Daily Archives: December 11, 2020

2020-12-11: News Headlines

Alan Macleod (2020-12-11). Nine of the 10 Most Expensive Senate Races in US History Happened in 2020. mintpressnews.com Elections are getting far more expensive. The 2016 election alone cost around $6.5 billion, and there is only one place to get money like that: super-wealthy donors with deep pockets and high expectations.

Chauncey K. Robinson, Matt Bernico (2020-12-11). PW Podcast: Rev. Liz Theoharis talks voter suppression and poverty. peoplesworld.org Beyond the Page is a companion podcast to the award-winning publication People's World. With every episode, we'll take you deeper into the topics covered at PeoplesWorld.org. Our program brings you in-depth interviews with journalists and activists on the most pressing stories in progressive politics, labor, and the struggle for socialism in the United States. As …

Yasmina Allouche (2020-12-11). 'Algerians are hurting': Dinar's dramatic fall deepens economic woes. middleeasteye.net 'Algerians are hurting': Dinar's dramatic fall deepens economic woes | Coronavirus and sharp drop in oil prices have exposed decades of failure to diversify away from natural resources, experts tell MEE | Fri, 12/11/2020 – 09: 35 | Once boasting wealthy resources, the North African country has seen its foreign exchange reserves significantly depleted in the last few years (AFP/file photo)…

CP Editor (2020-12-11). Dr. Paul Farmer: Centuries of Inequality in the U.S. Laid Groundwork for Pandemic Devastation. counterpunch.org

ACLU (2020-12-11). What 100 Years of History Tells Us About Racism in Policing. aclu.org In the middle of the 2020 pandemic, America was shaken by the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the protests that erupted in the aftermath. But the disturbing trends we see today in police violence are the same patterns we've seen over the last 100 years. Again and again, commissions convened to examine why police brutality sparks unrest have come to the same conclusion: We must address the poverty and systemic racism that go hand in hand with policing communities of color., , This week, we launched a series of four short films taking a critical look at what we've learned from the last 100 years…

Fight Back (2020-12-11). New claims for unemployment insurance jump almost 20% in one week. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On Thursday, December 10, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that new claims for regular state unemployment went up by 137,000, or 19.1% for the week ending December 5. This is the biggest increase in applications for unemployment since the first week of April. In addition, new claims for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA also increased by almost 140,000. The total of almost 280,000 applications by jobless Americans in a week was the second largest jump during the entire recession, raising the danger of a 'double-dip' recession, where the economy goes downhill a second time.

Rod Driver (2020-12-11). "Elephants in the Room": Scary 'R' Us: The Exaggerated Threat of Terrorism. globalresearch.ca This is the sixth in a series entitled Elephants In The Room, which attempts to provide a beginners guide to understanding what's really going on in relation to war, terrorism, economics and poverty, without the nonsense in the mainstream media….

Eds. (2020-12-10). Over 200 million workers and farmers protest against poverty and unemployment triggered by COVID Lockdown. mronline.org The general strike occurred in the context of the devastation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic in India. Added to this are the millions of people who have lost income and who now face increased poverty and hunger, in a country where even before the pandemic 50 percent of all children suffered malnourishment.

RT (2020-12-10). Former Yeltsin-era oligarch Khodorkovsky denies he admitted guilt to Putin in exchange for 2013 presidential pardon. rt.com Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's wealthiest man, clashed with Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, over whether he had privately confessed he was guilty of fraud, as a $50 billion legal battle over his former oil empire rages on. | On Thursday, the president told reporters that the oligarch had "indirectly admitted [guilt], in a letter to me and asked for release ahead of schedule because his mother was sick and dying." The president added that "I might be wrong, but I think it's required by law that someone has to admit their guilt — because how else can you pardon them?" | However, in a statement to his MBK…

WSWS (2020-12-10). Public sector workers mount national strike across Italy. wsws.org There is mass opposition in the working class to unsafe working conditions and the malignant social inequality fueled by decades of austerity and exacerbated by the pandemic.

Americans for Tax Fairness (2020-12-10). Net Worth of US Billionaires Has Soared by $1 Trillion to Total of $4 Trillion Since Pandemic Began. globalresearch.ca The collective wealth of America's 651 billionaires has jumped by over $1 trillion since roughly the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to a total of $4 trillion at market close on Monday, December 7, 2020. Their wealth growth since March …

Michael Albert (2020-12-10). On Participatory Economics, Pt. 1. zcomm.org 'What do you want?' is a constant query put to economic and globalization activists decrying current poverty, alienation, and degradation…

news.un (2020-12-10). Rich countries' support for children 'totally inadequate': UN report. news.un.org The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, slams the levels of financial support for children allocated by high-income countries during the pandemic as totally inadequate, in a child poverty report issued on Friday.

