(2021-02-16). Europe Will Redefine Itself Despite Political Shift in the US. dissidentvoice.org 
Despite the long-awaited political change in Washington as Democratic President, Joe Biden, has officially become the 46th President of the United States, Europe is unlikely to resume its previously unhindered reliance on its trans-Atlantic partner. The four years of Donald Trump were rife with tension and strife between the US and Europe — in fact, …
(2021-02-16). Impeachment fiasco: Trumpism gets new lease on life. liberationnews.org 
Because of the approach adopted by the Democratic Party in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, Trump's acquittal was essentially a forgone conclusion.
(2021-02-16). The Consonance Of Proyect and Street. counterpunch.org I feel compelled to write a brief defense of two Marxists recently under attack. Who are they? Louis Proyect, the self-described unrepentant Marxist (according to his website, louisproyect.org). and Paul Street who also has a website (paulstreet.org) with his self-description on Twitter being Scary Radical Left Marxist writer. Immanuel Kant has the following quote we
(2021-02-16). Is Biden Committing Diplomatic Suicide Over the Iran Nuclear Agreement? counterpunch.org 
As Congress still struggles to pass a COVID relief bill, the rest of the world is nervously reserving judgment on America's new president and his foreign policy, after successive U.S. administrations have delivered unexpected and damaging shocks to the world and the international system. Cautious international optimism toward Biden is very much based on his
(2021-02-16). Is Biden risking new conflict with Iran by yielding to Dem Hawks and Neoconservatives? juancole.com ( Code Pink) — As Congress still struggles to pass a COVID relief bill, the rest of the world is nervously reserving judgment on America's new president and his foreign policy, after successive U.S. administrations have delivered unexpected and damaging shocks to the world and the international system. Cautious international optimism toward Biden is very …
(2021-02-16). 'Turkish operations in N.Iraq are due to terror harassment'. yenisafak.com Citing regions in northern Iraq near the Turkish border, Suleyman Soylu told parliament: "What do we have to do in Gara? Why do we enter Hakurk and Haftanin? 70% of the terrorist harassment came from those regions in 2019."Speaking in the wake of the terrorist PKK massacring 13 Turkish citizens held captive in Gara, Soylu said the PKK works to abuse both young people and their families."After our children were martyred, they tried to abuse their families in their deaths, just as they abused their families for five years after they massacred them," he said."The PKK will not gain a victory over our families; our fa…
(2021-02-16). The Dubious COVID Models, The Tests and Now the Consequences. globalresearch.ca This article by F. William Engdahl first published on April 29, 2020 focusses on the dubious Covid models used to justify the lockdowns and closure of economic activity Worldwide. | The architects of these models were generously funded by the Gates …
(2021-02-16). The Reshaping of Global Agriculture: The WEF Agenda Behind India's Modi Government's "Farm Reform" globalresearch.ca For more than 12 years the WEF has pushed a corporate model in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The "big target" has been India, where resistance to corporate takeover of agriculture has been fierce ever since the failed 1960's Green Revolution of the Rockefeller Foundation.
(2021-02-16). Headlines for February 16, 2021. democracynow.org Speaker Pelosi Authorizes Independent Commission to Investigate Jan. 6 Insurrection, Deadly U.S. Cold Snap Leaves Millions Without Power, New Orleans Cancels Mardi Gras Parade One Year After It Became Coronavirus Superspreader Event, Gov. Cuomo Acknowledges Not Reporting Nursing Home Deaths But Stops Short of Apology, New World Trade Organization Chief Warns Against Vaccine Nationalism, One Killed, 9 Injured in Missile Attack on U.S. Military Base in Northern Iraq, As Taliban Fighters Surround Afghan Cities, Biden Weighs U.S. Withdrawal Plans, U.S. Removes Houthis from Terror List as Yemen's Humanitarian Crisis W…
(2021-02-16). Israeli cabinet holds urgent, unscheduled meeting on Syria: Reports. middleeasteye.net 
Israeli cabinet holds urgent, unscheduled meeting on Syria: Reports | Details of meeting were banned from publication at request of Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 19: 02 | An Israeli flag is seen placed on Mount Bental in the occupied Golan Heights on 10 May 2018 (AFP/File photo) | Israel's cabinet convened for an unscheduled meeting on Tuesday for urgent discussions regarding a human…
(2021-02-16). The Trump Cult and Its Future. counterpunch.org 
I am quite sure the majority of Trump supporters do not embrace the "theory" that the Democratic leaders are pedophile cannibal satanists whom Trump sought to destroy, to protect the children. An amazing minority do, constituting a robust and vital idiot stratum within the Trump coalition. (It is not clear however what QAnon will play
(2021-02-16). The "Return" of America: Biden's Maiden Foreign Policy Speech. dissidentvoice.org Few could have been slack-jawed at the first significant foreign policy speech of US President Joe Biden. It can easily be filed under the "America is back" label. Back as well, as if the previous administration had been incapable of it, was a promise for that practice unflatteringly called jaw-jaw. "Diplomacy," the President states from …
(2021-02-16). Trouble in Vaccine Land: The Wiliness of South Africa's Coronavirus Variant. counterpunch.org 
It began as a shudder through the scientific and public health establishments. A new variant of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had been found, mutating in South African climes, potentially outwitting human responses to it. Vaccines such as Oxford-AstraZeneca's would have to be brushed up. Rollouts would have to be reconsidered. The South African variant has been
(2021-02-16). US, OAS, Colombia Try To Steal Ecuador's election. popularresistance.org Guayaquil, Ecuador – A popular socialist candidate, Andrés Arauz, won the first round of Ecuador's historic presidential election by a landslide on February 7. The leftist's overwhelming victory prompted the US State Department, the right-wing government of neighboring Colombia, and the Organization of American States (OAS) to mobilize to prevent him from entering office. | Arauz won the first round of the election with 33 percent of the vote, a full 13 percent greater than the second-place candidate, conservative banker Guillermo Lasso. His opponents are now seeking to force a vote recount under the supervision…
(2021-02-16). Biden supports 9/11-style commission to 'investigate' US Capitol riot, as suggested by Pelosi, Graham, & others. rt.com 
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said President Joe Biden "would support" Congress creating a 9/11-style commission panel to investigate the January 6 US Capitol riot, as numerous lawmakers have suggested. | A commission has been recommended by both Democrats and Republicans in the wake of the Senate acquitting Donald Trump on the article of impeachment that accused him of "inciting an insurrection" and directly inspiring the storming of the Capitol. | "We need a 9/11 commission to find out what happened and make sure it never happens again, and I want to make sure that the Capitol footprint can be be…
(2021-02-16). The Case for Prosecuting Trump: Elie Mystal on Why Criminal Charges Are Still Possible — and Needed. democracynow.org 
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has authorized a 9/11-style commission to further investigate the January 6 insurrection and the actions that led up to it, as calls grow for the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump after his acquittal in his second Senate impeachment trial. The Nation's justice correspondent Elie Mystal says House impeachment managers presented "a fairly compelling case for criminal liability" for Donald Trump over the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. "I think there's a case for indictment. I think we should at least try," he says.
(2021-02-16). Chris Hedges: Cancel Culture, Where Liberalism Goes To Die. popularresistance.org The Rev. Will Campbell was forced out of his position as director of religious life at the University of Mississippi in 1956 because of his calls for integration. He escorted Black children through a hostile mob in 1957 to integrate Little Rock's Central High School. He was the only white person that was invited to be part of the group that founded Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He helped integrate Nashville's lunch counters and organize the Freedom Rides. | But Campbell was also, despite a slew of death threats he received from white segregationists, an unofficial chaplain to…
(2021-02-16). Philadelphians demand COVID safety. workers.org 
Several dozen teachers, parents and community activists protested outside Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenny's home on Feb 12. They were demanding city officials not reopen schools for in-person teaching — until all teachers are vaccinated and all schools are properly ventilated. Educators continue to teach virtually until an arbitrator rules on . . . |
(2021-02-16). The Weekly Round-up: Phase 2 of the Grenfell Inquiry. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
In the News: Having been temporarily suspended in early January as a result of an increase in COVID-19 cases, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry hearings resumed on 8 February 2021. The fire killed 72 people. The hearings are being conducted remotely using a Zoom-based video platform, which the Inquiry describes as "a temporary measure to be …
(2021-02-16). The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test: How to Mislead All Humanity. Using a "Test" To Lock Down Society. globalresearch.ca The misuse of the RT-PCR technique is used as an intentional strategy by some governments, supported by scientific safety councils and by the dominant media, to justify the violation of a large number of constitutional rights, the destruction of the economy with the bankruptcy of entire active sectors of society,…
(2021-02-16). South African government puts vaccination programme on hold. wsws.org Ramaphosa's government faces a mounting public health crisis, widespread criticisms of its handling of the pandemic and the vaccination rollout, allegations of corruption over Covid-19 spending, near-daily electricity blackouts and soaring debt amid shrinking coffers.
(2021-02-16). Bill Davis—beloved labor and peace activist, Communist leader—lost to COVID. peoplesworld.org 
Bill Davis, a long-time trade union and peace activist and Communist Party USA leader, died Jan. 23 in New York while in hospice with COVID-19. He was 78 years old. Davis was a caseworker for the New York City Department of Welfare (later Social Services) and a fixture in the trade union movement. As an …
(2021-02-16). Super Bowl for Sports Team Billionaires: SF Giants owner rakes in $815 million during the pandemic. dissidentvoice.org 
Oracle Park The assets of Charles Johnson, the controversial chief owner of the San Francisco Giants, increased by $815 million during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, his net worth was a mere $4.2 billion dollars. By January 2021 he commanded a fortune of $5.015 billion, an increase just short of 20%. Workers at Oracle …
(2021-02-16). Zionists preventing COVID-19 vaccine from entering Gaza. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 17 (MNA) — Spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Fawzi Barhoum said that prevention of Zionists from entry of coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine to Gaza Strip is a crime against humanity.
(2021-02-16). Protesters in Algeria defy Covid-19 ban to mark second anniversary of uprising. middleeasteye.net 
Protesters in Algeria defy Covid-19 ban to mark second anniversary of uprising | Demonstrators marched in the town of Kherrata, which activists view as the birthplace of the Hirak movement | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 13: 28 | Protestors chanted anti-government slogans and held Algerian and Berber flags as they marked the second anniversary of the Hirak movement (AFP) | Hundreds of Algerians defied…
(2021-02-16). Russian-made Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines are effective against UK variant of coronavirus — watchdog. rt.com 
Russia's Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines have been proven to be effective against the UK variant of the coronavirus, a government agency has said. | Serum obtained from people who took the Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccines and had antibodies to the novel coronavirus, demonstrated a "protective effect" against the UK variant, Russia's consumer protection agency, Rospotrebnadzor, said in a statement to the media. | It added that the vaccines have shown to be just as good against the British strain as they are against the ordinary SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. | The research was carried out by th…
(2021-02-16). Lancet Report: 40% of U.S. COVID Deaths Were Preventable. zcomm.org The Country Needs Universal Healthcare Now…
(2021-02-16). Palestinians wait as Israel debates permission of Covid-19 vaccines for Gaza. laprensalatina.com Jerusalem, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continued Tuesday to wait for the arrival of the first Covid-19 vaccines from the West Bank, as Israel is yet to authorize permission for the shipment to enter the coastal enclave. Israeli security officials told Efe that the National Security Council, a body that belongs to …
(2021-02-16). Selected Articles: The Reshaping of Global Agriculture. globalresearch.ca 
By Western countries, including Canada, are using experimental mRNA injections in nursing homes, on the most vulnerable of people. …
(2021-02-16). Reopening schools: experts urge caution as government aims for March return. thecanary.co Conservative MPs have A group of MPs, calling themselves the COVID Recovery Group, have written to the prime minister to call for schools to open in March, as well as for hospitality venues to open by Easter. | The letter, signed by
(2021-02-16). High-Income Countries Have Secured the Bulk of COVID-19 Vaccines. jamanetwork.com High-income countries have reserved more than half of the world's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine doses despite representing just 14% of the world's population, according to an analysis of publicly available data on premarket purchase agreements.
(2021-02-16). Global South Urges Rich Countries To Lift Monopolies On Covid19 Medical Products. popularresistance.org This landmark proposal to temporarily suspend the application and enforcement of certain intellectual property obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), or the "TRIPS waiver" is to facilitate the effective prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19. | Developing countries have stressed that the "TRIPS waiver" is an essential starting point for countries to ramp up and diversify the production of therapeutics, vaccines and other medical products needed to address the global pandemic. | However, a handful of countries — mostly those…
(2021-02-16). What is happening in Latin America with vaccine roll-out? peoplesdispatch.org In Latin American and the Carribean region, so far, nine countries have begun inoculating their populations against COVID-19 and all of them are providing free vaccination to all citizens…
(2021-02-16). Andrés Arauz: Ecuador's Presidential Front-Runner on COVID, Austerity & Ending U.S. Interference. democracynow.org 
Ecuador's presidential front-runner says the country is facing a "double crisis" of COVID-19 and austerity. "We need a renewal in our politics," Andrés Arauz tells Democracy Now! The left-wing economist secured nearly 33% of the vote in the first round of Ecuador's presidential election on February 7 but fell short of the 40% needed to win outright. He will face right-wing banker Guillermo Lasso or Indigenous candidate Yaku Pérez in a runoff election on April 11, depending on the results of a recount after both candidates secured just over 19% of the vote. Arauz has pledged to end austerity measures imposed by Ec…
(2021-02-16). As infections surge, highly contagious strain of COVID-19 confirmed in Sri Lanka. wsws.org Doctors and medical experts have warned that the country could face a health catastrophe due to inadequate health facilities and an acceleration of the pandemic's spread.
(2021-02-16). Rania Khalek slams phony impeachment "soap opera" thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Rania Khalek of Soapbox about the drama surrounding the Trump impeachment trial. They reflect on the arguments made by democrats and republicans, the trial's impact on the reputation of US empire abroad, and its implications for free speech.
(2021-02-16). Cuomo and Newsom symbolize the rot of corporate democrats — and the dire need for progressive populism. nationofchange.org Progressive activism and shifts in public opinion have strengthened movements that are recruiting, supporting and sometimes electing candidates who offer far better alternatives.
(2021-02-16). Cuomo and Newsom Symbolize the Rot of Corporate Democrats — and the Dire Need for Progressive Populism. zcomm.org Progressive activism and shifts in public opinion have strengthened movements that are recruiting, supporting and sometimes electing candidates who offer far better alternatives…
(2021-02-16). Outrage in Philippines over mass arrest in a sanctuary school for indigenous children. peoplesdispatch.org 26 indigenous persons, including 19 children, were taken from a sanctuary school in Cebu City by the police in a supposed rescue operation with child welfare authorities and the military…
(2021-02-16). Ecuador's pro-mining politics dealt a blow by Indigenous, green movement. zcomm.org In a historic referendum, more than 80% of the electorate in Cuenca, Ecuador's third-largest city, voted to ban mining in the area…
(2021-02-16). Why are Effective and Inexpensive Chinese and Russian Vaccines Unavailable in Much of the West? dissidentvoice.org 
In 2016, I attended an information session about First Nations in Lax Kxeen (colonial designation Prince Rupert),1 "BC." During a break, I conversed with some fellow attendees. They expressed skepticism to colonial provincial authorities being behind the intentional spreading of smallpox among First Nations people2 and that a vaccine was withheld from infected Indigenous individuals. …
(2021-02-16). Lawfare Threatens To Derail Presidential Election In Ecuador. popularresistance.org On February 7, the progressive presidential candidate for the Union of Hope Alliance (UNES) party, Andrés Arauz, won first place in Ecuador's presidential election; this is uncontested. Arauz garnered 32.71% of the vote; right-wing former banker Guillermo Lasso 19.74%; and the "Indigenous" candidate, Yaku Pérez 19.38%. Since Arauz's margin of victory was less than the required 40% plus at least ten points more than the closest competitor, a runoff is scheduled for April 11th. With the UN calling for transparency and Pérez contesting the outcome, Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) has agreed to conduct a p…
(2021-02-16). Palestine condemns Israel's blocking of vaccine to Gaza. yenisafak.com The Palestinian government on Tuesday condemned Israel's blocking of coronavirus vaccines into the blockaded Gaza Strip. | "Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the WHO to stand by its obligations and work towards the entry of the vaccines into the Gaza Strip," government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem told a press conference. | Health Minister Mai al-Kaila, for her part, said her ministry sent 2,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine to Gaza. | "The [Israeli] occupation, however, refused to let the vaccines into the coastal enclave," al-Kaila said in statements cited by the official Wafa news agency. | Al-Ka…
(2021-02-16). Israel blocks delivery of coronavirus vaccines to Gaza. peoplesdispatch.org Continuing with the oppressive and discriminatory policies towards Palestinians in the occupied territories, Israeli authorities have now blocked coronavirus vaccine transfers to Gaza. In a press statement issued on Monday, February 15, Palestinian health minister Mai Alkaila said that "Israeli occupation authority is responsible for this arbitrary procedure which is contrary to all customs, laws and international agreements," Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. | Israeli officials responsible for the decision said that permission to transfer vaccine doses to Gaza has been held pending a "political decision" f…
(2021-02-16). Israel stops Palestinians of Gaza from getting 2K doses of Russian Coronavirus Vaccine. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — According to AFP Arabic, Palestinian Minister of Health Dr. Mai Al-Kilah announced Monday that Israeli authorities halted a shipment of the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine sent to the Palestinian Gaza Strip by the Palestine Authority that is based in Ramallah in the Palestinian West Bank. Israel has subjected the …
(2021-02-16). Overcoming company hurdles, 6,000 Amazon workers start union recognition vote. peoplesworld.org 
BESSEMER, Ala. (PAI)—Overcoming one final company-crafted hurdle, almost 6,000 workers—most of them Black in a 70% Black city—at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., are now voting by mail on whether to unionize. Final results of the balloting, on whether the workers will join the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), a sector of …
(2021-02-16). Saturday 2/20: SF Solidarity Action: Victory To Bessemer Amazon Workers-Stop Bezos Union Busting. indybay.org Whole Foods 24th St. Store | 3950 24th St. | San Francisco…
(2021-02-16). Saturday 2/20: February 20: National Day of Solidarity With Alabama Amazon Workers. indybay.org Assemble at the Walmart Hilltop Mall Parking lot by 3: 45 pm (1400 Hilltop Mall Rd, Richmond, CA 94806) | (Please decorate your cars with posters and signage that state any combination of words: | Bessemer * Amazon * Solidarity * Unions * #CAstandswithBamazon * | We will then drive at 4: 00 pm together around to the other side of the Mall which Amazon now occupies. We will circle the mall in solidarity with Bessemer Amazon Union! | Support Alabama Amazon Workers – Richmond stands in solidarity with the Amazon workers in Alabama! | This Black History Month, join the national day of solidarity with Alabama Amazon wor…
(2021-02-16). Surveillance, Stress, And No Bathrooms. popularresistance.org The Amazonification of logistics has created a new group of highly exploited workers: delivery drivers. Amazon itself increasingly relies on an expanding network of subcontracted drivers and independent contractors to deliver packages to customers' doors. | The working conditions facing Amazon's last-mile drivers are defined by a frantic pace, low wages, and relentless pressure to meet tight delivery deadlines. Workers of color and immigrants are overrepresented, as they are in all the lowest-paying segments of last-mile logistics. | When an Amazon Prime member orders an item, the first step in the delivery proce…
(2021-02-16). Egypt: Student anger over in-person exams despite Covid-19. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt: Student anger over in-person exams despite Covid-19 | Calls for Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghaffar to be dismissed over his comments | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 12: 41 | Many have used the minister's comments to highlight the crowded nature of university education and the threat it could pose to the health of students (Screengrab/Social media) | Egypt's Minister of Higher Education Khaled A…
(2021-02-16). The Advantages of Medicare Advantage—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply Even though I agree with Dr Metz that a key criterion of health care reform is to provide "better care to more people for less money," this should not be the only factor considered when choosing a reform strategy. In the US, many people value choice and the avoidance of disruption of familiar forms of health care coverage.
(2021-02-16). The Advantages of Medicare Advantage. jamanetwork.com To the Editor In a recent JAMA Forum, Dr Butler considered the political appeal of Medicare Advantage expansion, including growing enrollment, promotion of managed care, and lower federal spending. However, this appeal misses the purpose of health care reform, succinctly summarized by William Kissick, MD, as the simultaneous achievement of increased access, decreased costs, and improved outcomes. A simpler description is better care to more people for less money.
(2021-02-16). Militias remain Libya's main problem one decade after Gaddafi toppling. laprensalatina.com Tripoli, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Ten years after the uprising broke out to oust Muammar Gaddafi, Libya still struggles with armed groups, impunity and foreign militias, the Amnesty International has said. "A decade after the overthrow of Muammar al-Gaddafi, justice has yet to be delivered to victims of war crimes and serious human rights violations including …
(2021-02-16). Nuclear Rockets to Mars? counterpunch.org 
A report advocating rocket propulsion by nuclear power for U.S. missions to Mars, written by a committee packed with individuals deeply involved in nuclear power, was issued last week by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. | The 104-page report also lays out "synergies" in space nuclear activities between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. military, something not advanced explicitly since the founding of NASA as a civilian agency supposedly in 1958.
(2021-02-16). Haiti: The masses are still in the streets. workers.org 
A twitter post showed hundreds of students taking to the streets of Delmas, near Port-au-Prince, on the morning of Feb. 13, some carrying pictures of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. They were demanding President Jovenel MoàØse, a U.S. puppet, leave office, especially since his term was over Feb. 7. A much . . . |
(2021-02-16). Child slavery lawsuit targets Hershey, Nestlé, Mars and other chocolate giants. peoplesworld.org 
Many people give chocolates as a symbol of love on Valentine's Day, but for some, the popular candy is more bitter than sweet. A human rights group filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of eight Malian men who say they were trafficked across the border to the Cote D'Ivoire and forced to harvest cocoa for …
(2021-02-16). Biden's first directive to the war machine. mronline.org 
In his first presidential visit to the Pentagon yesterday, Joe Biden announced the creation of an anti-China task force.
(2021-02-16). Catastrophe Capitalism in America. realprogressives.org 
What is the meaning of "catastrophic" anyways? The sheer amount of death, suffering and misery caused by the neoliberal world order serving the whims of transnational capital is unending. It's so normalized that most people don't even consider the depravity; most people can't, since it's too much to handle. But is It catastrophic? | We're told, "communism killed 100,000,000 in a century" whenever the conversation about making things remotely better or changing our system comes up. Even if that claim, which comes from thinkers and historians diametrically opposed to communism, were true, capitalism kills 20,000…
(2021-02-16). Gulf Coast faces high eviction rates, despite CDC moratorium. liberationnews.org 
Eviction rates in the Southeast region are exceeding national levels.
(2021-02-16). It's a Myth that Presidents Welcome Movement Pressure — and Biden is No Different. counterpunch.org 
In early 2009, as Barack Obama prepared to move into the White House, a particular historical anecdote rapidly gained in popularity, repeated in dozens of talks and articles as a parable for how supporters should respond to the new president taking office. The story related a New Deal-era encounter between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a group of activists, usually said to have been led by A. Philip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. In the meeting, the advocates laid out a vision of bold action for change that the president could advance with his bully pulpit and his executive power. FDR listen…
(2021-02-16). Immigration enforcement and the afterlife of the slave ship. mronline.org 
Coast Guard techniques for blocking Haitian asylum seekers have their roots in the slave trade. Understanding these connections can help us disentangle immigration policy from white nationalism.
(2021-02-16). We Need to Talk About Judas. counterpunch.org 
The new film, Judas and the Black Messiah, is worth seeing, talking about and analyzing with a variety of historical lenses. The historical lenses include the history of Black Cinema, revolutionary cinema, African American history and the history of political repression in the US in general. Every once in a while, an important political film
(2021-02-16). Mississippi laws threaten protesters with jail. liberationnews.org 
In Mississippi, the first of these anti-protest laws was passed in June. The law threatens individuals who protest oil and gas pipelines or other "critical infrastructure" projects with up to 7 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
(2021-02-16). States have no inherent 'right to exist'—but it's a media fixation on Israel/Palestine. mronline.org 
No state has an intrinsic "right to exist." As international relations scholar Scott Burchill points out, there is no abstract "right to exist" in international law, or in "any serious theory of international relations."
(2021-02-16). How Spanish Can Help Us Survive Viral Times. counterpunch.org 
"Una nación bajo Diós, indivisible, con libertad y justicia para todos." When Jennifer López shouted out that last line of the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish during Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, like so many Spanish-speaking Latinos in the United States I felt a sense of pride, a sense of arrival. It was a joy to hear my
(2021-02-16). Oregon care workers dare to strike. workers.org 
In Springfield, Ore., essential health workers at The Rawlin at Riverbend Memory Care facility have set a Feb. 16 strike deadline to demand union recognition in order to improve staffing, training and turnover — and save residents' lives. They are leading the way for workers throughout their community and the . . . |
(2021-02-16). Police arrest Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel. peoplesdispatch.org 
The Spanish national court served a notice to rapper Pablo Hasel in January asking him to surrender within ten days to face imprisonment. Hasel was convicted on charges of "glorifying terrorism, insulting the crown and state institutions" and faces a two-year prison term.
(2021-02-16). Naugatuck, Conn. students keep Black Lives Matter fight going. peoplesworld.org 
NAUGATUCK, Conn.—What do the police killing of George Floyd and Naugatuck, Conn., have in common? Plenty. In June 2020, there was a March of 1,100 people in Naugatuck in solidarity with the many George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter (BLM) marches across the country. It gave birth to the peace and solidarity group Naugatuck …
(2021-02-16). Workers press Biden to fight for $15 minimum wage. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP)—Union activist Terrence Wise recalls being laughed at when he began pushing for a national $15 per hour minimum wage almost a decade ago. Nearly a year into the pandemic, the idea isn't so funny. The coronavirus has renewed focus on challenges facing hourly employees who have continued working in grocery stores, gas stations, …
(2021-02-16). Karen Lewis and the class-conscious union. liberationnews.org 
In a moment of crisis, Karen Lewis and the CORE caucus reinvigorated class consciousness in teachers' unions.
(2021-02-16). Karen Lewis, 1953-2021: Lessons from a teacher, leader and courageous fighter. workers.org 
The global working-class, Black liberation and labor movements lost a courageous fighter when Karen Lewis — former president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), who famously led a militant, seven-day strike in 2012 — passed away Feb. 7 after a long battle with cancer. Karen Lewis. Credit: John W. Iwanski . . . |
(2021-02-16). Scientists on WHO mission to Wuhan accuse media of biased reportage. mronline.org 
The U.S. government and many media outlets have queried WHO findings that do not corroborate theories promoted by Washington, such as the virus escaping from a Chinese laboratory.
(2021-02-16). 'New language': School asks parents to rate their 'whiteness' & become 'white traitors' or 'abolitionists'. rt.com 
A New York City public school has sent a graphic to parents, encouraging them to become "white traitors" or "abolitionists," detailing the eight supposed stages of "whiteness." | The graphic was sent out by the principal of East Side Community School in New York City, according to a report from City Journal's Christopher Rufo, but its author is Northwestern University associate professor Barnor Hesse. | According to Hesse's theory, there are eight "white identities." In the graphic, they are color-coded from green to red in terms of whether they are good or bad. The most green or best version of a white person…
(2021-02-16). Trump remains unchallenged frontrunner among potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates – poll. rt.com 
Despite the former US president's tumultuous exit from the Oval Office as the first to be impeached – and acquitted – twice, Donald Trump remains the top pick of the majority of Republican voters for president in 2024. | Trump would be a clear favorite to win the Republican primary were it held today, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll published on Tuesday. Nearly three fifths — 59 percent — of Republican voters want Trump to play a major role in the party going forward, and 54 percent would vote for the ex-president in the primary, the survey revealed. | The former president was acquitted…
(2021-02-16). Kamala Harris, not Joe Biden, makes some of the latest calls to world leaders, White House readouts reveal. rt.com 
While US President Joe Biden was taking a break at Camp David to play video games with his grandchildren, his VP Kamala Harris phoned the president of France to discuss bilateral relations, in a somewhat unusual turn of events. | According to the White House
(2021-02-16). Lincoln Project leadership knew about harassment accusations against co-founder since March — media. rt.com 
Despite denying knowledge of allegations that colleague John Weaver was sexually harassing young men, a new report suggests Lincoln Project co-founders Steve Schmidt and Reed Galen were aware for nearly a year. | Schmidt, who stepped away from the group on Monday, said he was not aware of any wrongdoings by Weaver until the first public reports began surfacing in January. | According to a report from The 19th, however, multiple sources have now revealed that Schmidt is among the leadership in the organization to have known about allegations against Weaver for months. In Schmidt and Galen's case, they could hav…
(2021-02-16). After being cancelled, Gina Carano's 'Mandalorian' figure sells for big bucks as thousands demand she be rehired by Disney. rt.com 
Following her firing from Disney's 'The Mandalorian' over conservative social media posts, Gina Carano's support appears to only be growing as her character's action figure is going for hundreds now that it has been discontinued. | Hasbro has announced it will no longer produce figures for Carano's Cara Dune character from the popular Disney Plus series and even revealed this week plans for another production run were scrapped in the wake of her firing. | "Due to recent events, Hasbro was no longer approved to produce any more of this figure," a rep for retailer BigBadToyStore told The Hollywood Reporter. Hasb…
(2021-02-16). Trump declares war on Senate GOP leader McConnell, calls him 'dour, unsmiling hack' & vows to back 'America First' primary rivals. rt.com 
Former US President Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, calling him a "third rate" leader and pledging to support those challenging establishment candidates in GOP primaries. | "The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political 'leaders' like Sen. Mitch McConnell at its helm," the lengthy statement begins. "McConnell's dedication to business as usual, status quo policies, together with his lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality, has rapidly driven him from Majority Leader to Minority Leader, and it will only get…
(2021-02-16). E-mail reveals ex-FBI chief Comey signed FISA warrant despite KNOWING he couldn't verify Steele Dossier on Trump/Russia. rt.com 
Former FBI Director James Comey is under scrutiny after a newly released email showed he may have signed a warrant based on the Steele Dossier while being unable to verify any of the information in it. | Comey signed a FISA surveillance warrant in January 2017 based on the Steele Dossier, which contained allegations of cooperation and misconduct between Donald Trump and the Russian government, on the same day he reportedly sent an email to then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper saying he could not verify the information in the document. | "We are not able to sufficiently corroborate the reporting…
(2021-02-16). Robinhood CEO claims to be hiding in 'undisclosed location,' supposedly facing DEATH THREATS over restricting 'meme stock' trading. rt.com 
Vlad Tenev, CEO of now-infamous stock-trading app Robinhood, is supposedly hiding out in an "undisclosed location" avoiding what he claims are threats to his life as he prepares to testify at Congress. | Tenev is awaiting a Thursday hearing on the GameStop upset, apparently hiding out in a hotel out of fear of going home due to what he insisted to Bloomberg are "angry client mobs" making death threats against him. | The Robinhood co-founder incurred massive loathing from the internet after his trading platform began imposing seemingly arbitrary one-stock purchase limits on GameStop ($GME) and nearly 50 other s…
(2021-02-16). Charges dropped against Amy Cooper, aka 'Central Park Karen', after she was made to attend 'racial equality psychoeducation'. rt.com 
Amy Cooper, the New Yorker branded 'Central Park Karen' by the media following a dispute with a black birdwatcher, has had misdemeanor charges against her dropped after being made to attend "psychoeducation" for "racial equality." | Cooper had been charged with making a false police report after she dramatically called 911 on birdwatcher Christian Cooper and claimed he was "threatening" her "life" during a heated dispute, after he had told her to leash her dog in Central Park's Ramble area — where dogs are required to be leashed — on May 25 last year. | A judge on Tuesday "granted Manhattan prosecuto…
(2021-02-16). Gideon Saar suspends Lincoln Project advisors amid sexual harassment scandal. middleeasteye.net 
Gideon Saar suspends Lincoln Project advisors amid sexual harassment scandal | Netanyahu rival's polling has flagged since anti-Trump campaigners came on board | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 15: 42 | Israeli politician Gideon Saar talks to reporters during a visit to an outdoor shopping centre in city of Raanana near Tel Aviv, 8 February 2021 (AFP) | Gideon Saar, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief r…
(2021-02-16). Sex workers are held to an impossible standard. therealnews.com 
Do we talk about any other job the way we talk about sex work? Do you ask cashiers or dishwashers if their work is "empowering"?
(2021-02-16). 'I am going to be MMA's biggest star': Bellator brawler Valerie Loureda shares snap with 50 Cent as she promises to dominate sport. rt.com 
Bellator newcomer Valerie Loureda, whose reputation for scantily-clad snaps and regular updates has seen her amass more than 754,000 followers on Instagram, has said she will be "the most respected and honored woman of all time". | Describing her debut win over Colby Fletcher on a Bellator card in the US in 2019 as "the moment my life changed", the hugely popular flyweight shared photos of her locker room, walking into the octagon with her name and face in lights and posing with superstar rapper and celebrity 50 Cent having "quickly transformed back to myself" by donning a dress afterwards. | Demonstrating the…
(2021-02-16). Sicily's Mount Etna ejects lava & massive ash column in another stunning eruption (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com 
Mount Etna in Sicily, Europe's tallest volcano and one of its most active, has erupted for the second time in as many days, with a stream of molten rock and a massive ash cloud tinged red by the sun captured in remarkable footage.
(2021-02-16). Iran informs UN nuclear watchdog of end to surprise nuclear site inspections this month to enforce act of parliament. rt.com 
Tehran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its parliamentary-approved plan to limit inspections of its nuclear sites from February 23, despite some vocal government opposition to the move. | "Iran informed the IAEA on 15 February that the country will stop implementing voluntary transparency measures under the JCPOA as of 23 February, including the Additional Protocol," the IAEA said in a statement on Tuesday. | At the time the legislation was passed, the government said they did not support the parliamentary decision to terminate surprise inspections and boost enrichment, and called…
(2021-02-16). Spanish police fire rubber bullets after Barcelona protest demanding rapper's release descends into riots (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Clashes erupted between protesters and riot police during demonstrations in Catalonia against the arrest of rapper Pablo Hasel, convicted for calling the former Spanish king a thief, with cops in Barcelona firing rubber bullets. | Hasel, whose real name is Pablo Rivadulla Duro, was
(2021-02-16). The Heat: U.S. Congress acquits Donald Trump. america.cgtn.com 
The U.S. Senate acquits Donald Trump of inciting the mob that stormed the U. S. Capitol last month. What does it mean for his political future and beyond?
(2021-02-16). "Our Indifference To Ourselves": Beyond The "Virtue" Of Self-Sacrifice (Part 1). dissidentvoice.org 
The name Arnold Ridley will be familiar to many viewers of 'Dad's Army', one of Britain's best-loved TV comedies, which ran a long time ago (1968-1977) but is still shown on prime time BBC TV. Ridley played Private Godfrey, the loveable, most doddery member of a Second World War platoon of elderly Home Guard troops tasked with …
(2021-02-16). UAE: Secret recordings emerge of 'hostage' Princess Latifa. middleeasteye.net 
UAE: Secret recordings emerge of 'hostage' Princess Latifa | The BBC has obtained new videos of the princess, who claims she is being held captive by her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 16: 36 | Dubai's Princess Latifa al-Maktoum said in a video published in March 2018 that she had run away (Screengrab) | Footage made public by the BBC on Tuesday showed Dubai's Princess Latifa…
(2021-02-16). Is Solitary Confinement a Form of Torture? Q&A with journalist James Ridgeway. counterpunch.org 
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(2021-02-16). 'Agent Sonya,' a biography of intrepid antifa spy Ursula Kuczynski. peoplesworld.org 
Ben MacIntyre, a British writer for The London Times, is known to spy thriller fans as the author of meticulously researched biographies of famous 20th-century spies. The latest in his series is a comprehensive biography of Jewish German-born Ursula Kuczynski, later also known as Ursula Hamburger, Ursula Beurton, and Ruth Werner. Born in 1907, Ursula …
(2021-02-16). Israel threatens to forge own path on Iran if US revives nuclear deal. middleeasteye.net 
Israel threatens to forge own path on Iran if US revives nuclear deal | Ambassador Gilad Erdan says if US were to lift 'crippling' sanctions, Iran will have 'no real incentive to negotiate' | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 15: 23 | Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan (R) stressed that without sanctions and a 'credible military threat', Iran will have no motive to negotiate over its nuclear programme (AFP/File photo) | The Israe…
(2021-02-16). Arabic press review: Bahrain formed anti-revolution lobby in Washington in 2011. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Bahrain formed anti-revolution lobby in Washington in 2011 | Meanwhile, UK holds talks with Yemen's Houthis, Sudan plans handing over Bashir to ICC and a cash-strapped Jordanian writer sells personal library | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 11: 52 | Bahrain registered its anti-revolution lobby on 15 March 2011, a day after the GCC agreed to deploy troops to counter mass protests (Reuters…
(2021-02-16). UK rights groups to boycott Prevent review over Shawcross appointment. middleeasteye.net 
UK rights groups to boycott Prevent review over Shawcross appointment | Organisations including Amnesty, Liberty and Cage say government has 'no interest in conducting an objective and impartial review' | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 15: 59 | William Shawcross is a former director of the Henry Jackson Society (UK government) | Leading human rights and civil liberties organisations in the UK are to boycott a long…
(2021-02-16). Iraq: US forces hit in rocket attack that kills contractor. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq: US forces hit in rocket attack that kills contractor | US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he was outraged by the deadly raid | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 08: 59 | A man lies in a hospital bed after being injured during Monday's rocket attack on US-led forces at Erbil international airport (Reuters) | A rocket attack in northern Iraq killed a contractor and wounded several others, includi…
(2021-02-16). US urges Yemen's Houthis to join peace talks, stop assault on government stronghold. middleeasteye.net 
US urges Yemen's Houthis to join peace talks, stop assault on government stronghold | State Department strongly urges Houthi movement to stop its attacks on oil-rich Marib, where deadly offensive threatens lives of millions of civilians | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 16: 31 | Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government get into position during clashes with Houthi rebel fighters, northwest of Marib in central Yemen on…
(2021-02-16). Egypt arrests relatives of US-based rights advocate Mohamed Soltan. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt arrests relatives of US-based rights advocate Mohamed Soltan | Egyptian authorities are arresting Soltan's relatives to 'intimidate him into silence', his lawyer says | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 16: 58 | This is not the first time Egyptian security forces have targeted Soltan's family members (MEE/File photo) | Egyptian security forces arrested several members of Egyptian-American activist Mohamed Soltan's famil…
(2021-02-16). Biden to communicate with Saudi Arabia via King Salman, bypassing MBS. middleeasteye.net 
Biden to communicate with Saudi Arabia via King Salman, bypassing MBS | White House press secretary says move represents return to 'counterpart to counterpart' diplomacy, regarding King Salman as rightful Saudi leader | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 20: 49 | Since taking office, the Biden administration has been pressuring Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record (AFP/File photo) | President Joe Biden plans to shif…
(2021-02-16). Saudi Arabia issues ultimatum to foreign companies to move regional HQs to kingdom. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia issues ultimatum to foreign companies to move regional HQs to kingdom | The announcement, which comes amid an economic slump in the kingdom, could create friction with UAE | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 12: 56 | Cars drive past the King Abdullah Financial District in the Saudi capital Riyadh on 18 December 2018 (Reuters) | Saudi Arabia is to stop signing contracts with companies whose regional headquarters a…
(2021-02-16). Israel court rules to expel six Palestinian families from East Jerusalem homes. middleeasteye.net 
Israel court rules to expel six Palestinian families from East Jerusalem homes | The eviction affects 27 people, in a decision NGO Peace Now says is aimed at dispossessing the Palestinian community of Sheikh Jarrah in favour of settlers | Tue, 02/16/2021 – 14: 04 | Protesters near the house of a Palestinian family, which an Israeli court had ordered to be evicted while declaring Israeli settlers to be the lega…
(2021-02-16). New Music Releases By Lynda Carson Includes The Pandemic Blues, And 7 Other Songs. indybay.org The music being posted here was recorded recently on a wonderful 13 year old iMac computer seen in the photo, with an old wood carving overhead of the winged goddess Dadari, which is a wood carving that is well over 100 years old from the island of Bali.
(2021-02-16). Wednesday 2/17: San Francisco Car Caravan Protest for Gig Drivers' Pandemic Health & Safety. indybay.org Meet at SAFEWAY, 2300 16th St, San Francisco 94103; then we'll car caravan to Uber Headquarters at 1455 Market St. | MASKS AND SAFETY-DISTANCING REQUIRED…
(2021-02-16). Yes we need the $1.9 Trillion Stimulus: Real Unemployment is 3 times what they're telling us. juancole.com Southwest Harbor, Maine (Special to Informed Comment) — As Congress gets set to debate the Biden Pandemic relief package, one of the favorite Republican lines is the contention that an economic recovery is already well underway. Pouring more money into an accelerating economy is likely to induce seventies style inflation. It is time, they argue, …
(2021-02-16). Animal research during a pandemic: new podcast episode goes live. imperial.ac.uk What's it like to work in animal research during these unprecedented times? A new podcast series explores.
(2021-02-16). Guatemala Takes a Hard Line Against Migrants—With US Support. thenation.com Guatemala Takes a Hard Line Against Migrants—With US Support…
(2021-02-16). 43 Republican Senators Chose To Stand With the Seditionists Rather Than Defend the Republic. commondreams.org What we saw Saturday was a profile in cowardice. Had there been a secret ballot, the Senate vote to convict Donald Trump likely would have been overwhelming. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mitch_mcconnell_donald_trump_1.jpg …
(2021-02-16). Giving Power to the People Most Affected by Climate Change. progressive.org In her new book, Shalanda Baker, President Biden's choice for Deputy Director of Energy Justice, emphasizes the need for an urgent and equitable response.
(2021-02-16). Will the War in Afghanistan Ever End? progressive.org President Biden, who pledged to end the war, is being pressured to maintain a U.S. troop presence.
(2021-02-16). Friday 2/19: State of the Poor: Who & What is Hurting Poor and Low-income Americans w/ PPC. indybay.org Online via livestream or Zoom…
(2021-02-16). Andrés Arauz and the progressive bloc are a threat to Ecuador's right wing. peoplesdispatch.org David Adler of the Progressive International who was observing the Ecuadorian elections discusses the recent fraud accusations as well as the right-wing's dirty campaign against Andrés Arauz…
(2021-02-16). A Blueprint for Comprehensive Medicaid Reform. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint proposes broad principles to guide Medicaid reform as a means to advance health equity, including stabilization of its funding and coverage; coordination of its infrastructure; alignment of health care and social spending at the point of care; and a value-based approach to benefits.
(2021-02-16). Monday 2/22: Passing the Equal Rights Amendment & the Role of Faith Communities Town Hall. indybay.org Online via Zoom…
(2021-02-16). Yes we need the $1.9 trillion stimulus: Real unemployment is 3 times what they're telling us. nationofchange.org Reliance on part-timers, erosion of the minimum wage, attacks on unions all have served to depress working class wages.
(2021-02-16). Four arrested in Iraq over targeted killings of anti-government protesters. peoplesdispatch.org Protesters, activists and human rights groups have urged successive Iraqi governments to investigate the targeted killings of protesters, opposition activists and critics since the anti-government protests began in the country in October 2019…
(2021-02-16). Federal Prison Primer. indybay.org In 2015, I was charged and ultimately sent to prison for the Orwellian charge of "Conspiracy to Violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act" for freeing thousands of mink from fur farms. I served a two year sentence in federal prison. I wrote this for others facing repression so that they may prepare for prison life.
(2021-02-16). Severe winter weather leaves millions without electricity during record cold temperatures across the US. wsws.org Texas, in particular, has faced some of the most severe fallout from the storm. Governor Greg Abbott called the storm "unprecedented" and remarked that snow and ice would make travel in the coming days "virtually impossible."
(2021-02-16). Geographic Differences in Uncontrolled Chronic Medical Conditions—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply Dr Tompkins and colleagues suggest additional analyses to clarify the relationship between moving and chronic medical conditions in reference to our recent publication. We would first emphasize that our study does not argue that there is a relationship between moving itself and the prevalence of uncontrolled chronic conditions. Rather, our study sought to estimate the association between changes in individuals' likelihood of an uncontrolled chronic condition after moving and the difference in the prevalence of the uncontrolled chronic condition between movers' destination vs origin zip code. Conceptually…
(2021-02-16). Friday 2/19: SC1.5NCE Not Silence Forum as U.S. Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement. indybay.org Online via livestream: www.facebook.com/marchforscience/…
(2021-02-16). Associations of Maternal Cardiovascular Health in Pregnancy With Offspring Cardiovascular Health in Early Adolescence. jamanetwork.com This international cohort study examines associations between the cardiovascular (CV) health of pregnant women (defined by 5 CV risk factors) and CV health of their offspring at ages 10 to 14 years.
(2021-02-16). Global Partnership Aims to Improve Infant HIV Care. jamanetwork.com After stakeholders secured lower prices for a recently approved pediatric HIV medication, an international partnership has urged low- and middle-income countries to procure the drug and make it widely available.
(2021-02-16). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org The 800 nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts voted February 10 by an 89 percent margin to strike over unsafe staffing ratios. The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) is seeking to reduce the ratio of nurses to patients from the current one-to-five to a one-to-four ratio.
(2021-02-16). Diagnosis and Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. jamanetwork.com This narrative review summarizes treatment options for patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer, focusing on the importance of genomic profiling to identify KRAS/NRAS/BRAF variants to guide immunotherapy.
(2021-02-16). Patient Information: Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Patient Page explains lateral internal sphincterotomy, a surgical procedure used for treatment of anal fissures unresponsive to supportive or medical therapy.
(2021-02-16). Enjoy the Vase—Everything Changes. jamanetwork.com In this narrative medicine essay, a psychiatrist finally at peace after his wife's death to cancer learns that his prostate-specific antigen levels have begun to rise, reminding him to embrace uncertainty, a loss of control, and change.
(2021-02-16). Effect of High-Intensity Strength Training on Pain From Knee Osteoarthritis. jamanetwork.com This randomized trial compares the effects of high- vs low-intensity strength training vs control on 18-mo knee pain and knee joint compressive force among adults with knee pain and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis.
(2021-02-16). Italian left opposes the new government led by Mario Draghi. peoplesdispatch.org Ex-European Central Bank President Mario Draghi has formed a new cabinet in Italy comprising of technocrats and politicians from parties ranging from the social democrat Demorcatic party (PD) to the far-right Lega Nord (LN)…
(2021-02-16). Saturday 2/20: No Costco Mega Gas Station in Novato/Marin Rally. indybay.org Starts at Rowland Blvd. Park & Ride (108 Rowland Blvd). March to Costco and the threatened marshlands.
(2021-02-16). Over 700 detained after Turkish invasion of Iraq targets PKK. wsws.org The Turkish Interior Ministry has announced that 718 people have been detained as part of "terror operations" in 40 different cities across the country.
(2021-02-16). Unprecedented Threat to the Independent Media: Support Global Research. globalresearch.ca Dear readers, | Running an independent counter-current news media in 2021 is no easy feat. We are currently facing an unprecedented threat to the independent media and freedom on the Internet. The ultimate goal is the silencing of any voice of …
(2021-02-16). No rhinos were poached in Kenya last year thanks to better policies. nationofchange.org What a huge victory for rhinos!
(2021-02-16). Diagnosis and Treatment of Anal Fissures in 2021. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Insights Clinical Update reviews the diagnosis and management of anal fissures, including use of supportive, topical, injection, and surgical treatment options.
(2021-02-16). Petition For Reinstatement Of Fired Namibian Mineworkers Union Rossing Leaders. indybay.org An international petition has been launched to call on the reinstatement of the leaders of the Namibia Mineworkers Union Rossing branch who were illegally fired by the China National Nuclear Corporation CNNC.
(2021-02-16). Puerto Rico and US Religious Leaders Urge Biden on Jobs, Disaster Aid and SSI. indybay.org Administration Legal Move Could Release $2.3 Billion for Vulnerable Puerto Ricans, Say Faith Leaders…
(2021-02-16). Immortal Time Bias in Observational Studies. jamanetwork.com This JAMA Guide to Statistics and Medicine explains immortal time bias, an error in estimating the association between an exposure and an outcome that results from misclassification or exclusion of time intervals; explains how this misclassification or exclusion can occur; and presents approaches to minimize or avoid immortal time bias.
(2021-02-16). Declining Life Expectancy in the United States—The Need for Social Policy as Health Policy. jamanetwork.com This Viewpoint reviews the social and economic drivers of declines in longevity in the US, especially among lower socioeconomic status groups, and proposes policy options for the Biden-Harris administration to mitigate the trend, including an increase in the federally mandated minimum wage.
(2021-02-16). Oregon and other US states prioritize vaccinating educators in order to boost profits. wsws.org Numerous US states plan to vaccinate teachers in the first phase of vaccinations as a means to reopen schools, regardless of the extent of community spread.
(2021-02-16). Tuesday 2/23: Phasing Out Fossil Fuels: A Just Transition in the Oil & Gas Sectors. indybay.org Online event / webinar…
(2021-02-16). Social movements and organizations condemn arrest of 21-year-old Indian climate activist. peoplesdispatch.org 21-year-old Disha Ravi was arrested on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy for her involvement with a 'toolkit' which contained campaign material in support of the the ongoing farmers' agitation in the country. Two other activists also face arrest…
(2021-02-16). GABE ABRAHAMS: HARVARD UTILIZA SUS HERRAMIENTAS EN MàÅS DE 500 CURSOS. indybay.org …
(2021-02-16). UN Special Rapporteur blasts 'devastating' and 'illegal' US and EU sanctions against Venezuela. peoplesdispatch.org The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights has visited Venezuela and blasted Washington's sanctions regime. | Alena Douhan, who was in Venezuela from February 1-12, published her
(2021-02-16). Database Updates and Resulting Changes in Data in Study of Vaginal Mesh Hysteropexy vs Vaginal Hysterectomy. jamanetwork.com To the Editor My coauthors and I report some database updates and resulting changes in our Original Investigation titled "Effect of Vaginal Mesh Hysteropexy vs Vaginal Hysterectomy With Uterosacral Ligament Suspension on Treatment Failure in Women With Uterovaginal Prolapse: A Randomized Clinical Trial," published in the September 17, 2019, issue of JAMA. During the final database cleaning for the final 5-year study database lock, a biannual study-wide audit review of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POPQ) examination data identified some updates that influenced the value of the primary outcome (treatmen…
(2021-02-16). Friday 2/26: Anti-Racist Classrooom: Building an Inclusive & Anti-Racist Educational Student Experience. indybay.org Online event / webinar…
(2021-02-16). Wound Dressings for Obese Women After Cesarean Delivery. jamanetwork.com To the Editor In their recent article, Dr Tuuli and colleagues found no difference in the rates of superficial or deep surgical site infection between obese women randomized to prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy vs standard wound dressing after cesarean delivery. We have some concerns, however, about how the standard wound dressings were managed in this study. Negative pressure dressings are designed to be kept intact for a relatively long period on closed incisions, while typical surgical dressings are changed more frequently. In this study, the dressings in the control group were removed after 24 hour…
(2021-02-16). Tuesday 2/16: Testify & Push Back against Dangerous Chevron Pollution at Richmond Virtual Council Meeting. indybay.org Online: Richmond City Council Virtual Meeting…
(2021-02-16). Clinical Trials Overlook Diseases of Low-Income Countries. jamanetwork.com Conditions like respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and enteric infections that disproportionately affect low-income countries are consistently understudied in clinical trials, according to a recent study.
(2021-02-16). Geographic Differences in Uncontrolled Chronic Medical Conditions. jamanetwork.com To the Editor Using Veterans Health Administration records, Dr Baum and colleagues estimated the differences in the prevalence of uncontrolled chronic conditions across the population of veterans who moved and the likelihood of uncontrolled chronic conditions after moving. They also provided an E-value estimating the strength of association that an unknown confounder must explain the observed association. However, this article did not provide a measure of the original strength of the association. It would have been illustrative if the authors had provided an original odds ratio or relative risk of disease for com…
(2021-02-16). Wednesday 2/17: State of the Poor: Who & What is Hurting Poor and Low-income Americans w/ PPC. indybay.org Online via livestream or Zoom…
(2021-02-16). Tuesday 2/16: Race, Class & Policing: The Economics of Mass Incarceration. indybay.org Online event (FREE)…
(2021-02-16). Saturday 2/20: Black History Month educators' roundtable: Karen Hunter and Greg Carr. indybay.org ZOOM link supplied upon request | (the link camouflaged to frustrate "bombers")…
(2021-02-16). More Scrutiny for Laparoscopic Power Morcellator Procedures. jamanetwork.com In an updated safety communication, the FDA recommended that clinicians who perform laparoscopic power morcellation for gynecologic procedures should do so with a legally marketed containment system to prevent unsuspected cancer from spreading within the abdomen and pelvis.
(2021-02-16). Tuesday 2/16: Black History Month: Conversation w/ Dr. Shirley Weber, 1st Black Woman CA Sec. of State. indybay.org Online…
(2021-02-16). 1,000 Cal/OSHA Inspectors NOW! Workers Over Profits Rally At Oakland OSHA Office. indybay.org Trade unionists and workers rallied at the Oakland State Building to demand that OSHA hire 1,000 OSHA safety inspectors to enforce health and safety regulations in California work places.There are less than 200 inspectors for 18 million workers.
(2021-02-16). You Don't Deserve Anything… counterpunch.org At least, that's what's our "representatives" and their corporate owners believe at their very core. If they thought the vast number of Americans deserved shelter, food, medicine, a tertiary education, or even drinkable water, everyone would have these things. (We are the richest country in the history of humanity, after all.) The one percent that
(2021-02-16). Year In Hate: New SPLC analysis shows extremists leveraging little-known and encrypted technology to spread dangerous messages, plot violence. splcenter.org  …
(2021-02-16). California protest demands 'Don't tax unemployment benefits!'. fightbacknews.org San José, CA – On February 13, the Northern California Unemployed Committee (NCUC) held its first protest in San José. The protest was called for the day after the IRS began accepting 2020 tax returns, to demand that the federal government stop taxing benefits for the unemployed. The protest also called for the restoration of the $600 weekly unemployment supplement. | The protest began at a branch of Bank of America in downtown San Jose. Mike Paradela, of the Unemployed Committee, introduced the protest, saying that Bank of America profits from running the debit card program through which California unemployment…
(2021-02-16). A Second Civil War? counterpunch.org I believe the Second Amendment, whatever the Founders meant by it, was never meant to result in a nation with more guns than there are people, and that it is common sense to license gun ownership in the same way we require a license to drive. You may believe that the Second Amendment is a
(2021-02-16). Britain's queen shields her "embarrassing" wealth from public scrutiny. wsws.org Correspondence between the queen's private lawyer and civil servants responsible to Edward Heath's Conservative government in 1973 documents how the monarch objected to anything that might reveal her private investments in listed companies.
(2021-02-16). 60 Past Animal And Plants Rights Victories. indybay.org The consciousness of the world is reaching critical mass.
(2021-02-16). Tokyo Olympinck with coronavirus 2021 What are your comments? indybay.org Tokyo Olympinck with coronavirus 2021 What are your comments?>
(2021-02-16). A Time for Love and Civil Disobedience. dissidentvoice.org As the doctor approached with his scalpel and began performing ritual genital mutilation, I complained as loudly as an eight pound body is able, but my cries fell upon deaf and unsympathetic ears. Then They destroyed my first line of defense against disease-causing toxins by ripping out my tonsils and adenoids, and once again no …
(2021-02-16). The Basic Right 140 Million Americans Are Denied Daily. scheerpost.com Neil Moralee / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] By Liz Theoharis / TomDispatch In June 1990, future South African President Nelson Mandela addressed a joint session of Congress only months after being released from 27 years in a South African apartheid prison. He reminded the political leadership of the United States that "to deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. To impose on them a… |
(2021-02-16). "I Don't Trust the People Above Me": Riot Squad Cops Open Up About Disastrous Response to Capitol Insurrection. juancole.com By Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan | — The Insurrection ( ProPublica) — The Effort to Overturn the Election The riot squad defending the embattled entrance to the west side of the U.S. Capitol was surrounded by violence. Rioters had clambered up the scaffolding by the stage erected for the inauguration of President Joseph Biden. …
(2021-02-16). Haitians march demanding a return to constitutional order. peoplesdispatch.org Thousands of people took to the streets of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on February 14 for a "March against Dictatorship." The protests were organized in rejection of the illegitimate government of president Jovenel MoàØse.
(2021-02-16). Call to restore full pensions to veterans who were dismissed over sexuality. thecanary.co A Royal Navy veteran has called for all servicemen and women kicked out of the armed forces because of their sexuality to be given a pardon and to have their full pensions restored. | Joe Ousalice, 70, made the call after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that veterans who were dismissed in this way can now reclaim the medals that were stripped from them. | Gay people and other members of the LGBTQI+ community were not allowed to serve in the military until a rule change in 2000. | The MoD's announcement came after Ousalice, from Southampton, Hampshire, successfully took the department to court to have his…
(2021-02-16). Almost Half of Brits Consider Sussexes' Interview With Oprah 'Inappropriate'. sputniknews.com On March 7, the tell-all show, titled "Oprah with Meghan and Harry," will air on CBS, concentrating mostly on the Duchess of Sussex, who shall explore "everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure."
(2021-02-16). Did The Virus Trigger the 2020 Worldwide Economic Crisis? Bankruptcy and Global Enrichment. globalresearch.ca "You lose your job. Small and medium sized enterprises go bankrupt. Even the whole tourist industry is paralyzed. There's no air transport. There's no public transport, in some cases. And then they make us believe that this is required …
(2021-02-16). US revoked terror designation of Yemen's Ansarullah. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — The US Department of Treasury announced that it has removed Ansarullah of Yemen from the list of list of terrorist groups.
(2021-02-16). Parl. open session on Tuesday. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — Iranian lawmakers held an open session on Tuesday to address the amended version of the proposed bill for the next fiscal year's (starts March 19) budget.
(2021-02-16). Renegotiating on JCPOA is 'impossible': Pres. Rouhani. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that renegotiation on Iran's nuclear deal, JCPOA, is 'impossible', stating that the ball is in the US court.
(2021-02-16). Netanyahu confesses disagreement between Washington, Tel Aviv. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that he disagrees with US President Joe Biden over Iran and the Palestinian issues.
(2021-02-16). Iran has become great regional power: Nasrallah. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) —Nasrallah pointed to the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and noted that the Iran has showed resistance during the past 42 years and the country has made progress in various fields and has become a great regional power.
(2021-02-16). Khaji meets with Putin's special envoy for syria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) — Iranian foreign minister's senior assistant on special political affairs held a meeting with the Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Syria on Tuesday.
(2021-02-16). Karen Lewis and the class-conscious union. zcomm.org During her tenure as CTU president, Lewis and other CORE leaders dedicated years to reshaping the organizational structure of the CTU to prioritize organizing, rank-and-file engagement, and relationships with parents and community school councils…
(2021-02-16). 'A Clarion Call for Eliminating the Filibuster'. zcomm.org "Dear centrist Democrats, you couldn't even get 10 GOP votes to convict the guy who sent a mob to kill you all. You think you can get them to vote on issues like immigration/climate? Come on," said one progressive activist…
(2021-02-16). How We Keep the Neo-Fascists and White Supremacists Down. zcomm.org What the progressive Left must be about is actually very simple: a justice-oriented government of the people, by the people and for the people, and not of, by and for the corporate elite…
(2021-02-16). The Rich and Those Who Serve Them, Then and Now. zcomm.org We've already rejected the servant state once. We certainly can once again…
(2021-02-16). The "For the People Act" Would Make the U.S. a Democracy. zcomm.org The bill is the most crucial legislation considered by Congress in decades and would change the core structure of U.S. politics…
(2021-02-16). Can We Exit This Road to Ruin? zcomm.org The recent decades of stagnation, debt-driven bubbles, and government bailouts are reaching their limit. Capitalism's future is becoming catabolic…
(2021-02-16). Germany eases border restrictions after criticism. laprensalatina.com Berlin, Feb 16 (efe-epa).- Germany has relaxed border restrictions for freight drivers to ease long traffic jams on the borders with Austria and the Czech Republic after criticism from those countries and the European Union. The controls, aimed at slowing the spread of the virus, on Sunday caused long queues of trucks from Austria's Tyrol …
(2021-02-16). Washington's Energetic Generals and the Emphasis on Preparation for Nuclear War. strategic-culture.org The Pentagon's energetic generals are beating their war drums and the President has as yet done nothing to rein them in, Brian Cloughley writes. | Some senior generals and admirals in and around Washington have been very busy recently, and their activities, while aggressive, have not been associated with directing current combat operations. Rather, they have been directed at attempting to influence the Administration of newly-elected President Joe Biden to restructure military forces, expand the nuclear arsenal and magnify specific warfighting capabilities. All of this is what might be expected of those whose bu…
(2021-02-16). The Strategy Session, Episode 5. strategic-culture.org Tim and Joaquin discuss the New York Times article "Marjorie Taylor Greene and the Republican Perversion of 'Freedom'" by Frank Bruni.
(2021-02-16). Tim Kirby, Joaquin Flores — The Strategy Session, Episode 5. strategic-culture.org Tim and Joaquin discuss The New York Times article "Marjorie Taylor Greene and the Republican Perversion of 'Freedom'" by Frank Bruni.
(2021-02-16). Married Americans Are Different. strategic-culture.org Polling shows a strong relationship between marriage status and political outlook. | By Samuel J. ABRAMS | As political scientists, pundits, and historians try to make sense of the November 2020 election, a marriage divide in the electorate has emerged. Married Americans were appreciably more likely to vote for Trump than those who were either unmarried and cohabiting or single. As reported last week in TAC,
(2021-02-16). Biden's Betrayal of the Western Hemisphere. strategic-culture.org Biden, showing exactly the same legendary independence of mind and intellect that has characterized him since he first became a United States Senator 48 years ago, is boldly going exactly where Bolton insisted on treading. | At my age, I should have known better: Expecting the worst from idealistic American liberal Democrats will always prove you prescient and wise. But giving them the benefit of the doubt or expecting any decision from them that is decent, humane or simple common sense will blow up in your face every time. | On December 10, I suggested in these columns that President-elect Joe Biden might at lea…
(2021-02-16). Nuclear Rockets to Mars? strategic-culture.org By Karl GROSSMAN | A report advocating rocket propulsion by nuclear power for U.S. missions to Mars, written by a committee packed with individuals deeply involved in nuclear power, was issued last week by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. | The 104-page report also lays out "synergies" in space nuclear activities between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. military, something not advanced explicitly since the founding of NASA as a civilian agency supposedly in 1958. | The report states: "Space nuclear propulsion and power systems have the potential to provid…
(2021-02-16). Turkey's dirty war gets dirtier. greenleft.org.au The Turkish state has escalated its war on the Kurds, attacking Garê in Iraqi Kurdistan with airstrikes, writes Sarah Glynn. In Turkey, more Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) representatives and members have been detained in raids around the country.
(2021-02-16). Study finds more needs to be done for young LGBTI people. greenleft.org.au Sarah Hathway reports on Australia's largest ever study of young LGBTI people which finds that while progress had been made, more needs to be done.
(2021-02-16). 'Is Our Blood Worth Less?' Afghan Anguish After European Court Sides With Germany Over Airstrike That Killed 90 Civilians. commondreams.org "I wanted the court to provide justice, to have mercy on us," the lead plaintiff in the case said following the ruling. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/tanker_1.jpg …
(2021-02-16). Iranians expect Biden to lift sanctions on Tehran. yenisafak.com Suffering for years under tough economic conditions, the Iranian people hope to see the US sanctions against their country lifted by the Joe Biden administration, while appealing to the Tehran government to take a step for the resolution of the problem. | The dispute between Washington and Tehran about the sanctions, Iran's missile program, the 2015 nuclear agreement and regional issues have not subsided. | Biden ruled out on Feb.7 the prospects of lifting sanctions on Iran until Tehran stops enriching uranium. | In his first interview since taking office last month, Biden said his administration would not ease s…
(2021-02-16). Netherlands court orders government to lift curfew. yenisafak.com A Dutch court on Tuesday ordered that a nationwide coronavirus curfew "must be lifted immediately" since it violates the freedom of movement and privacy.Reminding that the government used a special act for "very urgent and exceptional circumstances" to implement the curfew, the court in The Hague said: "The introduction of the curfew did not imply the particular urgency required."It said that using such an act to impose curfew is "not legitimate," requires an "extremely careful decision-making process," and that the parliament should have been consulted.The case was brought by campaign group Viruswaarheid (Virus…
(2021-02-16). Bitcoin surpasses $50K with $925B market cap. yenisafak.com Bitcoin went above the $50,000 mark Tuesday for the first time, giving it a market capitalization of nearly $925 billion.It passed $50,000 at 7.30 a.m. EDT (1230GMT) before retreating to $49,400 with a sell-off.The world's biggest coin market value saw its price rise 72.8% since Jan. 1, when it was $28,933. It had increased 593% since the beginning of 2020 when it was just $7,208.The recent price surge looks different than a rally in 2017 when Bitcoin hit $20,000 before plummeting 80% the following year when most investors saw it as a bubble.The latest feat comes as major US companies have recently announced shif…
(2021-02-16). Azerbaijani veteran receives treatment in Turkey. yenisafak.com Shot by a sniper during fighting against Armenian forces in recently liberated Nagorno-Karabakh, a volunteer Azerbaijani soldier is receiving treatment in Turkey.Valeh Isayev, 22, a history student in Azerbaijan's Ganja State University, was wounded by a sniper bullet fired by Armenian forces on Oct. 20 last year after he joined the Azerbaijani army voluntarily.Following his treatment at his hometown for a long time, Isayev came to Turkey through the YASAT Fund, which was established to support wounded soldiers and families of martyrs in Azerbaijan.Currently, under treatment in the northwestern Bursa province, I…
(2021-02-16). Bitter cold weather triggers energy squeeze in US. yenisafak.com Bitter cold across the US has caused an energy crisis unlike anything seen in years in the world's largest energy-consuming country.Almost 154 million people — half of the US population — were under some type of a weather alert as of Monday, according to the National Weather Service.More than 5 million customers across the US had no electricity on Monday due to severe cold and snow in such states as Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas — most of them Southern states unaccustomed to such cold.At least 15 people lost their lives since last week due to wea…
(2021-02-16). Voting Rights Groups Condemn Massive Voter Suppression Push Currently Underway In Arizona. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-02-16). The GOP Is a Dangerous Cult That Democrats Should Not Negotiate With. commondreams.org We either have a future based on lies, violence, and authoritarianism—or on unyielding truth, unshakeable civility, and democracy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/republican_cult.png …
(2021-02-16). A Message to Joe Biden: Stop Line 3. commondreams.org Isn't it time to stop creating dangerous crude oil infrastructure? | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/stoptheline3.jpg …
(2021-02-16). Parler Is Now in the Hands of a Right-Wing Extremist Seeking a Radical Rewrite of the Constitution. commondreams.org Mark Meckler has a long history of creating organizations to mobilize far-right activists. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mackler-parler-900×508.png …
(2021-02-16). Blinken Says US Will Look at Other Ways to Advance Strategic Stability With Russia. sputniknews.com Moscow's deputy foreign minister for non-proliferation and arms control, Sergei Ryabkov, recently said Russia may be able to return to some of the many treaties shredded by the Trump administration – but not all of them.
(2021-02-16). European Space Agency Seeks Diversity in First Astronaut Drive Since 2008. sputniknews.com The European Space Agency (ESA), the European equivalent of NASA, is an intergovernmental organization established in 1975 that consists of 22 member states. The agency's flight program includes human spaceflight, uncrewed exploration missions and launch vehicles.
(2021-02-16). Giuliani Does Not Represent Trump in Legal Matters, Trump Aide Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Donald Trump's long-time lawyer Rudy Giuliani does not represent the former US President anymore, Trump's adviser Jason Miller said.
(2021-02-16). Syria's Idlib De-escalation Zone Shelled 29 Times in Past Day, Reconciliation Center Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group* shelled Syria's Idlib de-escalation zone 29 times over the past 24 hours, Rear Adm. Vyacheslav Sytnik, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said at a briefing.
(2021-02-16). US 'Aggressively' Communicating With Houthis Via Back Channels – US Envoy. sputniknews.com Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries, has been engulfed in a violent conflict between a government-in-exile headed by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi and the armed Shiite Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, since 2014.
(2021-02-16). Israeli Committee Approves Procurement of F-35 Jets, KC-46 Refueling Aircraft. sputniknews.com Israel's Channel 12 reported earlier this month that Washington set a two-week deadline for the anticipated $2.74 billion US-Israel arms deal. Failure to reach an agreement would have resulted in Jerusalem losing priority in American assembly lines.
(2021-02-16). Governo Draghi, por quem os sinos dobram. globalresearch.ca Com a cerimónia tradicional do sino, teve lugar no Palazzo Chigi a transferência de poderes entre Giuseppe Conte e Mario Draghi. Ao esperamos para ver qual será o programa político do novo governo multipartidário, apoiado por quase todo o arco …
(2021-02-16). Governo Draghi, per chi suona la campanella. globalresearch.ca Con la tradizionale cerimonia della campanella, è avvenuto a Palazzo Chigi il passaggio di consegne tra Giuseppe Conte e Mario Draghi. In attesa di verificare quale sarà il programma politico del nuovo governo multipartisan, sostenuto da quasi l'intero …
(2021-02-16). Scientists Demand Stop To Tree Burning As A Climate Solution. popularresistance.org A group of over 500 international scientists on Thursday urged world leaders to end policies that prop up the burning of trees for energy because it poses "a double climate problem" that threatens forests' biodiversity and efforts to stem the planet's ecological emergency. | The demand came in a letter addressed to European Commission President Urusla Von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The signatories—including renowned botanist Dr. Peter Raven, president emeritus of the Missouri…
(2021-02-16). Local Resolution Campaign To Shift Money From Military To Human Needs. popularresistance.org Passing local resolutions in favor of moving funding from militarism to human and environmental needs is useful each and every year for the forseeable future. The template below has been used to pass variations on a resolution in numerous locations each year since 2017. It can be varied by country and locality. In 2017, together with our allies, including U.S. Peace Council, Code Pink, and others, we passed resolutions in numerous localities. Then we got resolutions that had been passed by Ithaca and New Haven as well as a third focusing on nuclear weapons to also be passed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Jun…
(2021-02-16). For Peace With North Korea, End The US-South Korea Military Exercises. popularresistance.org One of the thorniest foreign policy challenges the Biden administration will need to face is a nuclear-armed North Korea. Talks between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled since 2019, and North Korea has continued to develop its weapons arsenal, recently unveiling what appears to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile. | As a retired U.S. Army Colonel and U.S. diplomat with 40 years of experience, I know all too well how actions by the U.S. military can exacerbate tensions that lead to war. That's why the organization I am a member of, Veterans for Peace, is one of several hundred civil society…
(2021-02-16). Firsthand Report On The Crisis In Haiti: 'The People Are Screaming For Help'. popularresistance.org Jovenel MoàØse's term as president in Haiti ended on Sunday, February 7, but he is refusing to leave office with the support of the Biden administration, the United Nations and other western imperialist countries and institutions. MoàØse was placed in power by the United States and is ruling unilaterally by decree. He is violently repressing anyone who challenges his power. Clearing the FOG speaks with Wilkenson Bruna, a filmmaker and political activist in Haiti, about the dire situation, the events surrounding MoàØse's refusal to step down and what people in the United States can do to suppo…
(2021-02-16). The 43 Senators of the Republican Sedition Caucus Are Every Bit As Guilty as Donald Trump. thenation.com The 43 Senators of the Republican Sedition Caucus Are Every Bit As Guilty as Donald Trump…
(2021-02-16). Slamdance Premiere: End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock. indybay.org Slamdance Film Festival online features "End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock." The film chronicles the courage and resilience of Native women.
(2021-02-16). Philippines: Oppressors of the Lumads will be made to pay. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following February 15 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines. | The Party adds its voice to the widespread denunciation of the horrific police raid earlier today against the Lumad bakwit school in the University of San Carlos (USC) Talamban Campus in Cebu City where 21 Lumad students, two Lumad elders and two teachers were manhandled and forcibly taken by the Duterte regime's fascist thugs. | The CPP condemns Philippines National Police (PNP) P for trampling on the Lumad children's rights with utter contempt of the sanctuary provided them by the…
(2021-02-16). Advice for n-of-1 Drug Developers. jamanetwork.com The FDA has issued draft recommendations to help developers of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies for rare, debilitating genetic diseases to conduct human trials with a single participant, known as n-of-1 trials.
(2021-02-16). First-Person Singular: Biden's Challenge on Race. progressive.org With Joe Biden in office and Kamala Harris, the nation's first Black woman Vice President, at his side, there is reason to hope—and reason to doubt—that they are up for the challenge.
(2021-02-16). Wound Dressings for Obese Women After Cesarean Delivery—Reply. jamanetwork.com In Reply Drs Vo and Richards express concerns about the difference in duration of the prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy device vs standard wound dressing in our recent study involving obese women after cesarean delivery. As a pragmatic trial, our study compared effects of typical use of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy and standard wound dressing. The average duration of use of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy was 4 days, which is within the 2 to 7 days recommended by the manufacturer. Similarly, consistent with practice in most clinical settings in the US, the duration of stand…
(2021-02-16). Nationals don't speak for farmers on climate change action. greenleft.org.au Alan Broughton and Elena Garcia argue that the Nationals' campaign to exclude agriculture from the 2030 emissions' cuts is not supported by farmers.
(2021-02-16). TJ Hickey remembered as the struggle for justice continues. greenleft.org.au Gail Hickey, the mother of TJ Hickey, led a march through the streets of Redfern to mark 17 years since her son's death on February 14, reports Isaac Nellist.
(2021-02-16). Bill Gates, Climate Warrior. And Super Emitter. thenation.com Bill Gates, Climate Warrior. And Super Emitter.
(2021-02-16). The Impeachable Trump. thenation.com The Impeachable Trump…
(2021-02-16). How a Climate-Justice Champion Won Office in Rural, Working-Class Maine. thenation.com How a Climate-Justice Champion Won Office in Rural, Working-Class Maine…
(2021-02-16). The Head of Every Table: Joe Biden's Impossible Foreign Policy Aspirations. thenation.com Katrina vanden Heuvel, Robert L. Borosage The Head of Every Table: Joe Biden's Impossible Foreign Policy Aspirations…
(2021-02-16). The Long History of the FBI's Surveillance of Martin Luther King. thenation.com The Long History of the FBI's Surveillance of Martin Luther King…
(2021-02-16). How to Hold Senate Republicans Accountable. thenation.com How to Hold Senate Republicans Accountable…
(2021-02-16). Excuses for Acquittal: The Sequel. thenation.com Excuses for Acquittal: The Sequel…
(2021-02-16). Israel: How a Trifecta of Court Cases Could Cement King Bibi's 12-Year Reign. mintpressnews.com Three separate court cases have converged in Israel to provide Netanyahu the cover he needs to maintain power amid an endless stream of controversies.
(2021-02-15). Is Biden Committing Diplomatic Suicide Over the Iran Nuclear Agreement? commondreams.org American neocons and hawks, including those inside his own administration, appear to be flexing their muscles to kill Biden's commitment to diplomacy at birth, and his own hawkish foreign policy views make him dangerously susceptible to their arguments. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/codepink_2.jpg …
(2021-02-15). Europe Will Redefine Itself Despite Political Shift in the US. counterpunch.org 
Despite the long-awaited political change in Washington as Democratic President, Joe Biden, has officially become the 46th President of the United States, Europe is unlikely to resume its previously unhindered reliance on its trans-Atlantic partner. The four years of Donald Trump were rife with tension and strife between the US and Europe — in fact,
(2021-02-15). Protests in India over arrest of climate activist. thecanary.co Scores of people have demonstrated in the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Mumbai after a climate activist was arrested for circulating a document on social media supporting months of massive protests by farmers. | Disha Ravi was arrested in Bengaluru on Saturday. | Police said at a news conference on Monday that the document spread misinformation about the farmer protests on the outskirts of New Delhi and "tarnished the image of India". | They say Ravi shared the document with Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who tweeted it earlier this month. | Activists hold placards demanding the release of Indi…
(2021-02-15). #ReleaseDishaRavi: Global Outrage After India Arrests Climate Activist Over Farmer Protest Toolkit Shared by Greta Thunberg. commondreams.org Ravi's arrest "is an unprecedented attack on democracy," said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "Supporting our farmers is not a crime." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12311814551.jpg …
(2021-02-15). Preliminary findings of the visit to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela by the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. mronline.org 
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Ms. Alena Douhan, visited the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 1 to 12 February 2021. She thanks the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for enabling and supporting her visit to the country. The purpose …
(2021-02-15). The Gulf War 30 Years Ago: Memories From a Shelter in Baghdad. commondreams.org On February 13, 1991, a horrific massacre took place in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. The U.S. coalition bombed a shelter and killed more than 400 people. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/amiriya_shelter_intesar_ahmead_photo_patrik_paulov.jpg …
(2021-02-15). Justice Reform Coalition Urges Biden to Pardon All Non-Violent Marijuana Convictions. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/biden-urged-drug-reform-pot-pardons.jpg …
(2021-02-15). 'Biggest Risk' for Democrats on Minimum Wage, Says Top Sanders Aide, Is Not Raising It to $15. commondreams.org With the White House and legislative branch under their control, says Warren Gunnels, Democrats "must win" fight on behalf of working people. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gunnels-15-minimum-wage.jpg …
(2021-02-15). Same as the Old Boss, Julian Assange Edition. counterpunch.org 
On February 9, the US Justice Department announced that US President Joe Biden, as in so many other areas, intends to serve Donald Trump's second term when it comes to persecuting heroes guilty of exposing US war crimes and embarrassing American politicians. As Trump's presidency drew to an end, some activists held out hope that
(2021-02-15). DARPA's New Space Program Stirs Worldwide Concern. mintpressnews.com On the same day that Joe Biden obtained the Electoral College majority needed to become president of the United States, a Goldstein and others in the resource extraction industry have been salivatin…
(2021-02-15). Lobbying for Gain: Nick Warner and Australia's Revolving Door. dissidentvoice.org Governments have an almost crippling trouble appreciating conflicts of interest. Since tentacle-heavy lobby groups decided to move into the world's capitals to make the case for their clients, the revolving door has become the sickening feature of politics. Former bureaucrats, public service officials and elected representatives find few problems with joining the very lobby groups …
(2021-02-15). US, OAS, Colombia try to steal Ecuador's election from popular socialist candidate, while spreading fake news. thegrayzone.com The US State Department is pushing a politicized vote recount, overseen by the coup-sponsoring OAS, after socialist Andrés Arauz won Ecuador's election in a landslide. Meanwhile Colombia's ex-president warns his country's "radical right" is "interfering" with "slander" and a "dirty game." GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR — A popular socialist candidate, Andrés Arauz, won the first round of Ecuador's historic presidential election by a landslide on February 7. The leftist's overwhelming victory prompted the US State Department, the right-wing government of neighboring Colombia, …
(2021-02-15). Teachers from Maryland's Eastern Shore speak out against school reopenings. wsws.org Three teachers from the Eastern Shore of Maryland recently spoke to the World Socialist Web Site Educators Newsletter about the reopening of schools and their reasons for joining the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee. Their names have been changed to protect them from retaliation by both their school system and union.
(2021-02-15). Karen Lewis, former president of the Chicago Teachers Union, dies at 67. wsws.org Lewis' death prompted an outpouring of sympathy and praise from the corporate media, fellow union officials and the Democratic Socialists of America, but a closer examination of her record tells a very different story.
(2021-02-15). The Fascist 'Big Lies' — Deceptive Names Are Back. strategic-culture.org We should remain vigilant against the far-right, which continues to misappropriate the historical and traditional names of the parties of labor, the popular masses, equality, and progressivism, Wayne Madsen writes. | From 1920 to 1945, the formal name of the German Nazi Party was the National Socialist German Workers' Party, abbreviated NSDAP in German. Despite its name, there was nothing even remotely "socialist" or "workers" related about the Nazi Party. Its very foundation was t o combat the influence of labor unions, particularly those closely-linked to the Socialists or Communists. Socialist ideology, whethe…
(2021-02-15). 'We Must Get to the Truth': Pelosi Announces Far-Reaching Probe Into Insurrection Incited by Trump. commondreams.org "To protect our security, our next step will be to establish an outside, independent 9/11-type Commission," said House Speaker. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/pelosi_9_11_commission.png …
(2021-02-15). Create a Legacy with Medicare For All! realprogressives.org Legacy means everything to a leader, especially U.S. presidents. From Franklin D. Roosevelt giving us the New Deal, a series of public works projects, financial reforms and regulations to Lyndon B. Johnson giving us Medicare health insurance for the elderly, and Medicaid for the poor. From President Barack Obama showing us Medicare For All was popular enough to help lead him to his eventual nomination to presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders forcing Medicare for all upon our national consciousness. What might President Joe Biden's legacy be? | Over the past decade, I have done my homework and written f…
(2021-02-15). Lancet Report: 40% of U.S. COVID Deaths Were Preventable. The Country Needs Universal Healthcare Now. democracynow.org 
As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 approaches half a million, a new report says nearly 40% of the deaths were avoidable. By comparing the pandemic in the U.S. to other high-income nations, the medical journal The Lancet found significant gaps in former President Donald Trump's "inept and insufficient" response to COVID-19, as well as decades of destructive public policy decisions. One of the report's recommendations is reforming the system to a single-payer model like Medicare for All, which President Joe Biden has so far rejected in favor of bolstering the Affordable Care Act. "The Affordable Care Act still le…
(2021-02-15). Chris Hedges: Cancel Culture, Where Liberalism Goes to Die. mintpressnews.com Elites and their courtiers who trumpet their moral superiority by damning and silencing those who do not linguistically conform to politically correct speech are the new Jacobins.
(2021-02-15). Chris Hedges: Cancel Culture, Where Liberalism Goes to Die. scheerpost.com By Chris Hedges / Original to ScheerPost The Rev. Will Campbell was forced out of his position as director of religious life at the University of Mississippi in 1956 because of his calls for integration. He escorted Black children through a hostile mob in 1957 to integrate Little Rock's Central High School. He was the only white person that was invited to be part of the group that founded Martin… |
(2021-02-15). "Shame on You, New York Times!" Scientists Speak Out Over Media Disinformation on China. mintpressnews.com 
ATexas teenager has been forced to use her entire college savings to prevent her single mother from being evicted after she lost her job amid a raging pandemic. Alondra Carmona of Houston made the Some of the world's top scientists are condemning The New York Times for what they describe as a highly misleading hit job…
(2021-02-15). "Stop Interfering in Our Lives": Haitians Protesters Condemn US Support for Dictator. mintpressnews.com 
Protests in Haiti have led to hundreds of deaths yet have drawn little attention in the west, thanks in large part to its strongman leaders' continued loyalty to the United States.
(2021-02-15). Liberation by Unplugging? dissidentvoice.org Two dangerous things are happening simultaneously. First, the official COVID narratives are mutating in ways that threaten to make it a forever phenomenon—unsurprisingly to anyone who's been paying attention. Second, the titans of Hi-Tech, in league with the Deep State and its political lapdogs—are hell-bent on eliminating voices of dissent on various Internet platforms. It …
(2021-02-15). CDC's politically motivated guidelines fuel media campaign to reopen US schools. wsws.org The weeks-long propaganda campaign falsely claiming that schools are not vectors for the spread of COVID-19 now has the full imprimatur of the CDC.
(2021-02-15). Despite mass deaths, Poland ends lockdown. wsws.org The Polish government is gradually ending its lockdown, even though the pandemic is still raging and hundreds are dying every day from COVID-19.
(2021-02-15). 'Nothing to investigate': Cuomo blames Covid-19 nursing home deaths on staff, calls accusations against him 'conspiracy theories'. rt.com 
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has finally addressed allegations his administration was underreporting Covid-19 nursing home deaths, which he unequivocally denied, but still passing plenty of blame around. | In a Monday press conference, Cuomo attempted to offer answers to looming questions. The governor has been under fire from critics for days after top staffer Melissa DeRosa appeared to confirm allegations that the administration was hiding nursing home deaths to protect itself from criticism over a highly-controversial March 25 order that forced nursing home facilities to accept positive Covid-19 patients. | "
(2021-02-15). Don't rely on 'vaccine passports' for travel, WHO's Ryan urges amid shortage of Covid-19 jabs. rt.com 
Covid-19 vaccine certifications should not be used as a condition for travel amid a global shortage of jabs, the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergencies chief said, as it's not clear how much the shots hinder transmission. | The UN health agency's emergency committee has not advised the WHO that immunity certification should be a "prerequisite of travel," Mike Ryan said during a news briefing on Monday, after being asked about vaccine passports. | "That is because, number one, vaccines are not widely available. [It] would actually tend to restrict travel more than permit travel," Ryan added. | "Secondly,…
(2021-02-15). 'Don't you like to party?': Model ex-wife of Man City star says police fined her for 'being too hot' after Covid-19 breach (VIDEO). rt.com 
Rita Johal, the ex-wife of Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, has claimed she was "fined for being too hot" after police interrupted a private party she attended in violation of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions imposed in the UK. | The model and aspiring pop star took to social media, where she has more than half a million followers, to share the story of the incident, posting a video which showed her being surrounded by police officers who fined her for breaking lockdown rules. | According to videos uploaded by the 28-year-old, she was partying with half a dozen people in a flat in London before police raided…
(2021-02-15). [Research Paper] Preterm care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative risk analysis of neonatal deaths averted by kangaroo mother care versus mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. thelancet.com The survival benefit of KMC far outweighs the small risk of death due to COVID-19. Preterm newborns are at risk, especially in LMICs where the consequences of disruptions are substantial. Policymakers and healthcare professionals need to protect services and ensure clearer messaging to keep mothers and newborns together, even if the mother is SARS-CoV-2-positive.
(2021-02-15). Brit who sneaked out to see fiancée in hotel faces up to 6 years in jail for breaking Singapore's quarantine rules. rt.com 
A UK man has pleaded guilty to violating Singapore's Covid-19 restrictions by secretly sneaking out from quarantine to spend a night with his fiancée. He now faces up to six years behind bars. | Nigel Skea, 52, and his Singaporean wife Agatha Maghesh Eyamalai, 39, have both pleaded guilty to breaking the Southeast Asian country's quarantine rules last September. | The couple will be sentenced on February 26. They face up to six years in jail and a fine of 10,000 Singapore dollars ($7,600) on each charge. | The prosecution is asking that Skea be jailed for four weeks and fined 1,000 Singapore dollars ($756), an…
(2021-02-15). US Covid czar Fauci wins $1mn Israeli prize for 'courageous leadership' in public health, 'defending science'. rt.com 
US infectious disease chief Dr. Anthony Fauci has received the lucrative Dan David Prize for his work during the coronavirus pandemic, including for advocating the role of science in the face of public criticism. | Fauci, who has been director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, is the most famous of this year's crop of winners. The board for the annual prize chooses leaders in their field, across the categories of past, present and future, who each win $1 million — 10 percent of which they give to postgraduate students in their fields. | Congratulations to…
(2021-02-15). 'The toughest nuts to crack': UK PM Johnson says Covid jabs and on-the-spot tests will be key to nightclubs and theatres reopening. rt.com 
British clubbers and theatregoers will probably be allowed back into venues under a combined strategy of mass Covid-19 vaccination and on-the-spot testing for the virus, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. | Nightclubs and theatres are the "toughest nuts to crack," the PM told a news briefing, but he said the country's night-time economy could reopen with the use of rapid-turnaround lateral flow tests at venues and the vaccination of more adults. | "That will be the route that we go down and that businesses will go down," the PM said in response to a question about the use of so-called vaccine pass…
(2021-02-15). Israel blocks Covid-19 vaccines destined for Gaza. middleeasteye.net 
Israel blocks Covid-19 vaccines destined for Gaza | Palestinian Authority says it attempted to send Covid-19 vaccines to Gaza but was blocked by Israel, which controls all imports and exports | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 20: 58 | A Palestinian health worker holds vial of Covid-19 vaccine at Palestine Red Crescent hospital in West Bank city of Nablus, on 4 February (AFP/File photo) | Israel is blocking the Palestinian A…
(2021-02-15). Australian COVID-19 vaccine roll-out still uncertain. wsws.org As distribution problems mount around the world, Australia is still weeks away from receiving its first doses.
(2021-02-15). Headlines for February 15, 2021. democracynow.org Senate Acquits Trump for Inciting Jan. 6 Insurrection Despite Most Bipartisan Vote Ever, Roger Stone Security Guards and Dozens of GOP Officials Were Part of Mob Who Attacked U.S. Capitol, U.S. COVID Cases Decrease, But Experts Warn Variant Spread, Relaxed Measures Could Derail Progress, Most U.S. Adults Should Have Access to Vaccine Starting in April, Be Inoculated by Summer, CDC Issues Safe Reopening Guidelines for Schools, U.K. Gov't Under Fire for Response to Disabled COVID Patients; New Zealand Locks Down Largest City, Guinea Declares Ebola Epidemic After 3 Deaths, DRC Also Reporting Cases, Burmese Protests…
(2021-02-15). Trump Acquitted in Senate Impeachment Trial After Lawmakers Refuse to Call Witnesses. democracynow.org 
The Senate voted 57 to 43 to convict Donald Trump for inciting the January 6 insurrection, but the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to find the former president guilty. Seven Republicans voted with Democrats to convict, making it the most bipartisan impeachment trial verdict ever. House impeachment managers did not include any witnesses, after Republicans threatened to prolong the trial for weeks or even months and grind other congressional business to a halt if witnesses were called to testify. Instead, a single statement by Congressmember Jaime Herrera Beutler was entered into the record before…
(2021-02-15). Conservative Lawyer Bruce Fein: Trump's Acquittal Gives Future Presidents License to Break the Law. democracynow.org 
As the Senate votes to acquit former President Donald Trump for inciting the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, we speak with constitutional lawyer and former Reagan administration official Bruce Fein, who says the insurrection was not just an attack on the U.S. Capitol, but "an effort, basically, to destroy the rule of law and the Constitution itself." Fein says failure to convict Trump will give license to future presidents to break the law. "It really is quite frightening that now we have a precedent that says a president has the right to do anything he wants, that he wishes to, without sanction," he…
(2021-02-15). UN Special Rapporteur Blasts 'Devastating' and 'Illegal' US and EU Sanctions against Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com UN Human Rights expert Alena Douhan called for sanctions to be lifted and revised.
(2021-02-15). The Centers of Global Capitalism Are Migrating Away From the U.S., Europe and Japan. counterpunch.org 
The blunt truth of modern economic development is this: capitalism is leaving its old centers and relocating to its new centers. About this leaving we can and should borrow the phrase: this changes everything.
(2021-02-15). Why Amazon Is Fighting So Hard to Stop Warehouse Workers From Unionizing. counterpunch.org 
Thousands of warehouse workers at an Amazon plant in Bessemer, Alabama, are at the center of a potentially game-changing union vote taking place right now. On February 8, the warehouse workers were sent ballots by mail to decide over the next seven weeks if they want to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Just
(2021-02-15). 'We will not be canceled': Social media platform Parler RELAUNCHES after being axed by Big Tech following Capitol riots. rt.com 
Social media app Parler is back online after being booted off the servers of Amazon Web Services last month in the wake of the Capitol riots, after it was accused of allowing threats of violence to be shared on the platform.
(2021-02-15). Amazon Is Fighting Hard to Stop Its Warehouse Workers From Unionizing. truthout.org 
Thousands of warehouse workers at an Amazon plant in Bessemer, Alabama, are at the center of a potentially game-changing union vote taking place right now. On February 8, the warehouse workers were sent ballots by mail to decide over the next seven weeks if they want to join the
(2021-02-15). Michael E. Mann on The New Climate War and Biden's Greening of America: Interview with Juan Cole. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — I am so pleased to present to our readers an interview with one of the world's foremost climate scientists, Michael E. Mann of Penn State. I have followed him for a decade and a half and have learned tons from his informed, clear and absolutely crucial writing. In his journal …
(2021-02-15). How Spanish Can Help Us Survive Viral Times: A Journey into the Heart of a Language We Need Now More Than Ever. juancole.com 
"Una nación bajo Diós, indivisible, con libertad y justicia para todos." ( Tomdispatch.com) — When Jennifer López shouted out that last line of the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish during Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, like so many Spanish-speaking Latinos in the United States I felt a sense of pride, a sense of arrival. It was …
(2021-02-15). Trump evades conviction again as Republicans opt for self-preservation. juancole.com 
By Jennifer S. Hunt | — Twice-impeached former US President Donald Trump has evaded conviction once more. On the fourth day of the impeachment trial, the Senate verdict is in. Voting guilty: 57 senators (representing nearly 70% of the country or 202 million people, and the majority public opinion on the issue of conviction). Voting …
(2021-02-15). The ideology and practice of the Red Nation. mronline.org 
Who are The Red Nation? Let them tell you.
(2021-02-15). How Will Our Children Know They Face a Crushing Debt Burden? cepr.net 
That may seem like a silly question. Of course they will know because there are a number of well-funded policy shops that will be spewing out endless papers and columns telling them that they are facing a crushing debt burden. And, because these policy shops are well-funded and well-connected we can be sure that major …
(2021-02-15). Water futures: the latest battleground in the defence of the fundamental right to water. mronline.org 
Stock market trading in water futures is the latest battleground in the defense of the fundamental right to water.
(2021-02-15). Trump: Turning Losing Into Winning. counterpunch.org 
Donald Trump's political career provides top-notch evidence that the US political system is designed to keep wealthy white supremacists in power. Several million more voters voted for his opponent in the 2016 presidential election yet he became president. In 2021, fourteen more Senators voted to convict him of incitement to insurrection in his impeachment trial,
(2021-02-15). The government murdered Fred Hampton. Will it ever be held accountable? therealnews.com 
The individuals responsible for the assassination of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark have passed away, but the government apparatus designed to persecute dissenters, from the Black Panther Party to water protectors at Standing Rock, is still intact.
(2021-02-15). Can We Exit This Road to Ruin? counterpunch.org 
Our stagnating global economy is running low on energy, ravaging the planet, and marinating in its own toxins. But it's a mistake to think capitalism can't persist without growth. Capitalism's prime directive is profit, not growth. Of course, an expanding economic pie creates greater opportunities for profit. And, in the long run, a profit-driven system may fail without it. But those who profit from this system are not about to throw up their hands and walk off the stage of history just because boom has turned to bust.
(2021-02-15). Kids YouTube channel warns world would suffer if Bill Gates 'disappeared' in BIZARRE VIDEO praising 'respected billionaire'. rt.com 
An 'educational' YouTube channel targeting children has released a creepy video warning its young viewers that the world would become a much worse place if Microsoft founder Bill Gates and other billionaires disappeared. | In the bizarre video titled 'What if Bill Gates Disappeared?' and labeled with the hashtags #kids, #children, and #education, the narrator cautions that if Gates disappeared, "a highly respected billionaire will be missed by many." | Released in January, but only gaining attention in recent days, the animation shows two cartoon men labeled as 'Clean Energy' and 'Doctors Association', crying…
(2021-02-15). Majority of Americans want 3rd party as support for idea PEAKS amid disappointment in both Democrats and Republicans — poll. rt.com 
A new Gallup poll has found support for a major third political party steadily rising as more people than ever refer to themselves as Independents while Republicans and Democrats are dropping in approval. | Just last September, Gallup On top…
(2021-02-15). Sean Penn mocked for 'religious ignorance' after he calls Satan 'Satin' and assumes protestants follow the Vatican. rt.com 
Hollywood actor and liberal activist Sean Penn was ridiculed on social media after he appeared to assume evangelical Protestants are led by the Vatican, and referred to Satan as "Satin." | "Evangelical leaders should themselves be impeached by the Vatican if they themselves don't follow Nikki Haley's lead & clearly state they should not have followed Satin into the bowels of hell. But, perhaps they are too busy at sex parties,"
(2021-02-15). Texas implements rolling blackouts as state hit with most extreme snow & ice in years (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Many Texans have been left without power as the state is being hit with freezing temperatures and extreme snow and ice. Rolling blackouts have been implemented to help conserve an exhausted grid. | The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) called an "energy emergency alert three" early Monday, which includes rolling outages for not only homes, but businesses and city infrastructure. ERCOT warned residents that even traffic lights could be down during the blackouts. | has declared an EEA 3. Energy conservation is critical. Rotating outages are underway to reduce demand on the electric system. We urge Te…
(2021-02-15). On Presidents Day, a crowd of supporters turns out in Florida to cheer Trump (VIDEO). rt.com 
Joe Biden may be in the White House, but the media are still obsessed with Donald Trump — as are his supporters, who organized an impromptu Presidents Day rally in Florida and cheered him as he drove back to Mar-a-Lago. | It was Trump's name and not Biden's that trended on social media Monday, as Americans observed a federal holiday inspired by their first president, George Washington. That was even before videos of a substantial crowd lining the road to Trump's resort in West Palm Beach, Florida began to appear. | This is unbelievable! 45 returns to Mar-a-Lago this afternoon, after an awesome day out on…
(2021-02-15). Gagging opponents is not unity, conservative reporter who was shoved & rubbed with dirty diaper at BLM rally tells RT. rt.com 
Days after the Capitol Hill riot, a conservative journalist was assaulted and harassed at a BLM rally in New York. Her ordeal shows how people sharing their political beliefs in today's America risk physical harm, she told RT. | Tara Anne Szczepanski, 33, is a Polish-American political commentator and independent reporter. On January 10, she attended a small protest in Madison Square Park where Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists accosted her after she started filming them. | "The mob turned against me after recognizing that I am a Trump supporter," she told RT. "With the hatred that is going on currently in Am…
(2021-02-15). 'We the People' gone and no one noticed: Biden removes Obama-era petition tool to thunderous media silence. rt.com 
President Joe Biden has gone beyond purging the legacy of Donald Trump to scrub that of Barack Obama too, taking down the White House petitions page. The media was too busy gushing over his Valentine's Day display to notice. | All links to 'We the People,' the petition page launched out by the Obama administration in 2011, now
(2021-02-15). Minneapolis releases $6.4mn to police to hire new recruits, as depleted force struggles with soaring crime after calls to defund. rt.com 
The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to give police an extra $6.4 million in funding to hire new officers amid a steep increase in violent crime. Dozens of officers quit or went on leave after the George Floyd protests. | The City Council voted on Friday to greenlight the release of funds from a Public Safety Staffing Reserve Fund which was set up last year. Police called on lawmakers to boost their budget, citing a lack of officers to deal with the wave of violent crime, as the number of people suffering gunshots wounds grew 250 percent in the first three weeks of the year compared to last year. The…
(2021-02-15). Trump critics rage against 'American Idol' for 'rehabbing' Kellyanne Conway after her daughter auditions. rt.com 
Former White House official Kellyanne Conway appeared on 'American Idol' to support her 16-year-old daughter Claudia, but the moment is being slammed for giving a positive image to the Trump ally. | Claudia Conway was accompanied during her audition for 'Idol' by her father, vocal Trump critic George Conway, but her mother appeared via video chat before and after to show support for her. | "Remember, honey. Winners are people who are willing to lose," she said at one point to Claudia, who made it to the next round of auditions after performing both Rihanna's 'Love on the Brain' and Adele's 'When We Were Young'
(2021-02-15). 'You've won': 1619 Project creator who doxxed conservative reporter 'taking a break' from Twitter over abuse. rt.com 
New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones is "taking a break" from Twitter, claiming she has been consistently harassed on the platform after she doxxed a conservative journalist who asked her about old controversial tweets. | "I know I haven't always exemplified grace on here," Hannah-Jones, who is behind the Times' controversial 1619 Project, tweeted on Sunday, possibly referring to a post from last week in which she doxxed a conservative reporter. | Hannah-Jones went on to lash out at conservative journalists, who have been her main critics, and claimed she has been harassed consistently on Twitter. | My…
(2021-02-15). They may never be idols like Djokovic or Nadal, but the Australian Open desperately needed the romance Russia's trio have provided. rt.com 
Launched under a cloud of acrimony and played out in echoing, empty arenas, this year's Australian Open has been sorely lacking in sparkle. We should be grateful to three record-setting Russians for providing some missing magic. | Novak Djokovic warned that he might not make the second week of the tournament. Medics could have been forgiven for mistakenly visiting Rafael Nadal during a match after persistent whispers around his fitness, even though they insisted they had got the court rather than an assumption wrong. | Dominic Thiem knocked out clown prince Nick Kyrgios – a figure who, with all his thuggish em…
(2021-02-15). 'I don't need a break. Don't worry about me': Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp defiant despite defeats and tragic loss of mother. rt.com 
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has denied rumours he is ready to quit the Premier League champions despite three straight league defeats and questions over his emotional state after a series of bizarre interviews. | The Reds' late collapsed away to Leicester over the weekend means they are fourth in the table and 13 points behind leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand, in what has been a…
(2021-02-15). 'He taught us that "impossible" is just a word': Arnold Schwarzenegger lauds 'idol' Yuri Vlasov after weightlifting legend's death. rt.com 
Bodybuilding icon and Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger has paid tribute to pioneering Soviet and Russian weightlifting champion Yuri Vlasov,who passed away on Saturday at the age of 85 after a hugely influential life. | Schwarzenegger — who saw Vlasov as an idol for his previously unconquered career heights — repeatedly reflected that the Russian weightlifting legend had inspired his love for strength sports. | During his spectacular sporting career, Vlasov claimed four world and six European titles, setting 31 world records and becoming the first weightlifter to clean and jerk more than 200…
(2021-02-15). Catalan independence supporters increase majority in local parliament, plan to form government. rt.com 
A bloc of parties that support Catatonia's secession from Spain have strengthened a grip on the region's parliament. The number of seats won during Monday's vote is enough for them to form the government. | The three pro-independence parties have increased their majority by four seats. They now hold 74 of the 135 of the seats in the Catalan parliament, which is more than enough to form a government. | The Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), Together for Catalonia (JxCat), and the Popular Unity Candidacy, which see the region as independent from Spanish control, each gained seats since the last election in 2017…
(2021-02-15). Tehran blasts Washington's 'act of piracy' for attempting to seize oil shipment 'belonging to private sector'. rt.com 
The Iranian foreign ministry has condemned the US for attempting to seize a shipment of oil destined for China, stating that Washington acted under false pretenses and the cargo actually belonged to Iran's private sector. | "This is an obvious act of American piracy and it is a great shame for the US to commit such acts under false pretenses," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a weekly news conference on Monday. | Khatibzadeh also said that the shipment belonged to Iran's private sector and not the government. | "It is even more unfortunate that this also happened during the Biden era, when it…
(2021-02-15). Torn down after terrifying residents of Russian city, much-mocked dead-eyed 'Zombie Angelina Jolie' monument sold off for $35,500. rt.com 
A mystery bidder has splashed out at auction to get hold of an eerie silver sculpture that sparked terror in the Russian city of Novovoronezh where it was erected, and a wave of jokes online after it was unveiled by officials.
(2021-02-15). 'Baseless allegations': Iran denies plotting to attack UAE embassy in Ethiopia. middleeasteye.net 
'Baseless allegations': Iran denies plotting to attack UAE embassy in Ethiopia | Tehran rubbishes US and Israeli claims it was behind foiled attack, saying 'neither Ethiopia nor the Emirates said anything about Iranian interference' | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 18: 55 | Ethiopian authorities arrested 15 people in an alleged plot to attack UAE's embassy in Addis Ababa (AFP/File photo) | Iran has denied US and Israeli cl…
(2021-02-15). Here we go again! thecanary.co 
Image description | At the top of the image are the words "UK enters lockdown too late hugely increased death rate". From there a purple arrow points to another piece of text below and to the right which reads "Senior Tories push to end restrictions against scientific advice". This text also has a red label with reads "You are here again!". From there another purple arrow points to text below and to the left which reads "UK ends lockdown too early infection rate not under control". From there a purple arrow points up and to the left to text which reads "Senior Tories push to delay restrictions against scientif…
(2021-02-15). Dr. Hanan Ashrawi on the Future for Palestine. counterpunch.org 
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(2021-02-15). Opening the CIA's Can of Worms. dissidentvoice.org 
"The CIA and the media are part of the same criminal conspiracy," wrote Douglas Valentine in his important book, The CIA As Organized Crime. This is true. The corporate mainstream media are stenographers for the national security state's ongoing psychological operations aimed at the American people, just as they have done the same for an …
(2021-02-15). Profiting From Desperation: Oxygen Tanks Become an Underground Market in Mexico. truthout.org 
Water With
(2021-02-15). "It Does Not End Here": Calls Mount for Trump to Be Tried in Criminal Court. truthout.org (2021-02-15). Bitcoin Could Push Global Emissions Above 2 Degrees Celsius, Scientists Say. truthout.org (2021-02-15). HRW slams Saudi textbooks over 'hateful language' against Shia, Sufi practices. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-15). Houthis claim fresh drone strikes on Saudi airports. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-15). Feud between Congressman and UAE ambassador to US escalates online. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-15). Trump wanted to 'take out' Syria's President Assad, former adviser claims. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-15). US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 5,333 workers died on the job in 2019, or one every 99 minutes. wsws.org The BLS report shows three consecutive years of increasing worker fatality rates in the US, even before the coronavirus pandemic.
(2021-02-15). Big Pharma Must Share Their Vaccine Knowledge and Technology With the World—Now. commondreams.org To stop the global pandemic, rich countries need to stop hoarding vaccines. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-12914227871_0.jpg …
(2021-02-15). British government jails migrants as "people smugglers," excludes and mistreats child migrants. wsws.org The continued pursuit by the Conservative government of a "hostile environment" for those seeking shelter in the UK is devoid of any decency and boundaries…
(2021-02-15). Being Wrong in Elite Jobs Doesn't Have Any Consequences. cepr.net I just read Nicholas Kristof's column about his childhood friend Mike Stepp. The piece is actually very moving. Mr. Stepp grew up next door to Kristof. As he explains in the column, he grew up with an abusive father. Their family didn't value education, so neither Mike or his brother ever finished high school. While …
(2021-02-15). Democrats' impeachment cover-up leaves coup-plotter Trump emboldened. wsws.org The Democrats deliberately protected Trump's co-conspirators, including the Republican House and Senate members who sought to overturn the election and those forces within the state who worked with Trump to orchestrate a stand-down of federal forces.
(2021-02-15). Thrillcraft are Taking Over Wild Places, More Wilderness will Help. counterpunch.org Picture this: You've broken trail up 1500 vertical feet of deep powder, high in the Beartooth Mountains, and reached the summit. All the world lies at your feet as the sun sinks into a sea of snowy peaks. You soak in the silence, the splendor, the serenity. You rip the skins off your skis, grin
(2021-02-15). Democratic Senators introduce new bill to remove Section 230 internet speech protections. wsws.org There have been more than thirty legislative proposals over the past two years from Democrats and Republicans to abolish the legal framework—known as Section 230—that protects online services such as social media channels from liability for content posted by users on their platforms.
(2021-02-15). Haitians continue to mobilize against Jovenel MoàØse's dictatorship. peoplesdispatch.org According to the article 134-2 of the Haitian Constitution of 1987, Jovenel MoàØse's presidential term ended on February 7, however, he has refused to leave power and has unleashed brutal police repression against protesters…
(2021-02-15). A Chance for New Beginnings. progressive.org What Joe Biden could do to bring humanity and good sense to U.S. immigration policy.
(2021-02-15). The Other Americans: Biden Ends Controversial Asylum Agreements. progressive.org The new administration has vowed to 'address root causes that compel individuals to migrate.'
(2021-02-15). The Oil Interests Behind the War in Yemen. theanalysis.news Shireen Al-Adeimi, Yemen anti-war activist and professor at Michigan State University, discusses the many interests behind the war on Yemen, which have the potential of derailing Biden's announced ending of US support for the Saudi-led coalition in this war that has devastated one of the Middle East's poorest countries.
(2021-02-15). Pro-democracy demonstrations return to Thailand despite increased repression. wsws.org The military-backed government of Prayuth Chan-ocha is cracking down on participants of last year's protest movement in an effort to silence political opposition.
(2021-02-15). Brazilian teachers union and pseudo-left sabotage strike against Sà£o Paulo school reopenings. wsws.org The APEOESP teachers union has betrayed a week-long strike against the reopening of schools, proposing a deadly return to the classrooms.
(2021-02-15). Don't Undermine Protection for Birds. progressive.org We need birds, and we need legislation that protects them.
(2021-02-15). Trump is What Republicans Have Always Wanted. juancole.com Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment) — Former President Donald Trump continues to dominate the Republican Party despite being disgracefully impeached twice, and that is because he's just what they've always wanted. For all his destruction, George W. Bush wasn't cruel and bigoted enough for them; George H. W. Bush, same. Reagan authored the blueprint …
(2021-02-15). Fed policies spark more concerns over market collapse. wsws.org According to one investment fund chief, it is not known whether governments can continually bail out financial markets and there are doubts whether the "traditional levers of monetary policy" can "prevent another depression."
(2021-02-15). Brazilian unions suppress workers' opposition to mass layoffs following Ford shutdowns. wsws.org The dismissal of 5,000 workers directly employed by Ford and the closing of its three remaining plants in Brazil will lead to the loss of another 119,000 jobs.
(2021-02-15). Australian students call for support for locked-out Coles warehouse workers. wsws.org The company's video last week "exposed that the union is working hand-in-glove with Coles management against the interests of the workers."
(2021-02-15). Valentine's Day car caravan in solidarity with locked out refinery workers. fightbacknews.org St. Paul Park, MN — More than 75 vehicles joined a Valentine's Day car caravan, February 14, to show support for members of Teamster Local 120, who are locked out at Marathon oil refinery after a one-day strike. Safety is the big issue. Marathon trying to contract out vital work at a lower cost, increasing the chance of major industrial accidents. | Teamsters have received broad backing from the trade union movement. | The February 14 car caravan took place in subzero temperatures. "No weather can stop Minnesota's labor movement," stated Claire Van den Berghe, the event co-planner and UFCW 1189 organizer.
(2021-02-15). The Lessons of Impeachment. progressive.org History will record Trump's acquittal as a shameful abdication on the part of Republican senators.
(2021-02-15). This week in history: February 15-21. wsws.org 25 years ago: Wildcat strike over safety issues shuts down Warren Truck plantOn February 17, 1996, workers at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, located in the northeastern suburbs of Detroit, went on a wildcat strike. The three-day walkout cost the company 1,800 units of production and came as a response to the firing of two union officials for opposing Chrysler's speed-up drive.
(2021-02-15). Rural Lament: Wet and Waiting for Chicken. counterpunch.org It's early February. An old farmer adage cautions that, "Half your wood and half your hay, you should have on Candlemas Day." (That's Groundhog Day for the dazzling urbanites out there.) We still find it to be a pretty good rule-of-thumb, and we've only used about half the wood in the shed so far. Media
(2021-02-15). Karen Lewis Explains Why Teachers Unions Are Essential. progressive.org Lewis, the former president of the Chicago Teachers Union, passed away on February 8. Here are her lessons on organizing, going on strike, and the importance of listening to the rank and file.
(2021-02-15). False Faith in Meritocracy: Reckoning with Our Bad Old Normal. dsausa.org As Team Biden makes it clear that it wants to shake things up, it might consider launching a National Commission on Meritocratic Failure. It might find that, good as it is, free higher public education isn't going to erase the yawning inequality gap. | Not likely, I know. The new administration is chock-full of achievatrons who fully subscribe to the meritocratic creed and whose own kids are bidding for admission to elite colleges. And I realize that this is the worst possible time to be talking about meritocracy's problems in a way that could be construed as an endorsement of populist resentment of elites. Th…
(2021-02-15). Hundreds of artists denounce Spanish rapper Pablo Hasél's imminent jailing. wsws.org Hasél's prison sentence for "insulting crown and state institutions" sparked mass protests and a petition for his release signed by 300 internationally-renowned artists including director Pedro Almodovar, actor Javier Bardem and folk singer Joan Manuel Serrat.
(2021-02-15). Austrian government ends lockdown despite spread of coronavirus variant. wsws.org Schools and commerce will be fully reopened despite the fact that infection and death rates remain high and very contagious viral variants are rapidly spreading in the country.
(2021-02-15). Trump avoids conviction a second time. peoplesdispatch.org The US Senate passed a verdict on former president Donald Trump's role in the Capital riots of January 6, acquitting him of the charges of "incitement of insurrection". The verdict passed by the Senate on February 13, Saturday, had a vote division of 57-43 to convict Trump of the single article of impeachment passed by the US House of Representatives. But this fell far short of the two-majority, or 67 votes, required in the 100-member congressional chamber to convict the former president and to proceed towards the actions against him. | The swift trial that lasted barely a few days, had only arguments from the pr…
(2021-02-15). The Rich and Those Who Serve Them, Then and Now. counterpunch.org We don't know exactly why Uma Subramanian wanted to become an engineer. Did she believe her fascination with how things work could help make the world better place? We'll never know for sure. What we do know: Subramanian, the aerospace engineer turned CEO of the luxury private-jet company Aero, now believes she has truly made
(2021-02-15). Vaccinations and Stimulus Packages Won't Mend the Economy. dissidentvoice.org The social and economic destruction engulfing the U.S. and dozens of other countries remains out of everyone's control and more chaos, instability, and insecurity now mark the global landscape. The ruling elite have repeatedly shown their inability to tackle any serious problems effectively. They are at a loss for how to deal with current problems …
(2021-02-15). The New York Times Descends Into Lunacy. strategic-culture.org The battle between the paper's classical liberals and woke left has become impossible to ignore—and it's clear which side is winning. | By Matt PURPLE | Conservatives over the years have created a cottage industry dedicated to monitoring media bias at places like the New York Times. The formula is simple: Find some former liberal journalist who has repented of his ways (or at least a right-wing activist who knows his way around the press); create a blog or TV segment with a catchy name (*TimesWatch*); begin rooting through articles and transcripts for subtle examples of left-wing slant; slap them up on t…
(2021-02-15). How Conspiracy Theorizing May Soon Get You Labelled a 'Domestic Terrorist'. strategic-culture.org Conspiracies for good and for evil do exist now, as they have from time immemorial, Matthew Ehret writes. The only question is which intention do you want to devote your life towards? | If you are starting to feel like forces controlling the governments of the west are out to get you, then it is likely that you are either a paranoid nut job, or a stubborn realist. | Either way, it means that you have some major problems on your hands. | If you don't happen to find yourself among the tinfoil hat-wearing strata of conspiracy theorists waiting in a bunker for aliens to either strike down or save society from the sha…
(2021-02-15). Unequal Justice: Blame Hamilton for the Impeachment Fail. progressive.org House managers proved their case; it was the Founding Fathers who made them lose it.
(2021-02-15). After 19 days anti-HS2 protester leaves Euston tunnel network to 'allow others to stay longer'. thecanary.co Another of the anti-HS2 campaigners occupying a network of underground tunnels near Euston station has voluntarily left overnight. | Pictures show HS2 Rebellion protester Scotty, also known as Digger Down, being escorted away from the premises by police after emerging from the tunnel system just after midnight on Monday. | In a Facebook post on Sunday evening, Scotty said he was opting to leave the tunnels voluntarily after 19 days in order to "ease the pressure on resources (and) allow others to stay longer". | He said: "I have nothing to prove by being the last one in so have decided to volunteer my exit. | Sco…
(2021-02-15). Poll Shows Nearly 60% in US Believe Senate Should Have Convicted Trump. commondreams.org Over three-quarters believe senators voted based on partisan politics, compared with 23% who think they voted based on the facts. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/jan_6_capitol.jpg …
(2021-02-15). After Trump Acquittal by GOP, Sunrise Movement Says 'Time Is Now to Abolish the Filibuster'. commondreams.org "If Democrats don't deliver in this moment, future Presidents Days will recognize Trump's second term." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/climate_justice_0.jpg …
(2021-02-15). 'More Challenging This Year Than Last': UN Envoy Warns Global Food Crisis Getting Worse, Not Better. commondreams.org "We need to look at how we as human beings manage the planet," says Agnes Kalibata, who is leading efforts to convene a food systems summit. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12308519721.jpg …
(2021-02-15). 'Bring On the Evidence. Bring On the Witnesses': After GOP Refuses to Convict, Criminal Prosecution of Trump Demanded. commondreams.org "Trump incited an insurrection to overthrow the elected government of the United States. 43 senators stood with him. It does not end here." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/prosecute_trump.jpg …
(2021-02-15). Biko: And the Eyes of the World Are Watching Now. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/further/biko_tease_0000753665_resized_stevebiko1022.jpg …
(2021-02-15). Expose the Insurrection Financiers. counterpunch.org Throughout his scorching indictment of President Trump, lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin wove in quotes from eminent historic minds, including this one from his late father, Institute for Policy Studies co-founder Marcus Raskin: "Democracy needs a ground to stand on and that ground is the truth." Raskin's trial team exposed a great deal of truth
(2021-02-15). What's Really Wrong With—and How to Fix—Our Broken Education System. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/shutterstock_503425960_0.jpeg …
(2021-02-15). Out of the Ashes of Trump, Will the US Finally Bury Reaganism? commondreams.org Ronald Reagan convinced the nation that big government was the problem. It was rubbish. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_meets_reagan.jpg …
(2021-02-15). "Libertad y Justicia Para Todos": How Spanish Can Help Us Survive Viral Times. commondreams.org A journey into the heart of a language we need now more than ever. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/jenniferlopez.jpg …
(2021-02-15). Sunrise Movement Statement on Trump Acquittal: Warns if Dems Don't Abolish the Filibuster, Future Presidents Days will Celebrate a 2nd Term Trump. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-02-15). President Biden: Pardon Non-Violent Federal Marijuana Offenses. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-02-15). A $15 Minimum Wage Would Be Life-Changing for Workers and Save the US Billions per Year. commondreams.org Beyond the working families who will get a raise, every single American taxpayer has a stake in raising the minimum wage. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/fight_for_15_5.jpg …
(2021-02-15). For All to See: Bias of New Hampshire Judiciary Exposed in Rights of Nature, Healthy Climate Proceedings. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2021-02-15). The Anarchist Century: A Response to Gabriel Kuhn. counterpunch.org This is a response to the article "What Happened to the Anarchist Century?" Thanks, Gabriel. It is a bittersweet opportunity to revisit this article. We wanted to make two broad arguments. First, that history of anarchism unfolded in two periods: before 1917 (for David; before 1936 in my estimation), and after 1989 (for David; after
(2021-02-15). GMB union calls off British Gas strike to enter talks. wsws.org The union moved to call off the strike Thursday evening and have been in talks since Friday at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, the traditional graveyard for strikes.
(2021-02-15). Lockdown To Keep It In The Ground: Line 3 Resistance. popularresistance.org Northern MN — Construction on the tar sands pipeline expansion project for Line 3 continues in Anishinaabe territory in below zero temperatures. Enbridge's contracted companies, like Precision Pipeline, carve out the line's pathway, fell any trees in the way, and lay the pipe in the ground. However because of the persistent resistance movement, work stoppages, or at least work interruptions, are common. On February 10, 2021, two people, including Dylan Bremner, locked down to a digger on a work site. Bremner told us that the digger they were on was successfully halted for three hours, however after thirty m…
(2021-02-15). Karen Lewis Built a Proudly Militant Movement for Public Education. thenation.com Karen Lewis Built a Proudly Militant Movement for Public Education…
(2021-02-15). When Muhammad Ali met Malcolm X. greenleft.org.au Barry Healy reviews One Night in Miami, which tells a story of boxing champion Muhammad Ali's 1964 meeting with Malcolm X, soul singer Sam Cooke and footballer Jim Brown.
(2021-02-15). 'We Shall Not Surrender': Myanmar Rises Up Against the Junta. thenation.com 'We Shall Not Surrender': Myanmar Rises Up Against the Junta…
(2021-02-15). Is America's Soul Beyond Redemption? thenation.com Is America's Soul Beyond Redemption?
(2021-02-15). Impeachment Was Only the Beginning. thenation.com Impeachment Was Only the Beginning…
(2021-02-15). Mapping the Trump Meridian in Texas. thenation.com Mapping the Trump Meridian in Texas…
(2021-02-15). Biden Is Adopting a Militaristic Approach to the Far East. thenation.com Biden Is Adopting a Militaristic Approach to the Far East…
(2021-02-15). The Unknown Radicals of Black Photography. thenation.com The Unknown Radicals of Black Photography…
(2021-02-12). Ending the Forever Wars: Phyllis Bennis on Afghanistan, Hyun Lee on Korea. fair.org (2021-02-12). February 2021 National Outreach Call with Delman Coates. realprogressives.org 
In the wake of Saturday's 
In late January, the price of stock in the video game retailer GameStop soared some
HRW slams Saudi textbooks over 'hateful language' against Shia, Sufi practices | Rights group said despite progress more reform was needed to purge hateful language from school textbooks | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 21: 18 | Saudi students sit for their final high school exams in Jeddah on 24 May 2015 (AFP/File photo) | Shia and Sufi Islamic traditions and practices continue to be portrayed negatively in Saudi school r…
Houthis claim fresh drone strikes on Saudi airports | The alleged attacks on Jeddah and Abha come amid a surge in violence as Yemeni movement pursues offensive in Marib | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 16: 33 | Smoke billows during clashes between forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebel fighters in al-Jadaan area about 50 kilometres northwest of Marib in central Yemen (AFP) | Houthi drones struck t…
Feud between Congressman and UAE ambassador to US escalates online | Congressman Ro Khanna calls for release of Yemeni journalist Adel al-Hasani after war of words with Yousef al-Otaiba | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 19: 25 | Congressman Ro Khanna first introduced a resolution to end US support for Saudi-led war in Yemen in September 2017 (AFP/File photo) | US Congressman Ro Khanna has called on the UAE to help secure th…
Trump wanted to 'take out' Syria's President Assad, former adviser claims | KT McFarland, who served as deputy national security adviser, said the former president was enraged after seeing pictures of suspected sarin gas attack | Mon, 02/15/2021 – 16: 16 | The Trump administration responded to the 2017 gas attack by firing dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base where the gas was allegedly housed (AFP)…
Wall Street Journal ( This week on CounterSpin: Media are soberly
(2021-02-10). The "Deplatforming" of the Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas. projectcensored.org Last October, Project Censored cosponsored the Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas, an online academic conference examining content-censorship by tech giants, among many other media issues. The proceedings of the…