(2021-02-21). Israel's beaches blackened by tar after offshore oil spill. middleeasteye.net 
Israel's beaches blackened by tar after offshore oil spill | Cleanup effort could take months or years, officials say, as slick hits Israel's 160km-long Mediterranean coast from Gaza to Lebanon | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 21: 20 | A sea turtle gets clean up at a rescue centre in Mikhmoret, north of Tel Aviv, after being discovered in tar washed ashore on an Israeli beach earlier this week (AFP)…
(2021-02-21). Covid-19: Palestinian vaccine plan faces large funding gap, says World Bank. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Palestinian vaccine plan faces large funding gap, says World Bank | Israel could consider donating surplus doses to the Palestinians to help accelerate a vaccine roll-out in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, a new World Bank report says | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 23: 02 | Palestinian health workers unload the first shipment of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine at the Kerem Shalom borde…
(2021-02-21). Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat Participated in Covert UK Foreign Office-funded Programs to "Weaken Russia," leaked docs reveal. strategic-culture.org 
New leaked documents show Reuters' and the BBC's involvement in covert UK FCO programs to effect "attitudinal change" and "weaken the Russian state's influence," alongside intel contractors and Bellingcat. | By Max BLUMENTHAL | The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have sponsored Reuters and the BBC to conduct a series of covert programs aimed at promoting regime change inside Russia and undermining its government across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to a series of The leak…
(2021-02-21). Power Plays: the Bipartisan Origins of Energy Deregulation. counterpunch.org 
Shortly after Sen. John Kerry sewed up the delegates needed to seize the Democratic nomination for president in the spring of 2004, he huddled for two hours with James Hoffa, Jr., the boss of the Teamsters union. The topic was oil. The Teamsters wanted more of it at cheaper prices. They had suspicions about Kerry.
(2021-02-21). Biden's press secretary ripped for sidestepping questions on Cuomo nursing home scandal — says WH to 'continue' working with him. rt.com 
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has been accused by critics of blatantly dodging questions about NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's controversies, including a probe into whether nursing home deaths from Covid-19 were underreported. | On top of the accusations the New York governor underreported nursing home deaths for political purposes, he has also been accused by a state lawmaker of threatening to "destroy" him if he did not release a public statement supporting the governor. Recent months have also seen a sexual harassment allegation come forth. Cuomo has denied wrongdoing in all of these cases. | Before nume…
(2021-02-21). Keep that mask on: Fauci says face coverings could be needed even in 2022, as he defines new 'normality'. rt.com 
White House health adviser Anthony Fauci has triggered a fresh round of rage online by saying people in the US may be required to wear face masks to protect themselves and others from Covid-19 even in 2022. | Appearing on CNN, Fauci was asked on Sunday to define the "normality" he and President Joe Biden have promised towards the end of this year as more and more people are vaccinated. Pressed specifically as to whether masks would be an everyday part of life next year, Fauci declared himself open to the possibility. | "It is possible that that's the case," he said, "and it depends on what you mean by normalit…
(2021-02-21). Covid-19: Israel begins reopening economy after vaccinating nearly half its population. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Israel begins reopening economy after vaccinating nearly half its population | Move comes as criticism of government continues over its failure to vaccinate Palestinians living under its control | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 10: 53 | Israel has administered at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine to more than 46 percent of its nine million population, the health ministry says (Reuters) | I…
(2021-02-21). India's forever wars and forever warriors. mronline.org 
Looking ahead, pre-conditions now exist for a positive turn to the India-China bilateral relationship.
(2021-02-21). Prisons prime testing ground for dehumanizing hi-tech "advances" mronline.org 
A new form of exploitation, known as "stakeholder capitalism," is already being tested in many places around the world and prisons are among the main targets for its implementation, as they provide an ideal and literally captive market for its proof of concept.
(2021-02-21). 'The U.S. has been obstructionist in chief in Global climate talks'. mronline.org 
CounterSpin interview with Basav Sen on rejoining the Paris accords.
(2021-02-21). How the Texas electricity system produced low-cost power but left residents out in the cold. juancole.com 
By Theodore J. Kury | — Americans often take electricity for granted — until the lights go out. The recent cold wave and storm in Texas have placed considerable focus on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the nonprofit corporation that manages the flow of electricity to more than 26 million Texans. Together, …
(2021-02-21). Better News on the Climate. counterpunch.org 
The good news is the president takes the climate crisis seriously. The bad news is it's worse than ever. The climate catastrophe didn't stop because Trump ignored it. Forests didn't stop burning because he said it was a raking problem. The polar ice caps didn't stop melting because the U.S. acted as if that didn't
(2021-02-21). Lawfare threatens to derail the presidential election in Ecuador. mronline.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.
(2021-02-21). How Malcolm Little became Malcolm X. therealnews.com 
On the 56th anniversary of Malcolm X's assassination, we talk with Tamara Payne, co-author of "The Dead Are Arising," an award-winning biography—thirty years in the making—that offers a never-before-seen look into what molded Malcolm Little into Malcolm X.
(2021-02-21). Neoliberalism and Imperialism: Interview with Intan Suwandi. mronline.org 
Recent cases of U.S. imperialism in Latin America, such as what happened in Bolivia, can serve as a striking example. International trade and financial institutions such as the Unholy Trinity (largely controlled by the North) also still play a major role in perpetuating imperialist relations between the South and the North.
(2021-02-21). Truth Telling or True Confessions? counterpunch.org 
Relating your own personal trauma to strengthen or expand existing laws dealing with sexual violence achieves little towards systemic change. As only individual perpetrators are targeted in these subjective and moralizing first person narratives of good vs evil, more pertinent factors addressing the material conditions underlying these situations are overlooked, while the causes of collectively
(2021-02-21). Murdoch's Australia Censors Google, Facebook, Science and Freedom of Speech. dissidentvoice.org 
The mendacious Australian Mainstream media, Coalition Government and Labor Opposition demand via a news media Bargaining Code that Google and Facebook pay Murdoch and Nine media huge sums for quoting Links to their "information" for free. Google seems to have surrendered to this Australian blackmail and negotiated a private deal to avoid damaging its core …
(2021-02-21). Cold truth: The Texas freeze is a catastrophe of the Free Market. mronline.org 
Texas's electricity market "reforms" made the current crisis inevitable.
(2021-02-21). Angola inmates on hunger strike against unlawful extension of solitary confinement. liberationnews.org 
"The reason [for the strike is]…EVERYONE over here is between one month to six months past their initial disciplinary detention," according to communications from the inmates carrying out the hunger strike.
(2021-02-21). 'Are you here to apologize?' Gina Carano convicted of crimes against wokeness on SNL — where she can't fight back. rt.com 
Fresh from watching Gina Carano beat the cancel mob by landing a movie deal after being fired from 'The Mandalorian' TV series, leftists took solace in condemning a make-believe version of the actress on 'Saturday Night Live'. | The straw-man version of Carano was featured in a skit in which guests of a fictional talk show were brought on to apologize for wrongdoing. In this case, the alleged sin was one of the politically incorrect social media posts that got Carano fired from her Disney+ series — a warning likening the current demonization of Americans with conservative political views to the way German…
(2021-02-21). 'I'll die of dehydration before I drink Dasani': Americans mock Coca-Cola for sending unpopular bottled water to Texas amid crisis. rt.com 
The Coca-Cola company donated several trucks worth of Dasani-branded water to Texans in need last week. Americans were quick to mock the move, however, as the water is often named one of the worst-tasting brands in the country. | According to
(2021-02-21). 'It won't simply be sanctions': Biden adviser threatens to punish Russia with 'tools seen & unseen' for SolarWinds hack. rt.com 
The Biden administration will soon deliver a sweeping response to SolarWinds breach, so that the usual suspect, Russia, understands where Washington draws the line on cyberattacks, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. | During his The adv…
(2021-02-21). Biden AG nominee Merrick Garland vows to use terror-fighting skills to prosecute Capitol rioters, ahead of confirmation hearing. rt.com 
Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's Attorney General nominee, wants to aggressively prosecute the pro-Trump crowd who stormed the Capitol, and the media is amplifying his description of the MAGA mob as "white supremacist" extremists. | Garland's hearing kicks off on Monday, and according to the opening statement he plans to deliver to the Senate, Garland will gladly help President Biden crack down on "domestic terrorism" and "white supremacy." | "From 1995 to 1997, I supervised the prosecution of the perpetrators of the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, who sought to spark a revolution that would topple…
(2021-02-21). Harry Potter video game designer outed as 'far right YouTuber,' but cancel culture calls met with pushback. rt.com 
A lead designer for the Harry Potter video game 'Hogwarts Legacy' has found himself embroiled in controversy as past right-leaning videos have been uncovered by social justice warriors. | The designer, Troy Leavitt, is currently working with development studio Avalanche Software on the high anticipated video game, but many on social media appear to want him nowhere near the project now that his past has been put under the spotlight. | Leavitt's YouTube videos have included titles like "The Injustice of Social Justice," "In Praise of Cultural Appropriation," and "Are Thoughtcrimes Becoming Real?" First highligh…
(2021-02-21). Deer developed HAIRY EYEBALLS due to rare, baffling condition. rt.com 
Residents in Farragut, Tennessee were utterly bemused when they witnessed a whitetail deer nonchalantly strutting through their town. Upon closer inspection, they discovered the animal had hair growing out of its eyeballs. | As confused townsfolk tried to capture the bold buck, they couldn't help but notice it had thick hair protruding from discs of flesh which had grown and covered over the buck's eyeballs. | As it turns out, the condition is known as corneal dermoids and has only been documented in one other whitetail deer, also in Tennessee. | www.facebook.com/deerassociation/posts/3959178984095071…
(2021-02-21). Turkish authorities launch probe against pro-Kurdish MP over militant links. middleeasteye.net 
Turkish authorities launch probe against pro-Kurdish MP over militant links | Peoples' Democratic Party's Dirayet Dilan Tasdemir says she will prove accusations against her are a 'giant lie and slander' | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 12: 46 | The move comes after a minister said Tasdemir had visited an area in northern Iraq where 13 Turks were killed earlier this month (Facebook) | Turkish authoritie…
(2021-02-21). Turkey-backed Libyan interior minister survives assassination attempt in Tripoli. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey-backed Libyan interior minister survives assassination attempt in Tripoli | Fathi Bashagha, one of Libya's most influential politicians, escaped unhurt after his motorcade was attacked by gunmen | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 15: 07 | Fathi Bashagha is credited with playing a key role as the capital came under attack from eastern Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar's forces in 2019 (AFP) | On…
(2021-02-21). Iran: Plan to end UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions. middleeasteye.net 
Iran: Plan to end UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions | Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says ending inspections will not mean it has abandoned 2015 nuclear deal | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 09: 36 | Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inspects nuclear technology (AFP) | Iran's plans to end snap nuclear inspections by UN inspectors next week are reversible if the United States…
(2021-02-21). White House says US in talks with Iran over detained Americans. middleeasteye.net 
White House says US in talks with Iran over detained Americans | Biden's security adviser calls Iran's detention of US citizens a 'complete outrage'. Meanwhile, IAEA says deal struck to continue 'necessary' atomic monitoring activities in Iran | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 20: 36 | Biden's security adviser Jake Sullivan: 'We will not accept a long-term proposition where they continue to hold America…
(2021-02-21). Iran says plans to end snap UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions. middleeasteye.net Iran says plans to end snap UN nuclear inspections reversible if US lifts sanctions | Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says ending inspections will not mean it has abandoned 2015 nuclear deal | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 09: 36 | Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inspects nuclear technology (AFP) | Iran's plans to end snap nuclear inspections by UN inspectors next week are reversible if the Uni…
(2021-02-21). Sudan risks high prices and angry backlash with radical currency change. middleeasteye.net 
Sudan risks high prices and angry backlash with radical currency change | Government to abandon longstanding fixed exchange rate in favour of a managed float as part of IMF reform programme | Sun, 02/21/2021 – 12: 17 | The prospect of higher prices comes as citizens are already grappling with an inflation rate that topped 300 percent last month (AFP) | Sudan announced radical changes to it…
