Daily News Digest December 10. 2024
Images of the Day:
With Biden Now a Lame Duck, Bernie Breaks his Silence: Bernie Sanders: Why I’m Voting Against the Military Budget While so many Americans struggle to get by, the US is spending record-breaking amounts of money on the military Today in the United States, 60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck, 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured and 21.5m households are paying more than 50% of their income on housing. We have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty of almost any developed country on Earth, and 25% of older adults are trying to survive on $15,000 a year or less. In other words, the US has fallen far behind other major countries in protecting the most vulnerable, and our government has failed millions of working families. But while so many Americans are struggling to get by, the United States is spending record-breaking amounts of money on the military. In the coming days, with relatively little debate, Congress will overwhelmingly pass the National Defense Authorization Act, approving close to $900bn for the Department of Defense (DoD). When spending on nuclear weapons and “emergency” defense spending is included, the total will approach $1tn. We now spend more than the next nine countries combined
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 the Banner Headline: “There Is No Peace”There is No Democracy! When Less Than 1% Control the Wealth, Production, and Price of Everything Produced and Consumed in the World! In the present period of unfettered Capitalism, the pretense of democratic rule does not exist, except in the minds of ‘socialists’ like Bernie Sanders and the Labor Bureaucracy! Capitalists view all struggles as struggles against capitalist rule! Transition demands immediately become revolutionary demands! Therefore, any resistence to the attack of capitalists has to be organized by those that understand this!
Today, the United States Capitalists are Consolidating Themselves as the Supreme Capitalists! Capitalism’s Gluttony is Demonstrated by It’s Quest for More and More Profits at the Expense of Humanity! The Rise of Capitalism was Under the Banner of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity! Now There is Less Liberty, More Inequality, and Less Fraternity of Humanity! Every Day, From Global Warming to Global War There is a New Example of Capitalism in Imperialist Decay!
Capitalism as a Failed System: World Capitalism Has Been Aware of the Comming Catastrophe of Global Warming Over 6 Decades Ago and Did Nothing!: Under Capitalism — Human Lives Don’t Matter Capitalism Does Not, and Never Has, Worked for the Masses! In Its Death Agony, Capitalism Is Traveling About The World Like The Five Horsemen of the the Apocalypse, Spreading Racism, War, Famine, Pestilence, Death, and Misinformation! The very future of Humanity Is Now At stake!
During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three-Point Political Program: Austerity, Scapegoat Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal’ Immigrants for Unemployment, and The Iron Heel! For Decades, Blacks Have Been Subjected to The Iron Heel! Currently, the US Capitalist Class is Divided Over When — Not If, to Apply It to Everyone! Globaly, With the Current Gaza War, The Right of Assembly is Under Attack! Due to Years of Austerity, Cuts to Public Health Care, And An Anti-Science and Profiteering President, The United States Still Leads the World In Coronavirus Cases and Deaths in the World!
The Majority of the World, Despite the Media Monopoly’s Lies, are Opposed to the Palestinian Genocide and Global Warming — The 1% Minority Funds Them! At, this Time in History, Capitalism is Exposing the Fact That it is Opposed to Majority Rule/Democracy!
Always Remember: That President Obama, With a Majority Democrat Legislature Supported the Wall Street Bailout and Remember, That he 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, that the 99% Will Rule, Not the Few!
Quotes of the Day:
Podcasts/Vide0s of the Day:
Another Nation Absorbed Into The Blob Of The Empire And now the imperial blob rolls on to absorb its next target, having grown one Syria-sized increment larger after spending years digesting that nation via proxy warfare, sanctions, relentless bombing campaigns from Israel, and a military occupation designed to steal its food and fuel.
Assad Is Out, Woke Al-Qaeda Is In!
Glenn Greenwald: Americans Rail Against Healthcare Industry After CEO’s Murder
United States:
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. Tax the Rich! — They Can Afford ford To Pay! Both Parties Support U.S. Capitalism’s Wars! (The Only War the Democrats Opposed was the Civil War!)
Migration isn’t the Problem! The Migration of Wealth to the 1% is the Problem! The most significant “migration problem” is not the movement of people across borders, but rather the migration of wealth into the hands of a small elite (1%) which ultimately drives people to migrate in search of better economic opportunities! Addressing wealth inequality is key to tackling the root cause of global migration issues! — Roland Sheppard
We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both. — Louis D. Brandeis Quotes/
The greatest purveyor of violence in the world : My own Government, I cannot be Silent. ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Biden’s Moral Failure Was Israel and Not the Pardon of His Son The mainstream media is largely ignoring President Joe Biden’s moral failure regarding Israel’s genocidal bombardment of Gaza, but piling on unreasonably regarding the pardon given to his son. Biden’s unwavering support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign could not be more inconsistent with Biden’s overall humanitarian ideals over his long political career. HIs support for Netanyahu is totally inconsistent with the president’s admirable and ethical 50-year political career, and his propensity for ignoring the plight of the Palestinians over his long career should be condemned.
