the Make Amazon Pay coalition has planned Black Friday actions in 15 countries: Brazil, Mexico, the U.S., the U.K., Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Poland, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Australia…. Amazon announced on Thanksgiving that ‘it was granting a total of $500 million in holiday bonuses to its frontline workers, translating to $300 for full-time employees and $150 for part-time employees.’ … The fact is that ‘Jeff Bezos could pay a $105,000 bonus to every Amazon worker and still be as rich as he was at the start of the pandemic,’ according to the coalition…”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/27/progressive-coalition-stages-worldwide-black-friday-protests-make-amazon-pay

CIA reportedly manipulated encryption devices of second Swiss cryptographic equipment company. “SRF’s investigative program Rundschau concluded that, like Crypto, Omnisec had sold manipulated equipment to foreign governments and armies.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/report-claims-cia-controlled-second-swiss-encryption-firm/

 

 

November 27, 2020

President Trump continues to claim he was the victim of massive election fraud, says the election is far from over, but promises he will step down if the Electoral College mistakenly awards the presidency to Joe Biden. “Massive fraud has been found. We’re like a third-world country…. You’re gonna find tremendous fraud. You’re gonna find fraud of hundreds of thousands of votes, per state.”   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG6oCd0VUxE   It took me about an hour to find this quote. I couldn’t find it in news stories, so then I had to go through multiple videos to find this horrible, low-quality recording of Trump’s first real press conference in weeks. What’s up with that?

State police remove homeless families from vacant homes in Los Angeles. “A group of homeless people who had taken over several empty, state-owned houses in Los Angeles was forcefully removed by California Highway Patrol officers hours later amid protests by dozens of community activists…. Roberto Flores, an organizer with the group, said that 20 families who are about to be evicted or are homeless and have been living in cars and encampments and are looking for somewhere to shelter in place during the pandemic took over the homes.”   https://ktla.com/news/local-news/chp-officers-remove-people-occupying-state-owned-homes-in-el-sereno/

Prosecution of Saudi woman who pushed for the right of women to drive is reportedly transferred to the country’s national security court. “(Loujain al-Hathloul) and several other female activists were arrested in the spring of 2018, just weeks before Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on women driving. Her sister, Lina al-Hathloul, says her sibling has been tortured in prison and is denied phone calls or visits from her family. She has gone on two hunger strikes over the past year.”   https://www.npr.org/2020/11/26/939349459/loujain-al-hathloul-saudi-arabia-transfers-activists-trial-to-terrorism-court

Police in Paris reportedly followed maskless man into a music studio and then beat him. “The video images obtained by the Associated Press, both from a security camera inside the studio and filmed by neighbors outside, show three officers following (Michel) Zecler inside his music studio, where they can be seen repeatedly punching him and beating him with a truncheon…. They then threw a tear gas grenade into the studio to get those inside to come out, according (attorney Hafida) El Ali…. ‘Outside they are still beaten up and thrown to the ground and that’s the moment when a police officer sees they are being filmed,’ she said. Then the violence stops.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/paris-police-officers-suspended-over-beating-black-man-n1249113

Turkey sentences hundreds more to life in prison over attempted 2016 coup. “About 292,000 people have been detained over alleged links to (former Erdogan ally Fethullah) Gülen, with nearly 100,000 of them jailed pending trial…. About 150,000 civil servants were sacked or suspended after the coup attempt, with 20,000 expelled from the military. Courts have handed down more than 2,500 life sentences.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/26/turkish-court-jails-hundreds-life-2016-coup-attempt

The Great Reset – sinister plot or attempt to save capitalism? “In May, the World Economic Forum—a non-governmental group that hosts the annual Davos conference—announced a series of events and articles called the Great Reset centered on the idea of reducing inequality in the aftermath of the pandemic…. Now Great Reset conspiracy promoters have claimed that Biden’s ‘Build Back Better‘ slogan is in fact a front for the Great Reset. Reporter Lara Logan, who hosts a show on Fox’s digital channel, posted an article on Twitter claiming that Build Back Better is a cover for ‘smashing everything to pieces’.”   https://www.thedailybeast.com/joe-bidens-presidency-already-has-its-first-conspiracy-theory-the-great-reset   The part about Great Reset promoter Klaus Schwab being a Satan worshipper, based on a photo of him in a robe at a graduation ceremony, had me laughing until I cried.

Feminist activists seized Human Rights Commission’s office in Mexico City and turned it into a women’s shelter – about two months ago. “The occupation of the stately marble building in Mexico City’s central historical district, which began in September, is one of the most extreme acts of a feminist movement that has grown more aggressive amid the intensifying violence and what its members say is official inaction.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/mexico-feminist-occupy-shelter-violence/2020/11/26/082fecdc-1926-11eb-82db-60b15c874105_story.html   And this wasn’t news until the end of November?

25% of U.S. workers are either unemployed or earning ‘poverty level’ wages, claims study. “Gene Ludwig, who heads the nonprofit think tank (the  Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity) and is also founder and CEO of IBM’s Promontory Financial Group, said he developed what he calls the ‘true rate of unemployment’ to underscore economic ailments that aren’t visible in official government statistics. His figure incorporates both jobless workers — people who were actively searching for work in the past month — as well as adults who are earning below $20,000 a year, or below the poverty line.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jobless-americans-poverty-line-earnings/

Recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria have killed Pakistanis, Iraqis and Afghans. “The early morning strikes hit positions of Iran-backed militias outside the town of Albu Kamal in Deir el-Zour province, killing mostly Pakistani fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…. On Saturday night, airstrikes near Albu Kamal killed at least 14 pro-Iran militia fighters from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Observatory said.”   https://www.timesofisrael.com/war-monitor-claims-israeli-strike-killed-at-least-19-pro-iran-fighters-in-syria/

