2020-12-08: News Headlines

Staff (2020-12-08). Black Mom Swarmed & Beaten by Philly Riot Police with Toddler in Car Demands Officers Be Fired. democracynow.org A Black mother who was attacked by a horde of Philadelphia police officers is speaking out about the harrowing experience. Rickia Young was driving an SUV with her 2-year-old son and teenage nephew on October 27 as the city was engulfed in protest over the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. earlier that day. Officers descended on the vehicle, broke its windows, assaulted and arrested her and separated her from her child. Young's arrest went viral due to a shocking video of the police swarming her vehicle, and after the National Fraternal Order of Police — the country's largest police union — posted…

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 …

Ralph Nader (2020-12-08). Action for Change Starts in Congress. counterpunch.org We know their names! We've given immense power to Five Hundred and Thirty-Five People to do good or bad. One Hundred Senators and Four Hundred and Thirty-Five Representatives. Unfortunately, some 1500 corporations control most Members of Congress. Think about all the dreams for a better world that could come to be realized if our elected officials

RT (2020-12-08). France will build nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace Charles de Gaulle flagship, says Macron. rt.com President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled plans for France's new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which will replace the navy's current flagship, the Charles de Gaulle, by 2038. | "Nuclear power will remain the cornerstone of our strategic autonomy," Macron said on Tuesday, as he visited the Framatome nuclear reactor construction plant in the eastern town of Le Creusot. | France's new carrier — its 11th in total — will boast speeds of up to 27 knots (50 km/h), weigh in at around 75,000 tons, and run some 300 meters long — about 1.5 times the size of the Charles de Gaulle. | pic.twitter.com/Js9uQfD…

Negar Mortazavi (2020-12-08). US Sanctions Have Caused Iranians Untold Misery — And Achieved Nothing. globalresearch.ca "My young cousin passed away last week," an Iranian Twitter user recently lamented. "She needed medication for her cancer that doctors said can't be found." | The tweet tragically went on: "Maybe she'd be alongside her little daughter now if she …

Staff (2020-12-08). After Uber and Lyft's Prop 22 Win, Big Tech Could Push Wave of Anti-Worker Laws. truthout.org Image Credit: Facebook/Gig Workers Rising | Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft scored a major victory with the passage of Proposition 22 in California, and worker rights advocates fear they will push similar measures in other states. Prop 22 will exempt companies in the so-called gig economy from having to classify their workers in the state as employees rather than as independent contractors. Uber, Lyft and other companies that rely on gig workers spent more than $200 million to promote Prop…

_____ (2020-12-07). US Congress And Corporate Media Claim Venezuela's Government Threatened To Starve Non-Voters. popularresistance.org Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US corporate media declared Venezuela's legislative elections a "sham" before results were even announced, opening a new front in the propaganda war on the besieged country and its leftist government. | Among the most blatant distortions deployed against President Nicolas Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) was a claim first advanced by Leopoldo López, the far-right, US-backed opposition leader who recently fled to Spain. | On Twitter, López tweeted a deceptively edited clip of Constituent Assembly President Diosdado Cabello addressing an election rally, and accu…

teleSUR (2020-12-07). FM Arreaza Rejects US Claims of Fraud at Venezuelan Elections. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza Sunday rejected the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statements about an alleged "fraud" at the National Assembly elections. | RELATED: | "Pompeo must accept that the policy towards the Bolivarian nation has failed. According to President Donald Trump, the fraud was committed in the U.S. elections," Arreaza tweeted, alluding to the claims of the White House leader after…

Nadda Osman (2020-12-07). Egypt's new crackdown on powerful businessmen sparks criticism. middleeasteye.net Egypt's new crackdown on powerful businessmen sparks criticism | The arrest of the owner of a major chain of stores in Egypt follows a pattern of arrests of influential businessmen once allied with the Sisi government | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 13: 33 | Sayed Sowerky's Al-Tawhid wel Noor stores, selling household items and clothing, are found across Egypt (Screengrab/Social media) | The arrest of a prominent Eg…

Nadda Osman (2020-12-07). Lebanese designer removes bag made from explosion debris after backlash. middleeasteye.net Lebanese designer removes bag made from explosion debris after backlash | The 'Silo' bag, which uses glass from August port blast, has been denounced as distasteful | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 15: 04 | The bag has been criticised online, with many calling it exploitative (Screengrab/Twitter) | A Lebanese accessories brand has come under fire after selling a "Silo" bag made from glass from the 4 August Beirut por…

MEE and agencies (2020-12-07). As Sisi meets Macron, Egypt renews detention of human rights activist. middleeasteye.net As Sisi meets Macron, Egypt renews detention of human rights activist | A number of detained members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights were released last week, but Zaki remains in custody pending similar charges | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 10: 39 | Patrick George Zaki has been in custody since 7 February upon his return from Italy, where he had been living and studying (Twitter) | A l…

Nur Ayoubi (2020-12-07). 'Trolling to another level': Palestinians pose as Emiratis in Tel Aviv. middleeasteye.net 'Trolling to another level': Palestinians pose as Emiratis in Tel Aviv | Israelis flock to Palestinian men in dishdashas for photographs in viral video praised for its humour | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 13: 14 | Palestinians wearing traditional Emirati clothes as they filmed themselves in Tel Aviv on Saturday (Screengrab/ Twitter) | Palestinian citizens of Israel are often subjected to hostility and suspicion in th…

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-12-07). Arabic press review: Family of Egypt's Mubarak to sue EU over 'illegal sanctions'. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Family of Egypt's Mubarak to sue EU over 'illegal sanctions' | Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia prepares for reconciliation with Qatar, Bashir's health deteriorates in jail, and video of Egyptian man throwing cash from balcony goes viral | Mon, 12/07/2020 – 16: 38 | Gamal Mubarak (seen to right of his late father Hosni) said he will sue the Council of the European Union after winning…

David Edwards (2020-12-07). Stuck In A Lift With John Pilger — 'News And How To Use It' by Alan Rusbridger. zcomm.org Pilger tells the unfiltered, uncompromised truth about the foundations of power. His focus is on speaking up for the victims of power, not on serving power…

Ashley Gorski (2020-12-07). The First Amendment Fight Against the WeChat Ban. aclu.org Imagine waking up one day, unlocking your phone, and realizing that you could no longer send or receive messages through your favorite app. Or make or receive calls. Or scroll through your social media feed. Imagine that all of these functions were rolled into one essential app that you and your friends, family, and co-workers depended on, and that the U.S. government had decided to ban it., , That's exactly what the Trump administration is attempting to do with WeChat, a communications app that millions of people in the United States depend on to connect with friends, family, and business contacts across the…