John Stanton (2020-12-10). What is the United States of America? A Military Democracy. dissidentvoice.org Military leader, council, assembly of the people are the organs of gentile society developed into military democracy — military, since war and organization for war have now become regular functions of national life. Their neighbors' wealth excites the greed of peoples who already see in the acquisition of wealth one of the main aims of …

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-10). 'Pass the Damn Covid Relief Bill': Shoplifting of Essentials on Rise as Millions Struggle to Feed Families. commondreams.org "This state of austerity is an artificial cruelty designed to redistribute wealth, enrich the obscenely wealthy, and keep us under the thumb of employers and politicians." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1280324065_1.jpg

Multiple community partners (2020-12-10). Wednesday 12/9: Book Talk: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" w/ author Matthew Desmond. indybay.org Online event (FREE)…

Staff (2020-12-09). People's Vaccine: Calls Grow for Equal Access to Coronavirus Vaccine as Rich Countries Hoard Supply. democracynow.org While the United States, Britain and other wealthy countries race to vaccinate their populations against the coronavirus, a new report finds that as much as 90% of the population in dozens of poorer countries could be forced to wait until at least 2022 because wealthy countries are hoarding so much of the vaccine supply. A growing movement is calling for the development of a people's vaccine and the suspension of intellectual property rights to expand access. We speak with Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, a policy adviser to the People's Vaccine Alliance, and Achal Prabhala, a public health advocate and coordinator of the…

Kayla Soren (2020-12-09). Black Dirt Farm Collective: Building a Self-Sufficient Community. counterpunch.org The Black Dirt Farm Collective is currently funded by grants, donations, and income from their training programs, but they are working toward building an Afroecological village that is self-sustaining and autonomous from wealthy donors. This interview with the Maryland-based collective's shakara tyler and Blain Snipstal is the second in a series highlighting grassroots organizations working,

The Canary (2020-12-09). Poor people don't have to pay for the pandemic. A one-off 'wealth tax' would raise £260bn. thecanary.co A one-off "wealth tax" should be implemented in preference to increasing general taxes on work or spending, a report has recommended. | This should happen if the government decides to raise taxes as part of its response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, the Wealth Tax Commission, a body made up of academics, policymakers, and tax practitioners said. | Inequality: | There have already been indications that the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated existing financial inequalities. | People in professional or managerial jobs may have found it easier to continue their work from home during the pandemic than…

Black Dirt Farm Collective (2020-12-09). A Black Agrarian Collective is Working To Build a Self-Sufficient Community. zcomm.org The Maryland-based initiative targets people who have historically helped to build the wealth of this society but had no real participation in that wealth…

Media Lens (2020-12-08). Stuck in a Lift with John Pilger: News and How to Use It by Alan Rusbridger. dissidentvoice.org Noticing the way journalists seemed unable to resist commenting on our work, even if it was just to slag us off, Glenn Greenwald tweeted us in 2012: 'You are really deeper in the heads of the British establishment-serving commentariat than anyone else — congrats.' ((Greenwald, Twitter, 12 September 2012.)) If that was true then, our relationship …

2020-12-11: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

Nine of the 10 Most Expensive Senate Races in US History Happened in 2020
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-11
Elections are getting far more expensive. The 2016 election alone cost around $6.5 billion, and there is only one place to get money like that: super-wealthy donors with deep pockets and high expectations.
mintpressnews.com/nine-of-the-10-most-expensive-senate-races-in-us-history-happened-in-2020/273581/

New claims for unemployment insurance jump almost 20% in one week
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-11
San José, CA – On Thursday, December 10, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that new claims for regular state unemployment went up by 137,000, or 19.1% for the week ending December 5. This is the biggest increase in applications for unemployment since the first week of April. In addition, new claims for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA also increased by almost 140,000. The total of almost 280,000 applications by jobless Americans in a week was the second largest jump during the entire recession, raising the danger of a 'double-dip' recession, where the economy goes downhill a second time.
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/12/11/new-claims-unemployment-insurance-jump-almost-20-one-week

Dr. Paul Farmer: Centuries of Inequality in the U.S. Laid Groundwork for Pandemic Devastation
CP Editor | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-11
counterpunch.org/2020/12/11/dr-paul-farmer-centuries-of-inequality-in-the-u-s-laid-groundwork-for-pandemic-devastation/