Schizophrenic man sentenced to four year in a Texas prison for fleeing a traffic stop. “(Robert) Perkins, (Cameron) Davis’s defense attorney, says he’s convinced his client’s behavior was caused by mental illness — there were the police reports, the finding of mental illness by the competency evaluator, and the letters he says he did show to the prosecutor — but he couldn’t convince the state that getting Davis treatment instead of locking him up was the just outcome…. ‘Unfortunately, Cameron Davis is not the first nor will he be the last person that’s in this particular situation.'”   https://theintercept.com/2020/11/26/mental-illness-prison-jail-police/

November 26, 2020

American forests reportedly being logged to provide biomass for ‘renewable energy’ power plants in Europe. “Championed as a renewable source of energy, biomass energy uses plants, wood, and waste materials as sources of heating or power. However, as Smith reported, in many European countries, the carbon costs of imported wood are not considered…. According to the (Natural Resources Defense Council) report, Enviva, the world’s largest wood pellet manufacturer, engages in logging practices that have ravaged ‘iconic’ wetlands forests in the southwest US to produce pellets that are shipped to utility companies such as Drax Power in the UK and Ørsted in Denmark.”   https://www.projectcensored.org/european-demand-for-biomass-energy-propels-destruction-of-us-forests/  These power plants were sold to the public as burning agricultural waste, wood scraps, fallen trees and tree limbs, etc., not logged forests.

Almost half of the blood plasma collected in the U.S. is sold abroad. “Blood and vaccines rank among the most valuable U.S. exports. In 2018, the U.S. collected 41 million liters of plasma intended for the production of medicine, and almost half of that was shipped abroad. Around 78% of blood plasma exported from the U.S. ended up in Germany, Spain and Austria, where Grifols, CSL and others operate large high-tech plasma processing plants.”   https://www.propublica.org/article/pharmaceutical-companies-are-luring-mexicans-across-the-u.s.-border-to-donate-blood-plasma

Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani suggests that Pennsylvania’s legislature award the states electoral votes to Donald Trump, despite state law and the outcome of the election. “It’s the state Legislature that controls this process,” Giuliani told a panel of Republican legislators. “It’s your power. It’s your responsibility.”   https://news.yahoo.com/giuliani-tells-pennsylvania-legislators-they-can-override-popular-vote-to-appoint-pro-trump-electors-010121925.html

No jail time for Purdue Pharma executives, despite admitting guilt to criminal wrongdoing as part of federal settlement. “The lack of criminal charges is controversial, in part, because the Justice Department itself alleges in new filings that members of the Sackler family approved a scheme to boost opioid prescribing that the company now admits was illegal…. (Members of Congress have) noted that street dealers who admit to selling much smaller quantities of opioids often spend years in federal prison.”   https://www.npr.org/2020/11/25/938801514/critics-want-sacklers-to-face-criminal-charges-for-role-in-opioid-crisis

Thai protesters call on country’s king to spend his estimated $30 billion fortune on development projects. “The protesters have broken a longstanding taboo by criticizing the king and police summoned many of the best-known protest leaders on Tuesday on charges of insulting the monarchy, which can mean up to 15 years in prison.”   https://nypost.com/2020/11/25/thai-protesters-call-on-king-to-give-up-royal-fortune/

Israel’s military on alert due to possible U.S. strike on Iran. “The Israel Defense Forces have in recent weeks been instructed to prepare for the possibility that the U.S. will conduct a military strike against Iran before President Trump leaves office, senior Israeli officials tell me.”   https://www.axios.com/israeli-military-prepares-trump-iran-0d0a5725-c410-4f5c-a0ea-9c6f9add4966.html

Indian state bans interfaith marriages in an effort to stop alleged ‘love jihad’ aimed at converting Hindu women to Islam. “Ministers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s firebrand priest Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday approved the law that also proposes jail sentences as long as 10 years for offenders.”   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-25/india-s-most-populous-state-brings-law-to-fight-love-jihad

Tigray mass murders were ethnic cleansing claims Ethiopian human rights agency. “The (Ethiopian Human Rights Commission) said at least 600 people were killed in the town of Mai Kadra in western Tigray on Nov. 9 when local youths known as Samri, aided by the then-local administration, went door to door killing those they identified as from the minority Amhara and Wolkait ethnic groups.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-mai-kadra-massacre/2020/11/24/2fcb4218-2e76-11eb-9dd6-2d0179981719_story.html

Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders reportedly being rounded up in Russia. “The country’s Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that the group, founded in the United States and claiming almost 9 million followers globally, was an ‘extremist’ organization and ordered it to disband…. In February 2019, seven Russian Jehovah’s Witnesses said they were tortured during interrogations by security agents.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-jehovahs-witnesses-arrest-raids-charges-extremist-group-extremism/

Disney to lay off 32,000 theme park workers. “In addition, as of Oct. 3, around 37,000 employees who were not expected to be laid off were placed on furlough.”   https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/26/disney-increases-layoffs-to-32000-amid-coronavirus-pandemic.html

Number of teenage students charged in France for complicity in teacher’s beheading rises to seven. “Three of the four students charged on Thursday were suspected of identifying Paty to his killer, 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov, who then tracked him down and beheaded him in a street near his school. The three, who are between 13 and 14 years old, are being charged with ‘complicity in a terrorist murder’, the source said.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/26/four-more-students-charged-in-france-over-teacher-beheading-samuel-paty

68% of Americans polled oppose appointing corporate officers and lobbyists to senior government positions. “Bolstering calls for President-elect Joe Biden to keep business insiders and industry lobbyists out of his Cabinet, new survey results reveal that 68% of Americans want members of the U.S. Senate to reject any corporate-linked nominees proposed by the incoming president.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/25/new-poll-shows-68-americans-want-senators-block-any-corporate-biden-nominees

