2020-11-27: News Headlines

MEE and agencies (2020-11-27). Clashes between rival protesters leaves four dead, dozens wounded in Iraq's south. middleeasteye.net Clashes between rival protesters leaves four dead, dozens wounded in Iraq's south | Followers of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr attacked a tent camp of anti-government protesters in Nasiriyah's Haboubi Square | Fri, 11/27/2020 – 17: 45 | Tens of thousands of Sadr supporters hit the streets of Baghdad and the southern city of Nasiriyah (AFP/File photo) | Four people were shot dead and dozens of oth…

Stephen Lendman (2020-11-27). No Thanks on Thanksgiving During US-Engineered Economic Collapse. globalresearch.ca On Thanksgiving day, throughout the year, with likely worsening times ahead, ordinary Americans are suffering through the hardest of hard times in US history. | For 36 straight weeks since March, over one million Americans sought unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. | It's …

John Pilger (2020-11-27). Britain's Class War on Children. counterpunch.org When I first reported on child poverty in Britain, I was struck by the faces of children I spoke to, especially the eyes. They were different: watchful, fearful. In Hackney, in 1975, I filmed Irene Brunsden's family. Irene told me she gave her two-year-old a plate of cornflakes. "She doesn't tell me she's hungry, she

_____ (2020-11-27). International Coalition Of Activists Launches Protest Against Amazon. popularresistance.org An international group of climate activists and Amazon warehouse workers have launched an online campaign called "Make Amazon Pay," calling on the tech giant to provide better working conditions for its employees and to reduce its expanding carbon footprint. The protests come just as the New York Times reports that the Seattle-based company has been on a hiring spree this year, expanding its global workforce. | "During the Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon became a trillion dollar corporation, with CEO Jeff Bezos becoming the first person in history to amass $200 billion in personal wealth," the campaign states on its we…

_____ (2020-11-27). COVID-19 Economy: A Deliberate Disaster. popularresistance.org With nearly 12 million cases and a quarter million deaths in the US so far (over 55 million cases and 1.3 million deaths world-wide), the COVID 19 pandemic is ravaging civilization. The disease is on track to be the deadliest epidemic since 1918. | The economic fallout for the working class has been severe. In the US, unemployment has skyrocketed, with 45.4 million new unemployment claims since March 14. At least 1/6 of those with jobs before the pandemic are now out of work. According to The New York Times, "The economic downturn is shaping up to be particularly devastating for renters, who are more likely to be…

Fight Back (2020-11-27). Millions face a financial cliff as grim economic news keeps on coming. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Wednesday, November 25, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that new claims for regular state unemployment benefits increased for the second week in a row, up 30,000 to 778,000. This is the highest level in five weeks and the first time since July with back-to-back increases. Adding in the weekly new claims for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA for the self-employed and gig workers, almost 1.1 million people sought government aid in the recession. | For the first time in almost two months, the total number of people receiving government unemployment benefits across all progra…

The Canary (2020-11-27). Celebrities demand airlines stop mass deportation flight to Jamaica. thecanary.co Supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Thandie Newton are among a host of prominent figures calling on airlines not to operate a mass deportation flight to Jamaica next week. | "Unlawful and wrongful": | The open letter is addressed to the bosses of multiple airlines including Hi Fly, Titan Airways, and TUI UK and Ireland. In it more than 90 high-profile figures, campaigners, and activists have urged the companies to decline to operate the planned 2 December flight. | They are also calling for a pause on the operation of future deportation flights to Commonwealth countries. | The letter, which also include…

The Canary (2020-11-27). Charity issues warning that fuel poverty will kill terminally ill people quicker this winter. thecanary.co Fuel poverty will kill people quicker this winter as terminally ill people struggle to afford to heat their homes, a charity has warned. | At risk: | High energy bills, delays in accessing benefits, and the other costs associated with their illness are leaving terminally ill people struggling to afford their heating costs, said end of life charity Marie Curie. It warned the consequences of living in cold, damp housing could lead to new infections, make existing symptoms worse, affect mental wellbeing and in the worst cases even hasten death. | In a report on 27 November, it said between 2014-2019 in Engla…

Commonwealth Club (2020-11-27). Tuesday 12/1: Alicia Garza: BLM Co-Founder & Activist on New Book, "The Purpose of Power" indybay.org Online via livestream…

MEE and agencies (2020-11-26). Gaza blockade has pushed more than one million people below poverty line. middleeasteye.net Gaza blockade has pushed more than one million people below poverty line | UN report says that 11-year blockade of the coastal enclave cost Palestinians $16.7bn | Thu, 11/26/2020 – 12: 03 | Vehicles transporting Palestinians about to cross onto the Egyptian side wait at the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt (AFP) | Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip has pushed more th…

Chuck Collins (2020-11-26). Facing Holiday Rush, Frontlines Retail Workers Urge Billionaire Bosses to Share the Wealth. counterpunch.org This Black Friday and Cyber Monday, frontline essential workers will be hustling to help holiday shoppers — while also fighting for dignity, hazard pay, and other protections as Covid-19 infection rates spike again in many regions. Rina Cummings, who works at the JFK8 Amazon Warehouse on Staten Island, feels like the billionaire owners are sending

Amanda Mills (2020-11-26). "It's going to be a billionaire Thanksgiving." Wealth of US richest just hit $1 trillion since the start of the pandemic. nationofchange.org "The increases in billionaire wealth continue to defy gravity in the real economy where millions have lost their jobs, health, and livelihoods."

