Cooper: Trump Didn't Have Courage to Tell US People the Truth

CNN's Anderson Cooper calls out President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic as it continues to surge across the country.

Trump Compares 2020 US Election to 'Third World Nation'

As President Donald Trump has become consumed with contesting the results of an election he lost, staffers acknowledge that Trump has not given many signals about what his plans will be once the Electoral College affirms President-elect Joe Biden's win. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.

Saudi Prince Calls Israel ‘Western Colonising Power’ at Bahrain Summit

At a security summit in Bahrain, a prominent Saudi royal, Prince Turki al Faisal, criticised Israel for "colonisation" and "apartheid" against Palestinians. #BahrainSummit2020 #TurkiAlFaisal #IsraeliOccupation

When MBS Tortured His Relatives at the Ritz-Carlton | I Gotta Story to Tell | Episode 18

It’s been three years since Saudi Arabia’s young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rounded up 400 of the kingdom's top businessmen, princes and ministers and confined them to the Ritz-Carlton hotel. Recently, a number of those detained have spoken to The Guardian and revealed new details of how the prominent figures were beaten for hours and extorted, often by clueless interrogators.

See Bernie Sanders’ Reaction to Trump Floating 2024 Presidential Run

Sen. Bernie Sanders talks to CNN’s Anderson Cooper about the possibility of President Donald Trump running for president again in 2024.

Jailed Saudi Activist Loujain al-Hathloul Accused of Passing Classified Information

Jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul is accused of contacting "unfriendly" states and providing classified information, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister told AFP Saturday, after the campaigner's trial was transferred to a terrorism court.

The Accidental Hero (Oskar Schindler) - Heart Of The Matter - BBC1 - 1997

Most of a 30-minute documentary about the real Oskar Schindler, presented by Joan Bakewell. Was shown soon after Schindler's List on Sunday 19th October 1997. With Emily Schindler, Moshe Bejski, Dr Mordecai Paldiel, Robin O'Neil, Thomas Keneally, Nahum Manor, Jonathan Drezner.

Ausschreitungen bei Protesten in Paris gegen Sicherheitsgesetz

Vermummte hatten am Samstag die Polizei mit Feuerwerkskörpern angegriffen, Autos angezündet und Schaufensterscheiben eingeschlagen. © REUTERS

German Christianity and The Third Reich | Hearts Divided (WW2 Christianity Documentary) | Timeline

German Christianity was, like all other areas of German life, exploited by the Nazis to further their agenda of hatred.

In 1933 Berlin Bishop Joachim Hossenfelder proclaimed the popular, pro-Nazi "German Christian" movement the "Storm Troopers of Christ." Hossenfelder led the early phase of a movement that still echoes through the church today, even though the world has tried to forget. This film looks at the people who lived through the movement: Ludwig Mueller, the bishop of the Third Reich, Martin Niemoeller, the first to resist the Nazification of the church, Karl Themel, a pastor who used baptismal certificates to send "Jewish Christians" to the concentration camps, Werner Syltan, a pastor who died at Dachau because of his work on behalf of persons of Jewish descent amd Walter Grundmann, a reknown Biblical scholar and architect of the "Institute for the Study and Eradication of Jewish Influence on German Church Life."

Can France Resolve Tensions with Muslim Community? - Inside Story

The French government is stepping up its crackdown on what it is calling religious separatism. 76 mosques face closure if they are found to be a security threat.

It is President Emmanuel Macron's latest response to recent attacks he has blamed on 'radical Islam'. His government denies it is deliberately targeting the Muslim community, but recent comments have triggered protests worldwide.

So how can this crisis be resolved?

Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests: Yasser Louati - Justice and Liberties For All Committee; Philippe Marliere - Professor of French and European Politics, University College of London; Nizar Messari - Associate Professor of International Studies, Al Akhawayn University

Sen. Bernie Sanders: People Are Suffering ‘in a Way We Have Not Seen Since the Great Depression’

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders discusses the need for Congress to pass a new coronavirus stimulus bill and the importance of the upcoming Senate race in Georgia. He tells Ali Velshi, “What’s happening in Georgia is going to impact the entire country.”

Trump Whines about Election as Covid Overtakes America

The United States hit a grim milestone this week with 3,000 deaths in a single day and more than 100,000 Americans hospitalized. As this happened, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was bragging about how great Trump has done on the pandemic, and Trump was tweeting about the election being stolen from him. These people are letting Americans die and need to be removed from power immediately. Farron Cousins discusses this.

The Virus Is Devastating the U.S., and Leaving an Uneven Toll

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The United States saw the most new coronavirus cases of the pandemic on Friday, with deaths and hospitalizations also rising. Underlying conditions largely determine who survives.

HOUSTON — The United States is winding up a particularly devastating week, one of the very worst since the coronavirus pandemic began nine months ago.

On Friday, a national single-day record was set, with more than 226,000 new cases. It was one of many data points that illustrated the depth and spread of a virus that has killed more than 278,000 people in this country, more than the entire population of Lubbock, Texas, or Modesto, Calif., or Jersey City, N.J.

“It’s just an astonishing number,” said Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “We’re in the middle of this really severe wave and I think as we go through the day to day of this pandemic, it can be easy to lose sight of how massive and deep the tragedy is.” » | Manny Fernandez, Julie Bosman, Amy Harmon, Danielle Ivory and Mitch Smith | Friday, December 4, 2020

Anthony Scaramucci on President Trump's Short-Term Vision | Zerlina. | The Choice

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci joins Zerlina Maxwell to discuss why President Trump is spreading baseless election fraud claims and whether he may pardon himself.

Zerlina.: Incisive and timely coverage of politics and current events, through in-depth conversations that unpack the latest developments in this era's breakneck news cycle and draw back the curtain on their real-world consequences.

Trump Has Failed to Protect to the People He's Supposed to Lead - Legendary Journalist Bob Woodward

Legendary journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein talk to Anderson Cooper about President Trump's legacy and his remaining time in office.

