Daily Archives: December 25, 2019

2019-12-25: News Headlines

Howie Hawkins (2019-12-25). The Green Party Is Not the Democrats' Problem. counterpunch.org Although it is a constant refrain from Democratic leaders and commentators, the Green Party is not why the Democrats lost to Bush and Trump. In trying to excuse her loss to Trump, Hillary Clinton recently made the baseless smears that Jill Stein, the Greens' 2016 presidential candidate, is a "Russian asset," and that Russians and More

yenisafak (2019-12-25). Syrian regime captures five villages in northwestern Syria. yenisafak.com Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime backed by Russia and Iran has captured 40 residential areas over the past five days in the northwestern Idlib province, despite the region being designated a de-escalation zone.Since the offensive began on Dec. 20, the regime and its allies have launched a military campaign mainly in the cities of Maarat Al-Numan and Saraqib as well as the surrounding rural areas.Despite the area being part of a de-escalation zone, the regime and its allies on Tuesday night took control of five more villages in Maarat Al-Numan, bringing the number of seized villages to 40.In September 2018, Turkey…

RT (2019-12-25). 'Solitary confinement' in own home: Father of Pakistan's atomic bomb petitions high court for 'freedom'. rt.com The atomic scientist chiefly responsible for making Pakistan a nuclear power is now asking the country's Supreme Court to set him free, as he has spent almost 15 years under guard in his home, cut off from family and friends. | Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, was detained in 2004 after confessing to illegally giving nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. He was first imprisoned by the government of General Pervez Musharraf, who was himself ousted in 2008 and recently convicted in absentia of treason. | Now 83, Khan is petitioning the highest court in the lan…

Sarah Abed (2019-12-24). Trump Administration and Moscow Shoot Down Bipartisan DASKA "Sanctions Bill from Hell" globalresearch.ca In August of 2018, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) first introduced what Graham referred to as a "sanctions bill from hell" targeting Russia and President Vladimir Putin and making it harder for the United States to leave …

N.D. Jayaprakash (2019-12-24). Indo-Pak Nuclear Confrontation: First Use Policy & the Race towards Armageddon. counterpunch.org Click here to read Part Two. Head in the Sand Approach Information on the colossal destructive effects of use of nuclear weapons, based on the horrendous experiences of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has been in the public domain for well over six decades. Yet, unmindful of the existing knowledge about the More

Paul Antonopoulos (2019-12-24). Brexit, Macron and Russia: Will 2020 be as Difficult for EU as 2019 Was? globalresearch.ca 2019 has been a difficult year for the European Union (EU) and it appears 2020 will be no different with many challenges and issues remaining unresolved after a turbulent year. The most obvious issue is the lingering Brexit saga that …

Staff (2019-12-24). Is Donald Trump America's Second 9/11? truthdig.com Here's the question at hand—and I guarantee you that you'll read it here first: Is Donald Trump the second or even possibly the third 9/11? Because truly, he has to be one or the other. | Let me explain, and while I do, keep this in mind: as 2019 ends, thanks to Brexit and the victory of Boris Johnson in Britain's recent election, the greatest previous imperial power on this planet is clearly headed for the sub-basement of history. Meanwhile, that other superpower of the Cold War era, the Soviet Union, now…

RT (2019-12-24). 'Today THEY are trying to catch up': Putin says Russia surpasses all competitors in advanced weapons for the first time. rt.com Russia is spending far less on defense and more efficiently, developing a series of advanced weapons that its rivals are struggling to copy, President Vladimir Putin said, teasing a ground-launched hypersonic missile. | The Soviet Union was always trying to catch up to the US, whether it was the atomic bomb, strategic aviation, or the first intercontinental missiles, Putin said on Tuesday, during a meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board. | Today, we have a unique situation in our new and recent history — they are trying to catch up with us. | The president noted that "not a single country possesses…

RT (2019-12-24). You better watch out… US military tracks Santa and North Korean 'gifts'. rt.com With much of the world awaiting North Korea's promised "Christmas gift" for the US, NORAD is busy tracking both missile tests and Santa's journey around the world. Let's hope the two don't get mixed up, netizens joked. | 'Tis the season to be on the lookout for intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised a "Christmas gift" for the United States earlier this month, should Washington not back down from its demand for him to abandon his nuclear program. Resurrecting the nickname "Rocket Man" for Kim, US President Donald Trump has refused to give in and it remains to be seen wheth…