(2021-02-21). US Workers Cried Out for More Masks. The Government Allowed N95 Exports Anyway. truthout.org 
In the midst of a national shortage of N95 masks, the U.S. government quietly granted an exception to its export ban on protective gear, allowing as many as 5 million of the masks per month to be shipped overseas. | The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the waiver in the final moments of Donald Trump's presidency last month, allowing a Texas company to export its products after it failed to secure U.S. customers, according to the FEMA letter obtained by KHN. | National Nurses United…
(2021-02-21). Prominent Trump Ally Illegally Supplied Libyan Warlord With Armed Mercenaries. truthout.org 
Erik Prince, the founder and former CEO of the mercenary firm Blackwater and a close ally of former President Donald Trump, sent weapons to a Libyan warlord in violation of a United Nations arms embargo, according to a confidential U.N. document The U.N. report, which investigators sent to the Security Council on Thursday, reportedly details how Prince sen…
(2021-02-21). FIGHT TRAINING clip of kids sees journo lament Russians are being trained as 'YOUNG HOCKEY BEASTS' as Americans play video games. rt.com 
A controversial video of Russian youth hockey players being instructed in how to brawl was seemingly held up by a US outlet as an example of children learning toughness and competitiveness while American kids play video games. | Daily Caller writer David Hookstead posted an article about the viral video on Saturday, showing children in protective hockey gear trading heavy-gloved punches to the helmet as a coach yells instructions. At one point, the coach holds a student by the shirt and throws a slow-motion punch to the facemask to demonstrate the proper technique to the team. | – –æ—&A…
(2021-02-21). Keir Starmer just rallied to protect snivelling Matt Hancock. thecanary.co 
Matt Hancock needn't have worried about the Labour leader savaging him on Sunday 21 February's political TV programmes. Because Keir Starmer completely let the embattled health secretary off the hook. | Hancock: flouting his 'legal obligations': | The Canary
(2021-02-20). Why Didn't Speaker Pelosi Want Witnesses? commondreams.org As Republican strategist Kevin Philips noted years ago, the Republicans go for the jugular while the Democrats go for the capillaries. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pelosi_schumer_2_1.jpg …
(2021-02-20). Cities Are Razing Homeless Encampments Despite Record Cold Weather and COVID. truthout.org 
The deadly spate of winter storms and frigid temperatures that swept across the country this week threw into relief the inhumane treatment of unhoused populations in the United States. In defiance of pandemic guidelines, city agencies and police across the country have refused to suspend the practice of demolishing encampments and driving out those who have sought to make shelter, potentially exposing vulnerable people to dangerous temperatures and worsening viral spread. | Municipalities inc…
(2021-02-20). Number of residential solar batteries increases by 50% in Germany. juancole.com 
By Sà∂ren Amelang | — The number of battery storage systems linked to a residential solar pv array rose by around 50 percent in Germany in 2020 for the third year in a row. The country's solar association BSW estimates there were 88,000 new residential installations, taking the total number of solar batteries in Germany …
(2021-02-20). Ocasio-Cortez Backs Probe of Cuomo's Mishandling of Nursing Home COVID Deaths. truthout.org 
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday joined a "I… stand with our local officials calling for a full investigation of the Cuomo administration's handling of nursing homes during Covid-19," the prominent Democratic lawmaker, who represents New Yo…
(2021-02-20). Texas police looking for more than 100 illegal immigrants who fled smuggling truck amid winter freeze. rt.com 
Texas authorities are seeking a group of more than 100 illegal immigrants wandering through the freezing, storm-hammered state. They fled a packed smuggling truck, in which they were being transported in suffocating conditions. | Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters on Thursday that his department received a call from a truckload of illegal immigrants in San Antonio that evening. Their smugglers had sealed up the refrigerated truck and blocked air holes, and the migrants feared that they would suffocate inside. | Deputies in the area noticed movement around a truck parked at a gas station, and sa…
(2021-02-20). G7 states account for nearly HALF of all administered Covid-19 vaccine doses globally as WHO roots for fair & equal distribution. rt.com 
More than 200 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered across 107 countries and territories, AFP has reported, citing official data. Nearly a half of these have gone to the wealthy G7 club of nations. | Around 45 percent of injections were given in states belonging to the Group of Seven (G7), AFP said on Saturday. | The G7, which includes the US, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, accounts for just 10 percent of the world's population. | On Friday, the group promised to increase to $7.5 billion its collective support for the World Health Organization's (WHO) vaccine distribution pr…
(2021-02-20). Ireland says cluster of more contagious Brazilian Covid variant 'completely contained'. rt.com 
A cluster of three cases of Brazilian coronavirus variant in Ireland, which provoked alarming headlines in the Irish media, has been contained, a top medical official announced on Saturday. | The three infected individuals were recent arrivals from Brazil, the head of National Virus Reference Laboratory, Cillian de Gascun, told RTE radio. | The mutated virus was discovered in the three during a 14-day quarantine after their return to Ireland. | The cluster has now been "completely contained," de Gascun said. | The infections, which were announced by health officials on Friday, became the first cases of the Bra…
(2021-02-20). Global Covid-19 cases plummet by 50% since January peak despite colder temperatures boosting transmission rates. rt.com 
According to a new tally, there has been a steep decline in new Covid-19 cases worldwide — a somewhat precipitous drop of 50 percent from the January peak, despite research indicating cooler temperatures improve transmissibility. | New global case numbers have reached their lowest levels in four months, dropping below 400,000 to roughly 362,000 new cases, according to the latest AFP tally, which noted that new infections worldwide are down 12 percent over the past week, from a high of 743,000 in January. | This constitutes the sharpest and most prolonged drop in new infections since the start of the pand…
(2021-02-20). France's health minister considering new restrictions & regional lockdowns as Covid-19 spread continues. rt.com 
France's accelerating spread of Covid-19 is likely to prompt it to impose new restrictions, including regional lockdowns, the country's health minister has said. The situation is especially bad in the southern resort city of Nice. | Health Minister Olivier Veran visited that city on Saturday, inspecting a local health center. Nice has experienced a major surge in coronavirus lately, becoming the worst-affected city in the country, with an infection rate of 751 cases per 100,000 people. | "There are a few cities and areas in France where the virus is circulating much more quickly than elsewhere and this may req…
(2021-02-20). Israel purchased Russian Covid vaccine for Syria in exchange for captive: Reports. middleeasteye.net 
Israel purchased Russian Covid vaccine for Syria in exchange for captive: Reports | Order said to be part of a deal which freed an Israeli woman who crossed into Syria through Quneitra a few weeks ago | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 13: 45 | The Ynet news site reported on Saturday that Israel purchased more than $1m worth of doses of the Sputnik V vaccine (AFP) | Israel is said to have agreed to purch…
(2021-02-20). With No Compulsory Muzzling and Schools Open, Florida Ranks 11th Lowest in COVID Deaths per Capita Among Seniors. anti-empire.com 
There's a reason why the Biden regime is Dr. F…
(2021-02-20). The Heat: G7 leaders' pledge on COVID-19 vaccines. america.cgtn.com 
Leaders from the Group of Seven Nations vow to work together to improve global access to COVID-19 vaccines.
(2021-02-20). Unprepared for COVID, Texas Women's Prison Was Equally Unprepared for Uri. truthout.org 
When Winter Storm Uri hit Texas, Holli Wrice — a woman incarcerated at a federal medical prison in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — had just gotten out of medical isolation after testing positive for COVID two weeks earlier. The storm, which hit over Presidents' Day weekend, wreaked havoc across the state, The fede…
(2021-02-20). US State Department Accusation of China "Genocide" Is Garbage Reliant on Data Abuse and Fraudulent Claims. anti-empire.com 
Both President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have endorsed former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's last-minute accusation of The US government's accusation of genocide against China stems from a single sour…
(2021-02-20). Madagascar: A Nation of Hunger. dissidentvoice.org 
Madagascar is in great pain. Theodore Mbainaissem, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) sub-office in Ambovombe, southern Madagascar, says: "Seeing the physical condition of people extremely affected by hunger who can no longer stand…children who are completely emaciated, the elderly who are skin and bone…these images are unbearable… People are eating white clay …
(2021-02-20). Urgent Solidarity with Haiti is Needed. dissidentvoice.org 
A long-brewing crisis in Haiti, created through intervention by the United States, United Nations and allied western imperialist countries, has now come to a head. The Biden administration is openly backing a violent, corrupt and fraudulent leader, Jovenel MoàØse, and maintaining the policies of previous presidents, including Donald Trump, in Haiti. Activists in Haiti have …
(2021-02-20). Pensacola State College faculty demand protection. workers.org 
Occupied Muscogee Creek land On Feb. 16, over 30 drivers circled the Pensacola State College-Warrington Campus buildings for half an hour, laying on their horns. Signs saying "High Risk" and "Betrayal" were taped to their vehicles. This action was led by the Pensacola State College Faculty Association, a chapter of . . . |
(2021-02-20). Israeli Troops Attack Non-Violent Palestinian Rallies in Kufur Qaddoum, Beit Dajan. imemc.org 
Israeli forces attacked the weekly non-violent protest marches and rallies in several parts of the West Bank Friday, injuring three Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets and causing dozens to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. In Kufur Qaddoum, in the northern West Bank, two Palestinian protesters were taken to the hospital with severe injuries …
(2021-02-20). Estados Unidos contra Cuba: El bloqueo es un crimen de lesa humanidad. globalizacion.ca 
Según la ONU, son crímenes contra la humanidad los que constituyen ataques generalizados o sistemáticos a la población civil. Son "crímenes de lesa humanidad" los exterminios, la esclavitud, la deportación o expulsión forzosa, la privación de la libertad física e…
(2021-02-20). Letter from an incarcerated worker on the struggle in Alabama. workers.org 
The following letter from an incarcerated worker in the Pennsylvania prison system was sent by email on Feb. 17 to Joe Piette, a member of the Prisoners Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party. From SCI Pine Grove: Nina Simone famously said: "Alabama got me so upset; Tennessee made me lose . . . |
(2021-02-20). Mercenaries boss Erik Prince violated Libya weapons embargo: UN report. middleeasteye.net 
Mercenaries boss Erik Prince violated Libya weapons embargo: UN report | US media say the accusations against founder of security firm Blackwater could potentially lead to him facing sanctions | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 09: 39 | Erik Prince did not cooperate with the UN inquiry and his lawyer declined to comment to the New York Times (AFP) | Mercenaries boss Erik Prince pumped $80m in weapons and fighters into easter…
(2021-02-20). Over 120 UK-based charities that paid for 'implicit bias' courses just 'tip of the iceberg' in lucrative woke industry — media. rt.com 
Some of the donations for charitable causes made by Britons have reportedly gone to fund scientifically questionable courses meant to teach employees to resist unconscious biases. The UK government ditched such training last year. | At least 122 UK-based charities, from large multinationals to small community groups, have spent money on "unconscious bias training" for employees, according to a report by the Telegraph
(2021-02-20). Khabib insists Conor McGregor will NEVER return to his fighting best despite Irishman's renewed quest for UFC title. rt.com 
Conor McGregor will never recapture the past glories that saw him crowned a two-weight UFC champion, according to Russian foe Khabib Nurmagomedov. | McGregor became the first man to hold UFC titles concurrently when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 to add the lightweight belt to his featherweight crown. | That capped an exhilarating run for 'The Notorious' after exploding onto the octagon scene in 2013, as he won nine of his first 10 fights in the promotion — his only defeat coming to Nate Diaz, which he avenged five months later. | | McGregor captured a second UFC title by beating Alvarez.
(2021-02-20). 'Honeymoon's over': Chelsea boss Tuchel labeled 'BRUTAL' after he hauls off substitute Hudson-Odoi as Blues toil. rt.com 
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi endured one of football's worst ignominies as he was dragged off just 30 minutes after coming on as a substitute as Blues manager Thomas Tuchel showed his ruthless streak in a draw at Southampton. | Hudson-Odoi was introduced by Tuchel at half-time at St Mary's in a bid to bring Chelsea back into the game as they found themselves 1-0 down after Takumi Minamino's 33rd-minute finish. | But the 20-year-old evidently failed to make the impact expected as he was hooked after 76 minutes, being replaced by Moroccan Hakim Ziyech. | A double substitution. | üò&aacut…
(2021-02-20). What happens if you don't consent: WhatsApp won't allow users to READ or SEND messages if they reject new privacy rules. rt.com 
WhatsApp has confirmed that users won't be able to read or send messages unless they agree to its rules on sharing personal data with Facebook. The new T&Cs have sparked backlash and led to a surge in popularity of rival apps.