60% of voters polled support $50,000 in student loan forgiveness. “Views on Biden ameliorating the student loan crisis by canceling up to $50,000 of debt per person vary based on a number of political and demographic characteristics. Democrats (84%) and Independents (57%) are more likely than Republicans to support the measure, with 66% of GOP voters opposed to the idea.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/25/60-us-voters-support-biden-canceling-50000-student-loan-debt-person-poll   For this to be fair, everyone should get $50,000 in debt relief, not just people who gambled on a graduate degree. “Pushing for Medicare for All, which would prevent all future medical debt, is essential. But we must also right past wrongs and cancel all existing medical debt, delivering real relief to millions of US workers.”   https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/11/cancel-medical-debt-medicare-for-all-covid

Trump EPA kills idea of clean-up insurance for polluters. “This is corporate welfare that leaves American taxpayers at risk for having to foot the bill when polluters create a toxic mess,” (Lisa) Evans added, calling the move a “parting gift from Donald Trump to industry lobbyists on his way out the door.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-wont-require-insurance-for-pollution-cleanup/

Obelisk has reportedly been in Utah wilderness since at least 2016. “… a Reddit user said they had managed to geo-locate the obelisk using surrounding rock formations. Sharing the Google Earth location — where a small structure can be seen, roughly six miles from the nearest road — the user said the structure was first photographed by Google in 2016.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/mysterious-obelisk-in-us-desert-draws-wild-theories/

November 25, 2020

Stock market hits record high as thousands of Americans line up for food. “The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied on Tuesday, breaking above 30,000 for the first time…. Tuesday’s gains put the Dow up more than 13% for the month, which would be its biggest monthly gain since 1987.”   https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/23/stock-market-futures-open-to-close-news.html   “Food pantries across the country are dealing with huge lines, as the demand for food greatly increases. ‘Thousands of cars lined up to collect food in Dallas over the weekend, stretching as far as the eye can see,’ tweeted CBS News.”   https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/11/24/millions-of-americans-face-hunger-and-food-insecurity-this-holiday-season/

Fox News settles lawsuit brought by parents of former Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich. “The network had baselessly reported in May 2017 that Rich leaked thousands of Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the height of the 2016 presidential campaign…. (It) also suggested without any evidence that Democrats might have been linked to the killing of the 27-year-old Rich, a crime that has not been solved to this day.”   https://www.npr.org/2020/11/24/938545344/fox-news-settles-with-seth-richs-parents-for-false-story-claiming-clinton-leaks   “Many of the emails discussed how to undermine Clinton’s rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and overall revealed some negativity toward him…. In response to the leaks, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said Saturday that the emails show ‘what many of us have known for some time, that there were certainly people at the DNC who were actively helping the Clinton effort and trying to hurt Bernie Sanders’ campaign.'”   https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/23/487179496/leaked-democratic-party-emails-show-members-tried-to-undercut-sanders

French parliament passes bill banning hostile photography of police officers. “‘Any photos or video showing identifiable police officers that are published or broadcast by critical media outlets or are accompanied by critical comments could find themselves being accused of seeking to harm these police officers,’ (Reporters Without Borders) said.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/24/europe/france-freedom-of-press-law-police-images-controversy-intl/index.html

Canadian man and his 12 year-old granddaughter handcuffed by cops after trying to open a bank account in ‘banking while indigenous’ incident. “Maxwell Johnson, a member of the Heiltsuk Nation, visited a Vancouver branch of the Bank of Montreal in December to open an account for his granddaughter Tori-Anne. But bank staff did not believe the two were Indigenous after failing to verify the authenticity of their government-issued Indian status cards. Staff were also suspicious about the size of a deposit in Johnson’s account, prompting an employee to call the police.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/24/indigenous-canadian-human-rights-bank-arrest

Life in a developed market economy: Processed vegetable kits recalled in eight states over fears of Listeria monocytogenes contamination. “The company said the potential for contamination was discovered during routine safety sampling at Hy-Vee’s Short Cuts production facility.”   https://www.1011now.com/2020/11/24/hy-vee-voluntarily-recalls-two-short-cuts-vegetable-mix-products/

Employees at Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama file petition with National Labor Relations Board requesting union vote. “Although Amazon’s logistics workers bargain collectively in Europe, the company’s sprawling operations in the U.S. remain union-free. Winning an election at an American warehouse ― in the South, no less ― would mark a major victory for organized labor…”   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amazon-warehouse-workers-file-for-union-election-in-alabama_n_5fbd1f0cc5b63d1b7706d817

Critics say a return to previous national security policies under Joe Biden represents a missed opportunity. “It’s worth keeping in mind that the global war on terror has killed more than 7,000 U.S. service members — more than twice the number of people killed by the 9/11 attacks — and more than 800,000 lives worldwide,” said Daphne Eviatar, Amnesty International USA’s director of Security With Human Rights. “It’s also cost the U.S. more than $6.4 trillion. It’s hard to see why a Biden administration would want to continue on this trajectory.”   https://theintercept.com/2020/11/24/biden-military-national-security-blinken-flournoy/

As a result of the shift to corporate agriculture, report claims 1% of agribusinesses control 70% of the world’s agricultural land. “Almost 1 million farms (980,000) in the USA have less than $5,000 in sales per annum, while the largest 7% of farms account for 80% of production value (MacDonald, 2016). This leaves a situation where some 1.3 million, or 60%, of the farms in the USA produce only 6.6% of the total production value (Gollin, 2019).”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/24/just-1-farms-controlling-70-global-farmland-study-reveals-shocking-level-land

EU court rules against Turkish government in case involving arrest of journalist. “A panel of seven judges with the European Court of Human Rights ruled Turkish authorities had no good reason in 2016 to arrest Ahmet Sik, who was at the time writing for the left-wing secular Cumhuriyet newspaper in Istanbul, and then keep him in pretrial detention for 13 months on charges that he was cooperating with enemies of the government.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/human-rights-court-slams-turkey-for-arrest-of-journalist/

Two U.S. citizens detained by a Customs and Border Protection agent in Havre, Montana for speaking Spanish while standing in line to buy groceries reach settlement with the agency. “The plaintiffs asked the court to permanently bar agents from conducting any kind of stop simply because an individual could be a Spanish speaker and sought damages.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/2-citizens-detained-in-montana-for-speaking-spanish-settle-lawsuit/   The women were both residents of Havre.