RT (2019-12-24). Russian astrophysicists claim there's NO DARK ENERGY in bold new theory. rt.com A pair of Russian astrophysicists have published a cosmological theory which they claim explains the expansion of the universe without the need for the mysterious "Dark Energy" proposed by so many of their peers. | Dark energy has served as a placeholder to explain away gaps in our current understanding of the universe for decades but now Professor Artyom Astashenok and undergraduate Aleksander Tepliakov from the Baltic Federal University think they have cracked the mystery. Their research was published in…

RT (2019-12-24). Guardian corrects article about Julian Assange embassy 'escape plot' to Russia…a year later. rt.com The Guardian has corrected an article describing a "plot" to "smuggle" WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange out of London, more than a year after publication. Russia called the article "disinformation and fake news" from the outset. | Assange is currently languishing in London's Belmarsh Prison, awaiting a hearing on his extradition to the US where he is facing espionage charges. However, in the runup to Christmas 2017 he was still safe inside the city's Ecuadorian embassy. At the time, Assange had become a thorn in the side of Ecuador's new president, Lenin Moreno, and Moreno was reportedly mulling a plan to offe…

RT (2019-12-24). No patient too small: Russian vets perform successful surgery on a COCKROACH (VIDEO). rt.com Every life is precious for a true doctor and Russian veterinarians have proven this again, after successfully performing surgery on a cockroach. The insect some may find disgusting may, to others, be a favorite pet. | The Archimandrita cockroach originates in the South American jungle, but it has found true love and care in the cold city of Krasnoyarsk in the heart of Siberia. | When a female roach experienced serious health problems, the owner didn't give up on her. The man rushed to the vet clinic, despite it being a lot easier and cheaper to buy a new insect. | The local animal doctors had never dealt with…

Lawrence Wittner (2019-12-23). Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons. dissidentvoice.org Although today's public protests against nuclear weapons can't compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration's nuclear weapons policies. Since entering office in 2017, the Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran, scrapped the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, and …

Tim Shorrock (2019-12-23). A Low-Intensity War Is Underway in Northeast Asia. thenation.com A Low-Intensity War Is Underway in Northeast Asia…

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 …

Lawrence Wittner (2019-12-22). Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons. zcomm.org Although today's public protests against nuclear weapons can't compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration's nuclear weapons policies. Since entering office in 2017, the Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran, scrapped the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Read more…

Staff (2019-12-20). Democrats Invoke Russiagate to Advance Bill Lobbied for by Big Oil. therealnews.com Two bills that would allow the United States to expand its fossil fuel infrastructure in the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries have advanced to the the Senate—and Democrats backing them have invoked "Russiagate" to push them through.

news.un (2019-12-19). Iran and US both undermining nuclear deal says UN political affairs chief. news.un.org Both Iran and the United States have been putting strain on the groundbreaking 2015 deal to monitor Iran's nuclear programme, which remains a "cornerstone of international peace and security", said the UN's political affairs chief on Thursday.

Aaron Maté (2019-12-16). IG report exposes FBI, Congressional, and media deceit in Russia probe. thegrayzone.com A new report from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz confirms that the FBI relied on the Steele dossier — a…

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-12-13). Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn't Russia. theantimedia.com Hardly anyone will care because this election interference has been happening right out in the open, and was perfectly legal.

Martin Fleck (2019-12-09). On Human Rights Day, Let's Abolish Nuclear Weapons. progressive.org A nuclear war would create one of the worst humanitarian crises imaginable, one for which no nation would have an adequate emergency or health response.

Kathy Kelly (2019-12-02). Trident is the Crime. zcomm.org The U.S. nuclear weapon arsenal creates anguish, fear and futility worldwide. Yet "holy ground" exists as activists work toward abolition of nuclear weapons…

Jon Rainwater (2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …

Peace Action (2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

Peace Action (2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

2019-12-25: Social Media Postees

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

The Green Party Is Not the Democrats' Problem
Howie Hawkins | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-25
Although it is a constant refrain from Democratic leaders and commentators, the Green Party is not why the Democrats lost to Bush and Trump. In trying to excuse her loss to Trump, Hillary Clinton recently made the baseless smears that Jill Stein, the Greens' 2016 presidential candidate, is a "Russian asset," and that Russians and…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/25/the-green-party-is-not-the-democrats-problem/

Syrian regime captures five villages in northwestern Syria
yenisafak.com | 2019-12-25
Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime backed by Russia and Iran has captured 40 residential areas over the past five days in the northwestern Idlib province, despite the region being designated a de-escalation zone.Since the offensive began on Dec. 20, the regime and its allies have launched a military campaign mainly in the cities of Maarat Al-Numan and Saraqib as well as the surrounding rural areas.Despite the area being part of a de-escalation zone, the regime and its allies on Tuesday night took control of five more villages in Maarat Al-Numan, bringing the number of seized villages to 40.In September 2018, Turkey…
yenisafak.com/en/world/syrian-regime-captures-five-villages-in-northwestern-syria-3508218

