Daily News Digest December 19, 2019

Since World War I, ‘the war to end all wars’, there have been perpetual wars for perpetual peace, this Laura Gray’s cartoon from the front page of The Militant August 18, 1945, under banner headline: “There Is No Peace” Could Still Be Published Today!During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three-Point Political Program: (1) Austerity, (2) Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, and (3)  The Iron Heel

Always Remember That Obama Supported the Wall Street Bailout and Remember That President Obama, With a Majority Democrat Legislature, Established, in writing,  the United States Capitalist Austerity Program  — The Race to the Bottom/Pauperization of the 99%!

Democracy?:  As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99%: Only the 1% Voted For Austerity — The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not Just The 1% Who Profit From Austerity!  Under Austerity, All of the World Will Eventually Be Pauperized, Humbled, and Desecrated Like Greece and Puerto Rico.    Socialism Means True Democracy — The 99% Will Rule! — Not the Few!

Images of the Day:

‘United Stares’s Burden’: Pax AmericanaQuotes of the Day:

Private investment funds play a significant role in the U.S. economy. Over the past decade, assets managed by hedge funds and private equity funds have exploded: they have doubled for hedge funds since 2009^[2] and septupled for private equity funds^[3] since 2007. Global private fund assets exceed $3 trillion for both hedge funds and private equity funds, with about $1.6 trillion^[4] of PE assets held in the U.S. A recent study of U.S. companies taken over by private equity funds^[5] was able to identify 9,794 buyouts of U.S. companies between 1980 and 2013. The authors were able to confidently match about 6,000 (~60%) of these to information on the companies. These 6,000 companies employed a total of 6.9 million workers in their stores, warehouses, offices, factories, and service operations at the time of the buyout. Hedge funds operate differently, buying up distressed debt or acquiring a small but significant equity stake in large, publicly-traded companies that enables it to dictate business strategies at those companies. Both private equity and hedge funds charge investors high management fees without providing them with transparency or control of the fund’s activities, typically take 20 percent of the profit, and finance their operations with high levels of borrowing that feed a growing market for risky, junk bond corporate debt that is reaching dangerous levels. —  Eileen Appelbaum’s Testimony for a House Committee on Financial Services Hearing Titled “America for Sale? An Examination of the Practices of Private Funds”

In ways large and small, Main Street is being pillaged by Wall Street’s largest private investment firms. Factories and stores have closed as wealth has been extracted from companies, hollowing them out and leaving them bereft of the resources they need to invest in technology and worker skills. Money has been funneled to millionaire and billionaire partners in these firms even when their firms do not create value and, indeed, may destroy it. Good jobs have been lost and inequality has worsened. Private investment firms take advantage of loopholes in laws and regulations that are not available to other financial actors to engage in the types of self-serving behavior documented here. It’s time to close these loopholes and bring private equity and hedge funds under the same regulatory umbrella that limits risky behavior by other financial institutions. Passage of the Stop Wall Street Looting Act would go a very long way toward accomplishing this aim. Rolling back the National Securities Markets Improvement Act is another important step that needs to be taken. Legislation to halt particular financial abuses – hitting vulnerable patients with surprise medical bills, manipulating stock prices via share buybacks, or organizing ‘wolf packs’ to skirt reporting requirements while accumulating shares in publicly-traded companies – will also be necessary. Such legislation will reduce opportunities for financial abuse and assure that capital is deployed in support of economic development and rising living standards for working families. — Eileen Appelbaum’s Testimony for a House Committee on Financial Services Hearing Titled “America for Sale? An Examination of the Practices of Private Funds” 

Videos Of the Day:

Keiser Report: Trump: Easy to read (E1463) In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max and Stacy discuss the former top trade negotiator for China claiming that dealing with Trump is great as he is so easy to read thanks to his non-stop tweeting. They also discuss Venezuela’s president holding up a bitcoin hard wallet just a year after the UK refused to return their gold. In the second half, Max talks to Dr. Michael Hudson of michael-hudson.com about repo markets, national debt, China, trade wars, and more.

“Police Brutality All Over”: India Cracks Down on Protests Against Anti-Muslim Citizenship Law

U.S.:

The United States is not a Democracy (A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly)! Only the 1%, through their ownership of the Republicrats and who profit from war and the war budget, vote for War and the war budget — A policy, which Gore Vidal called a  Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. — The 99% Should Decide On War — Not Just The 1% Who Profit From War!  Under a Democracy, The 99% would have the right to vote on the policy of Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace! The United States takes from the poor and gives to the Rich.

Moms Reclaim Vacant Home Amid National Attacks on Homeless People Four mothers are fighting to stay in an investor-owned house as the Trump administration threatens a crackdown in California. Despite working full time and playing by all the rules, Dominique Walker still found herself homeless in Oakland, one of several California cities where the housing affordability crisis is most dire. She fled an abusive relationship in Mississippi, moving back to her hometown in April. Since then, she and her two children have stayed with relatives or bounced from hotel to hotel. “I go back to my same neighborhood and nobody’s there; everybody is displaced…. To grow up somewhere and come home to this, it was very shocking. It made me change the course and the direction of my own life,” Walker says.