Mitt Romney Blasts Trump's Lack of Pandemic Leadership

Sen. Mitt Romney blasted President Donald Trump's leadership, or lack thereof, in the face of the deadly coronavirus pandemic as "a great human tragedy."

France Cracks Down on 76 Mosques Suspected of 'Separatism'

THE GUARDIAN: Interior minister says any found to be ‘breeding grounds of terrorism’ will be shut

France’s interior minister has announced a crackdown on 76 mosques that the government suspects of “separatism” and encouraging extremism.

Gérald Darmanin said the mosques would be inspected and any found to be “breeding grounds of terrorism” would be shut.

The move is part of the French government’s ongoing campaign to combat Islamist extremism after a series of terrorist attacks – including the recent beheading of a teacher and the killing of three people in a church in Nice – but has led to accusations it is unjustly targeting the wider Muslim community.

The president, Emmanuel Macron, has strenuously denied that new legislation to reinforce secularism that he outlined at the beginning of October was targeting Muslims. He said the law, under which France would train imams and impose a wider ban on home schooling and controls on religious, sporting and cultural associations, was aimed at tackling radical “Islamist separatism”. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Thursday, December 3, 2020

Trump's Voter Fraud Lies Have Earned Him $150 Million

Donald Trump's campaign has been asking people to send them money to fight their legal battles, and it looks like those emails paid off. A new report shows that the Trump campaign managed to raise a staggering $150 million, and the legal challenges were a complete bust. But that was always expected, at least to the people raising the money, and that was the plan all along. Farron Cousins explains what happened.

A Conversation with Margaret Thatcher

In 1991, KERA's Lee Cullum talked with Margaret Thatcher as part of the station's "Conversations" series. At the time of the interview, Thatcher had recently resigned as the 49th prime minister of Great Britain. The former leader recounts her years at the pinnacle of her career and reveals unexpected facets of her personality, her love of poetry and her devotion to her father.

Margaret & Denis Documentary

Decoded: When Bibi Met MbS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a secret meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the future city of Neom - an encounter the Saudis deny. Decoded this week tries to zoom in on the facts and significance of when Bibi met MbS.

Trump Losing Twitter Followers Since Election – as Biden Gains Them

THE GUARDIAN: President has lost 133,902 followers since 17 November as president-elect has gained 1,156,610

Donald Trump has been losing Twitter followers since he lost the presidential election to Joe Biden – while the Democratic president-elect has been adding them.

According to Factbase, a website dedicated to tracking Trump’s public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 followers since 17 November while the president-elect has gained 1,156,610.

In a Sunday tweet, the CNN host and media reporter Brian Stelter said that while Twitter followers were “surely not the most important metric in the world”, it was “still worth noting: for the first time since 2015, Trump is consistently losing followers”.

Factbase, he pointed out, had “measured small declines for 11 days in a row”.

Trump has 88.8 million followers, to whom he continues to tweet baseless claims of electoral fraud and all-out conspiracy theories surrounding his loss to Biden. » | Martin Pengelly in New York | Monday, November 30, 2020

Spain Appeals for Covid 'Common Sense' after Shopping Crowd Scenes

THE GUARDIAN: Minister urges people across country to behave responsibly amid second coronavirus wave

The Spanish government has called on people to behave responsibly and use their “common sense” after pictures over the weekend showed the streets of Madrid and other big cities heaving with crowds despite the country’s ongoing struggle with the second wave of the coronavirus.

Spain has been in a state of emergency since the end of October and is subject to an overnight curfew. The prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has asked people to drastically curtail their social lives and limit their movements for the common good.

However, a combination of Black Friday, seasonal shopping and the switching on of Christmas lights appears to have brought large numbers of people out on to the streets of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Málaga over the weekend. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Monday, November 30, 2020

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — November 30, 2020

Almost 700,000 Driven into Poverty by Covid Crisis in UK, Study Finds

THE GUARDIAN: Total includes 120,000 children, according to thinktank that is calling for anti-poverty strategy

Almost 700,000 people in the UK, including 120,000 children, have been plunged into poverty as a result of the Covid economic crisis, according to a thinktank analysis.

The Legatum Institute also said an additional 700,000 people had been prevented from falling below the breadline by the chancellor’s temporary £20-a-week boost to universal credit, introduced in April to help claimants cope with the extra costs of the pandemic.

Overall, the pandemic has pushed the total number of people in the UK living in poverty to more than 15 million – 23% of the population – according to the institute, which uses poverty measures developed by the independent Social Metrics Commission. » | Patrick Butler, Social policy editor | Monday, November 30, 2020

Pubs in Wales to Close by 6pm under New Covid Restrictions

THE GUARDIAN: Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will also not be allowed to sell alcohol from Friday

Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes in Wales will have to close by 6pm and will not be allowed to sell alcohol, the Welsh government has said, under restrictions to come into place from 6pm on Friday.

Indoor entertainments such as cinemas, bingo halls, soft play areas and casinos will also have to close.

The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, said the facts behind the new regime were “stark”. He said that unless the government responded now it had been advised that by 12 January there would be 2,200 people in hospital in Wales with Covid and between 1,000 and 1,700 preventable deaths could take place this winter.

The decision to put stricter restrictions on hospitality across the country has been criticised by the Conservatives in Wales and is causing huge concern to owners of bars, pubs and restaurants. » | Steven Morris | Monday, March 30, 2020

President Trump on Alleged Election Fraud: The DOJ Is 'Missing in Action

Nov. 29, 2020 - 7:55 - President Trump tells 'Sunday Morning Futures' in his first interview since Election Day that he has 'not seen anything' from the Department of Justice or the FBI on investigating alleged election fraud.

This man is whacko! – Mark

Trump Has Now Told More Than 23,000 Lies Since Taking Office

According to the Washington Post fact checkers, Donald Trump has now told more than 23,000 lies since being sworn in as President of the United States. The saddest part is that most of these lies were absolutely unnecessary and easily verifiably false, but he had to tell them to soothe his own ego. Farron Cousins discusses this.