'Solitary confinement' in own home: Father of Pakistan's atomic bomb petitions high court for 'freedom'
rt.com | 2019-12-25
The atomic scientist chiefly responsible for making Pakistan a nuclear power is now asking the country's Supreme Court to set him free, as he has spent almost 15 years under guard in his home, cut off from family and friends. | Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, was detained in 2004 after confessing to illegally giving nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. He was first imprisoned by the government of General Pervez Musharraf, who was himself ousted in 2008 and recently convicted in absentia of treason. | Now 83, Khan is petitioning the highest court in the lan…
rt.com/news/476783-pakistan-khan-nuclear-freedom/

Trump Administration and Moscow Shoot Down Bipartisan DASKA "Sanctions Bill from Hell"
Sarah Abed | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-24
In August of 2018, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) first introduced what Graham referred to as a "sanctions bill from hell" targeting Russia and President Vladimir Putin and making it harder for the United States to leave …
globalresearch.ca/trump-administration-moscow-shoot-down-bipartisan-daska-sanctions-bill-hell/5698516

Indo-Pak Nuclear Confrontation: First Use Policy & the Race towards Armageddon
N.D. Jayaprakash | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-24
Click here to read Part Two. Head in the Sand Approach Information on the colossal destructive effects of use of nuclear weapons, based on the horrendous experiences of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has been in the public domain for well over six decades. Yet, unmindful of the existing knowledge about the…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/24/indo-pak-nuclear-confrontation-first-use-policy-the-race-towards-armageddon/

Brexit, Macron and Russia: Will 2020 be as Difficult for EU as 2019 Was?
Paul Antonopoulos | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-24
2019 has been a difficult year for the European Union (EU) and it appears 2020 will be no different with many challenges and issues remaining unresolved after a turbulent year. The most obvious issue is the lingering Brexit saga that …
globalresearch.ca/brexit-macron-russia-will-2020-difficult-eu-2019-was/5698643

Is Donald Trump America's Second 9/11?
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-12-24
Here's the question at hand–and I guarantee you that you'll read it here first: Is Donald Trump the second or even possibly the third 9/11? Because truly, he has to be one or the other. | Let me explain, and while I do, keep this in mind: as 2019 ends, thanks to Brexit and the victory of Boris Johnson in Britain's recent election, the greatest previous imperial power on this planet is clearly headed for the sub-basement of history. Meanwhile, that other superpower of the Cold War era, the Soviet Union, now…
truthdig.com/articles/is-donald-trump-americas-second-9-11/

Guardian corrects article about Julian Assange embassy 'escape plot' to Russia…a year later
rt.com | 2019-12-24
The Guardian has corrected an article describing a "plot" to "smuggle" WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange out of London, more than a year after publication. Russia called the article "disinformation and fake news" from the outset. | Assange is currently languishing in London's Belmarsh Prison, awaiting a hearing on his extradition to the US where he is facing espionage charges. However, in the runup to Christmas 2017 he was still safe inside the city's Ecuadorian embassy. At the time, Assange had become a thorn in the side of Ecuador's new president, Lenin Moreno, and Moreno was reportedly mulling a plan to offe…
rt.com/uk/476767-guardian-correction-assange-story/

'Today THEY are trying to catch up': Putin says Russia surpasses all competitors in advanced weapons for the first time
rt.com | 2019-12-24
Russia is spending far less on defense and more efficiently, developing a series of advanced weapons that its rivals are struggling to copy, President Vladimir Putin said, teasing a ground-launched hypersonic missile. | The Soviet Union was always trying to catch up to the US, whether it was the atomic bomb, strategic aviation, or the first intercontinental missiles, Putin said on Tuesday, during a meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board. | Today, we have a unique situation in our new and recent history — they are trying to catch up with us. | The president noted that "not a single country possesses…
rt.com/russia/476780-russia-putin-weapons-hypersonic/

You better watch out… US military tracks Santa and North Korean 'gifts'
rt.com | 2019-12-24
With much of the world awaiting North Korea's promised "Christmas gift" for the US, NORAD is busy tracking both missile tests and Santa's journey around the world. Let's hope the two don't get mixed up, netizens joked. | 'Tis the season to be on the lookout for intercontinental ballistic missiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised a "Christmas gift" for the United States earlier this month, should Washington not back down from its demand for him to abandon his nuclear program. Resurrecting the nickname "Rocket Man" for Kim, US President Donald Trump has refused to give in and it remains to be seen wheth…
rt.com/usa/476763-norad-santa-north-korea/

