Daily Archives: December 26, 2020

2020-12-26: News Headlines

Robert Koehler (2020-12-25). Restoring the Soul of America. counterpunch.org "One major difference between GOP and Dems is that [Republicans] leverage their right flank to gain policy concessions and generate enthusiasm, while Dems lock their left flank in the basement [because] they think that will make Republicans be nicer to them." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nailed it once again, tweeting her frustration and despair a few days ago

Bob Topper (2020-12-25). Minority Rule in America? counterpunch.org On October 7, 2020, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "Democracy isn't the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that." Rank? Lee is saying that if all eligible voters are allowed to do so, they will thwart "prospefity"? Who knew? For an American politician

MEE staff (2020-12-24). Rights groups join Facebook in lawsuit against Israeli NSO Group. middleeasteye.net Rights groups join Facebook in lawsuit against Israeli NSO Group | In amicus brief filed in US Court of Appeals, rights groups say NSO prioritises profit over human rights | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 16: 21 | Israeli NSO Group is well known for selling hacking software to government clients (AFP/File photo) | A coalition of human rights groups has joined Facebook's legal fight against Israeli spyware vendor NSO, alleg…

RT (2020-12-24). 'The deal is done!' Boris Johnson tweets triumphant photo after Brexit agreement struck. rt.com British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clearly in a celebratory mood on Christmas Eve, after the UK and EU agreed on a post-Brexit trade deal. A photo shared on Twitter captured his reaction to the historic moment. | The UK and the European Union (EU) agreed on Thursday to a post-Brexit trade deal, ending 11 months of negotiations that began on January 31 when Britain officially left the bloc and entered a transition period. | Shortly after agreeing to the deal with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, Johnson flashed photographers a twin thumbs-up from behind his desk. "The deal is done,…

Asieh Namdar (2020-12-24). The Heat: Social media's influence. america.cgtn.com Critics say it's addictive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous, and it's something billions of people around the world use every day.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-24). 'Trying to Kill Me': Black Doctor Who Died of Covid-19 Posted Harrowing Video Alleging Medical Racism. commondreams.org "This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home and they don't know how to fight for themselves," said Dr. Susan Moore in a video she posted on Facebook. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/moore_1.jpg

Zach Farber (2020-12-23). Interview with Amaurie Johnson: 'There's a lot of things that I want changed'. liberationnews.org In cell phone videos that went viral, Amaurie Johnson was assaulted by now former officer Matt Dages on May 27 in La Mesa, Ca.

Staff (2020-12-23). "Worse Than Being in Iraq": Veteran & ER Doctor Says Pandemic Is Pushing Hospitals to Breaking Point. democracynow.org As the U.S. averages more than 200,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, we speak with Dr. Cleavon Gilman, an emergency physician who has been treating patients since the beginning of the U.S. outbreak, first in New York City and now in Yuma, Arizona. Dr. Gilman is also an Iraq War veteran who served as a Marine combat medic, and has kept a public diary of his experiences treating COVID-19 patients. He was fired after tweeting that Arizona's ICU beds were full, and then got his job back after public outcry. "This pandemic is worse than being in Iraq," says Dr. Gilman. "This virus is a Trojan horse, and it just hides in…

Nur Ayoubi (2020-12-23). 'Good luck ladies': Kuwait exclusively appoints men to its Women's Committee. middleeasteye.net 'Good luck ladies': Kuwait exclusively appoints men to its Women's Committee | The committee has been widely criticised online, forcing Kuwait's precarious position on gender equality back into the spotlight | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 13: 21 | Members of Kuwait's Parliamentary Women's Committee (Screengrab/ twitter) | The newly appointed, all-male parliamentary Women's Committee of Kuwait has been met with ridicul…

WSWS (2020-12-23). UK: Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth Hospital staff respond to frontline nurse's exposure of dangerous working conditions. wsws.org Posted on the NHS FightBack Facebook group page, the letter was read by hundreds of people and widely shared. It was also shared to various NHS based campaign groups across Facebook.

sputniknews (2020-12-23). Trump Threatens Iran, Tweets Rocket Photos Claiming to Prove Complicity in Baghdad Embassy Attack. sputniknews.com The Trump administration has long claimed attacks against US forces in Iraq and across the Middle East are orchestrated by Iran, but it has consistently failed to present damning evidence of the claim.

news.un (2020-12-23). Hate speech on Facebook poses 'acute challenges to human dignity' — UN expert. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert called on Wednesday for Facebook's Oversight Board to give greater consideration to the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities before making decisions over controversial content, particularly involving hate speech.

2020-12-26: 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.)

Restoring the Soul of America
Robert Koehler | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-25
"One major difference between GOP and Dems is that [Republicans] leverage their right flank to gain policy concessions and generate enthusiasm, while Dems lock their left flank in the basement [because] they think that will make Republicans be nicer to them." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez nailed it once again, tweeting her frustration and despair a few days ago…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/25/restoring-the-soul-of-america/

Minority Rule in America?
Bob Topper | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-25
On October 7, 2020, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted, "Democracy isn't the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that." Rank? Lee is saying that if all eligible voters are allowed to do so, they will thwart "prospefity"? Who knew? For an American politician…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/25/minority-rule-in-america/

'Path of hope has opened': Argentina's president thanks Sputnik V developers & Putin for making Covid vaccine deliveries possible
rt.com | 2020-12-24
Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez has expressed his gratitude to Russia after a plane from Moscow delivered the first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus to Buenos Aires earlier on Thursday. | "Argentina now has a vaccine against Covid-19," Fernandez wrote on Twitter, thanking the developers of Sputnik V and Russian leader Vladimir Putin "for the attitude they have shown toward our country." | "A path of hope has opened" after the arrival of the Russian vaccine to the country, he said. However, the president pointed out that the pandemic hasn't yet ended and the public must continue to…
rt.com/russia/510701-sputnikvaccine-argentina-fernandez/

'Trying to Kill Me': Black Doctor Who Died of Covid-19 Posted Harrowing Video Alleging Medical Racism
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-24
"This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home and they don't know how to fight for themselves," said Dr. Susan Moore in a video she posted on Facebook. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/moore_1.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/24/trying-kill-me-black-doctor-who-died-covid-19-posted-harrowing-video-alleging?cd-origin=rss

'The deal is done!' Boris Johnson tweets triumphant photo after Brexit agreement struck
rt.com | 2020-12-24
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clearly in a celebratory mood on Christmas Eve, after the UK and EU agreed on a post-Brexit trade deal. A photo shared on Twitter captured his reaction to the historic moment. | The UK and the European Union (EU) agreed on Thursday to a post-Brexit trade deal, ending 11 months of negotiations that began on January 31 when Britain officially left the bloc and entered a transition period. | Shortly after agreeing to the deal with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, Johnson flashed photographers a twin thumbs-up from behind his desk. "The deal is done,…
rt.com/uk/510674-boris-johnson-brexit-deal-done/

Rights groups join Facebook in lawsuit against Israeli NSO Group
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-24
Rights groups join Facebook in lawsuit against Israeli NSO Group | In amicus brief filed in US Court of Appeals, rights groups say NSO prioritises profit over human rights | MEE staff | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 16: 21 | Israeli NSO Group is well known for selling hacking software to government clients (AFP/File photo) | A coalition of human rights groups has joined Facebook's legal fight against Israeli spyware vendor NSO, alleg…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/rights-groups-join-facebook-lawsuit-against-israeli-nso-group

Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report
MEE staff | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-24
Palestinian Facebook pages see audience crash due to algorithm tweaks: Report | Sharp drop of user-reach linked to pages' coverage of recent Arab-Israeli normalisation agreements | MEE staff | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 14: 09 | The social media giant Facebook employs algorithm management that users will not notice (AFP) | Palestinians and Arab pages on Facebook, focusing on Israeli violations against Palestinians and on the Arab…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestinians-facebook-drop-audience-data-algorithms

Digital Watchdog Says Facebook Behind 'Intentional Decrease' in Traffic to Pro-Palestinian Pages
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-24
Sada Social Center says visits to some pages have plummeted by as much as 80%. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pal.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/24/digital-watchdog-says-facebook-behind-intentional-decrease-traffic-pro-palestinian?cd-origin=rss

Life-saving cargo: Plane with Russia's Sputnik V vaccine arrives in Argentina (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2020-12-24
After spending more than 20 hours in the air, a plane with the first batch of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus landed in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, on Thursday. | Argentina's health minister, Gines Gonzalez Garcia, and other top officials were at the Ezeiza International Airport to meet the long-awaited cargo arriving from Moscow. | "It's a very special day filled with a lot of emotions," Gonzalez Garcia wrote on Twitter, adding that vaccinations will begin "as soon as possible." Argentinian medics will be the first to get the shots, followed by senior citizens and members of law e…
rt.com/russia/510670-argentina-russia-sputnik-vaccine/

The Heat: Social media's influence
Asieh Namdar | america.cgtn.com | 2020-12-24
Critics say it's addictive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous, and it's something billions of people around the world use every day.
america.cgtn.com/2020/12/24/the-heat-social-medias-influence

UK: Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth Hospital staff respond to frontline nurse's exposure of dangerous working conditions
wsws.org | 2020-12-23
Posted on the NHS FightBack Facebook group page, the letter was read by hundreds of people and widely shared. It was also shared to various NHS based campaign groups across Facebook.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/12/23/pool-d23.html

Interview with Amaurie Johnson: 'There's a lot of things that I want changed'
Zach Farber | liberationnews.org | 2020-12-23
In cell phone videos that went viral, Amaurie Johnson was assaulted by now former officer Matt Dages on May 27 in La Mesa, Ca.
liberationnews.org/interview-with-amaurie-johnson-theres-a-lot-of-things-that-i-want-changed/

Hate speech on Facebook poses 'acute challenges to human dignity' — UN expert
news.un.org | 2020-12-23