What 100 Years of History Tells Us About Racism in Policing
aclu.org | 2020-12-11
In the middle of the 2020 pandemic, America was shaken by the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the protests that erupted in the aftermath. But the disturbing trends we see today in police violence are the same patterns we've seen over the last 100 years. Again and again, commissions convened to examine why police brutality sparks unrest have come to the same conclusion: We must address the poverty and systemic racism that go hand in hand with policing communities of color., , This week, we launched a series of four short films taking a critical look at what we've learned from the last 100 years…
aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/what-100-years-of-history-tells-us-about-racism-in-policing

'Algerians are hurting': Dinar's dramatic fall deepens economic woes
Yasmina Allouche | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-11
'Algerians are hurting': Dinar's dramatic fall deepens economic woes | Coronavirus and sharp drop in oil prices have exposed decades of failure to diversify away from natural resources, experts tell MEE | Yasmina Allouche | Fri, 12/11/2020 – 09: 35 | Once boasting wealthy resources, the North African country has seen its foreign exchange reserves significantly depleted in the last few years (AFP/file photo)…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/algeria-dinar-record-low-economic-collapse

"Elephants in the Room": Scary 'R' Us: The Exaggerated Threat of Terrorism
Rod Driver | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-11
This is the sixth in a series entitled Elephants In The Room, which attempts to provide a beginners guide to understanding what's really going on in relation to war, terrorism, economics and poverty, without the nonsense in the mainstream media….
globalresearch.ca/scary-r-us-2-exaggerated-threat-terrorism/5731904

New claims for unemployment insurance jump almost 20% in one week
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-12-11
San José, CA – On Thursday, December 10, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that new claims for regular state unemployment went up by 137,000, or 19.1% for the week ending December 5. This is the biggest increase in applications for unemployment since the first week of April. In addition, new claims for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA also increased by almost 140,000. The total of almost 280,000 applications by jobless Americans in a week was the second largest jump during the entire recession, raising the danger of a 'double-dip' recession, where the economy goes downhill a second time.
fightbacknews.org/2020/12/11/new-claims-unemployment-insurance-jump-almost-20-one-week

PW Podcast: Rev. Liz Theoharis talks voter suppression and poverty
Chauncey K. Robinson, Matt Bernico | peoplesworld.org | 2020-12-11
Beyond the Page is a companion podcast to the award-winning publication People's World. With every episode, we'll take you deeper into the topics covered at PeoplesWorld.org. Our program brings you in-depth interviews with journalists and activists on the most pressing stories in progressive politics, labor, and the struggle for socialism in the United States. As …
peoplesworld.org/article/pw-podcast-rev-liz-theoharis-talks-voter-suppression-and-poverty/

Public sector workers mount national strike across Italy
wsws.org | 2020-12-10
There is mass opposition in the working class to unsafe working conditions and the malignant social inequality fueled by decades of austerity and exacerbated by the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/10/ital-d10.html

Former Yeltsin-era oligarch Khodorkovsky denies he admitted guilt to Putin in exchange for 2013 presidential pardon
rt.com | 2020-12-10
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's wealthiest man, clashed with Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, over whether he had privately confessed he was guilty of fraud, as a $50 billion legal battle over his former oil empire rages on. | On Thursday, the president told reporters that the oligarch had "indirectly admitted [guilt], in a letter to me and asked for release ahead of schedule because his mother was sick and dying." The president added that "I might be wrong, but I think it's required by law that someone has to admit their guilt — because how else can you pardon them?" | However, in a statement to his MBK…
rt.com/russia/509268-oligarch-khodorkovsky-putin-jail/

Beating Up on Finance
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-10
When I do one of my diatribes about how our protectionist barriers allow U.S. doctors to earn twice as much as doctors in other wealthy countries, I invariably get complaints from doctors and their friends asking why I don't go after the really big bucks people on Wall Street. The answer of course is that…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/10/beating-up-on-finance/

Over 200 million workers and farmers protest against poverty and unemployment triggered by COVID Lockdown
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-12-10
The general strike occurred in the context of the devastation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic in India. Added to this are the millions of people who have lost income and who now face increased poverty and hunger, in a country where even before the pandemic 50 percent of all children suffered malnourishment.
mronline.org/2020/12/10/over-200-million-workers-and-farmers-protest-against-poverty-and-unemployment-triggered-by-covid-lockdown/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=over-200-million-workers-and-farmers-protest-against-poverty-and-unemployment-triggered-by-covid-lockdown

Rich countries' support for children 'totally inadequate': UN report
news.un.org | 2020-12-10
The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, slams the levels of financial support for children allocated by high-income countries during the pandemic as totally inadequate, in a child poverty report issued on Friday.