Russian astrophysicists claim there's NO DARK ENERGY in bold new theory
rt.com | 2019-12-24
A pair of Russian astrophysicists have published a cosmological theory which they claim explains the expansion of the universe without the need for the mysterious "Dark Energy" proposed by so many of their peers. | Dark energy has served as a placeholder to explain away gaps in our current understanding of the universe for decades but now Professor Artyom Astashenok and undergraduate Aleksander Tepliakov from the Baltic Federal University think they have cracked the mystery. Their research was published in…
rt.com/russia/476750-no-dark-energy-russian-astrophysicists/

No patient too small: Russian vets perform successful surgery on a COCKROACH (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2019-12-24
Every life is precious for a true doctor and Russian veterinarians have proven this again, after successfully performing surgery on a cockroach. The insect some may find disgusting may, to others, be a favorite pet. | The Archimandrita cockroach originates in the South American jungle, but it has found true love and care in the cold city of Krasnoyarsk in the heart of Siberia. | When a female roach experienced serious health problems, the owner didn't give up on her. The man rushed to the vet clinic, despite it being a lot easier and cheaper to buy a new insect. | The local animal doctors had never dealt with…
rt.com/russia/476756-russia-veterinarians-cockroach-surgery/

Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons
Lawrence Wittner | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-12-23
Although today's public protests against nuclear weapons can't compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration's nuclear weapons policies. Since entering office in 2017, the Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran, scrapped the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, and …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/12/americans-are-ready-for-a-different-approach-to-nuclear-weapons/

A Low-Intensity War Is Underway in Northeast Asia
Tim Shorrock | thenation.com | 2019-12-23
A Low-Intensity War Is Underway in Northeast Asia…
thenation.com/article/korea-war-nuclear-arms/

'Surveillance Valley' author Yasha Levine's Twitter frozen after post objecting to US pushing for war with Russia in Ukraine
rt.com | 2019-12-23
Yasha Levine, a journalist who exposed the US government surveillance origins of the internet and its symbiotic relationship with Big Tech, was locked out of Twitter after criticizing Washington's Ukraine policy with clear satire. | "We gotta kill Russians in Ukraine or they'll come and kill us here!" Levine tweeted on Saturday, mocking what he described as the US' policy of using Ukraine as a "forward operating base" — a policy expressed in only slightly more euphemistic terms during the impeachment hearings earlier this month. The journalist even included a link to an article he'd written excoriating th…
rt.com/usa/476687-yasha-levine-twitter-censored-ukraine/

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/

Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons
Lawrence Wittner | zcomm.org | 2019-12-22
Although today's public protests against nuclear weapons can't compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration's nuclear weapons policies. Since entering office in 2017, the Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran, scrapped the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/americans-are-ready-for-a-different-approach-to-nuclear-weapons/

Democrats Invoke Russiagate to Advance Bill Lobbied for by Big Oil
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-20
Two bills that would allow the United States to expand its fossil fuel infrastructure in the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries have advanced to the the Senate–and Democrats backing them have invoked "Russiagate" to push them through.
therealnews.com/columns/democrats-invoke-russiagate-to-advance-bill-lobbied-for-by-big-oil

Iran and US both undermining nuclear deal says UN political affairs chief
news.un.org | 2019-12-19
Both Iran and the United States have been putting strain on the groundbreaking 2015 deal to monitor Iran's nuclear programme, which remains a "cornerstone of international peace and security", said the UN's political affairs chief on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1054071

IG report exposes FBI, Congressional, and media deceit in Russia probe
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-16
A new report from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz confirms that the FBI relied on the Steele dossier — a…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/16/ig-report-exposes-fbi-congressional-and-media-deceit-in-russia-probe/

Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn't Russia
Caitlin Johnstone | theantimedia.com | 2019-12-13
Hardly anyone will care because this election interference has been happening right out in the open, and was perfectly legal.

Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn’t Russia

On Human Rights Day, Let's Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Martin Fleck | progressive.org | 2019-12-09
A nuclear war would create one of the worst humanitarian crises imaginable, one for which no nation would have an adequate emergency or health response.
progressive.org/op-eds/human-rights-day-nuclear-weapons-fleck-191209/

Trident is the Crime
Kathy Kelly | zcomm.org | 2019-12-02
The U.S. nuclear weapon arsenal creates anguish, fear and futility worldwide. Yet "holy ground" exists as activists work toward abolition of nuclear weapons…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/trident-is-the-crime/