Poverty in America was not a 2020 election issue. “Today, in the early winter of an uncurbed pandemic and the economic crisis that accompanies it, there are 140 million poor or low-income Americans, disproportionately people of color, but reaching into every community in this country: 24 million Blacks, 38 million Latinos, eight million Asians, two million Native peoples, and 66 million whites. More than a third of the potential electorate, in other words, has been relegated to poverty and precariousness and yet how little of the political discourse in recent elections was directed at those who were poor or one storm, fire, job loss, eviction, or healthcare crisis away from poverty and economic chaos. In the distorted mirror of public policy, those 140 million people have remained essentially invisible.”   https://consortiumnews.com/2020/11/24/election-2020-the-other-america/

November 24, 2020

Joe Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence reportedly decided not to punish CIA employees who hacked into Senate Intelligence Committee computers. “(Avril Haines) served as deputy CIA director from 2013 to 2014, and was the first woman to hold that office. In that role, she decided not to discipline CIA personnel who were involved in a dispute with the Senate Intelligence Committee, which had accused the CIA of improperly accessing the committee’s computers…. In 2018, she spoke in favor of the nomination for Gina Haspel to be CIA director, even as some Democrats opposed it on the grounds that Haspel had run a secret CIA prison where al Qaeda detainees were tortured.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/biden-picks-avril-haines-director-national-intelligence-n1248626

Many of Biden’s national security appointees served in the Obama administration. “On Monday, the Biden transition team unveiled the names of several key members of the president-elect’s national security roster, with few surprises.”   https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/23/biden-national-security-picks-familiar-439774

‘Strategic consulting firms’, which advise their clients how to achieve desired U.S. government outcomes, are able to skirt lobbying laws. “… (WestExec Advisors) was founded in 2017 by Tony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of State, and Michèle Flournoy, a top contender for secretary of Defense. And one of its former principals, Avril Haines, is Biden’s pick for director of national intelligence. But little is known about WestExec’s client list. Because its staffers aren’t lobbyists, they are not required to disclose who they work for. They also aren’t bound by the Biden transition’s restrictions on hiring people who have lobbied in the past year.”   https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/23/westexec-advisors-biden-cabinet-440072

Illinois and Indiana nursing home workers strike for higher pay. “Nearly 700 essential nursing home workers walked off the job at 11 Infinity Health-owned facilities in the Greater Chicago area. They have been without a contract since June. Nursing assistants, dietary aides and housekeepers in part, have demanded at least a $15 an hour wage, hazard pay for all employees and a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment.”   https://abc7chicago.com/strike-nursing-home-covid-hazard-pay-seiu/8193824/

Death toll in Uganda political unrest rises to 45. “Witnesses told CNN that police, military and plainclothes gunmen fired high caliber rifles in dense urban areas to quell the protests. Their accounts are backed up by multiple videos shared on social media during the chaos.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/23/africa/ugandan-protest-death-toll-intl/index.html   About the term ‘high caliber rifles’ – most American military rifles (M16, M4), as well as popular semi-automatic rifles like the AR15, are ‘small caliber rifles’ at .223, which means they fire bullets of about the same diameter as a .22 rifle. But they are propelled by a much larger charge of gunpowder from a much larger cartridge than a .22. So it’s not just the diameter/caliber of the bullet that makes a rifle more or less deadly. Maybe the term journalists are looking for is ‘high powered rifles’?

Unions representing retail and food processing workers claim their members are still at risk from pandemic. “In addition to restoring hazard pay and providing paid sick leave, the union is calling on food retail executives to provide free coronavirus testing and protective equipment to all workers, and to enforce the wearing of masks among customers as well as employees, among other demands.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/11/23/covid-19-grocery-workers-demand-masks-hazard-pay-amid-virus-surge/6396541002/

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s department employees accused of issuing concealed weapons permits in return for bribes. “The District Attorney’s Office conducted a two-year investigation in which it found that (Undersheriff Rick) Sung and (Captain James) Jensen ‘held up’ the licenses, refusing to release them until they got something of value, the statement added.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/23/tech/apple-thomas-moyer-bribery-indictment/index.html

Millions of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving despite pandemic warnings. “More than 2 million airline passengers were screened by Transportation Security Administration personnel on Friday and Saturday, while Americans were supposed to be curbing Thanksgiving holiday travel to help stem the skyrocketing spread of COVID-19.”   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/flyer-numbers-jump-thanksgiving-covid_n_5fbb3386c5b61d04bfa22358

Government awards $810 million five-year contract to Uber and Lyft. “While individual federal employees have previously been able to use ride-hail services for travel, the new contract allows the companies to formally launch their services within agencies and directly work with officials to promote the service.”   https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/23/21611553/uber-lyft-gsa-government-contract-amount   Isn’t there a rule against this? These drivers don’t get health insurance, overtime pay, paid leave or paid holidays, and aren’t eligible for unemployment or workers compensation benefits. “In July, (Massachusetts) Attorney General Maura Healey filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court asking a judge to recognize Uber and Lyft drivers as employees under the state’s wage and hour laws. The designation, if approved by a court, would give drivers access to minimum wage benefits, overtime pay and earned sick leave. ‘Uber and Lyft have built their billion-dollar businesses while denying their drivers basic employee protections and benefits for years,’ Healey said in a statement. ‘This business model is unfair and exploitative.'”   https://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/ride-hailing-battle-looms-over-benefits/article_8caed8dd-114f-532e-8824-fd2b9364289c.html

Jeremy Hammond released to halfway house after serving 7 years of a 10 year sentence, in part for hack revealing widespread private sector surveillance of activist groups. “The FBI arrested Hammond… during a 2012 raid on his Chicago home after getting the cooperation of Hector Xavier Monsegur, a hacker who helped law enforcement infiltrate the hacking movement Anonymous, which led to the conviction of eight hackers. The raid came after Hammond penetrated the Texas-based security think tank Strategic Forecasting Inc., known as Stratfor.”   https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hacker-closing-prison-sentence-chicago-halfway-house-74286776

Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approves Enbridge Line 3 pipeline permit, but warns the company not to engage in ‘counter-insurgency’ measures against protesters. “The language, part of a series of preconditions put forth by the Public Utilities Commission in advance of the project’s approval, is a direct response to concerns that Enbridge Line 3 opponents will see a security crackdown as sweeping as the one near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in 2016, during protests against the Dakota Access pipeline.”   https://theintercept.com/2020/11/24/enbridge-line-3-pipeline-protests-minnesota/

Paris police accused of using excessive force during clearing of homeless refugees from city square. “Lawyers, MPs and city councillors in Place de la République tried to calm tensions and stop the police action, without success. Police used teargas and crowd dispersal grenades to break up groups of people, and journalists said they were deliberately targeted.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/24/french-minister-calls-images-of-police-breaking-up-refugee-camp-shocking   “… the use of disproportionate and brutal force (was) confirmed by the many photographs that were taken.” Which may soon be illegal in France.

UK court rules that Anne Sacoolas was protected by diplomatic immunity when she struck motorcyclist Harry Dunn, who later died, while driving on the wrong side of the road. “Lawyers for the Dunn family had argued that treaties signed by the US and UK governments covering the Croughton base in 1995 could not have been intended to give family members of diplomats greater immunity than the diplomats themselves. The treaties made it clear that the diplomats enjoyed immunity from criminal proceedings only for activities carried out in the course of their duties, and did not cover non-work related duties such as driving outside the base.”   https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/24/harry-dunn-parents-lose-high-court-immunity-case

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly attended secret meeting with leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia. “First divulged by unnamed Israeli officials and publicly denied Monday morning by the Saudi foreign minister, the reported covert meeting in Neom, Saudi Arabia comes on the heels of news last week that U.S. President Donald Trump asked his senior advisers for options to bomb Iran’s primary nuclear energy site, prompting Iran to vow a ‘crushing response’ to any attack.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/iran-crosshairs-reports-secret-meeting-between-netanyahu-mbs-and-pompeo-spark-fears

Former San Francisco cop charged with manslaughter over fatal shooting of unarmed, fleeing van thief. “San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin made the announcement Monday afternoon, saying this is the first prosecution case against a law enforcement officer in the city’s history.”   https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-police-officer-chris-samayoa-arrested-shooting-keita-o-neil/8206499/

November 23, 2020

Voting machine company attempts to debunk Republican election fraud claims. “If any electronic interference had taken place, the tally reported electronically would not match the printed ballots,” (Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson Michael Steel) added. “And in every case where we’ve looked at in Georgia, all across the country, the printed ballots, the gold standard in election security, has matched the electronic tally.”   https://thehill.com/policy/technology/527086-dominion-spokesman-it-is-not-physically-possible-for-our-machines-to-switch   And that’s a safeguard that election security activists had to fight for. The question is, do voters get to review their printed ballots, or are they encoded, or just printed out as a back-up for election workers?

President Trump floats a new conspiracy theory at virtual G-20 summit. “Trump contended the international (Paris Climate) accord was ‘not designed to save the environment. It was designed to kill the American economy.'”   https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-climate-climate-change-saudi-arabia-5e425ce92e26d34561d629331461289d

Honestie Hodges dies at 14 from coronavirus. “On Dec. 13, 2017 the then-11-year-old (black) girl was held at gunpoint, handcuffed and placed into the back of a cruiser by Grand Rapids police.”   https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan/2020/11/22/young-girl-held-at-gunpoint-by-grand-rapids-police-in-2017-dies-of-covid/   Officers claimed they suspected she may have been the 40 year-old, white, stabbing suspect they were looking for.

CDC says Kansas data shows masks reduce spread of covid-19. “According to the CDC report, following the issuing of the (governor’s state-wide mask) mandate, COVID-19 incidence decreased in 24 counties (that observed the) mask mandates but increased in 81 counties that opted out of the order. Researchers with the CDC and the Kansas Department of Health found COVID-19 incidence decreased by 6% in counties with a mandate compared to an increase of 100% in counties where masks were not mandated.”   https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-kansas-counties-mask-mandate-work-2020-11

Three Hong Kong pro-democracy activists plead guilty to organizing unauthorized protest outside police headquarters. “Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam face the prospect of jail after pleading guilty to charges relating to protests outside a police station last year…. (the offense) carries penalties of up to five years in prison…” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/23/hong-kong-protests-joshua-wong-guilty-police-hq-protests-agnes-chow-ivan-lam   I guess police headquarters is not a ‘free speech zone‘.

Singapore civil rights activist charged with holding a one-man illegal assembly. “On Monday, Jolovan Wham, a civil rights activist, was charged at a court in Singapore with illegal public assembly for holding up a cardboard sign with a smiley face on it near a police station in March…. Public protest without a permit is allowed in just one spot in the city-state, and only after completing a registration process…. Mr. Wham said he had held up the smiley face sign in support of two young activists who had been investigated for holding up signs calling for Singapore to fight climate change by reducing the city-state’s dependence on oil.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/world/asia/singapore-smiley-face-protest-charges.html

German anti-mask activists ridiculed for comparing themselves to victims of the Nazis. “… an 11-year-old girl addressed an anti-mask demo in the western city of Karlsruhe, likening herself to Jewish teenager Anne Frank because she had had to celebrate her birthday quietly to avoid the neighbours hearing that they had invited friends over.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/22/german-minister-condemns-lockdown-protesters-nazi-victim-comparisons

Chinese mass surveillance system reportedly powered by American computer chips. “The computers inside the complex, known as the Urumqi Cloud Computing Center, are among the world’s most powerful. They can watch more surveillance footage in a day than one person could in a year. They look for faces and patterns of human behavior. They track cars. They monitor phones…. Chips made by Intel and Nvidia, the American semiconductor companies, have powered the complex since it opened in 2016.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/technology/china-intel-nvidia-xinjiang.html

Preliminary court hearing for Denver security guard Matthew Dolloff moved to January. “(Dolloff) is now being represented by Doug Richards, a private defense attorney, instead of the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office. Due to the change in attorney, his preliminary hearing has been rescheduled from Friday to Jan. 8 at 1:30 p.m…. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge determines whether there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.”   https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/security-guard-shooting/matt-dolloff-preliminary-hearing-security-guard-shooting/73-48b479b4-22f8-4c23-9146-a73f6206ade9   Dolloff has been charged with second-degree murder for shooting ‘Patriot Muster’ protester Lee Keltner, who reportedly ordered journalists to stop filming, slapped Dolloff and then sprayed him with pepper spray. Police reportedly seized two guns at the crime scene, but it’s still unclear who the second gun belonged to.

An estimated 300 pro-democracy protesters arrested in Belarus. “The Belarusian human rights group Viasna says that more than 300 people were arrested and many of them beaten by police during protests calling for the country’s authoritarian president to resign.”   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/more-than-300-detained-by-police-in-belarus-protests/ar-BB1bfPi2

Insiders stole high tech gear from the military, sold it on eBay. “From 2016 to 2019, (Joseph) Mora and (Cristal) Avila stole large quantities of government property, including scopes, infrared laser aiming devices and thermal night vision goggles, that were worth an estimated $2.4 million, according to court records.”   https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/11/22/2-former-government-employees-get-prison-terms-after-selling-sensitive-military-gear.html

Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of state accused of having backed ‘forever wars’. “So we will have a president who supported the invasion of Iraq, and a secretary of state (Tony Blinken) who supported the invasion of Iraq,” tweeted Medea Benjamin, co-founder of anti-war group CodePink. “In the U.S., there is no accountability for supporting the worst foreign policy disaster in modern history. Only rewards.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/biden-taps-blinken-secretary-state-critics-denounce-support-invasions-iraq-and-libya

 

November 22, 2020

Thousands protest proposed law in France that would make it illegal to share photos of on-duty police officers on social media, presumably photos of them doing things they’d rather not be seen doing. “Opponents to the draft law say the measure would infringe journalists’ freedom to report, while supporters say police officers and their families need protection from harassment, both online and in person when off duty.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/21/demonstrators-decry-french-bill-to-curb-police-images   When the authorities refuse to take action against police brutality, public shaming is one of the last, non-violent options available. Also, ‘if it’s not on video, it didn’t happen’.

Progressive Democrats push back against centrists on electability issue. “Rep.-elect Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., … backed the Green New Deal, canceling student debt, offering free college tuition and Medicare-for-All, while also calling for ‘shifting funding and resources from police departments, jails, and prisons’ to ‘new agencies designed to protect public health’…. ‘We have a system where we have three Americans that own more wealth than the bottom 50% of the country. We have 40 million people living in poverty. We have 15.5 million children living in poverty. What we have now is not working for the masses,’ he said. ‘If you want to call me a socialist, then call me a socialist.'”   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/socialists-progressive-democrats-house-seats-success

Even Tucker Carlson is calling out Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell over her evidence-free allegations of massive electronic voting fraud. “…we invited Sidney Powell on the show. We would have given her the whole hour. We would have given her the entire week, actually, and listened quietly the whole time at rapt attention. But she never sent us any evidence, despite a lot of polite requests. When we kept pressing, she got angry and told us to stop contacting her.”   https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-rudy-giuliani-sidney-powell-election-fraud   He mentions several issues that are supported by evidence, but these seem like cases of people pushing back against voter suppression rather than true fraud – changing postmark dates on mail-in ballots so they can be counted, letting people vote without ID, etc.

