(2018-12-14). Robert Reich: Privatization Can't Solve Our Country's Ills. truthdig.com Privatization. Privatization. Privatization. It's all you hear from Republicans. But what does it actually mean? | Generations ago, America built an entire national highway system, along with the largest and best public colleges and universities in the world. Also public schools and national parks, majestic bridges, dams that generated electricity for entire regions, public libraries and public research. | But around 1980, the moneyed interests began pushing to privatize much of this, giving it over to for-profit corporations. Privatization, the argument went, would boost efficiency and reduce taxes. | The realit…
(2018-12-14). "Five Eyes" Intelligence Agencies Behind Drive Against Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei. globalresearch.ca Evidence has come to light that US operations against the Chinese telecommunications giant HuaWei (Âçé‰∏∫) and the arrest and detention of one of its top executives, Meng Wanzhou, to face criminal charges of fraud brought by the US Justice …
(2018-12-14). Democrats Downplay Google Censorship at Congressional Hearing. globalresearch.ca Google CEO Sundar Pichai denied allegations that the company was engaged in political censorship Monday at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee. | Throughout the hearing, Republicans repeatedly claimed that the company was censoring search results to the detriment of …
(2018-12-14). The West Is Waging Hybrid War on Nord Stream by Obsessing over Putin's Stasi Past. globalresearch.ca The media spectacle that's being made over President Putin's supposed partnership with the East German Stasi is a form of Hybrid War being waged by the West against Nord Stream, incidentally using the exact same tactics that Russia is commonly …
(2018-12-14). The Strategies of Global Warfare: War with China and Russia? Washington's Military Design in the Asia-Pacific. globalresearch.ca Pivot to Asia: China is threatened by the US military in the South and East China Sea. War with China is currently on the drawing board of the Pentagon as outlined in a Rand Report commissioned by the US Army
(2018-12-14). America's "Cell Phone War" against China: HuaWei CFO Meng Wanzhou Held Hostage by Canada. globalresearch.ca It is clear the US is pushing the battle line to our door … We can completely regard the US arrest of Meng Wanzhou as a declaration of war against China." | So read an editorial in the Global Times …
(2018-12-14). Federal Judge Orders Mueller to Turn over Flynn Material. globalresearch.ca In a surprising move, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered Mueller late Wednesday to turn over all of the government's documents and "memoranda" related to Flynn's questioning. This follows a Flynn filing that described an effective trap set by …
(2018-12-14). The Political Revolution Goes to Work. globalresearch.ca The term "political revolution" is an odd one. Bernie Sanders never said that voting for him or building his campaign would overthrow capitalism (the traditional meaning of "revolution" in the socialist movement). The idea was radical but vague. It was …
(2018-12-14). Corrupt Oligarch? Britain Welcomes You as "Visa Scheme for Rich" Not Suspended. globalresearch.ca You might be aware of the so-called "gold-plated" visa scheme in Britain. It allows foreign 'investors' a fast-track to settling in Britain. Despite calls for its closure, especially as many corrupt officials from China, Russia, Africa and the Mid-East use …
(2018-12-14). China's Toughness v. Weak-Kneed Russia: Beijing's Response to Arrest of Meng Wanzhou. globalresearch.ca The only language Washington understands is toughness. The US bullies and bludgeons other nations with impunity because most governments fail to challenge US hegemony. | Appeasement is counterproductive and self-defeating. Refusing to tolerate hostile US actions is the only effective response….
(2018-12-14). Students Reach Deal with Colombia Gov't, Yet to Call Off Strike. telesurenglish.net After two months of strike, 16 talks with the government, and 13 massive marches Colombian students reached an agreement with the government of President Ivan Duque, who has pledged an additional 4.5 trillion pesos (US$1.4 billion) for public universities. | RELATED: | Colombia's Anti-Riot Police Attacks Nation-Wide Student Protest | A government delegation and spokespeople for Colombian students met throughout Thursday, finally reaching an agreement Friday afternoon. | The agre…
(2018-12-14). Climate Strike: Heeding Call of Greta Thunberg, Polish Students Walk Out of Class. democracynow.org 
Fifteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has called for a global climate strike today to protest inaction at the U.N. climate summit. Greta made international headlines after she refused to go to school in August and began a School Strike for Climate. Greta made the call for today's strike in a video posted on Twitter.
