Daily Archives: December 22, 2019

2019-12-22: News Headlines

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-22). Seemingly Coordinated ISIS/al-Qaeda Attacks On Syrian Oil/Gas Fields & US' Russia/Libya Hypocrisy. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/21/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation (2019-12-22). River Otters on the Rise: Monitoring, Research and Results Presentation. indybay.org Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401…

Center for Biological Diversity (2019-12-22). Court: Trump Administration Unlawfully OK'd Longline Fishing Off California. indybay.org OAKLAND, Calif., December 21, 2019 — A federal district court has ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service failed to adequately analyze threats to critically endangered leatherback sea turtles when it allowed longline fishing off California. The Trump administration violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in failing to consider the best available science on impacts to leatherbacks.

WSWS Repost (2019-12-22). UC Santa Cruz graduate students wildcat strike enters critical phase. indybay.org The wildcat strike begun by University of California Santa Cruz graduate students early last week has now entered a critical stage. The striking students who work as graduate and teaching assistants had pledged to withhold submitting final grades for the Fall quarter, until the administration met their demand for an above-board cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of $1,400. The due date for the grades is today, Wednesday, December 18, and will likely see a showdown between the striking students and the administration.

yenisafak (2019-12-22). Trump slams House's impeachment delay as 'so unfair'. yenisafak.com President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi for holding off on sending the articles of impeachment against him to the Senate."It's so unfair," Trump said, days after he was impeached by the House, during a speech to conservative student group Turning Point USA, saying that Pelosi adopted the strategy because she has "no case.""They are violating the Constitution," Trump said, calling Pelosi "crazy Nancy."The Democratic-controlled House voted on Dec. 18 to impeach Trump, setting the stage for a trial in the Senate. Trump is very unlikely to be convicted and removed f…

Shawgi Tell (2019-12-22). Charter School Transparency and Accountability Remain Low. dissidentvoice.org Transparency and accountability have never been the strong suits of non-profit and for-profit charter schools. Unlike the nation's public schools, all charter schools (about 7,100) are run by unelected individuals, and many, if not most, charter schools regularly violate open-meeting laws, are not subject to public records laws, and avoid audits. In these and other …

Ajit Singh (2019-12-21). China detaining millions of Uyghurs? Serious problems with claims by US-backed NGO and far-right researcher 'led by God' against Beijing. thegrayzone.com Claims that China has detained millions of Uyghur Muslims are based largely on two studies. A closer look at these…

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-21). ICC To Investigate Israeli Government War Crimes & UN Again Contradicts US Claims Of Iran "Proof" thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/20/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Scott Ritter (2019-12-21). The 'Whistleblower' and the Politicization of Intelligence. globalresearch.ca The whistleblower complaint has opened a window into the politicization of the intelligence community, and the corresponding weaponization of the national security establishment, argues Scott Ritter. | *** | The whistleblower. A figure of great controversy, whose actions, manifested in an 11-page

Staff (2019-12-21). We Must Address the Roots of Inequality to Keep It From Killing Us. truthout.org New data from the U.S. Census Bureau confirms that the gap between the richest and poorest households in the U.S. is the largest it has been in over 50 years, and that economic power is more concentrated than ever before. Democrats and Republicans may have different interpretations of these facts, but in public health, decades of research are coming to a consensus: Inequality kills. | Over the past five years, I have worke…

Larry Romanoff (2019-12-21). "America the Shrunken" globalresearch.ca In May of 2014, Frank Bruni wrote an article for the NYT titled 'America the Shrunken', in which he detailed what he called "the downward arc of a diminished enterprise" that was the USA, quoting friends who claimed their children …

Staff (2019-12-21). What Will It Take to Rid Our Store Shelves of BPA and Other Dangerous Chemicals? truthout.org This is part 4 of a 4-part investigation of the science surrounding the chemical BPA and the U.S. regulatory push to discredit independent evidence of harm while favoring pro-industry science despite significant shortcomings. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — A percussion of metal-on-metal echoes through the lab as empty food cans drop one by one off a conveyor belt and into rounded poc…

RT (2019-12-21). Swedish justice ministry manipulated crime statistics — study. rt.com Sweden's Ministry of Justice pressured the country's Crime Prevention Council to hide, manipulate, or ignore potentially embarrassing crime statistics, a university study has found. | Sweden's Crime Prevention Council (Brå) has a difficult task. In a country where media outlets omit police-circulated descriptions of suspects' ethnicity, and the government actively downplays the surge in gun crime and bombings in its immigrant ghettoes, Brå is charged with compiling factual, accurate crime statisti…

Staff (2019-12-20). Activists Demand a Migrant Justice Platform as Democratic Candidates Discuss Immigration in Debate. democracynow.org Protesters for immigrant rights demonstrated outside the Democratic debate Thursday in Los Angeles, displaying a banner that read "Migrant Justice on Day One" and demanding a moratorium on deportations and immigrant worker protections. We look at how the candidates responded, with Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer for RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. "I'm really happy that immigration came up this time around," she notes. "In the past few debates, the issue didn't even come up."