Donald Trump Admits 'It's Hard to Get to the Supreme Court' as Legal Options Dwindle

CNN's Amara Walker, Carl Bernstein and Brian Stelter discuss President Trump's admission during a Fox News interview that "it's hard" to get cases to the Supreme Court and how Trump's continued legal challenges could undermine future election processes.

Paris Police Clash with Protesters over New Security Bill | DW News

Authorities clashed with protesters in the French capital Paris over a new security bill that would restrict the right to publish images of police officers. The issue came into focus after footage emerged of police beating up and racially abusing Black music producer Michel Zecler. Opponents say the law would prevent such images becoming public -- and could cover up official misconduct.

Iran Vows Revenge after Top Nuclear Scientist Apparently Assassinated

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has vowed revenge and to continue the country's "scientific" activities after the killing of the country's chief nuclear scientist, as top Iranian officials pile blame on Israel over the killing. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who became the face of Iran's controversial nuclear program, was killed in a district east of Tehran, in what Iranian officials are calling an assassination.

Abdul Nacer Benbrika: Australia Revokes Citizenship of Terror Plotter

BBC: Australia has cancelled the citizenship of an Algerian-born Muslim cleric convicted of planning a series of terror attacks in 2005.

Abdul Nacer Benbrika was jailed for 15 years in 2009 and is eligible for release from next month.

But Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said it was "appropriate" to revoke his citizenship to protect Australians.

The move makes Benbrika the first person to be stripped of Australian citizenship while still in the country.

His lawyer has declined to comment on the government's decision, ABC News reports.

"If it's a person who's posing a significant terrorist threat to our country, then we'll do whatever is possible within Australian law to protect Australians," Mr Dutton told reporters in Brisbane.

Under Australian law, the government can only strip people of citizenship if they are dual citizens, ensuring they will not be left stateless. » | Wednesday, November 25, 2020

The Path to Nazi Genocide

This 38-minute film introduces the history of the Holocaust. It begins by looking back at the major changes from 1918 to 1933 that created the political climate for the birth and rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. It explores the basis for the party’s support among ordinary Germans and the military, government, and business establishment before and after Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933.

After 1933, Nazi leaders used violence and intimidation, propaganda, laws and decrees, and parliamentary maneuvers to quickly destroy the remains of democratic rule. Having established a dictatorship, leaders began pursuing ideological goals. These included the purification and strengthening of the “superior” German “race” and the return of Germany to great power status through economic revival and the build-up of the military.

Jews, who were viewed in Nazi ideology as a separate and dangerous “race,” went from being German citizens with full equal rights to outcasts. They were pressured to immigrate and excluded from the racially based “people’s community” that gave many Germans, especially youth, a sense of belonging. Other excluded groups included Roma, persons with disabilities, gay men, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and political opponents.

During World War II, which began in 1939, German military conquests and alliances endangered Jews living in countries across German-dominated Europe. The German invasion of the Soviet Union in summer 1941, envisioned by Nazi leaders and the German military as a “war of annihilation,” was a key turning point on the path to the genocide of Europe’s Jews. The murder of 6 million Jewish men, women, and children required the active participation or acquiescence of countless Germans and Europeans from all walks of life.

Iran: Rouhani Vows to Avenge Killing of Nuclear Scientist Fakhrizadeh

Iran's President Rouhani has reacted defiantly to the killing of a leading nuclear scientist. Hassan Rouhani blamed Israel for the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh - the man suspected of masterminding a secret nuclear weapons program. Rouhani said his death showed what he called the depth of the enemy's despair and said it would not slow down Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran state media describes Fakhrizadeh as an eminent nuclear scientist. But he was also a member of the powerful Revolutionary Guard. Whose job is to guard the country's cleric-dominated system.

Trump Flips Out on Reporter: 'I'm the President of the United States!'

President Trump condemned a reporter after being asked if he would concede the election if the Electoral College votes for Joe Biden.

I may well be wrong, and I hope I am, but in my humble opinion, this arrogant, objectionable man has no intention of leaving office in January. Is the Electoral College being bribed to vote for Trump, perhaps? This is a coup d’état in the making! – © Mark

Trump's Last Days in Office: Lame Duck or Raging Bull? | To The Point

Donald Trump's days in the White House finally seem to be numbered. The question is: how much damage can he still do? Our guests: Susanne Koelbl (Spiegel), Ali Fatholla-Nejad (analyst), Erik Kirschbaum (LA Times),

A Feared Law to Protect the Monarchy Returns Amid Thailand’s Protests

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The country’s lèse-majesté law, which makes insulting the king punishable by years in prison, is being used against the protesters’ leadership for the first time.

BANGKOK — The number 112 strikes fear in Thailand. It refers to Section 112 of the country’s criminal code, which makes insulting or defaming the king and his close kin an offense punishable by three to 15 years in prison.

On Tuesday night, a leader of the protest movement that is calling for changes to Thailand’s monarchy and political system received a summons to face multiple charges of lèse-majesté, as the crime is known. It was the first time that Section 112 had been applied during the protests, which have brought thousands of people onto the streets since July.

The protest leader, Parit Chiwarak, commonly known as Penguin, must report to a police station by Dec. 1 to face the charges, which stem from speeches he gave in September and this month. In those speeches, Mr. Parit and others called for the monarchy to come under the Thai Constitution and for the public to be allowed to scrutinize its considerable wealth. » Hannah Beech and Muktita Suhartono | Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Coronavirus Pandemic: Germany Seeks EU Deal to Close Ski Resorts

BBC: Germany is seeking an agreement with EU countries to keep ski resorts closed until early January, in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament that efforts were being made to reach a Europe-wide decision.

Italy and France have expressed support for a co-ordinated approach. But Austria has voiced concern.

