Daily Archives: December 29, 2020

2020-12-29: News Headlines

Ralph Nader (2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump

Thomas Knapp (2020-12-29). Why Not Take Congressional Proxy Voting All the Way? counterpunch.org The Hill reports that US House Republicans, who made a show earlier this year of opposing remote and proxy voting in Congress, are warming to the latter practice. US Representative Paul Mitchell (R-MI) gave his proxy to US Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) in early December, declaring by tweet that "I will not risk my family's

Staff (2020-12-28). "The Priorities Are Wrong": Rep. Ro Khanna Says He Won't Vote to Override Trump Veto on Defense Bill. democracynow.org Congress is set to override President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, the $740 billion annual defense policy bill that funds the U.S. military. Trump vetoed the legislation last week over objections to liability protections for social media companies and because he did not want to rename military bases currently named for Confederate generals. Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna says Trump's reasons for vetoing the bill are "disingenuous," but that he will not be voting to override the veto. "The bottom line is $740 billion is way too much defense spending," says Khanna. "The priorities ar…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-12-28). Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison. middleeasteye.net Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison | Former economics professor Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani becomes latest political detainee to challenge conditions at notorious Saudi facility | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 13: 28 | Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani, a Saudi professor and human rights activist, has been detained since 2012 (Screengrab/Twitter) | Jailed Saudi human rights activ…

sputniknews (2020-12-28). Dominion Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to Witness Who Accompanied Giuliani. sputniknews.com Melissa Carone, who was introduced as a former contractor for Dominion, appeared alongside Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani in front of Michigan's state legislature. Her testimony, in which she claimed voter fraud, later went viral.

teleSUR, CE (2020-12-27). Venezuelans Repatriated from Argentina in Time for the New Year. telesurenglish.net 120 Venezuelans who were in Argentina boarded a flight to Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas this Sunday, and will be returned home as part of the Bolivarian government's Return to the Homeland Plan. | RELATED: | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its official Twitter account that the return of the nationals is being made possible through the program which supports Venezuelans who without t…

RT (2020-12-27). 'It will be a VACCINE PASS before long': Everton reminds fans to get mandated Covid tests to be allowed into Manchester City match. rt.com Everton FC is reminding fans they'll need to pass a Covid-19 test before attending Monday's match with Manchester City, but the controversial safety measure is raising fears of more mandates to come, such as vaccination passports. | The club tweeted out the reminder on Sunday, insisting that fans who wish to enter Goodison Park will need to have a negative Covid-19 test result from no more than 36 hours before the match begins. With Liverpool under Tier 2 Covid-19 restrictions — as opposed to the Tier 4 lockdown gripping London — as many as 2,000 fans may be allowed to attend the game. | &uum…

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). Digital Watchdog Says Facebook Behind 'Intentional Decrease' in Traffic to Pro-Palestinian Pages. commondreams.org 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

2020-12-29: 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.)

Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-29
Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/29/recidivist-criminal-and-constitutional-outlaw-trump-rushes-to-pardon-criminal-lawbreakers/

All In for $2K
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2020-12-29
A few weeks ago I had exchanges with people on Twitter in which I argued against across the board payments to individuals. I was concerned that these were likely to come out of other provisions (most importantly unemployment insurance) in the pandemic relief package. Since most people have actually not seen their income cut from …
cepr.net/all-in-for-2k/

Why Not Take Congressional Proxy Voting All the Way?
Thomas Knapp | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-29
The Hill reports that US House Republicans, who made a show earlier this year of opposing remote and proxy voting in Congress, are warming to the latter practice. US Representative Paul Mitchell (R-MI) gave his proxy to US Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) in early December, declaring by tweet that…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/29/why-not-take-congressional-proxy-voting-all-the-way/

Curfew & ban on alcohol sales: South Africa imposes new restrictions amid Covid-19 infections surge
rt.com | 2020-12-28
South Africa's government has introduced a set of stringent measures to curb a spike in new coronavirus infections, including an extended curfew and a ban on all alcohol sales ahead of New Year celebrations. | New Year's Eve is typically "a time of festivity," but "there is little cause for celebration this year," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a Twitter post on Monday, as he announced the raft of new restrictions, scheduled to take effect at midnight. | Under 'Alert Level 3,' people across South Africa wil…
rt.com/news/510955-south-africa-covid-new-restrictions/

