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Buttigieg’s “Disingenuous Attack on Medicare-for-All”
“When South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg released a list of the clients he worked for while at powerhouse consultant McKinsey a decade ago, one immediately leaped out to observers: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. After bringing the firm on, the nonprofit insurer downsized employees. When asked about it by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow…Buttigieg denied having anything to do with those decisions, pointing out the downsizing came after he ceased working on that project. He then answered a question he wished had been asked. ‘What I do know is there are some voices in the Democratic primary right now who…
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Labour’s Refusal to Back Brexit Result “Has Done Them In”
“Labour’s refusal to back implementing the referendum results and essentially ignoring its Leave supporters in the North has done them in. Some of us had already pointed out the dangers but a divided party and leadership (here John McDonnell should take the blame for insisting on a second referendum) has been punished by its own voters. This is the major reason for the defeat. A strategic blunder of enormous dimensions.”
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Climate: Chile — Still Heading UN Meeting — “Shooting Eyes Out”
“While Greta spoke about the power of outrage at COP25, Chile was ironically cracking down on dissent and ejecting civil society groups en masse over a non-violent protest of ongoing inaction and injustice. But why would this come as a surprise? Chile holds the Presidency of the COP and Chile has shown itself to be utterly intolerant of protest — demonstrated by the 350+ eyes lost in protests, and again yesterday with another violent crackdown to celebrate human rights day — definitely the most violent we have seen since arriving in Santiago. This includes attacking the Red Cross tent with…
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Antisemitism Charge Used to Silence Criticism of Israel in U.S. and Britain
“Trump’s Executive Order allegedly targeting campus antisemitism is the culmination of decades of attempts by anti-Palestinian organizations to suppress Palestinian organizing, advocacy, research and teaching on college campuses. The EO, which would codify a dangerous and overly broad definition of antisemitism into federal civil rights law, fails to offer any protection to Jewish students. Instead, it will usher in a climate of fear on college campuses, where university administrations will be incentivized to silence student activism, faculty research, and teaching about Palestine — while white supremacist organizing, which has been steadily increasing under Trump, will go unchecked. …Trump said Jews…
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Unimpeachable: Congress Backing Unconstitutional Wars “with the Truth”
“While observers and critics of the war in Afghanistan have stated many of the issues brought up in the Post’s report, this report shows persistent malfeasance on behalf of national security officials in the military, State Department and White House for nearly two decades. The larger context of this report should be considered as it should be read with the memory of the Pentagon Papers of Vietnam as well as the lies of the Bush Administration that led to the disastrous invasion and occupation of Iraq.” …“We in the West have lived in a predominately Western narrative if we look…
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Iraq Protests Escalating Against Foreign Interference and Sectarianism
“On December 10th, to mark International Human Rights Day, massive protests are planned in Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are traveling from all over the country, and they’re all heading to Tahrir Square. …A massacre took place last weekend when sectarian militias opened fire and killed and injured dozens of unarmed protesters in and around Tahrir Square. One of the leaders of these militias, Qais Al-Khazali of Asaeb Ahl Al-Haq, issued a warning to protesters today, threatening ‘the highest number of casualties to fall’ on December 10th. …What we’re witnessing tomorrow is another legacy of the 2003 U.S. military…
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Biden and Kerry’s “Experience”: “Right-Wing Minority” of Democrats Who Backed Bush on Iraq War
John Kerry is now actively campaigning for Joe Biden, touting his experience and ability to get things done. The two were the most notable Democratic backers of the Iraq invasion resolution in 2002, with Biden chairing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during the buildup to war. …”Both men falsely claimed that Iraq had reconstituted illegal weapons, weapons programs, and weapons systems despite former UN inspectors and arms control experts informing them otherwise. And, despite claims to the contrary, both men strongly supported Bush’s decision to invade the country even after UN inspectors returned and no proscribed materiel was found.…
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Video: Biden Questioned on Climate Advisor’s $1 Million from Fossil Fuel Company
Common Dreams reports in “People Who Want to Ban Fracking Immediately, Says Joe Biden, ‘Oughta Vote for Someone Else’” that: “If you want a candidate committed to banning fracking in the United States immediately, find another candidate than Joe Biden. “That’s the advice of Biden himself, given to an activist from the Sunrise Movement in a video posted online Thursday after the two discussed the former vice president’s adviser Heather Zichal and Biden’s plans for the future of fracking. “In the video of the interaction posted on Twitter by Sunrise Thursday afternoon, Biden appears confused about Zichal’s connections to the…
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* French General Strike * The Attacks on Corbyn
Noted author and academic, Jean Bricmont said today: “I was at the demo in Paris. I have never seen such a dense crowd except during the anti-missile marches during the 80’s and I have been to lots of demonstrations. …Also the tone was very militant and I heard that many people who never go to demos did come this time.” See his interview on The Real News: “France’s ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests Emerged Spontaneously, without Leadership,” from late last year about the anti-austerity movement. Also Mark Curtis, author of numerous books including Web of Deceit: Britain’s Real Role in the World…
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Russophobia, Ukraine and the 2016 Election
Levine recently wrote the piece “Yes, Ukraine interfered in the 2016 presidential election,” which notes that many impeachment witnesses have repeated the claim that interference by “Ukrainian government officials did not happen in 2016 and that anyone who says otherwise is spreading toxic Russian propaganda.” But Levine cites several mainstream pieces from 2016, including “Ukraine’s Leaders Campaign Against ‘Pro-Putin’ Trump” in the Financial Times. The piece reported on August 28, 2016: “The prospect of Mr. Trump, who has praised Ukraine’s arch-enemy Vladimir Putin, becoming leader of the country’s biggest ally has spurred not just [parliament member Serhiy] Leshchenko but Kiev’s wider…
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“With a tiny staff, it has managed to place on the air and in newspapers, points of view otherwise excluded from the national debate.”
Howard Zinn