(2018-12-14). Averting World Conflict with China. globalresearch.ca As most readers know, I'm not a casual political blogger and I prefer producing lengthy research articles rather than chasing the headlines of current events. But there are exceptions to every rule, and the looming danger of a direct worldwide …
(2018-12-14). DUP and Britain's Labour Party 'Hold Talks on Motion of No Confidence Against Tories'. globalresearch.ca Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that an agreement between the DUP and Labour was reportedly now in place. As far as we are aware, this is not yet the case. | *** | The DUP have reportedly held 'high …
(2018-12-14). Sartre, Said, Chomsky and the Meaning of the Public Intellectual. counterpunch.org 
Daniel Falcone: This month, a wide number of sources are reporting on Noam Chomsky in the celebration of his 90th birthday. What was your introduction to Noam Chomsky's work? What initial work brought you into contact with Chomsky? Richard Falk: Actually, my first awareness of Noam Chomsky was in the late 1950s while I was teaching More
(2018-12-14). The Entire Nation Mobilized, Syria has Won the War against US-Sponsored Terrorism. globalresearch.ca Yes, there is rubble, in fact total destruction, in some of the neighborhoods of Homs, Aleppo, in the outskirts of Damascus, and elsewhere. | Yes, there are terrorists and 'foreign forces' in Idlib and in several smaller pockets in some parts …
(2018-12-14). Video: America Is Preparing for Confrontation with Russia and China. globalresearch.ca At first glance, it reads like the script for a Hollywood catastrophe movie. And yet it's one of the scenarios that is actually being considered in the official 2018 report by the Commission, tasked by the United States Congress with …
(2018-12-14). Crimes Against the Earth. globalresearch.ca "Dear Caesar | Keep Burning, raping, killing | But please, please | Spare us your obscene poetry | And ugly music " | (From Seneca's last letter to Nero) | The excavation of more than 600 billion tons of toxic carbon and hydrocarbon geological remains of …
(2018-12-14). Fabricated and Staged Chemical Attacks in Syria? BBC Claims Chemical Weapons Helped Assad But Fails to Explain How. globalresearch.ca The BBC published an article in October titled, " How chemical weapons have helped bring Assad close to victory" in which it claims chemical weapons have been "crucial" to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's "war-winning strategy." | Superficially — …
(2018-12-14). French Workers Go on General Strike in Support of Yellow Vests. telesurenglish.net In solidarity with the popular 'yellow vests' movement, France's workers have gone on national strike Friday, a move called by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). | RELATED: | Despite Police Repression, France's 'Yellow Vests' Continues as Leftist Parties, Student Movements Join Forces | "The best way to protest is to go on strike," the CGT's Philippe Martinez told BFM TV Friday. "We must multiply actions at companies. We must str…
(2018-12-14). The Costs of the War on the People of Yemen. globalresearch.ca The Guardian published three accounts from Yemeni aid workers working with the Norwegian Refugee Council about their experience of the war and the humanitarian crisis. This comes from Marwan Al-Sabri, a 32-year old water and sanitation officer from Taiz: …
(2018-12-14). Sartre, Said, Chomsky and the Meaning of the Public Intellectual. zcomm.org Daniel Falcone: This month, a wide number of sources are reporting on Noam Chomsky in the celebration of his 90th birthday. What was your introduction to Noam Chomsky's work? What initial work brought you into contact with Chomsky? Richard Falk: Actually, my first awareness of Noam Chomsky was in the late 1950s while I was teaching Read more…
(2018-12-14). Los Angeles teachers and the fight for social equality. wsws.org This statement will be distributed at a mass demonstration of teachers and their supporters in Los Angeles, California on Saturday.
(2018-12-14). Ex-1968 student leader Cohn-Bendit denounces French "yellow vest" protests. wsws.org The eruption of a political movement in the working class has provoked a rabidly hostile reaction from the middle-class anti-Marxist "left" milieu.
(2018-12-14). How School Districts Weaponize Child Protection Services Against Parents. theantimedia.com 
Parents are increasingly required to obey, to conform to a school's demands even if they believe such orders may not be appropriate for their child. (FEE) — Schooling is adept at rooting out individuality and enforcing compliance. In his book, Understanding Power, Noam Chomsky writes: "In fact, the whole educational and professional training system is a very …
(2018-12-14). What Brexit Means to Kensington People. globalresearch.ca Soon after the referendum in the summer of 2016, an elderly French woman came into my councillors' surgery. She was distraught. She'd lived in London for nearly 50 years, worked here, paid her tax and was retired. She was convinced …
(2018-12-14). France: Police Crowd Control Methods Maim People. hrw.org 
| | Riot police barricade, Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, December 8, 2018. | © 2018 Human Rights Watch | (Paris) — French police used crowd control and anti-riot tactics during demonstrations in Paris in November and December 2018 that caused physical harm to peaceful demonstrators, including high-school students, and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today. Law enforcement should exercise greater restraint in demonstrations planned to take place on D…
(2018-12-14). Living Near Oil and Gas Wells Linked to Increase in Cardiovascular Disease. truthout.org People who live near oil and gas operations are more likely to have early indicators of cardiovascular disease than those who don't, according to a recent study. | Cardiovascular disease resulted in 900,000 deaths in 2016 and is the leading cause of mortality in the US, and more than 17.4 million Americans now live within one mile of an active oil and gas well. | The small pilot study, which was published in the journal Environmental Research on December 6, found that those who live in areas with more intense oil and ga…
(2018-12-13). The #RedforEd Wave Is Likely to Build, Not Subside, in 2019. progressive.org Teachers unions are poised to strike across the country.