(2021-02-20). 'I had intensive care for five days': Khabib shows SWOLLEN FACE as he details disaster-hit preparations for Gaethje fight (VIDEO). rt.com 
UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov says he came close to pulling out of what proved to be his final MMA bout last year after contracting mumps and dealing with a broken toe ahead of his title defense against Justin Gaethje. | No one outside of Nurmagomedov himself knew that when he made his walk to the cage in Abu Dhabi for the UFC 254 main event last October that it would be likely the final time that the undefeated Russian would compete in his glittering career. | An emotional Khabib confirmed soon after his second-round submission of the American star that he was stepping away from the sport as an undefeated…
(2021-02-20). 'He landed a KO from the chicken dance stance!': Fans enthralled by Russian MMA fighter's STUNNING comeback knockout (VIDEO). rt.com 
Russian light heavyweight Evgeniy Poskotin snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at Saturday's MMA Series 26 event in Voronezh, starching his opponent with a Hail Mary left hand seconds after it seemed he was about to be KO'd. | Poskotin improved his young record to 2-0 with his stunning overhand strike in the 205lbs contest with Kyrgyzstan's Nurel Amanov but things could have been very different after Amanov capitalized on Poskotin's apparently porous striking defence, catching the Russian slugger with a right hand which sent him sprawling across the ring. | My god. Light-Heavyweight madness at MMA Series.
(2021-02-20). NASA shares more incredible PHOTOS from Martian surface as Perseverance mission begins in earnest. rt.com 
After successfully lowering to the Martian surface via what NASA dubbed its "jetpack," the Perseverance rover has beamed back some truly incredible images from the Red Planet. | The six-wheeled robot beamed back several high-resolution images taken during the rover's landing. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter also captured the spacecraft sailing into the landing site within the Jezero Crater, with parachute in tow. | | © NASA/ JPL Caltech | The snapshots were sent via several spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet but they're just a teaser of what's to come. | Video of the touchdown is still being relayed…
(2021-02-20). Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny handed $11,500 fine after being found guilty of defaming elderly WWII veteran in tweet. rt.com 
A Moscow court has ruled that activist Alexey Navalny must pay a 850,000 ruble ($11,500) fine after finding that he libelled a 94-year-old World War II veteran last summer by smearing him as a "corrupt lackey" and a "traitor." | The judge opted to give Navalny less than the maximum fine allowed by law, which is 950,000 rubles ($13,000). | Saturday's decision came just hours after a previous conviction for embezzlement was upheld, during a hearing which took place in the exact same courtroom, and resulted in the opposition figure facing a two and a half year jail term. | The judge agreed with the prosecutor tha…
(2021-02-20). Irresistible force vs immovable object: What you need to know as Medvedev eyes history against Djokovic in Australian Open final. rt.com 
The battle for the Australian Open title between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev is almost upon us, with the Russian hoping to make history by beating the Serbian legend in Melbourne on Sunday. | Before the showdown at the Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park, here are some of the pertinent facts you need to know. | Medvedev, 25, is bidding to become the first player to defeat Djokovic in an Australian Open final, with the Serb enjoying a winning sequence that spans an incredible eight finals. | Djokovic's previous beaten opponents in finals in Melbourne include Rafael Nadal (twice), Andy Murray (four times),…
(2021-02-20). 'DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY': Madonna lashes out at shadowy cabal of men attempting to 'cut off her life force'. rt.com 
Pop icon Madonna has complained that a conniving cadre of scheming men has prevented her from reaching her full potential, but some believe that the obscenely wealthy and successful entertainer may be overreacting. | "The Patriarchy continues to try to crush my neck with their heavy boots, cut off my life force and take away my voice—Even those who call themselves artists…………..You know who you are!!! DEATH TO THE PATRIARCHY! Now and Forever," Madonna tweeted, including a photograph of herself wearing a glittering tiara. | The Patriarchy continues to try to crush my neck with their heavy boots, cu…
(2021-02-20). Google fires ANOTHER AI ethics researcher amid row over 'censorship & racism,' as team member accuses company of 'smear campaign'. rt.com 
Google has terminated the head researcher on its AI ethics team over what the tech giant deemed a violation of its "code of conduct," as the company faces an internal revolt over a previous firing of a black data scientist. | Margaret Mitchell, who led Google's Ethical AI unit, announced her termination in a brief tweet on Friday, saying only "I'm fired" without offering further detail. | I'm fired.— MMitchell (@mmitchell_ai) Google's own statement on the matter was also somewhat vague, confi…
(2021-02-20). Beleaguered Texans forced to flee burning hotel as sprinkler system fails due to frozen pipes (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com 
Guests at a four-story hotel in Texas were forced to flee into the freezing cold as a fire engulfed the entire building when the sprinkler system failed due to frozen pipes. | The fire broke out at the Hilton Garden Inn near Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas shortly before 9pm local time. The hotel had been serving as emergency accommodation for many stricken local residents, including several soldiers from the nearby Eyewitness footage from the scene purports to show the fire as it ripped through the hotel…
(2021-02-20). 3 killed after man opens fire inside GUN STORE in New Orleans, gets neutralized by other customers. rt.com 
Several people have been killed in New Orleans, after an armed man got into a heated argument with a gun store clerk and opened fire, before he was confronted and shot dead by other armed customers. | The incident took place at the Jefferson Gun Outlet — a firearms store and shooting range — in Metairie, Louisiana, around 3pm, resulting in at least three deaths. |
(2021-02-20). Biden declares 'major disaster' in Texas as state continues to battle power outages amid extreme cold. rt.com 
President Joe Biden has declared that "a major disaster" status is in effect in Texas, unlocking federal money for counties that have been suffering from an unusual and deadly cold wave. | His action allows for federal funding to dozens of Texan counties affected by the cold, the White House said. The money may be used for temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans and other assistance to residents and business owners. | Also on rt.com | | Bide…
(2021-02-20). PLANE DEBRIS rain from the sky as United jet makes emergency landing in Denver with engine on FIRE (VIDEOS). rt.com 
A United Airlines Boeing 777 suffered a major engine failure in midair and was forced to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport, while scattering debris across several neighborhoods. | The shocking incident happened shortly after United Flight 328 took off from Denver for Honolulu, forcing the crew to perform an emergency landing with one of the engines on fire and large chunks of it missing. | Flight 328
(2021-02-20). Not very PC? Chelsea Clinton-funded 'trans' app urges transitioning people to budget their money & be nice to cops. rt.com 
A mobile app marketed at trans people that received funding from former first daughter Chelsea Clinton has been slammed by the internet as overtly patronizing. Even worse, the app urges users to be polite to the police. | Created in 2019, Euphoria has been billed as an app designed to help individuals navigate gender transition, as well as provide people with support once they complete the procedure. | Read more | | The platform hos…
(2021-02-20). 3 killed, 2 injured after man opens fire at gun store in New Orleans, gets neutralized by other customers. rt.com Several people have been killed in New Orleans, after an armed man got into a heated argument with a gun store clerk and opened fire, before he was confronted and shot dead by other armed customers. | The incident took place at the Jefferson Gun Outlet — a firearms store and a shooting range — in Metairie, Louisiana, around 3pm, resulting in at least three deaths. |
(2021-02-20). PLANE DEBRIS rains from the sky as United jet makes emergency landing in Denver with engine on FIRE (VIDEOS). rt.com A United Airlines Boeing 777 suffered major engine failure in midair and was forced to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport, while scattering debris across several neighborhoods. | The shocking incident happened shortly after United Flight 328 took off from Denver for Honolulu, forcing the crew to perform an emergency landing with one of the engines on fire and large chunks of it missing. | Flight 328
(2021-02-20). Outage outrage: Texans see power bills as high as $17,000 after brutal storm pummels grid & leaves millions without electricity. rt.com 
In the wake of a fierce winter storm that knocked out power for millions of Texans, some residents are reporting colossal spikes in their electricity bills, with some asked to pay more than $17,000 for just a few weeks of service.
(2021-02-20). Russian air strikes 'kill 21 Islamic State fighters' in Syrian desert. middleeasteye.net 
Russian air strikes 'kill 21 Islamic State fighters' in Syrian desert | Russian jets launched 130 air strikes over 24 hours according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 11: 01 | Russian air power has backed Syrian forces clashing with Islamic State fighters (AFP) | Russia launched at least 130 air strikes in Syria over the past 24 hours, killing at least 21 Isla…
(2021-02-20). Iraq: Rockets target airbase near Baghdad after clashes with IS. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq: Rockets target airbase near Baghdad after clashes with IS | Attack on base housing US defence firm injures contractor and came hours after Iraqi forces raided a nearby Islamic State hideout amid increasing tensions | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 19: 31 | A doctor treats a man wounded in a rocket attack on US forces at Erbil airport, northern Iraq, on 15 February (Reuters) | Four rockets hit the…
(2021-02-20). Iraq: Rockets target airbase north of Baghdad after clashes with IS. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Rockets target airbase north of Baghdad after clashes with IS | Attack on Al-Balad base injures a contractor and came hours after Iraqi security forces raided a nearby Islamic State hideout amid increasing tensions | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 19: 31 | A doctor treats a man wounded in a rocket attack on US forces at Erbil airport, northern Iraq, on 15 February (Reuters) | Four rockets hit the…
(2021-02-20). Algeria releases dozens of jailed pro-democracy activists after presidential pardons. middleeasteye.net 
Algeria releases dozens of jailed pro-democracy activists after presidential pardons | Pardons issued by President Tebboune ahead of second anniversary of Hirak uprising, with prominent journalist Khaled Drareni among those freed | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 20: 26 | Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni is greeted by supporters upon his release from Kolea prison, west of the capital, Algiers, on 19 F…
(2021-02-20). Saudi Arabia to invest $20bn in domestic arms industry. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia to invest $20bn in domestic arms industry | Kingdom wants to shift towards manufacturing much of its own weapons over the next decade after US sales ban | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 15: 49 | Saudi Arabia wants to spend at least half of its military budget locally by 2030 (AFP) | Saudi Arabia has announced plans to pump $20bn into producing more of its own weapons and military systems o…
(2021-02-20). Turkey's Erdogan seeks 'win-win' relationship with US. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey's Erdogan seeks 'win-win' relationship with US | Turkish president reaches out to Biden administration and says 'common interests of Turkey and the United States outweigh the differences' | Sat, 02/20/2021 – 21: 46 | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Earlier this week, Turkey accused the US of supporting PKK "terrorists" (AFP) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on S…
(2021-02-20). After Rejoining Paris Climate Treaty, Will US Continue Obstructing Negotiations? truthout.org 
Janine Jackson: The fact that a national newspaper felt obliged to
(2021-02-20). American Pop Culture Feeds the War on Peace. truthout.org 
This excerpt was adapted from ENDING U.S. WARS by Honoring Americans Who Work for Peace. | The old cliché about a fish not knowing it's in water has survived for a reason. Our cultural currents can drive us toward normalizing or, worse, glorifying what we might otherwise find objectionable. This can take shape in blatant or subtle ways, but there can be no doubt that by underscoring certain narratives and opinion to the exclusion of others, culture is a powerful forger of both material conditions and psychology. As Americans…
(2021-02-20). US deports 95-year-old Nazi guard to Germany… where he won't be prosecuted. rt.com 
The US has deported a 95-year-old Tennessee man who served as a concentration camp guard. But despite the efforts of Nazi hunters, he won't be prosecuted in Germany, which has been paying him a pension for "wartime service." | Friedrich Karl Berger was deported to his native Germany on Saturday, a year after an immigration judge in Tennessee ordered him removed due to his "willing service as an armed guard of prisoners at a concentration camp where persecution took place." Berger had lived in Tennessee since 1959, but served in 1945 as an armed guard of concentration camp prisoners in the Neuengamme Concentrat…
(2021-02-20). Student loans continue to discriminate against Muslim students. thecanary.co 
To be Muslim in Britain means to be a part of a population of Interest is forbidden: | For young people venturing from college or sixth form into university, accepting a monstrous educational debt will always be a tricky decision. But for Muslims, deciding to take out a Student Finance Loan — or for that matter any loan which requires repayment with…
(2021-02-19). Britain's Double Standards in International Affairs. counterpunch.org 
On February 12 it was announced by the UN that a British lawyer had been elected as chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court. No matter what one might think of the ICC, it is taking steps to investigate war crimes in Afghanistan and Yemen, so it can't be all bad. But a major point
(2021-02-19). Living Socialism Today: Remembering Leo Panitch. socialistproject.ca 
Standing outside a conference with a group of devotees, a famous political scientist brags that there's only two people in the world he's afraid of: his mother and Leo Panitch. To anyone who knows Leo, this revelation elicits knowing smiles and an affirmative nodding of heads. But it also poses a question. Those with an …
(2021-02-19). Democracy Now! Turns 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Independent News on the Frontlines. democracynow.org 
Democracy Now! first aired on nine community radio stations on February 19, 1996, on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary. In the 25 years since that initial broadcast, the program has greatly expanded, airing today on more than 1,500 television and radio stations around the globe and reaching millions of people online. We celebrate 25 years of the War and Peace Report with an hour-long retrospective, including highlights from the show's early years, some of the most controversial interviews, and groundbreaking reports from East Timor, Standing Rock, Western Sahara and more.
(2021-02-19). The Culture Wars Continue: Biden Takes on Abortion. counterpunch.org 
Joe Biden is moving aggressively to redress many of the conditions left by Donald Trump's administration, notably the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic recession and white nationalism. However, the most intractable challenge that he will face may be the resistance of the culture wars, particularly a woman's right to an abortion. The culture wars long anchored
(2021-02-19). Portland, OR power outages affect 300K residents after ice storm. liberationnews.org 
In a pandemic winter, when the risk of spreading COVID-19 between households is high, neighbors have had to take the risk to help each other by sharing generators, firewood, food, cooking equipment, clean water and more.
(2021-02-19). Pandemic's 1-2 punch: Unemployment up, life expectancy down. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (PAI)—The ongoing coronavirus pandemic packed a one-two punch against the nation's workers, federal agencies reported, as almost 1.38 million more people sought federal or state jobless aid in the week ending Feb. 13. Meanwhile, U.S. life expectancy dropped by a year in the first half of 2020, another federal report showed. And that second …
(2021-02-19). Politics & Science: Rahm Emanuel, Mike Pence, Homosexuality, Pandemics, Masks, Vaccines. counterpunch.org 
Aside from their icy-mobster visages, Rahm Emanuel and Mike Pence have something else in common. Both, as members of presidential administrations, tried to rewrite Centers for Disease Control (CDC) pandemic guidance for political purposes. The reason why one was successful and the other was not has nothing to do with courageous CDC scientists threatening to resign in protest; instead, the different outcomes had to do with politics.
(2021-02-19). Pandemic will be with us until EVERYONE on earth given Covid-19 vaccine, says Merkel after G7 summit. rt.com 
The coronavirus pandemic can only be considered beaten once everyone in the world has been immunized against Covid-19, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said, after she'd met with the G7 leaders at a virtual summit on Friday. | Speaking to reporters, Merkel said she had stressed in her remarks to the group that the "pandemic is not over until all people in the world have been vaccinated," adding: "Everyone must participate." | "The [coronavirus] pandemic in particular has shown how much we are diverging from one another, worldwide." | On Friday the head of the EU's executive body, Ursula von der Leyen, said t…
(2021-02-19). Almost all Spanish nursing home residents have received two Covid doses as Madrid says state on track with vaccine rollout. rt.com 
Health authorities in Spain have said they are close to vaccinating all elderly nursing-home residents with the requisite two doses of Covid-19 vaccines as Madrid says it's on course to inoculate 20 million by the end of June. | The Federacion Empresarial de Asistencia a la Dependencia (FED), Spain's care home association, said 97 percent of elderly residents have received both jabs — positive news in a health sector that has suffered a high number of deaths in the pandemic. | Officials believe 20,000 people died of Covid-19 or suspected Covid-19 in nursing homes during the first wave alone, from March to…
(2021-02-19). 'What is this, 1998?' Twitter users astonished that Tony Blair is opining on Covid roadmap… and MEDIA COVERS IT as 'news'. rt.com 
Brits may have wondered if they woke up in the right century after seeing ex-prime minister Tony Blair giving his policy prescription for the Covid-19 pandemic — and being cited as an authority on the topic by major media outlets. | The former Labour Party leader on Friday published his own "roadmap" out of the UK's Covid-19 lockdown, complete with a "traffic light system" dictating data-based parameters for opening and closing decisions. Mainstream media outlets jumped on the report as big news, with some portraying it as influential in setting the current government's policy. | We believe a credible lo…
(2021-02-19). Selected Articles: The Covid Deception Serves An Undeclared Agenda. globalresearch.ca 
By There is no scientific basis for the measures in place to deal with the alleged Covid Pandemic. Among experts the support for these measures …
(2021-02-19). Left & right alike fume over Dems' bill to ban 'twice-impeached presidents' from burial at Arlington, any honoring of their names. rt.com 
House Democrats have apparently found time to plot more ways to punish Donald Trump — even as a pandemic and other troubles devastate their constituents — angering Americans of virtually all political persuasions. | The '
(2021-02-19). 'Idea of Sacrifice a complete nonstarter in US culture before Covid': Pandemic spurred major shift in American values, study finds. rt.com 
Researchers from UCLA and Harvard University analyzed internet activity, namely online searches and social media posts, and found a significant return to more traditional, rural American values emerged as the pandemic took hold. | The team In their analysis, they used Google searches as one metric to reflect societal mood and attitudes w…
(2021-02-19). Pandemic put US back on track to meet Paris climate goals, report finds, but at huge human cost. rt.com 
In what researchers have dubbed a "remarkable" reversal of fortunes, pandemic-induced lockdowns across the US have brought the country back on track to meet targets in the Paris climate accord, but at a grim human cost. | According to an independent report released Thursday, US renewable energy capacity broke new deployment records in 2020, thanks to numerous tax incentives and initiatives, while coal consumption dropped concurrently. | The proportion of electricity generated by renewables hit a record 20 percent of overall capacity, eclipsing coal, which dipped to 19 percent. Emissions from electricity use al…
(2021-02-19). UK govt acted 'unlawfully' by not disclosing lucrative Covid-19 contracts for PPE in time for public scrutiny, High Court rules. rt.com 
The UK government acted unlawfully by not being transparent about contracts it awarded for millions of pounds worth of PPE, face masks, and medical gowns to help fight Covid-19, a High Court judge ruled on Friday. | Health Secretary Matt Hancock was ruled to have breached his legal obligation to disclose details of contracts the government had awarded within 30 days of decisions being made. | The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which Hancock heads, argued that it could not publish its contract award notices on time, given the emergency nature of government actions during the pandemic. | The legal…
(2021-02-19). Amid G7 Meeting, Pressure Mounts for Biden to Remove Global Barriers to Vaccines. truthout.org 
President Joe Biden is meeting with the G7 leaders of other wealthy nations Friday to discuss global plans to defeat COVID. Meanwhile, the United States is under growing international pressure to reverse course from the Trump administration and lead the world toward ending massive global disparities in vaccine and treatment access that threaten to stretch the deadly pandemic out for years. | Hanging in the balance are an untold number of human lives — and the profit margins of privat…
(2021-02-19). "Interesting" Times: Capitalism Kills Everything. counterpunch.org 
Yes, it's terrible that Joe Biden has refused to forgive more than a pittance of student debt. But do we not recall him telling a Los Angeles Times host that he had "no empathy, give me a break" for the plight of Millennials in the savagely unequal and environmentally unsustainable world he'd helped create over decades of Congressional service to corporate and financial America? No surprise.
(2021-02-19). Sometimes Marx's Capital is a pillow, sometimes it obliges us to deepen our struggles. mronline.org 
In 1911, a young Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) arrived in France, which had colonised his homeland of Vietnam. Though he had been raised with a patriotic spirit committed to anti-colonialism, Ho Chi Minh's temperament did not allow him to retreat into a backward-looking romanticism.
(2021-02-19). New York sues Amazon for not protecting workers against COVID, firing whistleblowers. peoplesworld.org 
NEW YORK (PAI)—Donald Trump isn't Letitia "Tish" James's only big legal target. Neither is the notorious radical right-wing U.S. gun lobby. Now she's taking on Amazon. James, New York state's Attorney General, is probing Trump's financial crimes committed through his private foundation. Last year, she sued the National Rifle Association and its top officers for …
(2021-02-19). Why the Alabama Amazon struggle matters to workers everywhere. peoplesworld.org 
Sometimes a fight at one particular workplace can be so important that workers and their allies everywhere need to take notice. The struggle going on right now at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, is one of those fights. From now until March 29, nearly 6,000 employees at the Amazon order fulfillment and processing center …
(2021-02-19). 'Leaving Aside' International Law: Why Democrats are as Dangerous as Republicans to a Just Peace in Palestine. counterpunch.org 
Motivated by their justifiable aversion to former US President Donald Trump, many analysts have rashly painted a rosy picture of how Democrats could quickly erase the bleak trajectory of the previous Republican administration. This naivety is particularly pronounced in the current spin on the Palestinian-Israeli discourse, which is promoting, again, the illusion that Democrats will
(2021-02-19). UN report slams U.S. economic sanctions against Venezuela. peoplesworld.org 
Editor's Note: A group of 27 U.S. senators and representatives on Feb. 11 urged President Joe Biden to "consider the humanitarian impacts of sanctions." They did not name specific countries, but at the top of the list of countries currently on the receiving end of U.S. sanctions is Venezuela. The country was the target of …
(2021-02-19). OCHA: Protection of Civilians Report Feb. 2 — 15, 2021. imemc.org 
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt) | Protection of Civilians report. Summary from February 2 — 15, 2021 On 5 February, an Israeli settler shot and killed a 34-year-old Palestinian near a newly-constructed settlement outpost next to the village of Ras Karkar (Ramallah); Israeli military sources …
(2021-02-19). Man-made disaster: Capitalism and Republicans failed the people of Texas. peoplesworld.org 
Winter storms, freezing temperatures, and a failed power grid have left millions of Texans fighting for their lives this week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz being caught attempting a family vacation to the warmth of Cancun, Mexico, while his constituents faced a humanitarian disaster is the epitome of an unequal system at work. The tragedy in …
(2021-02-19). Biden's First Month Marked by Broken Promises. mintpressnews.com 
Biden kicked off his campaign by telling wealthy donors that "nothing would fundamentally change" under his presidency. After one month in office, it appears as if that is one campaign promise he is likely to keep.
(2021-02-19). AOC Raised $1 Million for Struggling Texans as Cruz Handled Post-Cancún PR Mess. truthout.org 
While Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was dealing with an embarrassing public relations disaster of his own making — flying to Cancún, Mexico, with his family while his home state was reeling from blackouts and water shutdowns amid frigid temperatures — his political adversary Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) was spearheading an effort to raise funds for those in dire need. |
(2021-02-19). Immigration Activists Welcome Reform Bill But Warn of Long Fight Ahead. truthout.org 
Migrant justice activists and organizations welcomed the introduction of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 this week but are warning that the bill faces a long and uphill battle before becoming law. | At the center of the comprehensive bill, which was introduced by Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Linda Sánchez, is a path to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. The bill also includes key provisions that migrant justice activists have been demanding for dec…
(2021-02-19). Battleground Baltimore: The battle continues for more COVID-19 vaccine doses. therealnews.com 
In this week's round-up of Baltimore news: Leaders examine the way doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are being distributed, Mayor Brandon Scott releases his administration's transition report, remembering musician Jimmy Jones, and more.