Ellen Brown: How to Escape the Federal Debt Trap The U.S. national debt just passed $36 trillion, only four months after it passed $35 trillion and up $2 trillion for the year. Third quarter data is not yet available, but interest payments as a percent of tax receipts rose to 37.8% in the third quarter of 2024, the highest since 1996. That means interest is eating up over one-third of our tax revenues. Total interest for the fiscal year hit $1.16 trillion, topping one trillion for the first time ever. That breaks down to $3 billion per day. For comparative purposes, an estimated $11 billion, or less than four days’ federal interest, would pay the median rent for all the homeless people in America for a year. The damage from Hurricane Helene in North Carolina alone is estimated at $53.6 billion, for which the state is expected to receive only $13.6 billion in federal support. The $40 billion funding gap is a sum we pay in less than two weeks in interest on the federal debt.
United States Armed and Funded Terrorist Middle East War/Palestinan Genocide: When Biden Says ‘He’s a Zionist’ —Believe Him!
FYI: Israel Gave the Haliburton the Oil Rights in Golan Heights Several Years Ago!: Netanyahu Takes Credit for Assad’s Overthrow, Israel Seizes Golan Heights ‘Buffer Zone’ Netanyahu Takes Credit for Assad’s Overthrow, Israel Seizes Golan Heights ‘Buffer Zone Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday celebrated the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by al-Qaeda-linked militants and confirmed that Israel has seized a buffer zone inside Syria that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria’s territory. “This is a historic day in the history of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Golan Heights. “The Assad regime is a central link in Iran’s axis of evil — this regime has fallen.” Netanyahu credited Israel with setting off the process that led to the downfall of Assad. In the months leading up to the offensive launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Israel was waging a war against Hezbollah and ramped up airstrikes in Syria.
Environment:
Fund Climate! — Not Genocide! One of Many Ways to Begin to End Global Warming: Expose ‘Greenwashing’ — Tax the Polluters 100%! After World War II Rosa Luxenburg Coined the Slogan: ‘S0cialism or Barbaism’! Now the Slogan Should Be: ‘Ecosocialism or Ecocide’!
We Must Hold These Monsters to Account!
Weekly Average CO2 at Mauna Loa Week beginning on December 01, 2024: 424.95 ppm. Weekly value from 1 year ago: 420.74 ppm. Weekly value from 10 years ago: 398.77 ppm. Last updated: December 08, 2024
On Climate Change, the International Court of Justice Faces a Pivotal Choice What legal obligations do states have to fight climate change? Should high-emitting countries be held responsible for the harm they’ve caused? And should states safeguard the climate for future generations? The international court of justice (ICJ) is considering similar questions to these in hearings ahead of issuing an advisory opinion on the obligations of states concerning climate change. Over the next two weeks, the court will hear statements from 98 countries.
Fury as US Argues Against Climate Obligations at Top UN Court US says current climate rules are satisfactory, prompting condemnation from activists and vulnerable countries. Climate justice campaigners have condemned the US after the world’s largest historic greenhouse gas emitter argued against countries being legally obliged to combat the climate crisis. The US intervention came on Wednesday as part of the historic climate hearing at the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague, where island nations and other climate-vulnerable countries are calling for wealthy polluting nations most responsible for climate breakdown to be held legally responsible.
Bipartisan Plan to “Reform” Energy Permits Is a Brazen Giveaway to Fossil Fuels Leading supporters of permitting reform either have a business interest in it — or have effectively been bribed. This summer, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) to expedite the permitting of energy infrastructure cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A similar bill is being considered by the House Committee on Natural Resources.
When Capitalist Governments Subsidize Fossil Fuel Production They’re Subsidizing Global Warming/Ecocide!: Fossil Fuel Production, Renewable Energy, and Subsidy Reform in Nationally Determined Contributions 3.0 Summary Under the Paris Agreement, countries are required to update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) every 5 years, with the next round due in 2025. The third generation of NDCs must address significant gaps in ambition to achieve the 1.5 °C target, emphasizing benchmarks established during the first global stocktake (GST) at the 28th United Nations Climate Conference (COP 28). We provide an analysis of the critical benchmarks and recommendations necessary for aligning NDCs with the 1.5 °C target under the Paris Agreement. We focus on three key ambition benchmarks:
- Scaling renewable energy: Tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030 are vital. Regions with low renewables bases, like sub-Saharan Africa, require accelerated growth supported by international finance.
- Transitioning from fossil fuels: No new coal, oil, or gas projects are compatible with 1.5 °C. Production must decline sharply—coal by 95% and oil and gas by at least 65% by 2050. Current NDCs often fail to address this, widening the “production gap.” •
- Reforming fossil fuel subsidies: Subsidies totalled USD 1.5 trillion in 2022. Their removal could cut global emissions by up to 10% by 2030, yet most NDCs neglect this critical area. Subsidy reform must prioritize socially responsible transitions
- Based on those ambition benchmarks, we provide the following recommendations to align with 1.5 °C: commit to no new fossil fuel exploration licences and set phase-out targets in line with common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC);
- Include targets to scale renewable energy and efficiency to at least triple capacity by 2030; • commit to eliminating fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 (G7) or 2030 (others), using savings to fund clean energy and support vulnerable groups;
- Include information related to equity and international support and cooperation, including statements of how their reduction targets are fair and ambitious with regard to national circumstances; •
- For high-income economies, a commitment to provide technical and financial support to emerging and developing economies.