(2018-12-13). Iraq, The Rebuilding of a Nation In the Wake of Sixteen Years of US Sponsored Terrorism and Destruction. globalresearch.ca Iraq, which in the years of Saddam Hussein (1979-2003) lived a long period of prosperity and social stability, then recognized by the UN as one of the Arab countries that most respected religious diversity, has now become one of the …
(2018-12-13). Births, babies and the push for profits. greenleft.org.au 
Reliable research into safe and healthy childbirth is being ignored by maternal hospitals in Australia. | Women are not told of the adverse effects of current interventions and practices in childbirth, or that not a single long-term study exists of the almost 50 childbirth drugs currently being used. | The majority of birthing mothers are drugged in some way and one in three women describes their birthing experience as "deeply horrifying". | Viable alternatives, such as homebirth or birth centres, are systematically defunded, demonised by the media and discredited by the medical establishment. | If mothers an…
(2018-12-13). Lebanon: Stalled Effort to Get Syrian Children in School. hrw.org 
| | Fewer than half of the school-age refugee children in Lebanon are in formal education. | (Beirut) – The number of Syrian refugee children enrolled in school in Lebanon has stalled at the same inadequate levels as in the 2017-2018 school year, Human Rights Watch said today. | Fewer than half of the 631,000 school-age refugee children in Lebanon are in formal education, wit…
(2018-12-13). Yemen: Ceasefire in Hodeidah brings long-awaited glimmer of hope to millions. amnesty.org Responding to news that the warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a ceasefire for the port city of Hodeidah, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East Director of Research said: | "Today's announcement of a ceasefire agreement in Hodeidah brings hope to millions of civilians who are heavily dependent on the port for access to essential goods and humanitarian aid. | "The conflict has had a devastating impact in terms of interrupting vital supplies in and around Hodeidah. Both parties to the conflict have deliberately impeded humanitarian assistance in violation of international humanitarian law. They mus…
(2018-12-13). Bahrain: Further Information: Expected Verdict For Human Rights Defender: Nabeel Rajab. amnesty.org On 31 December Bahrain's Cassation Court is expected to issue its verdict in the case of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, Nabeel Rajab. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison in June 2018 in relation to peaceful tweets about the conflict in Yemen and torture allegations in Jaw prison.
(2018-12-13). Iraq: Dead land: Islamic State's deliberate destruction of Iraq's farmland. amnesty.org One year after Iraq declared military victory over the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS) our report finds that IS's deliberate destruction of Iraq's rural environment continues to have debilitating effects on poor, small-holder farmers. The research focuses on the area around Sinjar, scene to some of the most extensive destruction. Irrigation wells were often sabotaged with rubble, oil, or other foreign objects, and pumps, cables, generators and transformers stolen or destroyed. Efforts to hold IS responsible under international law should include these specific crimes. Meanwhile, Iraq's government sh…
(2018-12-13). US Consumer Board Conceals how Wells Fargo Fleeces Students. therealnews.com 
The Consumer Financial Protection Board kept a detailed report about how Wells Fargo has long been involved in charging students up to three times more for financial services than other banks do. Why did the CFPB not reveal this? Bill Black explains
(2018-12-12). The Nobel Prize for climate catastrophe. mronline.org 
The economist William Nordhaus will receive his profession's highest honor for research on global warming that's been hugely influential—and entirely misguided. | Source
(2018-12-12). 'Slave Bible' converted slaves to Christianity by omitting parts that could lead to uprising. mronline.org 
A new exhibit at a Washington, D.C., museum featuring an abridged version of the Bible sheds light on how Christian missionaries converted enslaved Africans to Christianity by teaching them the Gospel…except the parts about freedom, equality and resistance. | Source
(2018-12-12). Grinnell College 'Invites Trump onto Campus,' Aiming to Limit Student Collective Bargaining. progressive.org Student unionization efforts are underway at twenty-four U.S. universities—while the first independent undergraduate union in the country fights for survival.
(2018-12-11). Hatewatch Headlines 12/12/2018. splcenter.org Conspiracy theories still thriving on YouTube; Columbia student's race rant goes viral; Trump's 'disease' attack echoes Nazi propaganda; and more.