Protests in Brazil after white supermarket security guards kill black customer who argued with an employee. “The two men who allegedly beat (João Alberto Silveira) Freitas have been detained and are being investigated for homicide due to the victim’s asphyxiation and his inability to defend himself, said Nadine Anflor, the civil police chief for the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, where Porto Alegre is capital.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/21/protests-erupt-in-brazil-after-black-man-dies-after-being-beaten-outside-supermarket

Milwaukee county election officials accuse Trump observers of obstructing ballot recount. “A steady stream of Republican complaints in Milwaukee was putting the recount far behind schedule, county clerk George Christenson said. He said many Trump observers were breaking rules by constantly interrupting vote counters with questions and comments. ‘That’s unacceptable,’ he said. He said some of the Trump observers ‘clearly don’t know what they are doing.'”   https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/wisconsin-officials-trump-observers-obstructing-recount/

Second night of protests in Omaha, Nebraska after police shoot black motorist. “Kenneth Jones, 35, died in the officer-involved shooting on Thursday night near 27th and Harrison. Jones was shot during a struggle that ensued after what was initially a routine traffic stop. He later died at Nebraska Med.”   https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/problac-plans-second-night-of-protests-in-omaha

Men with links to neo-Nazi movement charged with weapons violations. “Three men who moved to the Boise area in the past year — 21-year-old Liam Collins, 35-year-old Paul Kryscuk and 25-year-old Jordan Duncan — were charged with various gun crimes in October. In a superseding indictment, a North Carolina grand jury indicted Collins and Kryscuk on additional charges relating to the transportation of firearms without a license. Prosecutors say Collins and Duncan are former Marines who were previously assigned to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina…. Kryscuk allegedly shipped the guns from Idaho to North Carolina for another defendant, Justin Wade Hermanson, a member of the same Marine unit where Collins was last assigned.”   https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/11/men-charged-with-gun-crimes-had-neo-nazi-ties-trained-in-idaho-targeted-boise-blm/

Protesters storm Guatemala’s legislature, set it on fire. “The opposition says the (government’s) budget prioritises big infrastructure projects to be handled by companies with government connections and overlooks the social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”   https://news.yahoo.com/guatemala-congress-fire-protesters-storm-222853802.html   Who is going to pay to fix the building? Taxpayers.

Vallejo, California resident settles excessive force lawsuit against the city’s police department for $750,000. “In late July of (2017), Vallejo resident and plaintiff Carl Edwards was reportedly on his front porch fixing a fence when he was ambushed by Vallejo police officers, put in a choke hold, slammed into the ground and assaulted in what his lawyer says turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.”   https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2020/11/20/city-of-vallejo-settles-excessive-force-lawsuit-against-the-vallejo-police-department-for-750000/

Jackson, Mississippi police facing at least five different excessive force lawsuits. “Court filings state (George Robinson), on or about January 13, 2019, was sitting in his vehicle on Jones Street when officers pulled him out of the vehicle and ‘brutally, viciously and mercilessly beat (him) by striking and kicking him’… ‘Mr. Robinson suffered severe injury to his head and head area. Such injury resulted in cerebral edema, or brain swelling, which led to Mr. Robinson’s death,’ an attorney in the case claims. The attorney, Dennis Sweet III, said Robinson was not violating the law when he was approached, and no warrants were out for his arrest.”   https://www.wlbt.com/2020/11/17/multiple-excessive-force-suits-pending-against-jpd/

Montgomery County, Ohio deputy fired over use of excessive force during arrest of motorist. “Cruiser camera video shows (Deputy Rod) Brown pulling suspect, Rondale Hampton, through the passenger side window of the car he was driving, after Hampton crashed while turning onto Wolf Road from Turner Road during a pursuit. Brown then punched Hampton with a closed fist and kicked him while trying to arrest him.”   https://www.whio.com/news/local/video-veteran-montgomery-co-deputy-fired-using-excessive-force-during-arrest/GNJSOEQAMBBQ7MEBYZ3HPVGVO4/   If you have trouble viewing the video, it’s also here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ4pztYsm4M

Air Force deploys multiple B-52 bombers to undisclosed location in the Middle East. “B-52 Stratofortress crews assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base conducted a ‘short-notice, long-range mission’ in the Middle East Saturday, according to U.S. Central Command. According to CENTCOM, the mission was intended to ‘deter aggression and reassure U.S. partners and allies’.”   https://www.kfyrtv.com/2020/11/22/centcom-b-52s-from-minot-air-force-base-sent-to-middle-east-saturday/

President Trump skips G-20 pandemic response meeting, visits golf resort. “After briefly attending the virtual G20 summit from the White House’s Situation Room on Saturday, President Donald Trump skipped a meeting with other leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies where the attendees discussed the coronavirus pandemic.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/21/trump-skips-g20-pandemic-preparedness-meeting-covid-19-cases-surpass-12-million-us   Playing golf while Rome burns?

Nurses at St. Mary Medical Center in Bucks County, Pennsylvania go on strike over working conditions, get locked out. “The strike was planned to last Tuesday and Wednesday. In response, Trinity brought in agency nurses to staff the hospital. Beginning Thursday morning, the hospital locked out the striking nurses until the expiration of the replacement nurses’ contract.”   https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/11/nurses-strike-st-mary-medical-center-bucks-county-pennsylvania-covid

November 21, 2020

Most charges against Black Lives Matters protesters to be dropped. “With the police detaining hundreds of people in major cities, the arrests this year ended up colliding with the limitations of the court system. In the aftermath, prosecutors declined to pursue many of the cases because they concluded that the protesters were exercising their basic civil rights.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/protests-lawsuits-arrests.html   The article does not seem to give the total number of arrests nationwide. According to the FBI, 13,643 people had been arrested as of June 6, 2020.

Between 50% and 80% of Republicans believe Joe Biden ‘stole’ the presidential election. “About half of Republicans polled by Reuters/Ipsos said Trump ‘rightfully won’ the election but had it stolen from him in systemic fraud favoring Biden, according to a survey conducted between Nov. 13 and 17. Just 29% of Republicans said Biden rightfully won. Other polls since the election have reported that an even higher proportion – up to 80% – of Republicans trust Trump’s baseless fraud narrative.”   https://in.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-fraud-insight-idUSKBN2801D4   “If I’m being manipulated by Trump … then he is the greatest con man that ever lived in America,” Caleb Fryar said. “I think he’s the greatest patriot that ever lived.” According to the election results, most voters think he’s a con man. Unfortunately, they will soon discover that Joe Biden is also a con man.