Chuck Collins (2020-11-26). It's a Billionaire's Thanksgiving: Wealth of Richest Surges Past $1 Trillion Since Pandemic Hit. commondreams.org The combined wealth of U.S. billionaires has grown 34 percent since March 2020. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/elon_musk_thanksgiving_billionaires.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-11-26). Amid Public Health and Employment Crises, New Survey Shows Poor Americans Agree on Policy Solutions. commondreams.org With over 262,000 Americans killed by Covid-19, millions jobless and at risk of soon losing unemployment aid, and families and friends warned against spending Thanksgiving together because of the dangers of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, new polling results revealed Thursday that people with low incomes agree upon a range of policy solutions to poverty and hunger. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12770002851.jpg

WSWS (2020-11-26). What the rich are thankful for. wsws.org Amid mass unemployment, hunger and death, America's financial oligarchy is celebrating a bumper year.

PAI (2020-11-25). COVID Thanksgiving: Jobs crisis brings unhappy Turkey Day for millions. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The latest joblessness figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal an unhappy Thanksgiving "Turkey Day," as some 20.45 million workers still drew state or federal unemployment checks as of Nov. 7—and the despair could increase even more as the December holidays approach. That's because a key source of money for those workers, federal aid, …

Margaret Flowers (2020-11-25). People Are Rising Up Against The Elites, So Should We. dissidentvoice.org Protest in Peru: The people demand neither corruption or exploitation This weekend, ten thousand people took to the streets in Guatemala to protest the President and Congress over a proposed budget, the largest in its history, that cuts funds for health care and education as poverty rises, and provides slush funds to politicians and governments. …

news.un (2020-11-25). UN report finds Gaza suffered $16.7 billion loss from siege and occupation. news.un.org Israel's military operations and prolonged closure of Gaza, has caused economic damage of $16.7 billion between 2007 and 2018, driving the poverty rate up almost fourfold compared to what it might have otherwise been, the UN trade and development agency UNCTAD said in a report published on Wednesday.

Heidi Shierholz (2020-11-25). Millions Will Lose Unemployment Benefits in December Unless GOP Senators Act. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/un.jpg

Alison Stine (2020-11-25). Don't just laugh at "Hillbilly Elegy" — its damaging myths still need to be countered. salon.com J.D. Vance's memoir and the movie perpetuate dangerous stereotypes about Appalachia, poverty, women and addiction…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2020-11-25). Stock Market Soars and Billionaire Wealth Swells by $1 Trillion as Food Lines Stretch 'As Far As the Eye Can See'. commondreams.org "During the pandemic that has taken everything from millions, U.S. billionaires have now collectively gained over $1 trillion." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/billionaires_thanksgiving.png

Margaret Flowers (2020-11-24). The Imperative To Achieve National Improved Medicare For All. zcomm.org The majority of people in the United States support a universal healthcare system. The opportunity to win it is now because the recession means our uninsured numbers will soar and the current healthcare system cannot address the COVID-19 crisis…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-11-24). With Just 1% of Farms Controlling 70% of Global Farmland, Study Reveals 'Shocking' Level of Land Inequality. commondreams.org "A transformative agenda… is urgent and is in the interests of all humanity." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/land-inequality-shocking.jpg

teleSUR (2020-11-24). Guatemala Takes to the Streets to Urge Gianmattei's Resignation. telesurenglish.net Guatemala's Indigenous movements, social organizations, students, political actors, and religious authorities Tuesday called for a peaceful march to demand the resignation of President Alejandro Gianmattei for his scant efforts to combat poverty and inequality in the country. | RELATED: | "We will take to the streets against all corrupt politicians," the Xinca People's Parliament stated as it informed the demonstration will…

_____ (2020-11-24). Indigenous Peoples' Victory: Largest Dam Removal In The World. popularresistance.org After nearly two decades, Indigenous Peoples win an agreement for the largest dam removal in the world. Four of the six dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon will be taken down, allowing the water to flow freely again and the salmon to spawn. This is a powerful story of how four tribes put aside their past conflicts to work together and environmental groups participated in an indigenous-led campaign that took on two of the wealthiest men in the world, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. And this is an example of why, if we want to succeed in restoring our relationship with the earth, Indigenous Peoples mu…

WSWS (2020-11-24). Chicago nursing home workers launch strike against poverty wages, lack of protection from COVID-19. wsws.org Nearly 700 certified nursing assistants and other workers walked out Monday morning for higher pay, more staffing and protections against COVID-19.

CGTN (2020-11-24). China Lifts all Remaining Poverty-stricken Counties out of Absolute Poverty. dissidentvoice.org Southwest China's Guizhou Province says it has eliminated absolute poverty in its last nine impoverished counties, meaning there are no more counties listed as impoverished in the whole of China.