2020-12-27: News Headlines

_____ (2020-12-27). Rhodes Scholars Surge in Biden's Potential Cabinet. strategic-culture.org With Trump's ascension to the presidency in 2016, the Rhodes Scholars that had permeated the U.S. Deep State over many years found themselves choking on humble pie as they were removed from the drivers' seat of world affairs for the first time in decades. The paradigm of post-nation state unipolarism that had been carefully built up over…

Hugo Turner (2020-12-27). Guatemala: War and Revolution. globalresearch.ca The CIA coup to overthrow Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 would put the nation of Guatemala on the path to a nightmare future of poverty, war, and genocide. The United States would reshape Guatemala's intelligence military and police to fight a …

yenisafak (2020-12-27). Afghan VP denies detention of 'Chinese militants'. yenisafak.com Afghanistan's first vice president on Sunday denied Indian media reports on alleged Chinese militants being arrested in a security operation in Kabul.Amrullah Saleh, who is a former intelligence chief, said in a statement that no foreign nationals, but a group of terrorists involved in string of bomb blasts, abductions and killings has been busted in the Kher Khana neighborhood of the capital.Earlier this week, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported that 10 alleged Chinese citizens were detained by the National Directorate of Security on the charges of espionage and running a terror cell.They are "believed to be…

Richard Falk (2020-12-27). From Counterterrorism to Geopolitics: Reviving the U.S. Deep State. zcomm.org Although it is the highest political priority to be done with Trump and Trumpism, the renewal of 'bipartisan foreign policy' under the guidance of the American version of the deep state is not good news…

Gerry Condon (2020-12-26). Condemning Trump's Pardons for Blackwater Murderers—and Illegal, Unjust, Unending War. commondreams.org "We call on President Trump to pardon real heroes like Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/vfp.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-26). US Supreme Court incompetent, weak on massive election fraud. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 26 (MNA) — Donald Trump said that the US Supreme Court has been totally incompetent and weak on the massive election fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election.

Ralph Nader (2020-12-25). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. commondreams.org Trump and future presidents cannot be allowed to brazenly dishonor justice and undermine the rule of law. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/roger_stone_0_1.jpg

MEE and agencies (2020-12-25). Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible. middleeasteye.net Turkey's Erdogan indicates better ties with Israel possible | President says talks at intelligence level continue between the two sides but Israel's policies on Palestine 'unacceptable' | Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 19 | The two countries have had several fallings out in recent years, despite strong commercial ties, expelling ambassadors in 2018 (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ind…

Dave Lindorff (2020-12-25). Mumia Gets a New Chance to Challenge His Murder Conviction. counterpunch.org State Supreme Court rejects Faulkner Widow's 'Evidence-Free' Effort to Block Mumia Appeal Mumia Abu-Jamal, the prison journalist long known as the "voice of the voiceless" for his compelling writings and short audio tapes about life behind bars, moved a step closer to getting a chance for a reconsideration of his earliest appeal of his conviction

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-12-25). 'A Blatant Violation': Sahrawis Dismiss Pompeo's Announcement of US Consulate in Moroccan-Occupied Western Sahara. commondreams.org The move comes two weeks after the U.S. became the first country to recognize Morocco's claim of sovereignty in the illegally occupied territory. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ws.jpg

sputniknews (2020-12-25). Republican Congressmen Reportedly Urging Trump to Pardon Edward Snowden. sputniknews.com During what is apparently Trump's last days in office, the US president has issued a series of pardons, including his former campaign consultants Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, prompting hopes that he could also grant clemency to the former NSA contractor.

Medea Benjamin, Marcy Winograd (2020-12-24). No, Joe, Don't Roll out the Red Carpet for Torture Enablers. counterpunch.org It was painful enough to live through the U.S. invasion of Iraq that caused untold devastation and human misery for no justifiable reason. Now we are again reminded of the grim Bush legacy with President-elect Biden's nomination of Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence. Haines, who has an inside-the-beltway reputation for being nice and

RT (2020-12-24). That's OUR money! Dozen US states go to Supreme Court fighting over who gets to tax residents stuck working from home. rt.com New Jersey should tax its residents working from home, rather than New York where their offices sit empty, the state argued in a brief to the US Supreme Court, part of a broader battle over taxation sparked by Covid-19 lockdowns. | Along with Iowa, Connecticut and Hawaii, New Jersey submitted an

Joe Emersberger (2020-12-24). The UN is not above playing politics with its mortality (and other) statistics. zcomm.org It's clear that technical departments within the UN have their work corrupted by the US government and its allies. Consider recent reporting by the Grayzone on OPCW whistleblowers who exposed manipulation of an investigation into alleged chemical weapons use in Syria in 2018. Going further back, Hans Blix, the Swedish diplomat who was in charge

MEE staff (2020-12-24). US to open consulate in disputed Western Sahara, Pompeo says. middleeasteye.net US to open consulate in disputed Western Sahara, Pompeo says | Announcement comes just a few weeks after Donald Trump recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory | Thu, 12/24/2020 – 21: 20 | The Trump administration recognised Morocco's claim to the disputed territory earlier this month (AFP/File photo) | The United States has started the process of establishing a consulate in Western Sahara,…

commondreams (2020-12-24). 'The Courts Are a Sham': New Hampshire Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Rights of Nature, Healthy Climate Arguments. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2020-12-24). 'Unhinged, Lame-Duck President Wants to Start a War': Warnings as Trump Blames Iran for Rocket Attack. commondreams.org A spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry called the U.S. president's accusation "baseless" and "fabricated." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pompeo_iran_0.jpg

WSWS (2020-12-23). Australian educators call for the defence of COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones. wsws.org Teachers and support staff at Footscray High in Melbourne met in the final days of the school year to show their support for Jones.

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-12-23). Ralph Nader: He's a Cookbook! counterpunch.org "We can all sit down and have a few beers together while we wait." — Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart), The Petrified Forest (1936) Call before, you dig? — Utility notification for unmarked Internet cables from hippy who finally got a job The other day, minding my own business, and getting lots of unwanted help doing

Online News Editor (2020-12-23). Chinese-Australian writer accused of spying sends messages from prison. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Dec 23 (efe-epa).- Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who was arrested in China at the beginning of 2019 for alleged espionage, said in a series of messages from prison that he is "stronger than ever" and that he has "some confidence in the court" to receive a fair trial. "I think they will give …