The Most Lethal Virus is Not COVID. It is War
John Pilger | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-15
In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Boris Johnson has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defence spending — a figure that would restore the under-resourced NHS many times over.
counterpunch.org/2020/12/15/the-most-lethal-virus-is-not-covid-it-is-war/

No, an Israeli company can't hack into Signal on your phone
Mustafa Abu Sneineh | middleeasteye.net | 2020-12-15
No, an Israeli company can't hack into Signal on your phone | Cellebrite said its product can crack the messaging app, but its technology is not 'groundbreaking' according to experts | Mustafa Abu Sneineh | Tue, 12/15/2020 – 14: 24 | Grafitti urging people to use Signal, a highly encrypted messaging app, is spray-painted on a wall during a protest in Berkeley, California, 1 February 2017 (AFP) | Journa…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/signal-israel-intelligence-cannot-hack-phone

Julian Assange: COVID Risks and Campaigns for Pardon
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2020-12-14
Before the January 4 ruling of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser in the extradition case of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher will continue to endure the ordeal of cold prison facilities while being menaced by a COVID-19 outbreak. From November 18, Assange, along with inmates in House Block 1 at Belmarsh prison in south-east London, were…
counterpunch.org/2020/12/14/130999/

Max Blumenthal Meets Rafael Correa In Venezuela
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2020-12-14
Max Blumenthal interviews former Ecuador President Rafael Correa, who was in Venezuela to observe its legislative elections and show support to a government under sustained economic and political attack by the US. | Correa addresses issues ranging from the repression in his country under the watch of its outgoing neoliberal president, Lenin Moreno, to the persecution of Julian Assange and the role of a CIA contractor in targeting him and the Wikileaks founder. | Blumenthal and Correa also discuss the prospect of a left-wing victory in Ecuador's upcoming national elections, and what the US-backed government is doi…
popularresistance.org/max-blumenthal-meets-rafael-correa-in-venezuela/

John Pilger: The Most Lethal Virus Is Not COVID. It Is War
John Pilger | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-14
In the midst of the greatest health emergency in modern times, with more than 4 million surgical procedures delayed by the National Health Service, Britain has announced a record increase of £16.5 billion in so-called defense spending.
mintpressnews.com/john-pilger-lethal-virus-not-covid-war/273597/

Left and Right Unite in Calls for Snowden Pardon Amid Speculation of a Trump Decision
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-12-14
While the idea of pardoning one of the most prolific whistleblowers of our era drew together an alliance of those on the left and right, the centrist establishment reacted with predictable vitriol to the idea.
mintpressnews.com/left-right-unite-calls-for-snowden-pardon/273604/

Venezuelan Gold Seized by the Bank of England: British Court Accepts Guaidó's Appeal
Orinoco Tribune | globalresearch.ca | 2020-12-14
Thursday December 10 the British Supreme Court accepted the appeal issued by the lawyers of the opposition for exiting deputy Juan Guaidó, and ruled in favor of hearing his appeal regarding control of Venezuela's gold reserves, valued at $1.3 …
globalresearch.ca/venezuelan-gold-seized-bank-england-british-court-accepts-guaido-appeal/5732135

Brazil's Supreme Court Demands a COVID-19 Vaccination Calendar
telesurenglish.net | 2020-12-14
Brazil's Supreme Court judge Ricardo Lewandowski Sunday gave President Jair Bolsonaro's administration 48 hours to publish details of the national vaccination campaign against the new coronavirus. | RELATED: | President Luis Arce Travels to Brazil for Medical Check-up | His decision comes after the Executive presented a vaccination plan that did not specify the dates for the beginning and the closure of a national campaign nor the steps for ensuring the vaccination of 70 percent o…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazils-Supreme-Court-Demands-a-COVID-19-Vaccination-Calendar-20201214-0006.html

The 126 GOP House Reps Who Tried to Overthrow Democracy Must Not Be Seated
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-12-14
Merriam-Webster defines the word "treason" as "the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance." There are 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who did just that in broad daylight last week. | Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's absurd attempt to overthrow the 2020 elections was flatly rejected on Friday night by the Supreme Court. Coming hard after that court's equally unequivocal dismissal of a Pennsylvan…
truthout.org/articles/the-126-gop-house-reps-who-tried-to-overthrow-democracy-must-not-be-seated/

ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Action on Kansas Voting Lawsuit
commondreams.org | 2020-12-14
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commondreams.org/newswire/2020/12/14/aclu-comment-supreme-court-action-kansas-voting-lawsuit?cd-origin=rss

Assange's Partner Decries 'Atrocious' Prison Conditions in Appeal for Australian Intervention
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-12-14
"The Australian government should just pick up the phone and speak to its closest allies and show its concern and secure his safe release," said Stella Morris. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/free_assange_extradition_0.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2020/12/14/assanges-partner-decries-atrocious-prison-conditions-appeal-australian-intervention?cd-origin=rss

Yankee Detectives Are Always on the TV
sputniknews.com | 2020-12-14
On today's episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events, including Pastor Mark Burns announcing on Twitter the pardoning of Julian Assange by President Trump, the Electoral College counting votes for the President, and the Washington Post announcing Russia's alleged hacking of US agencies.
sputniknews.com/radio-the-backstory/202012141081460687-yankee-detectives-are-always-on-the-tv/

UN rapporteur Nils Melzer demands Assange's immediate release after ten years' arbitrary detention
wsws.org | 2020-12-14