Some of the early European coronavirus hotspots were at ski resorts, helping spread infections across the continent. » | Thursday, November 26, 2020

Joe Biden's Thanksgiving Address: 'Our Democracy Was Tested This Year'

Biden appeals for resilience and unity in Thanksgiving address to America »

In Another Country This Would Be Called a Coup: Detroit NAACP Head on Trump Trying to Overturn Vote

As part of the unprecedented attempt to keep President Trump in office despite his election loss, Republicans have focused on Michigan, where the party is seeking a delay in the certification of the vote results and to throw out votes from Detroit, which is overwhelmingly Black. A group of Michigan Republicans met with President Trump at the White House last week in what was widely viewed as an attempt by Trump to personally pressure the lawmakers to block Biden from being awarded the state’s 16 electoral votes. “This is an attempt to disenfranchise the African American vote and to give the election to Trump,” says Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. “If we were in a different country, this would be called a political coup.”

Saudi Women's Rights Activist's Trial Moved to Terrorism Court

THE GUARDIAN: Loujain al-Hathloul looked weak and unwell after 900 days in jail, said her family

Saudi Arabia has moved the trial of activist Loujain al-Hathloul to a special court that handles terrorism cases, a move condemned by human rights campaigners as a heavy-handed attempt to muzzle dissent.

Hathloul has been in jail without trial for over 900 days now, and her family said she looked weak and unwell at a rare court appearance on Wednesday, her body shaking and her voice faint.

She appeared with three other women who were also arrested in 2018, shortly before the government dropped its longstanding ban on women driving; Hathloul had been a prominent face of the grassroots campaign for change.

The court appearance came just after Saudi Arabia wrapped up its role as virtual host of this year’s G20 summit, which had women’s empowerment as one of its themes. » | Emma Graham-Harrison | Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Saudi Arabia to Put Women’s Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul On Trial

THE GUARDIAN: Family fears activist being pressured into giving false confessions

Saudi Arabia will put women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul on trial on Wednesday, more than 900 days after she was detained, and just after the country wrapped up hosting duties on a virtual G20 summit, her family have been told.

Hathloul is on hunger strike and has been held incommunicado for nearly a month. A UN women’s rights committee recently expressed alarm about her failing health. Her sister Lina al-Hathloul fears she is being pressured into giving false confessions that could be used against her in court.

“I am extremely worried and anxious about this trial. Everything about her case is illegal and unjust,” Lina told the Guardian, pointing out that the family had only been given one day’s notice of the court date. » | Emma Graham-Harrison | Tuesday, November 24, 2020

‘He was nine’: The Saudi minors still on death row despite royal decree »

Brexit Stems from a Civil War in Capitalism – We Are All Just Collateral Damage

THE GUARDIAN: To one sort of capitalist, the insecurity and chaos that Brexit will bring is horrifying. To the other, is it highly profitable

Where there is chaos, the government will multiply it. Where people are pushed to the brink, it will shove them over. Boris Johnson ignored the pleas of businesses and politicians across the UK – especially in Northern Ireland – to extend the Brexit transition process. Never mind the pandemic, never mind unemployment, poverty and insecurity – nothing must prevent our experiment in unassisted flight. We will leap from the white cliffs on 1 January, come what may. » | George Monbiot | Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Fox News' Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson Distance Themselves from Trump

THE GUARDIAN: Rush Limbaugh also distances himself from president’s efforts to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden

Donald Trump continued to gravitate towards his new rightwing media allies at TV channels One America Network and Newsmax on Tuesday, even as heavyweight supporters Laura Ingraham, Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh distanced themselves from the president’s attempts to overturn his election defeat by Joe Biden.

On Fox News on Monday, Ingraham said: “Unless the legal situation changes in a dramatic and unlikely manner, Joe Biden will be inaugurated on 20 January.”

Carlson claimed “the 2020 election was not fair”, but admitted Trump had lost it.

On his radio show, Limbaugh attacked Trump’s lawyers in Pennsylvania, led by Rudy Giuliani, for failing to provide any evidence to back claims of voter fraud in the state. » | Martin Pengelly in New York | Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Donald Trump: Cashing In on the Presidency | The Daily Social Distancing Show

Did Trump run for president just to make money? Maybe. Did he realize that becoming President could make him even more money than he imagined? Definitely. Here’s a look at how Trump cashed in on the presidency.

Netanyahu Holds Secret Meeting with Saudi Crown Prince – Reports

THE GUARDIAN: Israeli PM is said to have flown to Saudi Arabia to meet Mohammed bin Salman and Mike Pompeo

Benjamin Netanyahu has made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia to meet the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, according to media reports in Israel.

The Sunday night trip, if confirmed, would mark an extremely rare high-level meeting between the long-time foes, one that Israel has been pushing for in its efforts for regional acceptance. Hebrew-language reports, citing unnamed Israeli officials, said Netanyahu was accompanied by Yossi Cohen, the head of the country’s Mossad spy agency.

Saudi state media did not refer to a trip and the Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment. » | Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem | Monday, November 23, 2020

Business Leaders, Citing Damage to Country, Urge Trump to Begin Transition

THE NEW YORK TIMES: At the urging of New York’s attorney general, business leaders in New York push for the Trump administration to begin a transfer of power.

Concerned that President Trump’s refusal to accept the election results is hurting the country, more than 100 chief executives plan to ask the administration on Monday to immediately acknowledge Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the winner and begin the transition to a new administration.

As a way of gaining leverage over the G.O.P., some of the executives have also discussed withholding campaign donations from the two Republican Senate candidates in Georgia unless party leaders agree to push for a presidential transition, according to four people who participated in a conference call Friday in which the notion was discussed. The two runoff elections in Georgia, which will take place in early January, will determine the balance of power in the United States Senate. » | Kate Kelly and Danny Hakim | Monday, November 23, 2020

Ali Velshi on President Trump’s Real Legacy | MSNBC

President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election are predictable and will achieve nothing but the erosion of our democracy. That will be Trump’s real legacy. He will do damage, but he won’t succeed.

Trump Faces Pressure from Republicans to Drop 'Corrosive' Fight to Overturn Election

THE GUARDIAN: John Bolton: Trump is ‘throwing rocks through windows’ / HR McMaster: Trump’s actions sowing doubt among electorate

Donald Trump faced growing pressure from Republicans on Sunday to drop his chaotic, last-ditch fight to overturn the US presidential election, as victor Joe Biden prepared to start naming his cabinet and a Pennsylvania judge compared Trump’s legal case there to “Frankenstein’s monster”.

Despite Republican leadership in Washington standing behind the president’s claims that the 3 November election was stolen from him by nationwide voter fraud, other prominent figures, including two of his former national security advisers, were blunt.

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton said that Biden would be sworn in in January and added: “The real question is how much damage Trump can do before that happens.”

The president’s efforts were designed mainly to sow chaos and confusion, he told CNN’s State of the Union show, as a demonstration more of “raw political power” than a genuine legal exercise.

Bolton noted that the Trump campaign has so far lost all but two of more than 30 legal challenges in various states.

“Right now Trump is throwing rocks through windows, he is the political equivalent of a street rioter,” Bolton said. » | Miranda Bryant in New York and agency | Sunday, November 22, 2020

Give up the struggle for heaven’s sake. You are one of the world’s losers. Nothing that you can do can change this fact. You’ve had your chance and you’ve blown it. Now it is time for you to step aside and give someone else a chance. Do the right thing and step aside as gracefully as you still can. The world needs to move on from the chaos you have created. Adieu. President Trump! Enjoy your retirement! – © Mark

Barbra Streisand - 1980 - Guilty

Trump Slams Paris Climate Accord in His Last G20 Appearance | G20 Riyadh

Leaders of the world's wealthiest countries are wrapping up their online G20 summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. US President Donald Trump defended his environmental record and justified his decision to pull out of the international Paris climate agreement. The virtual gathering has been dominated by efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic and the global recession. A draft declaration shows the biggest economies will pledge to pay for fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and testing, so that poor countries are not left out. Climate change and the environment have emerged as another theme as the summit draws to a close.

British Ski Workers ‘Set to Lose Seasonal Jobs’ after Brexit

THE OBSERVER: Instructors, chalet cooks, drivers and nannies among 25,000 who may no longer be eligible to take up posts in EU countries

Adieu to the British seasonaire. Barring an 11th-hour reprieve, Europe’s ski resorts will soon be largely devoid of British seasonal workers.

From 1 January, post-Brexit, British employees seeking seasonal work as chalet hosts, instructors, drivers and nannies in European ski resorts will find it more difficult to obtain work.

“It’s game over unless the government makes an agreement with the EU that will mean there is a way for British staff to work across Europe in the tourism industry on seasonal jobs,” said Charles Owen, director of Seasonal Businesses in Travel (SBiT), which represents many holiday firms.

The trade body claims that up to 25,000 British seasonal worker jobs in the travel industry will be lost, many contracted by UK-based companies. » | Jamie Doward | Sunday, November 22, 2020

Trump's Monumental Sulk: President Retreats from Public Eye as Covid Ravages US

THE GUARDIAN: Two weeks after his defeat, Trump has gone from always present to effectively missing, behavior that many say is unprecedented and dangerous

There was one thing that even Donald Trump’s harshest critics were never able to accuse him of: invisibility.

The outgoing US president held endless campaign rallies, verbally sparred with reporters on the way to his helicopter and spent so long on the phone to Fox News shows that even pliable hosts had to gently but firmly hang up. He was the master of saturating every news cycle with his voice and image.

Yet two weeks after his defeat by Joe Biden in the election, Trump has effectively gone missing in action. Day after day passes without a public sighting. He does not hold press conferences any more. He has even stopped calling into conservative media. » | David Smith in Washington | Saturday, November 21, 2020

Joe Biden Says He Would Be Ready to Rejoin Iran Nuclear Deal

President Donald Trump unraveled a signature foreign policy achievement of his predecessor by quitting the Iranian nuclear deal two years ago and subjecting Tehran to harsh economic sanctions. President-Elect Joe Biden says under his administration, Washington would be ready to rejoin the agreement. Political analyst and a Professor at Tehran University Mohammad Marandi weighs in.

The Real Reason Trump Won’t Concede

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich exposes how Trump is swindling his supporters through his meaningless "Official Election Defense Fund".

Trump Tells G20 Leaders He Wants to Work with Them ‘for a Long Time’

THE OBSERVER: US president delivers boasts and falsehoods while other members focus on dealing with the pandemic

Donald Trump has taken his campaign to deny the results of the US presidential election global, telling leaders at the G20 summit he’s looking forward to going on working with them.

The gathering of leaders of major world economies is being held online this year, but could have been an occasion for Trump to bid his peers goodbye and pledge American support in the battle against Covid-19. Instead, according to audio of his comments obtained by the Observer, he said: “It’s been a great honour to work with you, and I look forward to working with you again for a long time.” » | Emma Graham-Harrison and Julian Borger | Saturday, November 21, 2020

Invoking a Fantasy Winston Churchill Won’t Help as Brexit Becomes Grim Reality

THE GUARDIAN: Casting the former PM as a little Englander defying Europe is historical nonsense

Winston Churchill should be held to account when Britain throws itself out of the EU. Who is to blame for breaking up and impoverishing the United Kingdom? Churchill, by his followers’ own admission. Who is responsible for the border in the Irish Sea, the food shortages, the irresistible rise of Scottish nationalism, the needless blows to the stricken economy of a plague-ridden nation? No need to ask: Winston’s been at it again.

Not the Churchill of history, but a Churchillian delusion that has been a generation in the making. Its falsity will become apparent on 1 January. Until then, Tories can still pretend that their promises that Brexit would enrich us weren’t false. They can still opine that once “Boris” has completed Brexit he can move on to levelling up or tackling Covid or whatever other issue flits through his half-formed mind. They still don’t realise that in a few weeks their words will sound as absurd as saying: “After I’ve broken my legs, I will run a marathon.” » | Nick Cohen | Saturday, November 21, 2020

Neal Katyal: All of Trump’s Criminal Immunity Expires in about 60 Days | Deadline | MSNBC

Former U.S. acting solicitor general Neal Katyal explains the charges President Trump might face after he leaves office and the reason why his current legal efforts are incriminating him even more. Aired on 11/20/2020.

Smerconish: Here's the Real Danger in Trump's Charade

President Trump's dangerous efforts to "gum up" the election process is leading too many Americans not to accept the results of the 2020 election, Michael Smerconish says, because his enablers remain unwilling to tell the emperor he has no clothes.

Trump Makes Futile Last Stand to Overturn Results as Georgia Certifies Biden Win

THE GUARDIAN: President met with Michigan’s Republican leaders at White House in desperate bid to subvert democracy

Donald Trump was on Friday making a futile but dangerous last stand, without precedent in modern American history, to overturn the result of the presidential election so he can remain in power.

Even as Joe Biden’s victory in the state of Georgia was confirmed, the president met with Republican leaders from Michigan at the White House in an increasingly desperate bid to subvert democracy after a series of courtroom defeats over allegations of voter fraud.

The Trump campaign’s apparent strategy is to persuade Republican-controlled legislatures in Michigan and other battleground states in the electoral college to set aside the will of the people and declare Trump the winner, despite officials declaring it the most secure election in American history.

“The entire election, frankly, in all the swing states should be overturned and the legislatures should make sure that the electors are selected for Trump,” Sidney Powell, one of Trump’s lawyers, told the Fox Business Network on Thursday. » | David Smith in Washington || Saturday, November 21, 2020

Trump is such a pathetic little man. He’s the orange dictator wannabe! Donnie is the loser. It really is high time for him to concede to the winner: Joe Biden. Theankfully, it will soon be time for him for Trump to go. – Mark

Donald Trump Jr tests positive for coronavirus »

CC Ivanka Trump: How the President Has Stoked Unrest | The Mehdi Hasan Show | The Choice on Peacock

Two minute drill: Mehdi Hasan sums up almost everything Ivanka's father, the president, has done to incite violence and terror here in the U.S. since 2015.

'Night of the Beating': Details Emerge of Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Purge

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: three years on, some of the Saudi detainees reveal what they say took place

In early November 2017, nearly 400 of Saudi Arabia’s most powerful people, among them princes, tycoons and ministers, were rounded up and detained in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, in what became the biggest and most contentious purge in the modern kingdom’s history.

The arrests shook the foundations of Saudi society, in an instant turning untouchable establishment figures into targets for arrest. Statuses were discarded, assets seized and business empires upended. A conventional pact between the state and its influential elite was shredded overnight.

Now, leading figures caught up in the detentions have revealed details of what they say took place. The former detainees, many of whom were stripped of fortunes, portray a scene of torture and coercion, and of royal court advisers leading chaotic attempts to understand the investments behind the wealth of the kingdom’s most influential families, then seizing what they could find.

The accounts of what occurred in the Ritz, provided through an intermediary, are from some of the most senior Saudi business figures, who claim to have been beaten and intimidated by security officers, under the supervision of two ministers, both close confidantes of the man who ordered the purge, the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Thursday, November 19, 2020

The End of a Presidency: Trump’s Loss in a Divided America | Fault Lines

As the Democrats take back the White House, what does the 2020 presidential election say about the future of US politics?

Despite Joe Biden’s win, tens of millions of Americans chose Donald Trump for a second term. How the Republican party relates to this bloc of voters - along with the ideology Trump represents - is now central to its strategic direction.

For the Democrats, an old guard embodied by Joe Biden and a new generation of progressives are in a contest for influence over the party’s vision.

In The End of a Presidency: Trump’s Loss in a Divided America, Fault Lines explores how Trump changed the presidency, and where the two parties will go next.

Fmr. MI GOP Exec: I'm "Not Confident That They'll Certify the Election" | The Mehdi Hasan Show

Despite that lack of confidence, fmr. longtime Republican Jeff Timmer says his ex-colleagues in the Michigan GOP "have an obligation to certify the election results. A court will likely tell them to certify the election results."

Mary Trump: The President is Not Going to Concede | The Mehdi Hasan Show

Mary Trump, a psychologist and President Trump's niece, joins Mehdi Hasan to discuss how the GOP has enabled Trump's unwillingness to concede, delaying critical information sharing with the incoming Biden administration.

Leaders

“Call them whatever you like, but don’t call them leaders”

Tim O’Brien: ‘Donald Trump Will Go to His Grave Saying I Won’ | Deadline | MSNBC

Bloomberg Opinion senior columnist, Tim O’Brien, analyzes Trump’s decision to ignore the realities of the 2020 election and instead tout, with no evidence, that there was election fraud. Aired on 11/18/2020.

America's "Freedom" for the Rich Is Killing Us!

Republicans have a bizarre notion of what that word “freedom” means. But Americans who don’t have live-in chefs and pilots for their private jets are more inclined to agree with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who pointed out in 1933, that “a necessitous man is not a free man.”

Schmidt Calls Efforts to Cast Doubt on the Election a ‘Breaking of Faith with American Democracy’

Co-founder of the Lincoln Project Steve Schmidt says Trump not accepting the results of the election is his worst action yet, and says it’s tragic to watch Republicans go along with it. Aired on 11/18/2020.

'Pathetic' Trump Denounced over Krebs Firing as Campaign Presses for Recounts

THE GUARDIAN: Senior House Democrat says Trump ‘views truth as his enemy’ / Campaign seeks recounts and investigations in key states

Donald Trump was condemned by opponents on Wednesday for firing the senior official who disputed his baseless claims of election fraud, as the president pressed on with his increasingly desperate battle to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.

The president’s election campaign team continued to press for recounts and investigations in battleground states where Biden has already been declared the winner, including a new request in Wisconsin for a partial recount.

And there was uproar over his decision late on Tuesday, announced by tweet, to fire a federal official in charge of election security who dismissed his claims of widespread voter fraud.

The firing of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) director, Christopher Krebs, was “pathetic and predictable from a president who views truth as his enemy”, senior House Democrat Adam Schiff said. » | Maanvi Singh in Oakland, Sam Levine and Martin Pengellyin New York and Joan E Greve in Washington | Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Ivanka Trump obsessed with status, says former friend in tell-all essay »

Conservative Political Analyst Bill Kristol on If Trump Will Concede

Conservative political analyst and Editor at Large at the Bulwark, Bill Kristol, chatted with me on Instagram Live about President Trump’s refusal to concede. “The Republicans by going along with Trump,” Kristol said. “They have strengthened him a lot. They’ve set him up to be a major figure in the next months, maybe years.”

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — November 17, 2020

Pete Buttigieg: 'Each Passing Day That This Denial Goes on, It Has a Real Cost' | Andrea Mitchell

Pete Buttigieg joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss the delayed transition process, on which he says that "Each passing day that this denial goes on, it has a real cost." He also addresses reports and speculation that he could serve in a role in the Biden administration, saying that "I would love a chance to return to public service but that's for the president-elect to decide. This administration is going to have enthusiastic support from me whether I'm on the inside or outside." Aired on 11/16/2020.

Born Rich – Documentary

This documentary by Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. He captures their rituals, worries and social customs. This is a documentary on the children of the superrich.

Directed by Jamie Johnson, one of their own and heir, this 80-minute documentary focuses on the growing wealth gap in America, as seen through the eyes of the filmmaker and 27-year-old heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune.

Barack Obama: The 2020 60 Minutes Interview

The former president shares the advice he would give President Trump, his thoughts on the killing of George Floyd, and what's behind the divisions in Washington and across the U.S. Scott Pelley reports

Barack Obama: One Election Won't Stop US 'Truth Decay'

Read the BBC article HERE »

Trump Acknowledges Biden’s Win, But Quickly Reverses, Saying ‘I Concede NOTHING!’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — President Trump appeared to briefly acknowledge for the first time Sunday morning that former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had defeated him in the presidential election, but quickly reversed himself less than two hours later, insisting that “I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go.”

The dueling tweets came as Mr. Trump continued to lie about the conduct of the vote-counting process, falsely insisting that Mr. Biden’s victory was the result of a “Rigged” election orchestrated by the “Fake & Silent” media.

His first tweet came Sunday morning at 7:47. Referring to Mr. Biden, the president said that “he won.” That represented the first time Mr. Trump had publicly said what his advisers have been telling him for days privately: His re-election bid failed and Mr. Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.

After a flurry of tweets and news reports about his “concession,” Mr. Trump insisted that he had been misunderstood. » | Michael D. Shear | Sunday, November 15, 2020

Trump Waves to Supporters Protesting Election Results

Trump drives by a D.C. rally on Saturday amid electoral losses and failed court challenges »

What a state to get to! Pathetic! – Mark

Lawrence: ‘It’s All Over’ for William Barr & Donald Trump | The Last Word | MSNBC

Lawrence O’Donnell explains how Donald Trump’s remarks in the Rose Garden show that the president knows his administration is coming to an end on January 20. Aired on 11/13/2020.

Mary Trump on Her Uncle’s Loss

The niece of President Trump and author of "Too Much and Never Enough" Mary Trump texted me saying, “consider yourself lucky that you’re not out on the golf course with him right now.” So we decided to have a chat on Instagram Live. We chatted about the President’s reaction and how the next 74 days will unfold.

Democracy

It's time for Republicans to put America first.

Sainsbury’s Christmas Ad 2014

Is this, perhaps, one of the very best Christmas ads ever made? In my opinion, this year’s Christmas ads from the nation’s major supermarkets don’t hold the candle to this great ad by Sainsbury’s. This advertisement has everything: it is Christmassy, it represents the true spirit of Christmas, it is moving, and it is extremely well made. A wonderful advert! This is going to be very difficult to improve upon. It is timeless.

Elton John - Something About The Way You Look Tonight

"Directed by Tim Royes, the music video for The Big Picture’s first single features supermodels Alek Wek, Kate Moss, and Sophie Dahl. 'Something About The Way You Look Tonight' peaked at #1 in over 20 countries as the double-A side single with 'Candle In The Wind 1997'".

Downing Street Denies Internal Crisis Has Harmed Brexit Talks

THE GUARDIAN: Senior French and EU figures claim infighting at No 10 has delayed chances of deal

Downing Street has been forced to deny Boris Johnson has lost control of the Brexit negotiations as French ministers warn of weeks more talks amid “upheaval” in London, and senior Brussels figures claim the chaos had led to a standstill.

France’s minister for EU affairs, Clément Beaune, appeared downbeat on Friday about the chances of an imminent breakthrough on a UK-EU deal.

There has been scant progress in the last week of the trade and security talks, while No 10 has been shaken by infighting that led to the news that Dominic Cummings would be quitting as the prime minister’s chief adviser. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels, Jon Henley in Paris and Peter Walker in London | Friday, November 13, 2020

Trump Is Bashing Fox News on Twitter as Pandemic Rages

CNN's Brian Stelter explains how President Donald Trump's relationship with Fox News is changing following the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Corona-Krise: Schweden ist auf dem Weg in eine dunkle Zeit

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Schweden war stolz auf den eigenen Weg in der Corona-Krise. Jetzt steigen die Infektions- und Totenzahlen deutlich. Der Ministerpräsident stimmt die Bürger auf schwere Zeiten ein – und weicht immer mehr vom bisherigen Kurs ab.

Stefan Löfven hat klare Worte gewählt. Als der schwedische Ministerpräsident in Stockholm vor die Presse trat, hatte er Grundsätzliches zu sagen. Es sei November, begann er, der dunkelste Monat des Jahres, die Dunkelheit werde noch eine Weile bleiben, „und leider scheinen wir uns auch auf dunklere Zeiten zuzubewegen, wenn es um die Ausbreitung von Infektionen in Teilen der Welt, in Europa und in Schweden geht“.

Alle Anzeichen gingen in eine unerwünschte, falsche Richtung. Es bestehe die Gefahr, dass die Situation „völlig dunkel“ werde, sagte er. „Wir riskieren, dass mehr Menschen krank werden, mehr Menschen sterben“, dass es mehr überarbeitete Menschen im Gesundheitswesen gebe und mehr Operationen verschoben würden. Es war Mittwochnachmittag und auch den letzten Schweden sollte nach seiner Rede klargeworden sein, dass die Lage im Königreich sehr ernst ist. » | Von Matthias Wyssuwa, Hamburg | Donnerstag, 12. November 2020

McEnany's Answer Stuns Cooper: That's Next Level Stuff

CNN's Anderson Cooper discusses the lack of action from President Donald Trump and his White House administration days after the election results and reacts to a White House press secretary's reaction to the situation.

'Dejected' Trump Waffles over Waging Baseless Election Fight

CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports on President Trump's attitude and strategy days after President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

South African Activist Kumi Naidoo: Trump Is Attempting a Coup to Install Minority Rule

We continue to look at the world’s response to the U.S. election with South African activist Kumi Naidoo, a global ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity, former secretary general of Amnesty International and former head of Greenpeace. Naidoo says President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden is good news, but notes that the world lost four crucial years to tackle the climate crisis and other issues because of the Trump administration. “This is a relief, but it is not something for us to — at this stage, anyway — celebrate with any great enthusiasm,” he says.

Why Ex-CIA Chief Is More Worried about Trump Now

Former CIA Director John Brennan tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer why he's more worried now than he has been during the past four years of President Trump's administration.

Debate - What Could Trump Do in Next 76 Days- And Is He a 'Flight Risk'?

We’re joined by Timothy Snyder - professor of history at Yale University. His latest book analyses what he calls "America's turn towards authoritarianism" under Donald Trump.

Democracy Now! : Top US & World Headlines — November 12, 2020

The Invasion - The Outbreak of World War II

This extra-long episode reconstructs how Hitler's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 triggered a chain of events sparking a global conflagration. Hitler’s Poland Campaign unleashed a “Blitzkrieg” lasting six weeks only. However, it was a war of unprecedented brutality resulting in a tremendous suffering of the Polish people in the long run. Sheds light on some of their lives telling almost forgotten stories.

Lawrence: ‘Donald Trump’s Silence Is His Concession Speech’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Lawrence O’Donnell explains why Donald Trump’s silence is the silence of a man who is terrified of what his life will become on January 20th. Aired on 11/11/2020.

Decoded: Saudi Food Wars

US Election: Gulf Arab Leaders Face New Reality after Biden Victory

BBC: "You'll have to forgive me if I seem a little distracted," said the Saudi ambassador to the UK as his eyes flicked towards his mobile phone. "I'm keeping an eye on the results coming in from Wisconsin."

That was eight days ago, when we still did not know who would be in the White House in January.

When Joe Biden was declared the winner, the Saudi leadership in Riyadh took rather longer to respond than they did when Donald Trump was elected.

This is hardly surprising: they had just lost a friend at the top table.

Mr Biden's victory could now have far-reaching consequences for Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states.

The US strategic partnership with the region goes back to 1945 and it will likely endure, but changes are coming and they will not all be welcome in Gulf capitals. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent | Thursday, November 12, 2020

Loser: Donald Trump Derided Defeat – Now He Must Live with It

THE GUARDIAN: What was once the president’s go-to insult now unequivocally applies to him, as his record of failure finally catches up with him

In the Manichean world of Donald Trump, there is one epithet more pathetic than any other: loser. He has used the term when describing fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain, critics such as Cher, his friend Roger Stone, and even American fallen heroes who died fighting for their country in France in 1918. Now he joins their ranks. He will forever carry around his neck the yoke of the one-term president, a burden shouldered in the last 40 years by just two other men – George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter.

To make his humiliation complete, Trump lost to someone he denigrated as“ the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics”. But in the end, after a nail-biting vote count, Joe Biden proved himself to be a more worthy opponent than that, albeit by a thinner margin than polls predicted.

In 2016 Trump was a curiosity – the outsider who promised to take Washington by storm, the real estate magnate who said he would drain the swamp, the self-proclaimed billionaire who wouldn’t reveal his tax returns but would be the champion of “forgotten Americans”. » | Ed Pilkington in New York | Wednesday, November 11, 2020


Trump’s Post-Election Tactics Put Him in Unsavory Company »

Keilar: Trump Denying Transition and Installing Loyalists Is Dangerous

CNN's Brianna Keilar breaks down the danger of President Trump's team refusing to begin the transition for President-elect Joe Biden and Trump firing key people in the administration to replace them with loyalists.

Trump's Handling of the Transition Is 'Innapropriate' and 'Reckless' | Andrea Mitchell | MSNBC

William Cohen, former Republican senator and Secretary of Defense to President Clinton, joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss the lack of cooperation in the transition process and President Trump's refusal to concede. Cohen reflects on the transition between President Clinton and President George W. Bush, "That's what a democracy is supposed to be about, that you want your successor to be in a position to protect and defend the interests of the American people." Aired on 11/11/2020.

As Trump Loses White House, Robert De Niro Shares Relief and the Hope for Accountability | MSNBC

Legendary Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro speaks out in his first interview since Pres. Trump’s defeat, telling MSNBC’s Ari Melber that he is relieved about Trump’s loss and concerned about how someone like Trump could get as far as he did in American government, warning that “more people like” Trump may test democracy again. De Niro also reflects on Trump’s ethics, his silence since Saturday’s election call, why he believes Trump has “no center” and the appeal and role of “tough guys” and mafia films in American life and culture. Aired on 11/09/2020.