Disabled Protesters Shut Down PG&E Headquarters over Power Outages In San Francisco, California, dozens of activists, including many disabled protesters, blocked roads and shut down the PG&E headquarters for hours Monday, demanding the massive utility company stop its chronic power outages and invest money to ensure communities of color and disabled people are guaranteed stable electricity. This is one of the protesters.

Environment:

Rainwater In Parts Of US Contain High Levels Of PFAS Chemical, Says Study Levels high enough to potentially impact human health and trigger regulatory action, which only targets two of 4,700 variants New data shows that rainwater in some parts of the US contains high enough levels of potentially toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to possibly affect human health and may, if found in drinking water, in some cases be high enough to trigger regulatory action. PFAS chemicals appear in an array of everyday items, such as food packaging, clothing and carpeting. Chemicals in this family are the subject of the film Dark Water, which chronicles the real-life efforts of a lawyer seeking to hold a polluting factory to account in West Virginia. By Daniel Ross Civil Rights/Black Liberation:

Freedom Rider: Propaganda and the Defeat of Jeremy Corbyn If Corbyn can be defeated with a libel it can work just as well on Sanders. “Corporate in both countries behave in similar fashion and make a mockery of any claims of a free press.”One year ago this columnist wrote about the Integrity Initiative, an arm of British intelligence masquerading as an NGO. “The Integrity Initiative is a means of undermining the sovereignty of the British people by manipulating them with lies. It engaged in numerous efforts to libel Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and prevent him from ever being elected prime minister.” There is no claim of precognition here, just an effort to connect the dots regarding those forces that make the word democracy a sham and a lie. By Margaret Kimberley , BAR editor and senior columnistThe Democratic Party Has a Race Problem in the 2020 ElectionHarris’ appeals to the “Obama Coalition” and diversity were nothing but attempts to win over the Black vote while remaining loyal to the oligarchs. “Diversity does nothing to fundamentally change the white supremacist character of the Democratic Party.” Kamala Harris’ departure from the 2020 election drew cheers from many on the left who had associated the California senator with the most heinous policies of the mass Black incarceration state. Others close to Harris’ campaign, including Harris herself, attributed her lack of financial and political success in the 2020 primary race to the United States not being ready for a Black woman as president . Forgotten was the fact that Harris’ campaign was stocked full of billionaire  donors in the earliest stages of the election. Kamala Harris was at one time the darling of the elite and an odds-on favorite to win the hearts and minds of Black American voters. Her fall from grace is a sign that the Democratic Party has a far graver race problem than what her failed campaign has let on.By BAR Contributing Editor  Danny HaiphongPachamama and the Pope The violent coup in Bolivia may have been presaged by events at the Vatican, where right-wing Catholics rebelled against the Pope’s display of respect for the indigenous earth goddess. “A fundamentalist Austrian Catholic entered the Church of Santa Maria Traspontina in the dark of night and stole the five wooden Pachamama statues.” On November 14, Bolivian coup leader Luis Fernando Camacho, a white Evangelical Christian fascist millionaire, stormed Bolivia’s government palace with his pastor, who pronounced that “Pachamama will never return to the palace,” and “Bolivia belongs to Christ.” By Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor Barring Politics from the Courtroom: The State Versus the Venezuela Embassy Protectors By A black, Obama-appointed judge intends to hide key facts from the jury and referred to the embassy protectors as a “gang.” “The embassy protectors put their bodies on the line and gave their time in solidarity with the people of Venezuela.”On Friday, December 13, Judge Beryl A. Howell, the chief judge of the US District Court, denied the discovery motions requested by the four embassy protectors who were arrested on May 16 after staying in the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC for 37 days to prevent it from being handed over to coup-leaders in violation of the Vienna Convention. This denial will severely restrict the scope of the trial, currently scheduled for February 11, 2020, of Adrienne Pine, David Paul, Margaret Flowers, and Kevin Zeese. They face federal charges punishable by up to a year in prison, a $100,000 fine each and restitution to the government for police time and damages.n  By A black, Obama-appointed judge intends to hide key By Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor The Thick Blue Line: How the United States Became the World’s Police Force Many of the tools and tactics adopted by American police over the past half century were originally deployed to fight communism abroad. “The era of intensified American policing that began in the 1960s cannot be understood outside the context of the Cold War national-security state.” Stuart Schrader Badges Without Borders: How Global Counterinsurgency Transformed American Policing  Stuart Schrader. Berkeley: University of California Press 416 pages. $35,The first test call using America’s 911 emergency system was placed on February 16, 1968. To fanfare in the press, a state legislator sitting in the City Hall of the small Alabama town of Haleyville dialed in to the local police station. His call was answered by a group of august notables—a US representative, a telephone-company executive, and president of the Alabama Public Service Commission Theophilus Eugene Connor. Better remembered today by his nickname, “Bull” Connor was an outspoken white supremacist who believed desegregation was a communist plot; just five years earlier, as commissioner of public safety in Birmingham, he had notoriously unleashed riot police, fire hoses, and attack dogs on nonviolent civil rights protesters. By Patrick BlanchfieldDemocrats as “Liberal”? No, Neo-Liberal Capitulation Democratic leadership is pro-democracy in the US and opposed to it every place else in the world. “Elitist Democrats are working with the administration and neo-cons to cut taxes for the wealthy and perpetuate the military industrial complex.” “Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and our heart full of love for America, today, I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment…” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “I support the decision of the National Assembly, Venezuela’s sole remaining democratic institution, to recognize Juan Guaidó, … as the Interim President until full, fair and free elections can be held…” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi This Wednesday House Democrats will vote out articles of impeachment against Americas 45th president then send the case to the Senate for trial. Trump will join the infamous list of Nixon and Clinton becoming the third American president to be impeached.  In my opinion, Trump is guilty as sin. He should be impeached, convicted by the Senate and removed from office. By Wilmer J. Leon IIIThe Legacy of a Radical Black Newspaperman William Monroe Trotter insisted that protest and civil disobedience were the only effective remedies for racial discrimination.“Legions of working-class readers admired Trotter’s ‘unceasing warfare against injustice.’” The mustache had to go. A classic nineteenth-century handlebar, it was far too recognizable, so William Monroe Trotter shaved it off. In addition to the disguise, he arranged to take a cooking class in his boarding house, evincing a sudden interest that would have surprised his wife, mother, and two sisters. Then he spent six weeks skulking around New York, searching for a ship that would hire him, finally finding work as a scullion on a small steamer headed across the Atlantic. Seaman’s papers carried him as far as Le Havre, where, to his dismay, the captain informed him that crew members were not allowed to disembark, so he devised a ruse that involved delivering a letter to shore. Once there, having left all his possessions behind and still dressed in his cook’s outfit, he went looking for a train. By Casey Cep What an Audit of the British Empire’s Deadly Toll in Southern Africa Would Reveal The colonial powers have never been called to account for the human cost of their centuries of global rampage. “It’s high time to examine the empire’s deadly toll.” In its 2019 election manifesto, the Labour Party pledged to conduct an “audit of the impact of Britain’s colonial legacy,” with the goal of understanding “our contribution to the dynamics of violence and insecurity across regions previously under British colonial rule.” By Wayne Dooling