"The Priorities Are Wrong": Rep. Ro Khanna Says He Won't Vote to Override Trump Veto on Defense Bill
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-12-28
Congress is set to override President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, the $740 billion annual defense policy bill that funds the U.S. military. Trump vetoed the legislation last week over objections to liability protections for social media companies and because he did not want to rename military bases currently named for Confederate generals. Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna says Trump's reasons for vetoing the bill are "disingenuous," but that he will not be voting to override the veto. "The bottom line is $740 billion is way too much defense spending," says Khanna. "The priorities ar…
www.democracynow.org/2020/12/28/ro_khanna_defense_spending

Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison
Rayhan Uddin | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-28
Saudi rights activist launches hunger strike over conditions at al-Hair prison | Former economics professor Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani becomes latest political detainee to challenge conditions at notorious Saudi facility | Rayhan Uddin | Mon, 12/28/2020 – 13: 28 | Mohammed Fahad al-Qahtani, a Saudi professor and human rights activist, has been detained since 2012 (Screengrab/Twitter) | Jailed Saudi human rights activ…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-hunger-strike-qahtani-activist-al-hair-prison

Rep. Ro Khanna Won't Vote to Override Trump Veto on Defense Bill
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-28
Congress is set to override President Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, the $740 billion annual defense policy bill that funds the U.S. military. Trump vetoed the legislation last week over objections to liability protections for social media companies and because he did not want to rename military bases currently named for Confederate generals. Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna says Trump's reasons for vetoing the bill are "disingenuous," but that he will not be voting to override the…
truthout.org/video/rep-ro-khanna-wont-vote-to-override-trump-veto-on-defense-bill/

Dominion Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to Witness Who Accompanied Giuliani
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-28
Melissa Carone, who was introduced as a former contractor for Dominion, appeared alongside Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani in front of Michigan's state legislature. Her testimony, in which she claimed voter fraud, later went viral.
sputniknews.com/us/202012281081592401-dominion-sends-cease-and-desist-letter-to-witness-who-accompanied-giuliani/

'It will be a VACCINE PASS before long': Everton reminds fans to get mandated Covid tests to be allowed into Manchester City match
rt.com | 2020-12-27
Everton FC is reminding fans they'll need to pass a Covid-19 test before attending Monday's match with Manchester City, but the controversial safety measure is raising fears of more mandates to come, such as vaccination passports. | The club tweeted out the reminder on Sunday, insisting that fans who wish to enter Goodison Park will need to have a negative Covid-19 test result from no more than 36 hours before the match begins. With Liverpool under Tier 2 Covid-19 restrictions — as opposed to the Tier 4 lockdown gripping London — as many as 2,000 fans may be allowed to attend the game. | &uum…
rt.com/uk/510874-everton-covid-test-vaccine-passports/

Venezuelans Repatriated from Argentina in Time for the New Year
teleSUR, CE | telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-27
120 Venezuelans who were in Argentina boarded a flight to Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas this Sunday, and will be returned home as part of the Bolivarian government's Return to the Homeland Plan. | RELATED: | Return to the Homeland: 76 Venezuelans Return From Ecuador | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its official Twitter account that the return of the nationals is being made possible through the program which supports Venezuelans who without t…
telesurenglish.net/news/venezuelans-repatriated-from-argentina-in-time-for-the-new-year-20201227-0001.html

Socialise Big Tech
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-27
On Wednesday 9 December, the Federal Trade Commission and forty-eight states and territories sued Facebook for its illegal social networking monopoly after an extensive investigation. The antitrust action seeks to break up the company by forcing it to divest two of its major business lines, Instagram and WhatsApp. | This latest event comes hot on the heels of October's historic investigation by the House Judiciary Committee–which detailed how dominant platform companies monopolise markets, abuse their power, and explicitly and purposely violate laws and regulations–and another lawsuit by the Departmen…
popularresistance.org/socialise-big-tech/

Watch: Kentucky Man Dressed as Cousin Eddie –°leans His Driveway With Flamethrower
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-27
While most US streets are covered with snow, this Kentucky man decided to solve the problem of snowy roads with a little help of creativity. And a flamethrower.
sputniknews.com/viral/202012271081582118-watch-kentucky-man-dressed-as-cousin-eddie-sleans-his-driveway-with-flamethrower/

Restoring the Soul of America
Robert Koehler | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-25