(2018-12-11). Oppose nuclear weapons? Stop backing the companies that produce them. greenleft.org.au 
Research published by Don't Bank on the Bomb Scotland in September revealed the extent of Scotland's investments in nuclear weapons companies, including shares worth nearly £300 million held by the Scottish local government pension funds. | This week, new analysis by The Ferret showed that the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme (SPPS) holds shares worth £2 million in fossil fuels, arms and tobacco companies. This includes £175,495 in Rolls Royce, one of four key contractors involved in Britain's Trident nuclear…
(2018-12-11). Activists Found Guilty of Terrorism-Related Offense for Stopping U.K. Migrant Deportations. theintercept.com The guilty verdict arrived around lunchtime on December 10 — Human Rights Day, which this year marked the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It signaled the end of a nine-week trial and three days of jury deliberations in Chelmsford Crown Court, about 30 miles northeast of London. More than a year and a half after the 15 defendants had locked themselves around a deportation charter flight at London's Stansted Airport, successfully stopping it from taking off, the defendants were convicted of intentional disruption of services at an aerodrome, a terrorism-related offense with a po…
(2018-12-11). Russia: 'Gay Propaganda' Law Endangers Children. hrw.org 
| | Russian blogger, Zhenya Svetski, wearing a rainbow scarf in Moscow, December 2018. | © 2018 Dmitry Belyakov for Human Rights Watch | (New York) — Russia's "gay propaganda" law is having a negative impact on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 2013 law exacerbated the hostility LGBT people in Russia have long suffered, and also stifled access to LGBT-inclusive education and support services, with harmful consequences for children. | The…
(2018-12-10). Chicago charter school strikers win major victory. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – The 500 striking Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) members at 15 UNO/Acero charter schools won a major victory in the early morning of December 9, when a tentative agreement was reached. | Chris Baehrend, the chairman of the Charter Division of the CTU stated, "This is a victory for students, parents, teachers and all staff. Because we stayed united, we won smaller class sizes, sanctuary schools, a reduced school year and equal pay with district [non-charter] teachers." | CTU educators at UNO/Acero schools have been on strike since Tuesday, December 4, and have held the picket lines at their schools with…
(2018-12-10). Six Ways Betsy DeVos Gets Teachers' Unions Wrong. progressive.org DeVos's antagonism toward unions shows not only her disrespect for teachers but also how her animosity toward organized teachers warps her understanding of issues.
(2018-12-10). Climate movement attracts new generation of activists. greenleft.org.au 
The latter part of 2018 will be remembered for the re-emergence of climate action on the national agenda. | Independent Kerryn Phelps' win in the Wentworth byelection promising "meaningful environmental action" and Labor's subsequent adoption of a 50% renewable energy policy by 2030 has come in the midst of researcher Rebecca Huntley's findings that "climate and environmental concerns" have increasingly become "a test of leadership" for voters. | These centrist platforms, however, have been rightly superseded by the newest base of the climate movement: high school students. | Tired of the "dinosaurs in parliament…
(2018-12-09). Day 4: CTU charter school teachers continue strike. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – UNO/Acero teachers and paraprofessionals continue to strike at 15 schools, December 7. Since Tuesday, Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) educators at UNO/Acero schools have held the picket lines and protested for more classroom resources, smaller class sizes, sanctuary protections for their immigrant students and fair wages—particularly for low-wage paraprofessionals. | The strike is the first of a charter operator in the nation. It began almost five years to the day after the charter operator's previous CEO was forced to resign for doling out insider contracts and living large on public dollar…
(2018-12-09). Lopez Obrador's Plans to Lead Mexico out of Neoliberalism Will Mean Crossing Swords with the US. therealnews.com 
We now have a politically experienced president in Mexico — gone are the days when Mexico kowtows to the US. This will mean a more sovereign economic and foreign policy, says Vijay Prashad of Tricontinental Institute for Social Research
(2018-12-06). The fightback against Adani and Aurizon steps up. greenleft.org.au 
Adani CEO Lucas Dow's November 29 declaration that work on a scaled-down coalmine in Queensland's Galilee Basin would begin before Christmas was met with one of the most powerful nationwide protests against it so far as primary and high school students walking out of class the next day for the Student Strike 4 Climate Action. | A reported 20,000 students, many of them with their parents and grandparents in tow, took to the streets with a powerful message to Adani and policymakers: ignore us at your peril. | This was followed by a sit-in at Parliament House in Canberra on December 5. | Another round of #StopA…
(2018-12-01). 'Economics for the Many' offer a radical, democratic vision for a Corbyn gov't. greenleft.org.au 
Edited by John McDonnell
| Verso, 2018 | This book is a valuable collection of 16 short essays on the crisis facing modern Britain, coming up with progressive solutions which a Jeremy Corbyn-led government could usher in. | It is edited by and has an introduction by Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell, a long-time socialist and close collaborator of Corbyn's. He says: "We are seeking nothing less than to build a society that is radically fairer, more democratic and more sustainable, in which the wealth of society is shared by all." | The first piece, by Antonia Jennings who teaches at the London School…