Additionally, we recommend including other elements that do not necessarily reflect 1.5 °C alignment but could considerably close the existing ambition gap and improve the quality of NDCS.
Bipartisan Plan to “Reform” Energy Permits us a Brazen Giveaway to Fossil Fuels Leading supporters of permitting reform either have a business interest in it — or have effectively been bribed. This summer, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) to expedite the permitting of energy infrastructure cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A similar bill is being considered by the House Committee on Natural Resources. Senators Manchin and Barrasso, the American Petroleum Institute, and other supporters of these bills claim that there’s a crisis of energy availability, affordability and reliability in this country. And they blame that crisis on restrictive permitting processes for energy infrastructure.
Report: Louisiana LNG Operators Set to Receive Over $21 Billion in Tax Breaks If all the planned terminals in Texas and Louisiana open, they would reverse nearly a third of US emissions reductions. The week before Thanksgiving, employees of Cameron LNG handed out turkeys and fixings to residents in southwest Louisiana. Earlier in the month, Cheniere Energy, Cameron LNG, and Venture Global LNG sponsored the Sabine Pass Lighthouse Hayride, helping to revive a local tradition. And Commonwealth LNG pledged more than $1 million to support education and health care in the region. These liquefied natural gas companies can afford to be generous, according to a new report from the Sierra Club. It says Louisiana’s nine operating, under construction and planned liquefied gas terminals are set to receive more than $21.1 billion in local property tax exemptions if all facilities are completed.
What is the Real Toll of Natural znd Climate Disasters? Science Has Staggering New Answers New research challenges us to look beyond the event to the devastating long-term impacts. Governments must take note … But new research challenges us to see these disasters as broader events that have lasting effects for decades after they hit – whether from stress, financial hardship, pollution or long-term disease. A new paper in Nature magazine develops a methodology to estimate the overall effect of individual tropical cyclones (ie hurricanes and tropical storms) on all causes of mortality across all populations within the US. The authors analysed how mortality rates within a state changed for 20 years after the state was hit by a natural disaster, and took mortality data from 1950 to 2015 to form a longer-term picture. Their main finding is that a large number of premature deaths in the US could be traced back to tropical cyclone events: people who died earlier than would have been expected in the absence of a natural disaster.
Younger People at Greater Risk of Heat-Related Deaths This Century – Study New research estimates a 32% increase in deaths of people under 35 if greenhouse gases not radically cut
Black Liberation Civil Rights:
Labor:
Economy:
A CEO Assassination; a Billionaire Heiress/NYPD Commissioner; a Secret Wall Street Spy Center – Here’s How They’re ConnectedOn Friday, this headline appeared in The Guardian newspaper: “Trump Assembling US Cabinet of Billionaires Worth Combined $340 Billion.” Receiving much less attention is the fact that the indicted Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, named a billionaire heiress, Jessica Tisch, as the new Commissioner of the New York City Police Department on November 20. Tisch has never been a police officer – of any rank. Nonetheless, she will now oversee 36,000 police officers and 19,000 civilian employees at the NYPD. Tisch took her office on November 25. Nine days later, an unprecedented assassination of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, took place on a Manhattan sidewalk outside of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel on December 4. The UnitedHealth Group, Inc., the parent of Thompson’s employer, is a stock component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a half-trillion-dollar market cap. Thompson was on his way to a UnitedHealth investors’ conference at the Hilton at the time he was gunned
World:
China Sanctions 13 US Companies in Response to Weapons Sales to Taiwan The sanctions targeted companies involved in drone production China has sanctioned 13 US companies involved in the manufacturing of drones and artificial intelligence in Beijing’s latest protest against weapons sales to Taiwan, which have increased in recent months. “The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests. In recent months, the US has announced multiple arms sales to China’s Taiwan region,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters. Lin said the recent US weapons sales “gravely interfere in China’s internal affairs” and Beijing decided to “take countermeasures against relevant military companies and senior executives of the US.”
‘Not Medically Necessary’: Inside the Company Helping America’s Biggest Health Insurers Deny Coverage for Care Every day, patients across America crack open envelopes with bad news. Yet another health insurer has decided not to pay for a treatment that their doctor has recommended. Sometimes it’s a no for an MRI for a high school wrestler with a strained back. Sometimes for a cancer procedure that will help a grandmother with a throat tumor. Sometimes for a heart scan for a truck driver feeling short of breath. But the insurance companies don’t always make these decisions. Instead, they often outsource medical reviews to a largely hidden industry that makes money by turning down doctors’ requests for payments, known as prior authorizations. Call it the denials for dollars business. The biggest player is a company called EviCore by Evernorth, which is hired by major American insurance companies and provides coverage to 100 million consumers — about 1 in 3 insured people. It is owned by the insurance giant Cigna
Health, Education, and Welfare: