News Briefs on December 6, 2024
HAVANA TIMES – Here are the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Friday, December 6, 2024.
Leader of Syrian Opposition Says HTS in Control of Hama as Groups Seeks to Overthrow Assad
Dec 06, 2024
In Syria, the leader of the powerful armed opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — a former al-Qaeda affiliate — has declared that opposition forces have taken complete control of the central city of Hama. In an interview with CNN published today, Abu Mohammad al-Julani said his group’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Syria’s authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad. Armed groups now control Hama’s military airport and were seen freeing prisoners from the city’s jails. They’ve since pushed further south, claiming “complete and rapid control” of the northern suburbs of Homs, Syria’s third-largest city. Overnight, thousands of Homs residents fled toward Syria’s western coast. On Thursday, Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement pledged its support to the embattled Syrian government, which faces one of the largest challenges to Bashar al-Assad’s authority in 13 years of bloody civil war.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Syrians displaced by violence are struggling to survive amid freezing temperatures. This is Shafiqa Saeeda, a Yazidi Syrian whose family fled to a camp in northern Syria.
Shafiqa Saeeda: “We were staying in al-Shahba. They said the Free Syrian Army would enter the area. We were afraid because there were women with us. We were afraid that they would kidnap them from us. … Our baby grandson was born on the third day here. We were sleeping outside. There was no tent or anything. We didn’t find anything to eat when we got hungry, and there were no ovens to cook. The baby was born here, and we named him Afrin, after our city.”
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Israeli Forces Continue Deadly Attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital, Killing 4 Staff
Dec 06, 2024
The Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza has again come under intense attack by Israeli forces, who stormed the beleaguered facility, making arrests and ordering others to evacuate. Kamal Adwan’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, also reports many deaths and injuries from Israeli strikes, including four medical workers who were killed. Abu Safiya, who himself was severely wounded in an Israeli attack last month, called the situation “catastrophic.”
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“The Ghost of Famine Is Here”: Al-Mawasi Soup Kitchen Strives to Feed Thousands in Southern Gaza
Dec 06, 2024
In southern Gaza, a director of a soup kitchen in al-Mawasi, in Khan Younis, says many families rely solely on one meal per day from his operation, after the World Central Kitchen paused its Gaza distributions following an Israeli airstrike that killed three of its workers last weekend.
Hani Abou al-Qassem: “Now the ghost of famine is beginning to appear here in the southern Gaza Strip. These families can’t afford even the low-priced materials and have no source of food except from this charity. Families are relying on this soup kitchen as their only means, as they found their haven in it. Currently, we are serving more than 800 families, equivalent to approximately 4,000 people.”
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France’s Macron Dismisses Calls to Step Down as No-Confidence Vote Topples Government
Dec 06, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed calls to step down Thursday as he addressed the nation following the collapse of the French government in a no-confidence vote.
President Emmanuel Macron: “The mandate you democratically gave me is a five-year mandate, and I will carry it out fully, until the end. … We cannot allow ourselves to be divided or to do nothing. That’s why I will name a prime minister in the coming days. I will ask them to form a government in the general interest, representing all the political parties who can participate in it, or at least who agree not to bring it down.”
The leader of the Socialist Party met with Macron today and urged him to meet with the heads of leftist parties as the president selects a new prime minister. We’ll go to France later in the broadcast.
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Trump Names Immigration Enforcers Amid Push for Mass Deportations
Dec 06, 2024
On Thursday, Donald Trump tapped Rodney S. Scott, his previous head of Border Patrol, for commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, and Caleb Vitello as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump has vowed to enact mass deportations as soon as he returns to office.
In other transition news, Trump selected venture capitalist and former PayPal COO David Sacks as his “AI and crypto czar.” The created position won’t require Senate confirmation or financial disclosures, though it’s likely to directly benefit Sacks’s various business interests in Silicon Valley. Sacks is a close ally of Elon Musk and is expected to push for more deregulation.
In related news, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, tapped by Trump to run a proposed “Department of Government Efficiency,” met with Republicans on Capitol Hill Thursday to push plans to “dismantle” the federal government. New federal filings confirm Musk spent over $250 million to help elect Trump.
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Heritage Foundation to Spend $1 Million to Rescue Pete Hegseth’s Campaign for Pentagon Chief
Dec 06, 2024
Image Credit: Gage Skidmore
The far-right Heritage Foundation, which created Project 2025, said it is spending $1 million to lobby Republican senators to confirm Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense amid backlash over his history of sexual assault, misusing funds in his previous positions, possible ties to white nationalists, and various violations committed while under the influence of alcohol. He once yelled “Kill all Muslims!” while out at a bar during a work trip.
Meanwhile, House Republicans on Thursday voted to block the release of their Matt Gaetz ethics report following an investigation into allegations that Gaetz was involved in the sex trafficking of an underage girl. He withdrew from consideration as attorney general.
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Bahamas & Turks and Caicos Reject Trump’s Bid to Deport Asylum Seekers to Third Country
Dec 06, 2024
Trump’s transition team has prepared a list of countries to which it may deport asylum seekers when their home countries refuse to accept them. That’s according to NBC News, which reports the arrangement could lead to hundreds of thousands of people becoming permanently displaced in countries where they have no connection to communities, language or culture. On Thursday, the governments of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos said they oppose Trump’s deportation plans. Panama and Grenada are reportedly also on Trump’s list.
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Biden Administration Massively Expanding Private Immigration Jails
Dec 06, 2024
An investigation by The Guardian newspaper finds the Biden administration has for the past year been in the process of extending at least 14 contracts with private sector immigration jails across the U.S. and exploring options for expanding detention capacity. That’s despite Biden’s past statements opposing for-profit prisons over their long record of human rights abuses.
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U.S. Shrugs Off Historical Responsibility for Greenhouse Gases in World Court Hearing on Climate
Dec 06, 2024
In climate news, a Biden administration official has told the International Court of Justice in The Hague that historical greenhouse gas emissions should not be considered wrongful acts. State Department legal adviser Margaret L. Taylor made the argument during a landmark climate case brought by low-lying island nations who face an existential crisis caused by wealthier, polluting nations.
Margaret Taylor: “International human rights law, however, does not obligate states to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, nor does it currently provide for a human right to a healthy environment. … Acts or emissions that preceded the crystallization of international obligations with respect to climate change cannot be internationally wrongful acts.”
Representatives for China made similar arguments, saying U.N. climate change negotiations should be the only channel for global climate governance. That prompted sharp criticism from Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change, who also called out the governments of Australia and Saudi Arabia for attempting to shrug off responsibility for historical emissions.
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Carrboro, NC, Sues Duke Energy over Decades of Climate Deception
Dec 06, 2024
In North Carolina, the town of Carrboro has filed a lawsuit against one of the country’s largest electric utilities, accusing Duke Energy of contributing to global heating and lying to the public about the climate crisis. It’s the first lawsuit of its kind in the United States. Plaintiffs say Duke Energy waged a “deception campaign” to hide the role of fossil fuels in exacerbating climate change, resulting in delayed action to curb the impacts of greenhouse gas pollution. The suit also alleges Duke continued to operate its coal and gas power plants despite learning about their harms nearly 60 years ago. Carrboro has faced intensifying extreme weather events including catastrophic flooding. Duke Energy operates six power plants in North Carolina and is the third-largest source of carbon dioxide in the U.S.
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U.N. Human Rights Officials Raise Alarm over Trumped-Up Charges for U.S. Climate Activists
Dec 06, 2024
Image Credit: Summer of Heat on Wall Street
U.N. human rights experts are raising alarm over the criminal prosecution of two climate activists who were arrested in New York this summer during a series of nonviolent protests demanding an end to financing for the fossil fuel industry. Alec Connon and John Mark Rozendaal were taken into custody during protests against Citibank and criminally charged with assault and criminal contempt. The assault charge was later dropped, and both climate activists then pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of “disorderly conduct.” Rozendaal, who is a professional cellist, was arrested in August for performing a piece by Bach during a protest.
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Norway Halts Plans for Deep-Sea Mining in Arctic Ocean
Dec 06, 2024
Image Credit: Greenpeace
In a victory for environmental activists, Norway’s socialist lawmakers have temporarily halted the country’s plans to move forward with deep-sea mining in the Arctic Ocean, by agreeing to support the government’s 2025 budget in exchange for the pause. In January, Norway’s parliament voted to allow deep-sea mining exploration in a swath of its Arctic waters about the size of the United Kingdom, which scientists warned would severely harm vulnerable ecosystems and even drive species to extinction.
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Capitol Police Arrest Transgender Advocates at “Bathroom Sit-In” Protest
Dec 06, 2024
Image Credit: Gender Liberation Movement
On Capitol Hill, police arrested over a dozen transgender advocates, including Chelsea Manning, as they staged a “bathroom sit-in” protest at a congressional restroom near the offices of House Speaker Mike Johnson and Congressmember Nancy Mace.
Protesters: “Our bodies are no debate! Our bodies are no debate! Speaker Johnson! Nancy Mace! Speaker Johnson! Nancy Mace! Our bodies are no debate! Our bodies are no debate! Speaker Johnson! Nancy Mace! Speaker Johnson! Nancy Mace!”
The protest, led by the Gender Liberation Movement, came after Congressmembers Mace and Johnson imposed restrictions on transgender and nonbinary people using congressional bathrooms ahead of trans Congressmember-elect Sarah McBride’s swearing-in next month.
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Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Reverses Policy to Stop Paying for Some Patients’ Anesthesia
Dec 06, 2024
The health insurance company Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has reversed a new policy that would stop paying for patients’ anesthesia for the full length of surgeries if the procedure goes over an allotted time limit. The policy, which was set to go into effect in Connecticut, New York and Missouri in February, was announced in November but went viral earlier this week in the wake of the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. The news provoked major outrage from the public, elected officials and the medical community.