Andrea Mazzarino (2019-12-20). "The Shooters are Coming!" War on Terror, War on Education. counterpunch.org One day in October 2001, shortly after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, I stood at the front of a private high school classroom. As a new social studies teacher, I had been tasked with describing violence against women in that country. I showed the students an article from the front page of the New York Times featuring More

Medea Benjamin (2019-12-20). The Real Lesson of Afghanistan Is that Regime Change Does Not Work. globalresearch.ca The trove of U.S. "Lessons Learned" documents on Afghanistan published by the Washington Post portrays, in excruciating detail, the anatomy of a failed policy, scandalously hidden from the public for 18 years. The "Lessons Learned" papers, however, are based on …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-12-20). War is Good for Business and Organized Crime: Afghanistan's Multibillion Dollar Opium Trade. Rising Heroin Addiction in the US. globalresearch.ca Despite president Trump's announced US troop withdrawal, the Afghan opium trade continues to flourish. It is protected by US-NATO occupation forces on behalf of a nexus of powerful financial and criminal interests.

teleSUR (2019-12-20). Cuban Lawmakers Approve 2020 Budget Law. telesurenglish.net Lawmakers approved unanimously the budget law for 2020 which will guarantee basic services for the population, including health, education and social security, during the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Ninth Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power (Cuban Parliament, ANPP), conducted by its President, Esteban Lazo. | RELATED: | Cuba Denounces New OAS Attack Against Medical Collaboration | The law also plans state investments in different sectors of the economy, accor…

teleSUR (2019-12-20). Coup Plotters Seek To Eliminate Inclusive Education in Bolivia. telesurenglish.net De facto Bolivian Minister of Education, Virginia Patty, urged today a repeal the Avelino Siñani Law enacted by Evo Morales in 2010, which proposes decolonizing the country through a revolutionary and liberating educational system. | RELATED: | Deadlines Adjusted, Bolivian TSE To Call For Elections In 2020 | She also announced that in the coming days s…

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-20). Israel Bombs Gaza, 2020 NDAA's Israel Focus, Iran Excuse Now In Afghanistan & West Bank Take Over. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/19/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Kit Knightly (2019-12-20). The "Afghanistan Papers": Deep State Narrative Management. globalresearch.ca The Big Reveal for the Washington Post this week is the release of the Afghanistan Papers. A series of interviews and documents "compiled in secret" and then the subject of a "legal challenge" from the US government. | The WaPo baldly

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-20). Trump Not Officially Impeached So Far? globalresearch.ca Will or won't House Speaker Pelosi select Dem impeachment managers (prosecutors) and transmit articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate for trial? | Knowing the GOP controlled body will reject House charges against Trump and acquit him, will Pelosi and …

Bryant Brown (2019-12-20). "Doughnut Economics": Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. globalresearch.ca Kate Raworth calls herself 'a renegade economist'. She was born in 1970 and earned a bachelor's degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and then followed it with a master's degree in Economics for Development, both from Oxford University where she …

Press TV (2019-12-20). 'Who Has Given the Americans the Right to be in Syria?' China Asks. globalresearch.ca "Who have given the Americans the right to do this? And, at whose invitation is the US protecting Syria's oil fields?" Xie Xiaoyan said at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday. | "Let's think the other way around: will the …

Dr. Olga Naidenko (2019-12-20). In New Round of Tests, Monsanto's Weedkiller Still Contaminates Foods Marketed to Children. globalresearch.ca Major food companies like General Mills continue to sell popular children's breakfast cereals and other foods contaminated with troubling levels of glyphosate, the cancer-causing ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. | The weedkiller, produced by Bayer-Monsanto, was detected in all 21 oat-based …

Yasmine Motarjemi (2019-12-20). Whistleblowing: A Draft Law to Silence Whistleblowers. globalresearch.ca On 16th December 2019, the Swiss "Conseil des Etats" the upper house of the Swiss Parliament, approved the draft law on whistleblowing, in pipeline since 2003. The proposed law on whistleblowing and related labour laws in Switzerland are not only …

South Front (2019-12-20). Video: Syrian Army's Large Scale Ground Operation in Greater Idlib. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Army has finalized military preparations and is awaiting orders to launch a large-scale ground operation in Greater Idlib, according to reports by Syrian media. The operation will allegedly be aimed at liberating the militant-held part of the M5 …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-12-20). The Politics of Trump's Impeachment. globalresearch.ca Several features stand out in the impeachment quest against President Donald J. Trump. There is constitutional discourse as mythology and fetish. There is outrage that the executive office could have been used to actually investigate political opponents through foreign …