(2021-02-19). COVID vaccines are big business and a political weapon. workers.org 
By Manuel Raposo Manuel Raposo is editor of jornalmudardevida.net in Portugal, where this article was published Feb. 14. Translation: John Catalinotto. It has often been said that so-called "natural" disasters, including unforeseeable catastrophes, lay bare the weaknesses of the societies they strike. The health, social and economic crisis the coronavirus . . . |
(2021-02-19). Dutch curfew extended by emergency bill as government shuns court ruling of Covid lockdown 'illegality'. rt.com (2021-02-19). Johnson & Johnson submits its single-shot Covid-19 vaccine to WHO for emergency use. rt.com (2021-02-19). Paris beefs up police patrols and Lyon bans booze as French authorities fear warm weather will spark Covid rule-breaking. rt.com (2021-02-19). Essential Farmworkers Deserve Protections From Pesticide Exposure. truthout.org (2021-02-19). 'This is the Way We Rise': Hawaiian poetry in motion. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-19). The Atrocious Prosecution of Julian Assange. counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). Israeli Colonists Break Into Stone-Cutting Factory, Burn A Truck, Near Ramallah. imemc.org (2021-02-19). Illegal checkpoint arrest tied to a controversial shooting. therealnews.com (2021-02-19). Social movements and organizations condemn arrest of 21-year-old Indian climate activist. mronline.org (2021-02-19). Organizing White Workers When the Klan is in the Shop. counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). Haywood County, North Carolina car protest: 'Fund services, not jails'. liberationnews.org (2021-02-19). Communist Alphaeus Hunton drew together anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-colonial struggles. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-19). Israeli Provocations in Syria. thealtworld.com (2021-02-19). 'The Mauritanian' rekindles debate over Gitmo detainees' torture—with 40 still held there. mronline.org (2021-02-19). Trailblazing former Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis dies at 68. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-19). 'Black Freedom Fighters in Steel' — a book review. workers.org (2021-02-19). Donation match: Will you meet my challenge for People's World? peoplesworld.org (2021-02-19). The Guardian shuts down criticism of Israel. therealnews.com (2021-02-19). '41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers' to be screened Feb. 20. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-19). Army Abducts Four Palestinians Playing In Snow In Hebron. imemc.org (2021-02-19). And then there was X: Malcolm's life and legacy. therealnews.com (2021-02-19). Bogazici resistance is about more than liberal notions of academic freedom, it is a fight against the whole system of oppression. mronline.org (2021-02-19). How the Drug War Succeeded: Dr. Carl Hart Comes Out… Swinging. counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). Soldiers Abduct Three Palestinians In Jenin. imemc.org (2021-02-19). The 30 x 30 Protection Plan and the George Washington National Forest Ark. counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). Go St. Pauli! Beat Fascism! counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). America's Sick Metamorphosis: Have we Awoken to find our Country a Trump Roach Hotel? juancole.com (2021-02-19). And then there was X: Malcom's life and legacy. therealnews.com (2021-02-19). Limbaugh's Legacy: Normalizing Hate for Profit. counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). George Jackson on the role of prisons, 50 years after his death. workers.org (2021-02-19). 40,000 BC: Earth's magnetic field flipped, causing massive sudden climate change and Extinction of Neanderthals. juancole.com (2021-02-19). Snowstorm + capitalism = disaster for more than 100K in Mississippi. liberationnews.org (2021-02-19). Biden Offers Moderate Solutions to Radical Problems. counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). Idiocy in Theory and Practice. counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). How Will Our Children Know They Face a Crushing Debt Burden? counterpunch.org (2021-02-19). Voice from behind the walls: 'I'm not imprisoned, I'm enslaved'. workers.org (2021-02-19). The Eye of the Wolf: Measuring Myself through Death. dissidentvoice.org (2021-02-19). Arabic press review: Syrian refugees hit hardest by snowstorms. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). US says it is ready for direct talks with Iran over nuclear deal. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). Beirut explosion: Removal of judge sparks renewed fears that blast probe will go nowhere. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). Key US lawmakers call for sanctions on killers of Hezbollah critic. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). Western Sahara activists facing crackdown following Morocco-Israel deal. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). Turkey: Prosecutor requests lifting of immunity from pro-Kurdish MPs. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). For this Palestinian family, living next to Al-Aqsa Mosque comes with a heavy price. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). Canada plans overhaul of language rights, making bilingualism mandatory for top judges and prioritizing French in Quebec. rt.com (2021-02-19). This ain't no normal baby shower: Doting grandfather Floyd Mayweather gifts diamond-encrusted ROLEX to newborn grandson. rt.com (2021-02-19). New Russian team name and flag agreed for athletes at Tokyo and Beijing Olympic Games. rt.com (2021-02-19). MMA fighter Leonardo Barbosa admits to 'throwing fight in Afghanistan after being pressured by gunman in locker room' (VIDEO). rt.com (2021-02-19). Lithuanian President worried Russia could 'swallow' troubled Belarus as part of embattled leader Lukashenko's eventual departure. rt.com (2021-02-19). French refugee center manager stabbed to death by asylum seeker — police. rt.com (2021-02-19). Chuck some borscht on the barbie? Amid Australian news row, Facebook 'accidentally' clamps down on RUSSIAN CULTURE SITE. rt.com (2021-02-19). Exiled spy chief says MBS believes he's the CIA's source on Khashoggi murder. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). My Selective High School Looks Nothing Like America. thenation.com (2021-02-19). At least Joe Rogan is 'freezing': progressive pundit finds UPSIDE in deadly Texas storm. rt.com (2021-02-19). Texas apartment block collapses as firefighters can't retrieve water from frozen hydrants (PHOTOS, VIDEO). rt.com (2021-02-19). PR disaster worsens for Ted Cruz as reports say senator left dog in freezing home after fleeing to Cancun during Texas blackout. rt.com (2021-02-19). 'De-occupy DC': Two GOP congressmen say 'QAnon threat' being hyped to justify permanent fence & troops in US capital. rt.com (2021-02-19). Democracy must prevail over autocracy, Biden tells the world — even as he's accused of autocratic tendencies back home. rt.com (2021-02-19). Savage, tacky, or dangerous? Congresswoman's GUN SHELF causes stir during virtual hearing. rt.com (2021-02-19). Lucasfilm president excoriated for talking of EMPOWERING WOMEN after firing Gina Carano, forcing Oscars to wipe comments. rt.com (2021-02-19). With 300k still without power, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launches probe into grid manager, says ERCOT lied about winter storm prep. rt.com (2021-02-19). Empty shelves & long lines outside stores as Texas runs out of food amid deadly cold snap (VIDEO). rt.com (2021-02-19). US 'ready' for nuclear talks with Iran… with precondition of addressing 'regional issues'. rt.com (2021-02-19). DISTURBING VIDEO shows cop punching alleged attacker in the head as assaults on transit police TRIPLE in NYC. rt.com (2021-02-19). Ex-MP Williamson slams University of Bristol for failure to defend anti-Zionist professor from 'lynch mob' demanding his firing. rt.com (2021-02-19). Israeli press review: Report finds widespread racism among Israel's youth. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). 'Africa is returning to Israel': Equatorial Guinea to move embassy to Jerusalem, Netanyahu says. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). Israeli woman held in Syria lands in Tel Aviv following Russia-mediated deal. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). Algeria frees first democracy activists after presidential pardons. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). The Empire Is Back: NATO Increasing Troops in Iraq From 500 to 4,000. anti-empire.com (2021-02-19). The Largest Experiment on Humans Ever Seen. anti-empire.com (2021-02-19). Council of Europe: No Compulsory Vaccinations and No Discrimination Against the Unvaccinated. anti-empire.com (2021-02-19). Pfizer-BioNTech tried to gouge the EU with 65-DOLLAR vaccine doses, German media report. rt.com (2021-02-19). The Heat: Extreme weather pummels United States. america.cgtn.com (2021-02-19). Nearly 30 Police Officers Face Investigations for Actions During Capitol Attack. truthout.org (2021-02-19). 'I didn't look!' UFC star Woodley jokes with Paige VanZant's husband after bare-knuckle star's latest steamy Instagram video. rt.com (2021-02-19). Despite not meeting key criteria for European Union accession, Ukraine's President Zelensky says country will join bloc by 2030. rt.com (2021-02-19). Princess Latifa: Dubai emir's family says royal being 'cared for at home'. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-19). A report just slammed the Universal Credit £20 uplift as 'inadequate'. thecanary.co (2021-02-18). Failed State: Texas Power Grid Collapse Impacts Millions. Black & Brown Communities Are Worst Hit. democracynow.org (2021-02-18). "Not Doing This Is a Choice": Biden Drags His Feet on Canceling Student Debt Despite Campaign Pledge. democracynow.org (2021-02-18). "No Hate! No Fear!" Democracy Now! Co-Host Nermeen Shaikh Celebrates 10 Years Covering War & Peace. democracynow.org (2021-02-18). How the Gates Foundation seeded America's COVID-19 policy catastrophes. strategic-culture.org (2021-02-18). Iranian press review: Iran plans to export Covid-19 vaccine to the world. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). Selected Articles: Pandemic Revelations. globalresearch.ca (2021-02-18). COVID Deaths in the US Lead to Biggest Drop in Life Expectancy Since WWII. truthout.org (2021-02-18). Cuomo and Newsom Symbolize the Rot of Corporate Democrats and the Dire Need for Progressive Populism. counterpunch.org (2021-02-18). Amazon changes timing of TRAFFIC LIGHTS in Alabama town to derail unionization drive. rt.com (2021-02-18). 'Leaving Aside' International Law: Democrats are as Dangerous as Republicans to Peace in Palestine. mintpressnews.com (2021-02-18). US lawmakers press military over data purchases from Muslim apps. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). Daily Beast editor apologizes after accusing Tucker Carlson show of adding 'googly eyes' to AOC, acknowledges image is real. rt.com (2021-02-18). If It Were a Narco Lab, It Would be Working. counterpunch.org (2021-02-18). Biden Plans to Use "Inclusive" Language in Future Discussions on Immigration. truthout.org (2021-02-18). Why Politicians and Doctors Keep Ignoring the Medical Research on Vitamin D and Covid. counterpunch.org (2021-02-18). 'Dystopian nightmare': UK Home Office ridiculed for bizarre coronavirus ad with rave soundtrack (VIDEO). rt.com (2021-02-18). Iran grants emergency use of 3 foreign-made Covid jabs, including AstraZeneca shot supposedly banned by Supreme Leader. rt.com (2021-02-18). Life expectancy in US drops most since WWII, Covid-19 said to be to blame. rt.com (2021-02-18). A lesson in supply & demand? 90-yo Seattle woman walks 6 miles in the snow to get Covid-19 vaccine. rt.com (2021-02-18). Rising Inequality: the 'Pre-Existing Condition' That Doomed the U.S. COVID Response. counterpunch.org (2021-02-18). Asking Russia for Sputnik and getting ANAL SWABS in China: US diplomats vent over State Department's Covid-19 vaccine rollout. rt.com (2021-02-18). The Heat: South Africa's Challenges. america.cgtn.com (2021-02-18). George Shultz's Character Study of Robert Gates. counterpunch.org (2021-02-18). 'Only the strong will survive': Texas city mayor resigns for lashing out at residents asking for help during deadly storm. mronline.org (2021-02-18). China avanza desde el mar de Sur hasta Medio Oriente y Europa. globalizacion.ca (2021-02-18). 'Release Mumia NOW!' was the cry in Philadelphia. workers.org (2021-02-18). Famed Black journalist Joe Walker's fateful meeting with Malcolm X. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-18). Surge of Anti-Asian hate crimes spurs communities to action. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-18). Nonviolent Noncooperation: Why Indian farmers' protests are being called a 'satyagraha' — which means 'embracing the truth'. juancole.com (2021-02-18). Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Pt.2) — The Black Church. therealnews.com (2021-02-18). Role of NGOs in promoting neo-Colonialism. mronline.org (2021-02-18). Soldiers Abduct Two Palestinian In Jerusalem. imemc.org (2021-02-18). George Schultz's Character Study of Robert Gates. counterpunch.org (2021-02-18). Palestinian Woman Dies Of Heart Attack After Soldiers Stormed Her Home. imemc.org (2021-02-18). Colombian students demand free higher-education for 2021. peoplesdispatch.org (2021-02-18). California Republicans Kevin McCarthy and Mike Garcia face opposition. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-18). Stop blaming the Green New Deal for Texas blackouts. therealnews.com (2021-02-18). In Texas disaster, low-income people hit hardest. liberationnews.org (2021-02-18). "Our Indifference To Ourselves": Beyond The "Virtue" Of Self-Sacrifice (Part 2). dissidentvoice.org (2021-02-18). L.D. Barkley — A leader in the Attica uprising. workers.org (2021-02-18). West Virginia workers keep pressure on Manchin for $15 wage. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-18). Taxes on the rich: One-sixth of what they used to be. mronline.org (2021-02-18). Leonard Peltier Defense Committee urgently needs support. workers.org (2021-02-18). Proponen manifestaciones en Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Bakersfield contra Trumpistas en Congreso. peoplesworld.org (2021-02-18). Seven Facts and Figures About WWII You Need to Know. strategic-culture.org (2021-02-18). Egyptian student at Austrian university detained without charge in Cairo. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). European powers, US warn Iran against further breaches of nuclear deal. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). REVEALED: Turkey plans spaceport in Somalia for $1bn moon mission. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). The untold tragedy of Iraq's Shia Turkmen women abducted by Islamic State. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). Nato increases troop numbers in Iraq to combat threat from Islamic State. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). Israel-Syria prisoner swap: Two Syrian shepherds to be repatriated. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). Palestinian cancer patient on deathbed after release from Israeli prison. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). Biden downplays Uighur persecution as part of China's 'different norms'. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). Jailed journalists who livestreamed mass protests against embattled Belarusian leader Lukashenko given 2 years behind bars. rt.com (2021-02-18). UK and Canada sanction Myanmar generals for 'human rights abuses' as hundreds of protesters arrested amid military coup. rt.com (2021-02-18). Thousands of Israelis return to normal life with forged 'Green Pass' as vaccine refuseniks otherwise barred from venues. rt.com (2021-02-18). ESA to recruit world's 1st disabled 'parastronaut' but it's still not enough for the excruciatingly woke on Twitter. rt.com (2021-02-18). Protests rock Spain for 3rd night in a row after rapper jailed for tweets insulting king & praising terrorist groups (VIDEOS). rt.com (2021-02-18). Kyril Louis-Dreyfus: 23yo son of Russian-born billionaire businesswoman takes over as chairman of struggling giants Sunderland. rt.com (2021-02-18). 'The one I'll trust my life to': Philippines' FM praises Russian Sputnik V vaccine, pledges to speed up approval process. rt.com (2021-02-18). 'Mission creep?' Police 'recommend' keeping razor-wire fencing around Capitol until September, cite 'threats against lawmakers'. rt.com (2021-02-18). NASA says Moon by 2024 'no longer realistic,' but keeping Artemis program despite lack of funding. rt.com (2021-02-18). Stomachs churn after Portland police face-off with crowd picking through mountain of food… tossed during power outage (PHOTOS). rt.com (2021-02-18). 'Mission creep?' Police 'recommend' keeping razor-wired fencing around Capitol until September, cite 'threats against lawmakers'. rt.com (2021-02-18). 'There has got to be something we can do': Outrage mob tries to cancel Tucker Carlson, only to see Fox give him a SECOND SHOW. rt.com (2021-02-18). US reintroduces bill to ban goods from Xinjiang over China's 'genocide' of Uighur Muslims in mass camps. rt.com (2021-02-18). Bill Gates says Trump should be allowed back on social media 'at some point'. rt.com (2021-02-18). Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry triggers rage after suggesting Texans would endure even LONGER blackouts to avoid federal meddling. rt.com (2021-02-18). 'My family freezing, my senator is in Cancun': Twitter explodes as Ted Cruz accused of traveling out of storm-hit Texas. rt.com (2021-02-18). Senators urge Biden to undo US recognition of Morocco's claim to Western Sahara. middleeasteye.net (2021-02-18). The Empire's Navy Has a Task Force With a Cute Pledge. anti-empire.com (2021-02-18). More Policing Is Not the Solution to Anti-Asian Violence. truthout.org (2021-02-18). Black Revolutionary Love Reimagines Democracy. truthout.org (2021-02-18). Billionaire Dallas Cowboys Owner and Oil Man Cashes in on Texas Blackout Crisis. truthout.org (2021-02-18). Ted Cruz Jets Off for Mexican Vacation While Texas Endures Unprecedented Crisis. truthout.org (2021-02-18). Leader of Neo-Nazi Group Previously Worked for Department of Homeland Security. truthout.org (2021-02-18). A transgender incarcerated activist speaks out. workers.org (2021-02-18). Profiles in cowardice: Mitch McConnell. peoplesworld.org 
Dutch senators have voted overwhelmingly to pass an emergency act to continue a nationwide curfew, disregarding a judge's ruling this week that the restriction violates the law as well as the rights of citizens. | The emergency bill passed in a 45-13 vote on Friday evening, While a lower court 
Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson has submitted data on its coronavirus vaccine to the World Health Organization (WHO) as it seeks the agency's greenlight for emergency use. Unlike other shots, this one comes in a single dose. | The emergency-use approval is a prerequisite for the vaccine joining the WHO-led COVAX watchdog program, J&J said in a statement on Friday, revealing it had submitted its paperwork to the UN health body. | Unlike vaccine competitors already in the Covid-fighting market, the J&J offering comes in a single-dose form, which would make its distribution considerably easier. Moreover, it can be…
The French government has announced it will strengthen its police patrols ahead of predicted warm weather this weekend in a bid to make sure the rise in temperatures isn't matched by a surge in Covid-19 cases. | Officials in numerous parts of the country fear a combination of pleasant spring weather and the break-up of some schools for holidays could encourage people to gather in groups, thus risking the increased spread of the virus. | Police chiefs in the capital will launch a "large-scale" operation involving 4,000 officers from Saturday to enforce the country's strict 6pm to 6am curfews, imposed to stem th…
COVID-19 is having
The Tidal Wave of Indigenous Cinema continues to swell with Hawaiian filmmaker Ciara Lacy's stirring This is the Way We Rise, a poetic short about Polynesian slam poet Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio that recently screened as part of the Sundance Film Festival. Jamaica is the daughter of Jon Osorio, Dean of Hawai ªinuiƒÅkea School of Hawaiian Knowledge …
What do Biden and Trump have in common? (Aside from jerking Iran around over the nuclear treaty, proclaiming support for a phony, unelected pretender to the Venezuelan presidency, Juan Guaido, and posturing aggressively toward China?) Both Biden and Trump support the utterly baseless Espionage Act case against journalist and publisher Julian Assange. Make no mistake,
A group of fanatic illegal Israeli colonists invaded, on Thursday evening, a stone-cutting factory in Kafr Malik village, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and burnt a truck. Eyad Abu Sheikha, the owner of the factory, said his facility is near the Ein Samia area, east of the village. He added that …
In the small town of Talking Rock, Georgia, a man was supposedly stopped for avoiding a roadblock, had his car searched without consent, and was arrested for having balding tires. But residents say the story of gross overpolicing in their area goes much deeper.
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.
With the rise of the extreme right, the Klan and its modern descendants are definitely "in the shop." Here's a story from a long time ago but it could have happened only yesterday. This is not a heroic tale just a memory of day-to-day struggle and the lessons learned. As a young organizer in the mid-1970s, I went to work for District 65, an independent radical union. Martin Luther King called District 65 "The Conscience of the Labor Movement" after their early and staunch support for the civil rights movement. Our dress pin was a black hand and a white hand working both ends of an old fashioned two-man tree- saw…
In North Carolina's Haywood County a car protest was organized on Feb. 1 by the Party for Socialism and Liberation to oppose Haywood County's plan to expand the existing jail in Waynesville, North Carolina.
People's World is happy to reprint below an article from the Feb. 15, 1945 issue of the Daily Worker by W. Alphaeus Hunton, then the educational director of the Council on African Affairs (CAA). Hunton, considered "one of the most neglected African American intellectuals" in U.S. history, partly due to his membership in the Communist …
Continued airstrikes carried out by Israeli warplanes in Syria presents — at face value — an obvious and persistent threat to Syria. In a wider context, the threat runs much deeper and extends to Syria's allies in Tehran. | Israel has been an eager participant in the US-led proxy war on Syria beginning in 2011. It has provided safe-haven and support for Western-backed militants along and within its borders. It has also at various junctures carried out airstrikes in Syria in a bid to impede Damascus' ability to reestablish peace and stability within Syria's borders. | And according to US policy papers…
"The Mauritanian," directed by Kevin Macdonald, is the first feature film to dramatize how the war on terror became a war in court.
CHICAGO (PAI)—If you're looking for who started "Red for Ed," figuratively if not literally, you'll find Karen Lewis. Because it could arguably be said that Lewis, the former President of the Chicago Teachers Union/AFT Local 1, who died in early February at 68 after a long battle with cancer, originated the combination of teacher activism …
Ruth Needleman's "Black Freedom Fighters in Steel: The Struggle for Democratic Unionism," tells of five Black union activists who took on the steel industry of Indiana's Calumet Region along Lake Michigan at Youngstown Sheet and Tube, Inland Steel and U.S. Steel. (Cornell University Press, 2003) Needleman's rich narrative contains interviews . . . |
Dear readers, I recently posted on social media Marilyn Bechtel's story in People's World headlined, "U.S. and Russia Extend New START Nuclear Treaty for Five Years." Bechtel's article was the first I read about this hugely significant step by President Joe Biden reversing former President Trump's attempt to wreck the New START treaty. The people's …
Nathan Robinson's column at The Guardian US was shut down after a tweet criticizing US-Israel relations. Then, Tamara Payne explains how Malcolm Little became Malcolm X.
The 29th Pan African Film Festival has moved online, taking place Feb. 28—March 14. This year's PAFF is screening at least three Black Panther Party-related films: The documentary Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me and Judas and the Black Messiah, probably Hollywood's best political feature in years. The third is a reprise of …
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Thursday evening, four young Palestinian men while playing in the snow in the Old City of Hebron, in southern West Bank. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers abducted the four young men while playing in snow, which covered most of occupied Palestine, and were building snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other. They …
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, marks the 56th anniversary of the assassination of freedom fighter Malcolm X. To honor Malcolm's life and legacy, we revisit this powerful 2015 documentary, "X: Malcolm's Final Years," produced by The Real News Network.
TURKEY'S revolutionary forces said today that protests centered on Bogazici University must remain a fight against fascism and oppression—not for "liberal ideas of academic freedom."
Dr. Carl Hart, a neuroscientist on the Columbia University faculty, is the most audaciously radical thinker in the drug-policy-reform field, and the bravest. His new book, 'Drug Use For Grown-Ups,' was praised in the New York Times Book Review January 17 by Casey Schwartz, who summarized one of his key points thus: "Hart argues the
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Thursday evening and Friday at dawn, three Palestinians in Jenin, in northern West Bank. Montaser Sammour, the head of the Jenin office of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded Jenin city, on Friday at dawn, searched a few homes, and abducted two Palestinians. Sammour said the abducted Palestinians …
The Biden administration's recent announcement of the 30 by 30 conservation initiative was a welcome ray of light in the dark of winter. The goal is to have 30% of America's lands "protected" by 2030. But what exactly is meant by and would qualify as "protected"? In this age of ecological meltdown and mass extinction/extermination,
Most sports teams have a dedicated fan base. Most often, that fan base is mostly composed of people who live or lived in the region the team is located. Many of these fans grew up with their favorite team, watching players come and go, championships missed and won; they have opinions on the players, the
( Tomdispatch.com) — Like Gregor Samsa, the never-to-be-forgotten character in Franz Kafka's story "The Metamorphosis," we awoke on January 7th to discover that we, too, were "a giant insect" with "a domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments" and numerous "pitifully thin" legs that "waved helplessly" before our eyes. If you prefer, though, you …
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, marks the 56th anniversary of the assassination of freedom fighter Malcolm X. To honor Malcolm's life and legacy, we revisit this powerful 2015 documentary, "X: Malcolm's Final Years," produced by The Real News Network.
Rush Limbaugh's death represents a moment for reflection on the state of American politics. Limbaugh amassed a fortune of more than $600 million over 32 years in the talk radio business, in the process building up more than 15 million regular listeners. It was no exaggeration when CNN referred to him as a "pioneer of AM talk-radio." He made possible the rise of propagandistic partisan media, demonstrating that this format could be incredibly profitable for news channels looking for low-budget programming filled by pundits who tell audiences what they want to hear, while strengthening their prior beliefs and value…
This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of George Jackson, an African American prison leader sentenced to a life sentence as a teenager for "stealing" $40 from a gas station. His 11 years behind the walls were spent in California's Soledad and San Quentin prisons. Jackson became . . . |
By Chris Fogwill, Alan Hogg, Chris Turney, and Zoà´ Thomas | — The world experienced a few centuries of apocalyptic conditions 42,000 years ago, triggered by a reversal of the Earth's magnetic poles combined with changes in the Sun's behaviour. That's the key finding of our new multidisciplinary study, published in Science. This last major …
The unpreparedness of the utility giants, and the pathetic response of the capitalist government at the local and federal level, is nothing short of criminal neglect by those motivated solely by profit making.
"Radical solutions require radical solutions," I wrote in my 2010 book "The Anti-American Manifesto," a polemic that calls upon us to save ourselves from imminent social, economic and political collapse by overthrowing the system and rebuilding society from the ground up. We currently face several radical problems. But we're not likely to rise to the
Idiocy is as complex as genius. In fact, we like to think them indistinguishable, joined by the ruthless common denominator of an innocence which makes both conditions holy. The lives of geniuses are bestsellers because everyone wants to see themselves in there, which nourishes our profound self-interest and even more profound masochism. Read about the
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
One of the main reasons I send this letter is because I have been reading Workers World for approximately the last four years, and I'm not sure if journalists at WW are aware that certain words/phrases may be misleading and/or unknowingly aid in keeping "prisoners" uninformed. Prime example: The overseers . . . |
If I were asked what I want to accomplish as a writer, I would say it's to contribute to the literature of hope. — Barry Lopez, About This Life A passing. A death. Moving on. Back to earth. A new journey. He filled the air with lyrical words and ideas grafted to our role as …
Arabic press review: Syrian refugees hit hardest by snowstorms | Elsewhere, Yemeni security forces arrest local TV reporters and Jordanian journalist imprisoned for years by the UAE dies | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 13: 46 | A woman clears the snow in front of a tent at a camp for displaced people in the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad on 13 February 2020 (Bakr Alkasem/AFP) | Millions of Syrian ref…
US says it is ready for direct talks with Iran over nuclear deal | State Department says Washington is open to a possible meeting to 'discuss a diplomatic way forward' about Iran's nuclear programme | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 00: 43 | It is not clear whether Tehran will agree to the offer (AFP/File photo) | The United States has said it would accept a European invitation to engage in direct talks with Iran to revive…
Beirut explosion: Removal of judge sparks renewed fears that blast probe will go nowhere | Head of investigation dismissed over claims of bias because his home was hit in August blast | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 11: 11 | A relative of one of the victims of the 4 August explosion at Beirut port reacts during a protest outside the Justice Palace in Beirut on 18 February (Reuters) | Mahdi Zahrledine los…
Key US lawmakers call for sanctions on killers of Hezbollah critic | Top members of House Foreign Affairs Committee urge invoking Global Magnitsky Act to address murder of Lebanese activist Lokman Slim | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 16: 56 | A memorial ceremony for Lokman Slim in garden of family residence in Beirut, 11 February (AFP) | Two key US legislators are calling on President Joe Biden to invoke the Global Magnit…
Western Sahara activists facing crackdown following Morocco-Israel deal | From torture to surveillance and house arrests, activists say they have faced unprecedented repression in recent weeks | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 11: 00 | People call for the independence of the Western Sahara in a protest (AFP/Illustration: Mohamad Elasaar/MEE) | Activists in Western Sahara say they are facing a brutal crackdown in the wa…
Turkey: Prosecutor requests lifting of immunity from pro-Kurdish MPs | Nine members of the HDP, including its co-leader, have been accused of inciting violence during a 2014 protest | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 13: 38 | HDP co-chairs Pervin Buldan (3rd R) and Mithat Sancar (2nd L) hold a press conference with MPs outside parliament in Ankara on 1 October 2020 (AFP) | Turkish prosecutors have requested th…
For this Palestinian family, living next to Al-Aqsa Mosque comes with a heavy price | For years, the Bashiti family has lived in a never-ending cycle of Israeli harassment for refusing to abandon their strategically located home | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 11: 22 | Mohammed Bashiti and his wife, Binar, look towards Al-Aqsa Mosque in the yard of their home in the Old City of Jerusalem (Assel Jundi) | Mohamm…
The Canadian government published plans on Friday to mandate more use of French, making companies in regulated industries communicate in the language in Quebec, and requiring its top judges to be bilingual. | While Canada is officially bilingual, with English and French on equal footing, the proposed changes are aimed at turning back the decline of French. Just over 20 percent of Canadians — about 7.2 million people in total — are French-speaking, with the majority of those based in Quebec and the smaller maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. | The daily use of French, however, has bee…
If much of your public persona is built on a foundation of exactly how wealthy you are, you better not shirk your responsibilities when it comes to buying gifts – and Floyd Mayweather has spared no expense for his new grandson.
Russian athletes appearing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing will do so using the branding 'ROC', the acronym which represents the Russian Olympic Committee. | The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Brazilian featherweight Leonardo Barbosa says he 'took a dive' in a mixed martial arts bout earlier this month in Afghanistan after being pressured by an unknown gunman in the locker room prior to the fight. | Barbosa admitted to feigning injury as a result of a knee to the body in the fight against Ahmed Wali Hotak in Kabul on February 11, leading to the referee calling the bout in favor of the hometown fighter – but he claims that the fight's telling blow didn't come in the cage, but in minutes before he even made his walk into the arena. | The Brazilian fighter said on social media that he was threatened by…
Moscow and Minsk may already be joined as members of the Union State, but Lithuania's president claims Russia could ultimately take advantage of unrest in the protest-hit Eastern European nation to 'swallow' Belarus entirely. | In an interview with DW News on Thursday, President Gitanas Nauseda told journalists that he believes current efforts underway in Minsk to rewrite the country's constitution are an attempt to buy time for a controlled transfer of power. "I very much doubt that this will lead to free elections in Belarus," he said, voicing his belief that "people in the 21st century deserve the right to…
The manager of a refugee center in the French city of Pau has died of his injuries, after allegedly being stabbed multiple times by a Sudanese asylum seeker, police said on Friday. | The suspect, a 38-year-old man from Sudan, was arrested following the attack. He was reportedly known to the authorities for acts of violence and has already been in prison, according to French media. | The knife attack took place at around 11am local time in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The suspect's motives for the attack remain unknown, although police sources told local media he had just been refused refugee…
Facebook's new algorithms targeting Aussie news websites evidently need some fine-tuning: citing "Australian government legislation," the social media behemoth has banned sharing links to a Russian culture site, Russia Beyond. | As of Wednesday, Australian Facebook users found themselves unable to share links to local and international news sites, a change that Facebook implemented as retaliation against the Australian government for legislation that would require Facebook and other companies to pay news creators for their content. Globally, all users are forbidden from sharing links to Australian news sources…
Exiled spy chief says MBS believes he's the CIA's source on Khashoggi murder | Saad al-Jabri says Saudi crown prince suspects he's the source in the CIA's report on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 16: 56 | Saad al-Jabri fled Saudi Arabia in 2017 and later sought refuge in Canada (AFP/File photo) | Former Saudi spy chief Saad al-Jabri has claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known a…
As the nation addresses systemic racism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, it's time to ask: Who is being represented in selective high schools?
Texans may be suffering without electricity in bitter temperatures, but Young Turks host Cenk Uygur can see the bright side, as podcaster Joe Rogan and others who relocated to the state are "freezing their asses off." | Two dozen Texans are dead, food supplies can't reach supermarkets, and nearly
Some 130 residents were evacuated from a Texas apartment complex which later collapsed due to a massive blaze. Responding fire crews were met by frozen fire hydrants which greatly hampered their efforts. | Firefighters with the San Antonio Fire Department and various volunteer crews battled the blaze amid water shortages, pressure issues and freezing conditions. | The fire began at roughly 1pm local time on Thursday and eventually spread to cars in the complex's adjacent parking lot. The fire reportedly broke out on the second floor of the complex shortly after residents received an alert to turn off their wat…
It's been a bad week for Senator Ted Cruz. Castigated for leaving Texas for sunny Cancun amid a meltdown of the state's power grid and a fierce winter storm, the Republican's mea culpas have only earned him further condemnation. | Cruz returned home to Texas on Thursday after he was spotted boarding a plane to Mexico earlier this week, sparking instant outrage as critics accused him of abandoning his constituents during a crisis. At the time, a major blizzard had knocked out power for as many as 4 million Texans, forcing thousands to seek refuge in shelters and "warming centers" across the state. | So far, the…
After US Capitol Police called for National Guard troops and razor wire to stay in place through March, citing online chatter by 'QAnon,' two Republican members of Congress accused them of drumming up excuses for the 'occupation.' | Several thousand troops and fencing topped with razor wire around the US Capitol — deployed after the January 6 riot — ought to stay in place at least through the end of March, lawmakers were told on Thursday. According to a report in Newsweek, Capitol Police were alarmed by online chatter by followers of the 'QAnon' conspiracy saying that former President Donald Trump wi…
Fresh from taking office with three-quarters of Republicans believing his election win was fraudulent, then signing executive orders at a record pace, Joe Biden evangelized about democracy at the Munich Security Conference. | "We must demonstrate that democracies can still deliver for our people," Biden said on Friday via video link at the the conference. | That is our galvanizing mission. Democracy doesn't happen by accident. We have to defend it, strengthen it, renew it. We have to prove that our model isn't a relic of our history. | Biden made his comments in the context of "democratic progress" being "unde…
Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert's fondness for firearms is once again making headlines, after she appeared at a virtual hearing in front of a bookshelf with two rifles and a shotgun, to cheers from the GOP and Democrats' alarm. | It was Rep. Katie Porter (D-California) who kicked off the whole thing on Thursday, reporting Boebert to the 'Room Rater' account on Twitter for having a "dangerous" background during the House Natural Resources Committee hearing via Zoom. | I always thought my dirty dishes piled up and accumulating bacteria were the most dangerous thing in a Zoom background… ü&ograv…
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, fresh from firing actress Gina Carano from 'The Mandalorian' for political incorrectness, made the ironic decision to speak about empowering women and hearing their voices. It didn't end well. | The Oscars posted the video on Tuesday, featuring Kennedy speaking about its scientific and technical awards. Kennedy, who fired Carano last week over "abhorrent and unacceptable" social media posts, said in the video that "women are helping to redefine science and technology in the movies, and that means a brave, bold future without limits for each and every storyteller." | 'St…
Texas Governor Greg Abbott pulled no punches in condemning the firm in charge of the state's power grid, launching a probe after claiming the agency lied about its plans to cope with an ice storm that left millions without heat. | "What happened this week to our fellow Texans is unacceptable and cannot be replicated again," Abbott said at a Thursday press conference, days after a massive blizzard overwhelmed the Texas power grid and knocked out electricity across the state. The governor stepped up his criticism of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which oversees the flow of electricity for mos…
Grocery stores in Texas have become a sorry sight with empty shelves and people queuing outside after a freak winter storm caused massive power outages and completely disrupted food supply chains in the unprepared Southern state. | RT's Ruptly video agency visited one of the stores in Dallas, filming shelves and fridges that were bursting with produce not long ago but now stand completely empty. | After several days of the deep freeze and heavy snowfall, even common products like milk, cold meats, vegetables and many others became inaccessible to Texans. | Outside the Dallas store, people with shopping carts s…
The Joe Biden administration said it's willing to sit down with Iran to discuss renewing the 2015 nuclear pact, though a senior US official noted the talks must cover other "regional issues" — a potential deal-breaker for Tehran. | "The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a brief statement on Thursday, referring to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: the US, Britain, France, Russia and Chin…
The NYPD have been accused of using excessive force after a video showed a cop repeatedly punching a man in the subway. But police claim the officer was acting in self-defense after the suspect allegedly nearly ripped his ear off. | Graphic footage surfaced on Thursday showing three New York Police Department (NYPD) officers restraining a man on the floor of a subway station, while a fourth cop took swings at him, striking him numerous times in the head, face and upper body. The man is seen struggling to break free as the officers eventually turn him on his back and cuff him. | The person filming the video can…
Former Derby North MP Chris Williamson has called out the University of Bristol for its "outrageous lack of solidarity" with sociology Professor David Miller, currently under attack by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. | The Board of Deputies of British Jews has been targeting Miller, a professor in the University of Bristol's sociology department, with a series of accusations, most recently blaming the academic on Friday for putting Jewish students at risk of "real physical harm" by sharing his view that the "Zionist movement" is the "enemy of world peace." The group's latest letter was addressed to Hugh…
Israeli press review: Report finds widespread racism among Israel's youth | Meanwhile, Netanyahu polling well but election stalemate still predicted, and Palestinian filmmaker excluded from Labor list | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 15: 00 | Isaeli supporters of the right-wing Organisation for Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land (LEHAVA) protest a marriage between an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian in 2014 (AFP) | <...
'Africa is returning to Israel': Equatorial Guinea to move embassy to Jerusalem, Netanyahu says | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that 'Israel is returning to Africa and Africa is returning to Israel in a big way' | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 18: 03 | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the embassy move was the latest sign of improving ties with African nations (AFP/File photo) | Equato…
Israeli woman held in Syria lands in Tel Aviv following Russia-mediated deal | Woman who crossed into Syria through Quneitra a few weeks ago had been transferred to Russia over the past week | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 11: 10 | According to Syria's official Sana news agency, the woman had crossed over into Quneitra province by mistake (Reuters) | An Israeli woman who crossed into Syria a few weeks…
Algeria frees first democracy activists after presidential pardons | The pardon's come on eve of Hirak's second anniversary, with calls on social media for demonstrations on 22 February | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 13: 38 | Relatives of prisoners and journalists gathered on Friday outside Kolea prison, west of the capital Algiers (AFP) | Algeria released a dozen pro-democrac…
On Thursday, "The size of our mission will increase from 500 personnel to around 4,000 and training activities will now include more Iraqi security institutions and areas beyond Baghdad," Stoltenberg said after a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers. | NATO describes its presence in Iraq as a "security training mission." Stoltenberg said the alliance's presence "is conditions-base…
Which is the more reasonable approach a society might take in the outbreak of epidemic: To quarantine the sick, and take reasonable precautions to stop those who are identified as vulnerable from contracting the illness. | To attempt to "control the virus" by preventing millions of healthy people from having contact with other healthy people. | To any society prior to 2020, it would have been obvious that the first approach is not only logical and proportionate, but the one least likely to have other unintended and highly destructive consequences. However, to my continued astonishment, many in our society not only…
Many citizens have been worried about whether the untested vaccines will be mandatory, since it has already been proposed in several countries. In Sweden, however, it has not been, because of a law which prohibits involuntary medical interventions. But despite this law, governments could exert such strong pressure on their populations, that it could become almost impossible…
Drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech wanted to charge the EU Commission €54.08 per dose of their Coronavirus vaccine, according to German media reports. The jab would have cost more than 20 times that of a rival shot from AstraZeneca. | The prospective price tag was revealed on Thursday by German broadcasters NDR and WDR, and the
Hundreds of thousands of Americans still without power in the state of Texas, as yet another storm bears down on the United States. How much is global warming to blame?
