By Antoine Shalhat | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – Israel is heading towards a fourth general election in less than two years, coinciding with another confirmed fact that the competition in this election will be between the components of the Israeli right-wing. The elections will be held against a single backdrop: the opposition […]
Archives for December 2020
Brexit deal done: what’s in it and where next for the UK and EU?
By Andrew Glencross | – To misquote Shakespeare, our Brexit negotiating revels now are ended. The tempestuous talks did not lead to a dramatic walkout, even if at times the UK government gave the impression this was a feud worthy of the Montagues against the Capulets. The negotiators ignored the background noise and succeeded in […]
Peril in the Middle East, Peril at Home: Our Top 10 Stories of 2020
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – 2020 was a monster of a year, leaving three million Americans dead (a record), probably nearly half a million of them of Covid-19 once everyone is counted. The fecklessness of the outgoing Trump administration was responsible for a good deal of this national catastrophe, one that did not strike our […]
How COVID-19 Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men
By Akilah Johnson and Nina Martin | – ( ProPublica ) – The Rev. Dr. Kejuane Artez Bates was a big man with big responsibilities. The arrival of the novel coronavirus in Vidalia, Louisiana, was another burden on a body already breaking under the load. Bates was in his 10th year with the Vidalia Police […]
Deficit Hawks: Reducing environmental damage of greenhouse gases, pollutants saves billions
By Charlotte Nijhuis | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Reducing the environmental damages caused by greenhouse gases, nitrogen emissions, other pollutants and human activities can save Germany billions of euros, the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) writes. The agency has updated the cost rates of environmental impact to include those for nitrogen and […]
Climate activists mount utility strike to urge the shutdown of New England coal plant
By Barbara Peterson | – (Waging Nonviolence) – Santa is not the only one giving out coal this year. Climate activists like Johnny Sanchez and Sonja Birthisel in Portland, Maine, recently sent their utility company an envelope of coal instead of payment towards their electric bill. This symbolic act of defiance, organized by the No […]
Top Ways British Trumpism, a.k.a “Brexit” Will make Britain Poorer and Weaker, but also more Muslim
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Boris Johnson’s government has achieved a relatively “hard Brexit” at the last minute, reaching a deal on its departure from the European Union. This is a triumph for British Trumpism, and it is no wonder that Trump himself was a cheerleader for it. It is economically a bad deal for […]
Can Biden Reverse Trump’s Unprecedented Assault on Immigration System?
By Chase Hunter | – ( Cronkite News) – WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has promised to roll back many of the Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies when he takes office next month. He’s got his work cut out for him. While President Donald Trump’s signature – and likely most enduring – immigration policy is […]
Dreamers Deserve a Path to Citizenship
By Diana Anahi Torres-Valverde | – ( Otherwords.org ) – DACA changed my life. But after four years of fear, it’s clear that undocumented young people need more protection. By Diana Anahi Torres-Valverde | December 21, 2020 I grew up undocumented in America. As a kid, I often saw little hope for the future in […]