Philip Giraldi (2019-12-20). The Afghanistan Fiasco and the Decline and Fall of the American Military. globalresearch.ca A devastating investigative report was published in the Washington Post on December 9th. Dubbed the "Afghanistan Papers" in a nod to the Vietnam War's famous "Pentagon Papers," the report relied on thousands of documents to similarly expose how …

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-20). Leaked Information on Trump's No-Peace/Deal of the Century. globalresearch.ca Information on what may be in Trump's no-peace/peace plan was leaked before — its accuracy unknown unless and until a plan is released. | It hardly matters. It was dead before arrival. Trump's one-sided support for Israel is more extreme than …

Ron Jacobs (2019-12-20). A Tempestuous Noise. counterpunch.org I first became aware of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest in Junior High. Our English class was reading Romeo and Juliet and each student was assigned to read another Shakespeare work of our own choosing. I chose King Lear, mostly because I felt an affinity with Lear's youngest daughter Cordelia. Later in my life I would More

teleSUR (2019-12-20). Brazil Poll Shows Growing Rejection of Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net The approval rating of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's government is dropping steadily and its negative rating is climbing, a CNI/Ibope poll showed on Friday, as his combative political style and a weak recovery weigh on his popularity. | RELATED: | Brazil: The Bolsonaro Clan Is Investigated for Money Laundering | The number of Brazilians that rate his government as great or good has slipped to…

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-19). US Hardliners Want Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning Crucified. globalresearch.ca Mass incarceration in the US is a national disgrace, a crime against humanity, including countless numbers of political prisoners — pesecuted behind bars for their beliefs and activism, for resisting the dirty system, judged guilty by accusation. | Julian Assange and …

Janice Kortkamp (2019-12-19). Testimonies from People Living in Syria. "What does the American Government have Against Us?" globalresearch.ca Rania "if death will come in 5 years or 7 or 10 I would urge it to come now because they have ripped us up of all hopes for any foreseen future…‚ÄØthey have killed us while we are still …

Philip A Farruggio (2019-12-19). You Don't Own Me? globalresearch.ca Leslie Gore's 1963 hit song 'You Don't Own Me' started off with the line "You don't own me, I'm not just one of your toys". So it is with the overwhelming number of our population who, despite NOT knowing it, …

South Front (2019-12-19). Video: Military Intervention in Libya and Turkey's Grand Game in the Eastern Mediterranean. globalresearch.ca During the past week, the situation significantly escalated in Libya, with Turkey expanding its military involvement in the conflict. | In late November, Turkey signed with the Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls only a small part of northern Libya, …

Adeyinka Makinde (2019-12-19). Victimhood and the Nigerian Civil War. globalresearch.ca The concatenation of violence in Nigeria from 1966 to 1970, a train of events which involved communal fighting, army mutinies and a civil war, is correctly viewed as a period during which the ethnic Igbos of the country's south east …

Ralph Nader (2019-12-19). Boeing's Perilous Bungling Requires New Leadership. globalresearch.ca The Boeing executives and marketeers responsible for over-ruling Boeing engineers on the 737 MAX are still in charge of this very troubled aerospace company. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg and the rubber-stamp Board of Directors, with two trophy ambassadors, are still …

Andrew Korybko (2019-12-19). The Indo-'Israeli' Trans-Arabian Corridor Will Push Russia Closer to Pakistan. globalresearch.ca India's participation in "Israel's" Trans-Arabian Corridor for connecting the Eastern Mediterranean and Afro-Asian ("Indian") Ocean will render New Delhi's North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) with Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia economically redundant, consequently pushing Russia closer to Pakistan as Moscow seeks to …

Stephen Lendman (2019-12-19). Dem Controlled House Impeaches Trump. globalresearch.ca On Wednesday, House members impeached Trump on two counts as expected, politicized voting almost entirely along party lines — 230 — 197 for alleged abuse of power, 229 — 198 for alleged obstruction of Congress. | No Republicans supported the scam, …

Swiss Propaganda Research (2019-12-19). Propaganda in the War on Yugoslavia. globalresearch.ca The war on Yugoslavia in the 1990s was a classic imperial war to reorder South Eastern Europe. To achieve its goals, the US even deployed the "jihadist" mercenaries with which it had previously fought the USSR in Afghanistan and which …

teleSUR (2019-12-19). Colombia: Protests Against Tax Reform and Police Repression. telesurenglish.net Student groups, currently under constant mobilization in the country, demanded the repeal of the Tax Reform and the ending of repression by the National Police. | RELATED: | Colombia: Duque Ignores the National Strike Committee Requests | Holding banners with the face of Dilan Cruz, a young man who died as a result of the impact of an artifact on his head launched by agents of the Mobile Riot Squadron, hundreds of university students rejected the approval of the Executive for th…

Paul Antonopoulos (2019-12-19). Brexit Could See the Return of the Falkland Islands to Argentina. globalresearch.ca The Islas Malvinas, or more commonly known as the Falkland Islands, archipelago was invaded by the United Kingdom in 1833 and its occupation has continued to date. Argentina's claim for sovereignty through diplomatic means has been a state policy since …

RT (2019-12-19). Elite NY school rocked by claims of anti-Semitism, swastikas on campus & Holocaust survivors labeled oppressors. rt.com An elite private school in the Bronx that costs $53,000 a year is being accused of failing to properly address complaints of discrimination and anti-Semitism made by Jewish students who reportedly say they've felt unsafe there. | Swastikas have reportedly been posted on the grounds of Fieldston School and a recent speaker argued that Holocaust survivors have turned into oppressors. | "If someone was coming to Fieldston to talk about apartheid and went off on a rant about the pea-sized brains of women who belong in a kitchen, or repeated racist tropes, or ranted about any form of homophobia or racism or sexism,…

RT (2019-12-19). 'Like tobacco companies' : Coca Cola blasted for telling teens its soda is 'healthy lifestyle' choice in new study. rt.com Internal emails from Coca Cola have shown the carbonated-beverage giant is trying to change the unhealthy image of their brand by specifically targeting active teenagers. | A new report from The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) is blasting the Atlanta-based corporation for advertising its sugary drinks to teenagers and trying to convince them that soda is part of a healthy lifestyle. | "The large number of children targeted and reached by Coke as part of their PR campaigns is a serious c…

Staff (2019-12-18). Protests Paralyze India After Racist Anti-Muslim Law Passed. therealnews.com Modi's government using brutal violence against students and workers to stop demonstrations. Professor Sumit Ganguly examines the legal, moral and political significance anti-Muslim laws and the growing movement to oppose Hindu nationalism.

news.un (2019-12-18). Global Refugee Forum ends with hundreds of pledges. news.un.org The first-ever Global Refugee Forum concluded in Geneva on Wednesday with more than 770 pledges of support, covering areas such as protection, employment, and education, for refugees and the communities which have taken them in.

Ryan Cristián (2019-12-18). Mexico Finds "World's Largest Lithium Deposit" Just Before US Focus & $1.4 Trillion War-Aimed NDAA. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/17/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Staff (2019-12-17). Democratic Candidates Focus on Public Education at Historic Forum with Civil Rights & Labor Groups. democracynow.org Ahead of the last Democratic presidential debate of the year this Thursday, seven candidates appeared Saturday at the historic Democratic Presidential Forum on Public Education in Pittsburgh, an event organized by public education organizations, unions, civil rights organizations and community groups. We play highlights from the forum and get response from Keron Blair, director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools in Atlanta; Jitu Brown, national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance; and Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education Action. She recently authored a report titled "S…

Sarah Lahm (2019-12-17). Presidential Hopefuls Vie for Votes of Public Education Supporters. progressive.org At a Pittsburgh education forum, seven candidates were forced to take a stand on charter schools.

2019-12-22: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Seemingly Coordinated ISIS/al-Qaeda Attacks On Syrian Oil/Gas Fields & US' Russia/Libya Hypocrisy
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-22
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/21/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/seemingly-coordinated-isis-al-qaeda-attacks-on-syrian-oil-gas-fields-us-russia-libya-hypocrisy/

River Otters on the Rise: Monitoring, Research and Results Presentation
Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation | indybay.org | 2019-12-22
Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/20/18829049.php

Court: Trump Administration Unlawfully OK'd Longline Fishing Off California
Center for Biological Diversity | indybay.org | 2019-12-22
OAKLAND, Calif., December 21, 2019 — A federal district court has ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service failed to adequately analyze threats to critically endangered leatherback sea turtles when it allowed longline fishing off California. The Trump administration violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act in failing to consider the best available science on impacts to leatherbacks.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/21/18829062.php

UC Santa Cruz graduate students wildcat strike enters critical phase
WSWS Repost | indybay.org | 2019-12-22
The wildcat strike begun by University of California Santa Cruz graduate students early last week has now entered a critical stage. The striking students who work as graduate and teaching assistants had pledged to withhold submitting final grades for the Fall quarter, until the administration met their demand for an above-board cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of $1,400. The due date for the grades is today, Wednesday, December 18, and will likely see a showdown between the striking students and the administration.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/12/18/18829022.php

Charter School Transparency and Accountability Remain Low
Shawgi Tell | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-12-22
Transparency and accountability have never been the strong suits of non-profit and for-profit charter schools. Unlike the nation's public schools, all charter schools (about 7,100) are run by unelected individuals, and many, if not most, charter schools regularly violate open-meeting laws, are not subject to public records laws, and avoid audits. In these and other …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/12/charter-school-transparency-and-accountability-remain-low/

Trump slams House's impeachment delay as 'so unfair'
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-22
President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi for holding off on sending the articles of impeachment against him to the Senate."It's so unfair," Trump said, days after he was impeached by the House, during a speech to conservative student group Turning Point USA, saying that Pelosi adopted the strategy because she has "no case.""They are violating the Constitution," Trump said, calling Pelosi "crazy Nancy."The Democratic-controlled House voted on Dec. 18 to impeach Trump, setting the stage for a trial in the Senate. Trump is very unlikely to be convicted and removed f…
yenisafak.com/en/world/trump-slams-houses-impeachment-delay-as-so-unfair-3508001

China detaining millions of Uyghurs? Serious problems with claims by US-backed NGO and far-right researcher 'led by God' against Beijing
Ajit Singh | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-21
Claims that China has detained millions of Uyghur Muslims are based largely on two studies. A closer look at these…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/21/china-detaining-millions-uyghurs-problems-claims-us-ngo-researcher/

"America the Shrunken"
Larry Romanoff | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-21
In May of 2014, Frank Bruni wrote an article for the NYT titled 'America the Shrunken', in which he detailed what he called "the downward arc of a diminished enterprise" that was the USA, quoting friends who claimed their children …
globalresearch.ca/america-shrunken/5698017

ICC To Investigate Israeli Government War Crimes & UN Again Contradicts US Claims Of Iran "Proof"
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-21
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/20/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/icc-to-investigate-israeli-government-war-crimes-un-again-contradicts-us-claims-of-iran-proof/

The 'Whistleblower' and the Politicization of Intelligence
Scott Ritter | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-21
The whistleblower complaint has opened a window into the politicization of the intelligence community, and the corresponding weaponization of the national security establishment, argues Scott Ritter. | *** | The whistleblower. A figure of great controversy, whose actions, manifested in an 11-page …
globalresearch.ca/whistleblower-politicization-intelligence/5696154

We Must Address the Roots of Inequality to Keep It From Killing Us
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-21
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau confirms that the gap between the richest and poorest households in the U.S. is the largest it has been in over 50 years, and that economic power is more concentrated than ever before. Democrats and Republicans may have different interpretations of these facts, but in public health, decades of research are coming to a consensus: Inequality kills. | Over the past five years, I have worke…
truthout.org/articles/we-must-address-the-roots-of-inequality-to-keep-it-from-killing-us/

What Will It Take to Rid Our Store Shelves of BPA and Other Dangerous Chemicals?
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-12-21
This is part 4 of a 4-part investigation of the science surrounding the chemical BPA and the U.S. regulatory push to discredit independent evidence of harm while favoring pro-industry science despite significant shortcomings. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — A percussion of metal-on-metal echoes through the lab as empty food cans drop one by one off a conveyor belt and into rounded poc…
truthout.org/articles/what-will-it-take-to-rid-our-store-shelves-of-bpa-and-other-dangerous-chemicals/

Swedish justice ministry manipulated crime statistics — study
rt.com | 2019-12-21
Sweden's Ministry of Justice pressured the country's Crime Prevention Council to hide, manipulate, or ignore potentially embarrassing crime statistics, a university study has found. | Sweden's Crime Prevention Council (Brå) has a difficult task. In a country where media outlets omit police-circulated descriptions of suspects' ethnicity, and the government actively downplays the surge in gun crime and bombings in its immigrant ghettoes, Brå is charged with compiling factual, accurate crime statisti…
rt.com/news/476568-sweden-manipulates-crime-statistics/

The Real Lesson of Afghanistan Is that Regime Change Does Not Work
Medea Benjamin | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
The trove of U.S. "Lessons Learned" documents on Afghanistan published by the Washington Post portrays, in excruciating detail, the anatomy of a failed policy, scandalously hidden from the public for 18 years. The "Lessons Learned" papers, however, are based on …
globalresearch.ca/real-lesson-afghanistan-regime-change-does-not-work/5698301

Activists Demand a Migrant Justice Platform as Democratic Candidates Discuss Immigration in Debate
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-20
Protesters for immigrant rights demonstrated outside the Democratic debate Thursday in Los Angeles, displaying a banner that read "Migrant Justice on Day One" and demanding a moratorium on deportations and immigrant worker protections. We look at how the candidates responded, with Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer for RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. "I'm really happy that immigration came up this time around," she notes. "In the past few debates, the issue didn't even come up."
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/20/democrat…

War is Good for Business and Organized Crime: Afghanistan's Multibillion Dollar Opium Trade. Rising Heroin Addiction in the US
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
Despite president Trump's announced US troop withdrawal, the Afghan opium trade continues to flourish. It is protected by US-NATO occupation forces on behalf of a nexus of powerful financial and criminal interests.
globalresearch.ca/war-is-good-for-business-and-organized-crime-afghanistans-multibillion-dollar-opium-trade-rising-heroin-addiction-in-the-us/5664319

Cuban Lawmakers Approve 2020 Budget Law
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-20
Lawmakers approved unanimously the budget law for 2020 which will guarantee basic services for the population, including health, education and social security, during the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Ninth Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power (Cuban Parliament, ANPP), conducted by its President, Esteban Lazo. | RELATED: | Cuba Denounces New OAS Attack Against Medical Collaboration | The law also plans state investments in different sectors of the economy, accor…
telesurenglish.net/news/Cuban-Lawmakers-Approve-2020-Budget-Law-20191220-0012.html

Coup Plotters Seek To Eliminate Inclusive Education in Bolivia
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-20
De facto Bolivian Minister of Education, Virginia Patty, urged today a repeal the Avelino Siñani Law enacted by Evo Morales in 2010, which proposes decolonizing the country through a revolutionary and liberating educational system. | RELATED: | Deadlines Adjusted, Bolivian TSE To Call For Elections In 2020 | She also announced that in the coming days s…
telesurenglish.net/news/Coup-Plotters-Seek-To-Eliminate-Inclusive-Education-in-Bolivia-20191220-0007.html

"The Shooters are Coming!" War on Terror, War on Education
Andrea Mazzarino | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-20
One day in October 2001, shortly after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, I stood at the front of a private high school classroom. As a new social studies teacher, I had been tasked with describing violence against women in that country. I showed the students an article from the front page of the New York Times featuring…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/20/the-shooters-are-coming-war-on-terror-war-on-education/

Trump Not Officially Impeached So Far?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
Will or won't House Speaker Pelosi select Dem impeachment managers (prosecutors) and transmit articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate for trial? | Knowing the GOP controlled body will reject House charges against Trump and acquit him, will Pelosi and …
globalresearch.ca/trump-not-officially-impeached-so-far/5698309

Israel Bombs Gaza, 2020 NDAA's Israel Focus, Iran Excuse Now In Afghanistan & West Bank Take Over
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-20
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/19/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/israel-bombs-gaza-2020-ndaas-israel-focus-iran-excuse-now-in-afghanistan-west-bank-take-over/

Leaked Information on Trump's No-Peace/Deal of the Century
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
Information on what may be in Trump's no-peace/peace plan was leaked before — its accuracy unknown unless and until a plan is released. | It hardly matters. It was dead before arrival. Trump's one-sided support for Israel is more extreme than …
globalresearch.ca/leaked-information-trump-no-peace-deal-century/5698306

The Afghanistan Fiasco and the Decline and Fall of the American Military
Philip Giraldi | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
A devastating investigative report was published in the Washington Post on December 9th. Dubbed the "Afghanistan Papers" in a nod to the Vietnam War's famous "Pentagon Papers," the report relied on thousands of documents to similarly expose how …
globalresearch.ca/afghanistan-fiasco-decline-fall-american-military/5698318

Whistleblowing: A Draft Law to Silence Whistleblowers
Yasmine Motarjemi | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
On 16th December 2019, the Swiss "Conseil des Etats" the upper house of the Swiss Parliament, approved the draft law on whistleblowing, in pipeline since 2003. The proposed law on whistleblowing and related labour laws in Switzerland are not only …
globalresearch.ca/whistleblowing-draft-law-silence-whistleblowers/5698298

'Who Has Given the Americans the Right to be in Syria?' China Asks
Press TV | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
"Who have given the Americans the right to do this? And, at whose invitation is the US protecting Syria's oil fields?" Xie Xiaoyan said at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday. | "Let's think the other way around: will the | …
globalresearch.ca/who-has-given-americans-right-syria-china-asks/5698316

Video: Syrian Army's Large Scale Ground Operation in Greater Idlib
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
The Syrian Army has finalized military preparations and is awaiting orders to launch a large-scale ground operation in Greater Idlib, according to reports by Syrian media. The operation will allegedly be aimed at liberating the militant-held part of the M5 …
globalresearch.ca/video-syrian-army-last-chance-idlib-advance-2019/5698300

The "Afghanistan Papers": Deep State Narrative Management
Kit Knightly | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
The Big Reveal for the Washington Post this week is the release of the Afghanistan Papers. A series of interviews and documents "compiled in secret" and then the subject of a "legal challenge" from the US government. | The WaPo baldly …
globalresearch.ca/afghanistan-papers-deep-state-narrative-management/5698337

In New Round of Tests, Monsanto's Weedkiller Still Contaminates Foods Marketed to Children
Dr. Olga Naidenko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
Major food companies like General Mills continue to sell popular children's breakfast cereals and other foods contaminated with troubling levels of glyphosate, the cancer-causing ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. | The weedkiller, produced by Bayer-Monsanto, was detected in all 21 oat-based …
globalresearch.ca/new-round-tests-monsanto-weedkiller-contaminates-foods-marketed-children/5698322

The Politics of Trump's Impeachment
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
Several features stand out in the impeachment quest against President Donald J. Trump. There is constitutional discourse as mythology and fetish. There is outrage that the executive office could have been used to actually investigate political opponents through foreign …
globalresearch.ca/politics-trump-impeachment/5698332

"Doughnut Economics": Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist
Bryant Brown | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-20
Kate Raworth calls herself 'a renegade economist'. She was born in 1970 and earned a bachelor's degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and then followed it with a master's degree in Economics for Development, both from Oxford University where she …
globalresearch.ca/doughnut-economics-seven-ways-think-like-21st-century-economist/5698326

A Tempestuous Noise
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-20
I first became aware of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest in Junior High. Our English class was reading Romeo and Juliet and each student was assigned to read another Shakespeare work of our own choosing. I chose King Lear, mostly because I felt an affinity with Lear's youngest daughter Cordelia. Later in my life I would…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/20/a-tempestuous-noise/

US Hardliners Want Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning Crucified
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
Mass incarceration in the US is a national disgrace, a crime against humanity, including countless numbers of political prisoners — pesecuted behind bars for their beliefs and activism, for resisting the dirty system, judged guilty by accusation. | Julian Assange and …
globalresearch.ca/us-hardliners-want-julian-assange-chelsea-manning-crucified/5698261

Victimhood and the Nigerian Civil War
Adeyinka Makinde | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
The concatenation of violence in Nigeria from 1966 to 1970, a train of events which involved communal fighting, army mutinies and a civil war, is correctly viewed as a period during which the ethnic Igbos of the country's south east …
globalresearch.ca/victimhood-nigerian-civil-war/5698252

Dem Controlled House Impeaches Trump
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
On Wednesday, House members impeached Trump on two counts as expected, politicized voting almost entirely along party lines — 230 — 197 for alleged abuse of power, 229 — 198 for alleged obstruction of Congress. | No Republicans supported the scam, …
globalresearch.ca/dem-controlled-house-impeaches-trump/5698262

Boeing's Perilous Bungling Requires New Leadership
Ralph Nader | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
The Boeing executives and marketeers responsible for over-ruling Boeing engineers on the 737 MAX are still in charge of this very troubled aerospace company. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg and the rubber-stamp Board of Directors, with two trophy ambassadors, are still …
globalresearch.ca/boeing-requires-new-leadership/5698271

You Don't Own Me?
Philip A Farruggio | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
Leslie Gore's 1963 hit song 'You Don't Own Me' started off with the line "You don't own me, I'm not just one of your toys". So it is with the overwhelming number of our population who, despite NOT knowing it, …
globalresearch.ca/you-dont-own-me/5698229

Propaganda in the War on Yugoslavia
Swiss Propaganda Research | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
The war on Yugoslavia in the 1990s was a classic imperial war to reorder South Eastern Europe. To achieve its goals, the US even deployed the "jihadist" mercenaries with which it had previously fought the USSR in Afghanistan and which …
globalresearch.ca/propaganda-war-yugoslavia/5698036

Video: Military Intervention in Libya and Turkey's Grand Game in the Eastern Mediterranean
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
During the past week, the situation significantly escalated in Libya, with Turkey expanding its military involvement in the conflict. | In late November, Turkey signed with the Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls only a small part of northern Libya, …
globalresearch.ca/video-military-intervention-libya-turkey-grand-game-eastern-mediterranean/5698225

The Indo-'Israeli' Trans-Arabian Corridor Will Push Russia Closer to Pakistan
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
India's participation in "Israel's" Trans-Arabian Corridor for connecting the Eastern Mediterranean and Afro-Asian ("Indian") Ocean will render New Delhi's North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) with Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia economically redundant, consequently pushing Russia closer to Pakistan as Moscow seeks to …
globalresearch.ca/indo-israeli-trans-arabian-corridor-push-russia-closer-pakistan/5698250

Testimonies from People Living in Syria. "What does the American Government have Against Us?"
Janice Kortkamp | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
Rania "if death will come in 5 years or 7 or 10 I would urge it to come now because they have ripped us up of all hopes for any foreseen future…‚ÄØthey have killed us while we are still …
globalresearch.ca/testimonies-people-living-syria/5698231

Colombia: Protests Against Tax Reform and Police Repression
telesurenglish.net | 2019-12-19
Student groups, currently under constant mobilization in the country, demanded the repeal of the Tax Reform and the ending of repression by the National Police. | RELATED: | Colombia: Duque Ignores the National Strike Committee Requests | Holding banners with the face of Dilan Cruz, a young man who died as a result of the impact of an artifact on his head launched by agents of the Mobile Riot Squadron, hundreds of university students rejected the approval of the Executive for th…
telesurenglish.net/news/colombia-protests-against-tax-reform-and-police-repression-20191219-0021.html

Brexit Could See the Return of the Falkland Islands to Argentina
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-19
The Islas Malvinas, or more commonly known as the Falkland Islands, archipelago was invaded by the United Kingdom in 1833 and its occupation has continued to date. Argentina's claim for sovereignty through diplomatic means has been a state policy since …
globalresearch.ca/brexit-could-see-return-falkland-islands-argentina/5698274

'Like tobacco companies' : Coca Cola blasted for telling teens its soda is 'healthy lifestyle' choice in new study
rt.com | 2019-12-19
Internal emails from Coca Cola have shown the carbonated-beverage giant is trying to change the unhealthy image of their brand by specifically targeting active teenagers. | A new report from The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) is blasting the Atlanta-based corporation for advertising its sugary drinks to teenagers and trying to convince them that soda is part of a healthy lifestyle. | "The large number of children targeted and reached by Coke as part of their PR campaigns is a serious c…
rt.com/usa/476447-coca-cola-teens-advertising/

Elite NY school rocked by claims of anti-Semitism, swastikas on campus & Holocaust survivors labeled oppressors
rt.com | 2019-12-19
An elite private school in the Bronx that costs $53,000 a year is being accused of failing to properly address complaints of discrimination and anti-Semitism made by Jewish students who reportedly say they've felt unsafe there. | Swastikas have reportedly been posted on the grounds of Fieldston School and a recent speaker argued that Holocaust survivors have turned into oppressors. | "If someone was coming to Fieldston to talk about apartheid and went off on a rant about the pea-sized brains of women who belong in a kitchen, or repeated racist tropes, or ranted about any form of homophobia or racism or sexism,…
rt.com/usa/476432-anti-semitism-concerns-fieldston-ny/

Global Refugee Forum ends with hundreds of pledges
news.un.org | 2019-12-18
The first-ever Global Refugee Forum concluded in Geneva on Wednesday with more than 770 pledges of support, covering areas such as protection, employment, and education, for refugees and the communities which have taken them in.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1053881

Mexico Finds "World's Largest Lithium Deposit" Just Before US Focus & $1.4 Trillion War-Aimed NDAA
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-12-18
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (12/17/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/mexico-finds-worlds-largest-lithium-deposit-just-before-us-focus-1-4-trillion-war-aimed-ndaa/

Protests Paralyze India After Racist Anti-Muslim Law Passed
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-18
Modi's government using brutal violence against students and workers to stop demonstrations. Professor Sumit Ganguly examines the legal, moral and political significance anti-Muslim laws and the growing movement to oppose Hindu nationalism.
therealnews.com/stories/protests-paralyze-india-racist-anti-muslim-law-passed

For Many of the World's Children, Education Proves Elusive
Elin Martinez | progressive.org | 2019-12-17
Especially in countries with widespread human rights abuses, kids–especially girls–don't get the chance to go to school.
progressive.org/dispatches/for-many-children-education-proves-elusive-martinez-van-esveld-191217/

Presidential Hopefuls Vie for Votes of Public Education Supporters
Sarah Lahm | progressive.org | 2019-12-17
At a Pittsburgh education forum, seven candidates were forced to take a stand on charter schools.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/presidential-hopefuls-ed-forum-lahm-191217/

Democratic Candidates Focus on Public Education at Historic Forum with Civil Rights & Labor Groups
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-12-17
Ahead of the last Democratic presidential debate of the year this Thursday, seven candidates appeared Saturday at the historic Democratic Presidential Forum on Public Education in Pittsburgh, an event organized by public education organizations, unions, civil rights organizations and community groups. We play highlights from the forum and get response from Keron Blair, director of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools in Atlanta; Jitu Brown, national director of the Journey for Justice Alliance; and Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education Action. She recently authored a report titled "S…
www.democracynow.org/2019/12/17/democrat…