Human Rights Hypocrisy: Critical Analysis of Hong Kong Protests Why do corporate media love Hong Kong dissidents while neglecting protests in Haiti, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Honduras and Bolivia? “Hong Kong protestors engage in activities that in the U.S. would get them killed by the police or long prison sentences.” Before adjourning for the Thanksgiving holiday, the US Senate unanimously approved HR 3289, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (417-1) to send the legislation to President Trump for his signature and in a rare bipartisan move, the bill was signed into law. The term “bipartisan” is a mere farce as both major political parties always seem to agree on funding and agitating wars. By Erica Caines

Sudan Withdraws 10,000 Troops from Yemen  The ongoing popular struggle in Sudan may have heightened the chances for peace in Yemen. “According to Houthi sources, more than 4,000 Sudanese soldiers have been killed in Yemen so far.” The remaining 5,000 Sudanese soldiers in Yemen are also likely to be withdrawn soon. The return of the soldiers was a key demand of the Sudanese protesters who forced former president Omar al-Bashir to resign in April The prime minister of the transitional government of Sudan, Abdallah Hamdok, announced on December 8, Sunday, that the country has withdrawn two-thirds of its forces from Yemen. According to him, 10,000 of the 15,000 Sudanese soldiers deployed in Yemen have come home. The move further weakens the Saudi-led coalition which has invaded Yemen. This is the first time that there has been an official announcement on the actual number of Sudanese troops in Yemen. By Peoples Dispatch StaffAfrica Caribbean Pacific Group Seeks Action on Papua Rights Abuses Why do corporate media love Hong Kong dissidents while neglecting protests in Haiti, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Honduras and Bolivia? “Hong Kong protestors engage in activities that in the U.S. would get them killed by the police or long prison sentences.”Before adjourning for the Thanksgiving holiday, the US Senate unanimously approved HR 3289, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (417-1) to send the legislation to President Trump for his signature and in a rare bipartisan move, the bill was signed into law. The term “bipartisan” is a mere farce as both major political parties always seem to agree on funding and agitating wars. By WPAN

 Labor:

Economy:

World:

Argentna to Freeze Gas and and Electritiy Rates The bill plans to freeze the rates of services in Argentina and it has now been sent to Congress for evaluation. The Government of Alberto Fernández sent the draft law on Social Solidarity and Productive Reactivation to Congress on Tuesday morning, which, among other matters, plans to freeze gas and electricity rates for six months. The bill also contemplates a “reduction of the real tariff burden on households and businesses by the year 2020”, a policy that will reverse the tariffs imposed since the Mauricio Macri regime took over.  The rates of these two basic services will be frozen for 180 days, while the executive branch begins a “renegotiation process of the current Comprehensive Rate Review” or “an extraordinary revision”.

Education, Health, Science, and Welfare: