The Breakfast Club (Standing Rock)

Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover ~~we’ve been bailed out~~ ~~we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED)~~ the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:30am (ET) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.

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This Day in History

Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann sentenced to death; Bandleader Glenn Miller disappears over the English Channel; The Bill of Rights takes effect; Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull killed; Walt Disney dies at age 65.

Breakfast Tunes

Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac

They claim this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own use, and fence their neighbors away from her, and deface her with their buildings and their refuse.

Sitting Bull

Breakfast News

Egypt’s Finding on Russian Jet Crash Conflicts With Others

Egypt said Monday it has not yet found any sign of terrorism in the deadly Oct. 31 crash of a Russian passenger jet in the Sinai desert, a preliminary finding that conflicts with Russian, U.S. and British statements that they believed a bomb on the aircraft probably was to blame.

The vaguely worded Egyptian statement reflected the deep reluctance among government authorities to point to the possibility of a bomb, and the implication of lax security at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, where the Metrojet plane took off.

The Airbus A321-200 broke apart 23 minutes after departing the Red Sea resort for St. Petersburg, killing all 224 people aboard. The crash led Russia to halt all flights to and from Egypt, while Britain suspended flights to and from the resort. The actions inflicted a heavy blow to Egypt’s vital tourism industry.

UN accused of ‘shocking’ lack of action over murder and rape in South Sudan

The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has been accused of a “complete and utter failure” to protect civilians in one of the most dangerous and volatile parts of the war-ravaged country.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says that although civilians in southern Unity state – an oil-rich area and key battleground in the civil war – have been subjected to murder, rape and abduction for many months, there has been a “shocking” lack of action from the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (Unmiss). [..]

According to the international medical charity, people in southern Unity are so afraid that they are hiding and sleeping in swamps and rivers, and eating waterlilies to stay alive. At night, children are drowning when they slip from the arms of their exhausted parents.

While atrocities including forced cannibalism, sexual violence and the attacks on civilians in their hospital beds have been reported across the country since the fighting erupted in December 2013, Unity state has endured some of the worst and most protracted violence.

Angela Merkel pledges to cut German immigration figures but rejects limit

Angela Merkel has promised to “tangibly” reduce the number of refugees and migrants entering Germany in an attempt to quell a rebellion in her conservative ranks, but rejected calls to impose a cap on immigration.

At a gathering of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, Merkel said Germany would pursue a range of measures to stem the flow of asylum seekers, expected to reach about 1 million this year.

“Even a strong country like Germany would in the long run be unable to cope with such a large number of refugees,” the chancellor said in a one-hour long speech. “We want to tangibly reduce the number of refugees arriving. With an approach focused on the German, European and global level, we will succeed in regulating and limiting migration.”

However, she said Germany had a “moral and political” duty as Europe’s top economic power to continue to help desperate people, particularly those from war-ravaged Syria.

Seattle becomes first U.S. city to let Uber drivers unionize

Seattle on Monday became the first city in the USA to allow drivers of ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft to unionize over pay and working conditions, a decision that will almost certainly be challenged in court.

The city council’s vote was unanimous at 8-0, The Seattle Times reported.

Under the new ordinance, companies would be required to give the city a list of its Seattle drivers. A nonprofit organization — most likely a union — would use the list to contact drivers and work to gain the support of a majority of a company’s drivers to be designated as their bargaining representative.

Drone owners get Christmas surprise from FAA: you will have to register to fly

Buyers beware! If that drone you find under the Christmas tree weighs much more than half a pound, you’re going to have to register it with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before you fly it outside.

The FAA and the Department of Transportation (DoT) announced new rules on Monday that will mean nearly all drone operators will have to register their drones in a national database.

The authorities have been attempting to crack down on unlicensed drones amid their rising popularity – they are expected to be one of this Christmas’s biggest toys. But drones have been seen as a major menace and have disrupted firefighting efforts, been used to snoop on neighbors and to smuggle drugs into prison (not to mention regularly flying too close to manned aircraft).