Man whose attorneys claim he fired on Jacob Blake protesters in self-defense is back on the streets after his supporters raise $2 million for his bail. “Attorney Lin Wood said in a tweet on Friday that Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow, Inc., and actor Ricky Schroder helped raise the ‘required $2M cash bail’ for (Kyle) Rittenhouse…. Rittenhouse faces charges that he allegedly killed Anthony M. Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz during protests that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha in August.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/20/us/kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-shooting-bail-release/index.html

Congress recesses for a week for Thanksgiving holiday, without passing pandemic relief bill or extending emergency measures due to expire on December 31st. “Congress remains at a standstill on a relief package, as Democrats are calling for more than $2 trillion in new relief money, whereas Republicans in the Senate have set their sights on a much lower $500 billion figure.”   https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/congress-heads-home-thanksgiving-pandemic-relief-deal/story?id=74296744

Joe Biden tries to be hip by using Spanish phrase, fails. “… Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met on Friday at his transition headquarters in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, the top two Democrats in Congress…. Biden told Pelosi and Schumer that ‘in my Oval Office, mi casa, you casa’.”   https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-tells-pelosi-and-schumer-mi-casa-you-casa   How about ‘Mi casa es su casa’ (My home is your home) or if you want to be really friendly, ‘Mi casa es tu casa’.

37 dead, 350 arrested in Uganda after arrest of opposition leader sparks street protests. “The 38-year-old opposition figure (Bobi Wine), who has been arrested many times in recent years, has captured the imagination of many Ugandans with his persistent calls for (President Yoweri) Museveni to retire after 36 years in power.”    https://apnews.com/article/bobi-wine-kampala-health-elections-coronavirus-pandemic-5e0f669f868431ace6102162b7fa4e8a

Australian war crimes report fails to hold commanders responsible. “One serving SASR soldier said he found it impossible to believe that commanders were not aware of the culture of special forces – especially when they regularly drank with them in the Australia SAS bar, which was secretly allowed to operate in Afghanistan despite the ban on alcohol on the base.”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/21/australian-special-forces-soldiers-incensed-brereton-afghanistan-war-crimes-inquiry-clearing-commanders

Facebook removes tens of millions of posts that violate its terms of service. “During Q3 (July, August and September), Facebook says its automated systems and human content moderators took action on: 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content, about 95% of which was proactively identified (by Artificial Intelligence), 19.2 million pieces of violent and graphic content (up from 15 million in Q2), 12.4 million pieces of child nudity and sexual exploitation content (up from 9.5 million in Q2), 3.5 million pieces of bullying and harassment content (up from 2.4 million in Q2).”   https://www.fastcompany.com/90577901/facebook-says-its-deleting-95-of-hate-speech-before-anyone-sees-it

U.N. body votes 163 to 5 to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and establish an independent Palestinian state. “The proposal on Thursday in the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee — the committee that deals with human rights and humanitarian affairs — passed 163 to 5, with 10 abstentions. Canada, which typically votes alongside Israel in such resolutions, stood with the majority…. In addition to Israel and the US, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Nauru also voted against the resolution.”   https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-votes-163-5-in-support-of-palestinian-statehood-end-of-occupation/

Protesters target DNC headquarters, demand Green New Deal. “In Washington D.C., Indigenous, racial justice and climate activists staged a protest outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters Thursday calling on President-elect Biden to take immediate action on the climate crisis and approve the Green New Deal. Advocates are also calling for a corporate-free Cabinet.”   https://www.democracynow.org/2020/11/20/headlines/protesters_at_democratic_party_headquarters_demand_biden_support_green_new_deal   Good luck! Maybe you should have voted for Howie Hawkins?

Pro- and anti-war factions in U.S. politics cut across party lines, writes Glenn Greenwald. “…what are the real power centers in the U.S., the ones most responsible for its worst acts and greatest dangers? There are many places where that answer resides. One can find it right now in the ongoing effort to denounce the Trump White House for attempting to remove troops from Afghanistan, where the U.S. has been fighting and shooting and bombing in a war now about to enter its 20th year. Take a look at who is demanding that those troops remain, and there you will find the real axis of power — all of its component parts — in the United States.”   https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-new-ruling-coalition-opposition

Nine retail chains have quietly discontinued hazard pay for their front-line workers. “Among the household retail companies that provided additional pay to their employees, Dollar General’s single payment to employees in April made it the earliest company to end the additional pay. Kroger is next, having provided their last additional payments to employees in May. Albertsons, Amazon and Dollar Tree held out until June to make their final additional payments to employees. Big Lots and Walmart made their last additional payments in July. Best Buy ended its extra pandemic pay for employees in August. BJ’s Wholesale Club ended its $2 hourly wage increase in July and paid employees an additional bonus in September.”   https://www.citizen.org/article/sacrificial-workers-covid-hazard-pay-retail-workers-report/

Tax havens and tax dodging costing world’s governments $427 billion in revenue annually. “…abuse by multinational corporations is directly responsible for the loss of $245 billion each year, with companies shifting $1.38 trillion in profits out of the countries where those profits were earned into tax havens, the report said. Private tax evaders also stored a total of $10 trillion in offshore accounts, leading to a loss of $182 billion in public funding.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/20/crippling-common-good-worldwide-landmark-study-shows-427-billion-lost-each-year-tax

Council on Criminal Justice sponsors forum on criminal justice reform. “While criminal justice reform took a backseat to the pandemic in the 2020 elections, there’s consensus in statehouses across the country major changes are needed in policing and incarceration practices.”    https://www.courthousenews.com/legal-experts-and-prosecutors-push-for-nationwide-criminal-justice-reforms/