Six officers have been suspended from the United States Capitol Police (USCP) department for their actions during the Capitol breach on January 6. | On that date, a mob of Trump loyalists,
Former UFC champion Tyron Woodley joked with Austin Vanderford, husband of Paige VanZant, that he "didn't look" at the bare-knuckle queen's latest risque Instagram video in which she transitions from a robe to a VERY small bikini. | Normal service seems to have resumed for VanZant after suffering defeat to Britain Hart in her recent Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut. | The 26-year-old Sports Illustrated stunner clearly hasn't let the result get her down after posting one of her most suggestive clips to date to her more than 2.7 million Instagram followers – drawing an hilarious reaction from former welt…
Ukraine joining the European Union is not a matter of if, but when, according to its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who predicted Kiev would be welcomed into the 27-member bloc before the end of the decade. | Speaking to a meeting of officials on Thursday, Zelensky said Ukraine has now become a "credible and responsible member of the international community," making a significant contribution to global and regional security and stability. | According to a summary of conferences on the official presidential website, Ukrainian politicians have discussed how "membership in the European Union is no longer a hypoth…
Princess Latifa: Dubai emir's family says royal being 'cared for at home' | In clips shown by the BBC, Latifa said she was being kept 'hostage' in a villa in the UAE | Fri, 02/19/2021 – 11: 30 | Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (L) with Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, at the Latifa's home in Dubai in 2018 (AFP) | The family of Sheikha Latifa, daughter of Dubai…
The Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Universal Credit is under the microscope again. This time, a survey of claimants found the benefit left them in chaos. It called the £20 uplift "inadequate". But the problem is that this isn't exactly news to the countless people who've been struggling on it for years. | The DWP: here we go again: | The Canary has been
Millions of people in Texas were plunged into freezing cold and darkness as a major winter storm overwhelmed the state's power grid. More than 12 million Texans face water disruptions and have been ordered to boil tap water for safe consumption, and some parts of the state have no running water at all. The state is also running out of food as the storms disrupt key supply chains. Leading Republicans, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, falsely blamed renewable energy sources for the state's blackouts, warning against a shift to more green energy, but the state's own energy department said the outages were prima…
Students, campaigners and top Democrats have been pushing President Joe Biden to use executive authority to cancel at least $50,000 in student loan debt per person. Student loan debt in the U.S. stands at $1.7 trillion, with some 45 million people owing money. Filmmaker and organizer Astra Taylor, an author, documentary director and organizer with the Debt Collective, says Biden has clear legal authority to cancel student debt. "Not doing this is a choice," she says. We also speak with Braxton Brewington, a digital strategist with the Debt Collective, who says student debt cancellation is also politically smart.
As Democracy Now! prepares to mark 25 years on air, we celebrate Nermeen Shaikh's 10th anniversary as a Democracy Now! co-host and feature a report she filed from protests at New York's JFK Airport against the Trump administration's Muslim ban, one of the many highlights from her time on the program.
The nursing home death warrants were signed by panicked governors using Gates-funded forecasting. | By Jordan SCHACHTEL | New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is finally facing the heat for his botched and criminally negligent coronavirus response policies, yet no one seems to be asking why Cuomo and select governors made the fateful decisions that led to the excess deaths — and the coverup campaigns — of tens of thousands of senior citizens in New York and elsewhere across the United States. | After being awarded an Emmy and writing a book on his supposedly heroic response to the pandemic, Cuomo is finally…
Iranian press review: Iran plans to export Covid-19 vaccine to the world | Meanwhile, Tehran indicates readiness for Qatar to play mediator role in nuclear talks, and, as the pandemic spreads, the number of Iranians working without a contract rises to seven million | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 10: 58 | A member of the Imam Khomeini Hospital medical personnel receives a dose of Russia's Sputnik V…
By We bring to the attention of our readers, this important international statement by health professionals, medical doctors and scientists,…
Life expectancy in the United States has dropped by a full year, according to new figures released on Thursday. | The current life expectancy of an individual in the U.S. While there have been drops in life expectancy in recent years due to increases in drug overdoses, the decline over the past year, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic, is the biggest drop i…
The governors of New York and California — the most populous states led by Democrats — now symbolize how slick liberal images are no substitute for genuinely progressive priorities. After 10 years as New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo is facing an uproar over revelations that his administration intentionally and drastically undercounted the deaths from COVID in nursing homes. Meanwhile,
Online retail giant Amazon was so desperate to scuttle a unionization drive among warehouse workers in Alabama that it actually had traffic light times changed. A pro-union publication says it confirmed the rumors with the county. | Amazon actually reached out to Jefferson County to change the timing of the traffic lights near its Bessemer warehouse, the pro-worker publication More Perfect Union reported on Tuesday, citing a public official from the county who said the company had complained about "traffic delays during shift changes" in order to secure the light change. | Organizers had claimed for weeks that…
It's easy to discredit the foreign policy agenda of Trump, Pompeo, and other Republicans as their aggressive, dismissive language and action are unmistakably objectionable. The Democratic discourse, however, cannot be as easily censured,…
US lawmakers press military over data purchases from Muslim apps | Military and intelligence chiefs asked to disclose whether any US citizens were surveilled when military bought user information from popular apps | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 19: 08 | The effort was led by Congressman Mark Pocan, with representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna signing on to it (AFP) | US lawmakers…
Daily Beast editor Justin Baragona has apologized for accusing Fox News host Tucker Carlson of adding "googly eyes" to a photo of progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The wide-eyed stare, it turned out, was all her own. | Carlson ripped into Ocasio-Cortez in a segment of his show on Wednesday night, slating the New York progressive for claiming earlier that day that her 'Green New Deal' environmental legislation would have stopped the blackouts currently affecting the state of Texas. Accompanying the segment was an unflattering screengrab of AOC staring wide-eyed into the middle distance. | Baragona assu…
On the day he was inaugurated, Joe Biden halted the construction of Trump's Mexican border wall. A few days earlier, 1500 miles to the south, a new 'caravan' of at least eight thousand Honduran migrants had set off northwards, partly in the hope that by the time they tried to cross into Texas, Biden's promised softening of immigration policy might have taken effect.
The Biden administration announced this week that federal agencies will use "more inclusive" language when it comes to discussing issues relating to immigration. | A memo from Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Tracy Renaud
It is probably not a good idea to write while in the grip of anger. But I am struggling to suppress my emotions about a wasted year, during which politicians and many doctors have ignored a growing body of evidence suggesting that Vitamin D can play a critically important role in the prevention and treatment
A new Home Office advert warning Brits that "meeting up is against the law" has been savaged online. The ad, a throwback to the anti-piracy ads of the 2000s, has been called "dystopian." | Readers of a certain age probably remember the "You wouldn't steal a car" anti-piracy The UK Home Office has now updated the format for 2021. An ad released by t…
The Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) has approved three foreign-made Covid-19 vaccines for use including AstraZeneca's, despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei previously banning British jabs. | Speaking on Wednesday evening, IFDA spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced that emergency use permits had been granted for India's COVAXIN shot, produced by Bharat Biotech, as well as two versions of the AstraZeneca vaccine — one manufactured by Russia's R-Pharm and the other by South Korea's SKBio Company. | The only Covid-19 vaccine previously approved in Iran was Russia's Sputnik V, after the two…
The impact of Covid in the first six months of 2020 cut a year off the life expectancy of Americans, according to data released on Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — the biggest drop since WWII.
The marketing campaign for the Covid-19 vaccine can pat itself on the back: a 90-year-old Seattle woman was willing to brave one of the year's worst snowstorms to get her jab, walking a total of six miles to the hospital and back.
Back in April 2017, only a few months after Donald Trump's inauguration, one of world's most prestigious medical journals, the London-based Lancet, established a special commission to keep tabs on "Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era." The panel's 33 commissioners — medical professionals of all sorts, along with assorted notables in legal and
Even though the State Department received almost enough US-made Covid-19 vaccines for every employee, some diplomats have had to ask host countries for jabs and suffered indignities such as anal tests in China, a new report says. | The State Department has received "roughly" 73,000 doses of the US-made Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but "declined to say" how many of its estimated 75,000 employees it has vaccinated, the Washington Post reported. | Some of the diplomats stationed in Moscow have asked Russia for its Sputnik V vaccine, after Foggy Bottom "could not promise delivery" of American vaccines "in the near…
As South Africa battles COVID-19, it is also dealing with a series of challenges on several fronts including the economy and jobs.
In January 1986, Shultz told Gates that he had no "confidence in the intelligence community" and that he "wouldn't trust anything you guys said about Iran no matter what." Shultz charged Gates with "trying to manipulate me" and accused him of trying to create an "alternate State Department with its own strong policy views." Shultz conceded that his department made mistakes, but that Gates' "assaults are almost joyful."
The now former mayor of Colorado City, Texas, Tim Boyd, has resigned after two Facebook posts telling people needing help and without electricity that they are on their own.
La disputa por el Mar del Sur de China se sigue intensificando, pero el Dragón va colocando sus fichas de forma gradual, implacable e incontenible, como lo muestran los recientes desarrollos de una estrategia largamente diseñada, que parece estar poniendo…
Pam Africa (right), speaking at rally, Feb. 15. Philadelphia On less than 24 hours' notice, more than 40 people came out on Feb. 15 to show their opposition to a Feb. 3 legal brief by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a so-called "progressive." It denies Mumia Abu-Jamal the right to . . . |
Joe Walker was already a widely admired African-American journalist when he got a surprising invitation and an offer to become the New York editor of Muhammad Speaks, the Nation of Islam's newspaper. He was summoned to the Harlem Mosque of the Black Muslims for a private meeting. And who was the meeting with? Malcolm X. …
OAKLAND, Calif.—As the start of the Lunar New Year approached last week, concern was growing over a surge in hate crimes being experienced by Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area, including several victims who were over 60 years of age. One attack last month in San Francisco was widely publicized when a local …
By Sumit Ganguly | — For the past few months, farmers protesting in India's capital, New Delhi, have been demanding the repeal of three farm laws that were passed last year. These largely peaceful protests have been referred to as a "satyagraha" by many in the Indian media, politicians and activists. As a political scientist …
In the second part of our conversation, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. further explores his new documentary "The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song." The new series reveals the broad history and culture of the Black church and explores African American faith communities on the front lines of hope and change.
There are literally thousands of NGOs, the better known being Oxfam, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International.
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Wednesday night after midnight, two young Palestinian men in Shu'fat town, in the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem. Local sources said the two young men were walking near the main road of Shu'fat when the soldiers stopped them and took them to an interrogation facility in Neve Yaakov illegal colony. They added …
In January 1986, Shultz told Gates that he had no "confidence in the intelligence community" and that he "wouldn't trust anything you guys said about Iran no matter what." Shultz charged Gates with "trying to manipulate me" and accused him of trying to create an "alternate State Department with its own strong policy views." Shultz conceded that his department made mistakes, but that Gates' "assaults are almost joyful."
A Palestinian woman suffered a fatal heart attack, on Wednesday at dawn, when Israeli soldiers stormed into her home in Abu Njeim village, east of Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank. Medical sources said the woman, identified as Rahma Khalil Abu 'Ahour, 67, suffered a heart attack when the soldiers invaded her …
Students from different public universities of Colombia have been demonstrating to demand that the national and municipal governments guarantee free tuition for all students across the country this year…
SANTA CLARITA, Calif.—From the 'burbs of Los Angeles County to the sandy hills of Antelope Valley to Bakersfield, the fightback against the Congressional Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of the 23rd Congressional District and his colleague Mike Garcia, Representative from California's 25th C.D., continues to escalate. Fed by the refusal of McCarthy and Garcia to meet …
Republican politicians like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have cynically used overblown and patently false claims that renewable energy failures are responsible for millions losing power and heat during deadly Winter Storm Uri. Critics around the country are calling "BS."
Eyewitness: In the midst of the massive Texas storm, last night I was fortunate to stay in a shelter in Sealy, Texas, one hour west of Houston.
As we saw in Part 1, in 1914 and again in 1939, millions of men and women welcomed war. Arnold Ridley and his pals did make this choice, but in reality the choice had been made for them by decades and centuries of the relentless 'patriotic' propaganda described by Tolstoy, which most people were powerless …
L.D. Barkley, second from the right, and other Attica rebellion leaders negotiating with prison officials, Sept. 1971. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Attica Prison Uprising. The following slightly edited excerpt is from the book "A Time To Die: The Attica Prison Revolt" by the late New York . . . |
CHARLESTON, W. VA. (PAI)—Pam Garrison, of Fayette County, W. Va., has toiled at minimum wage jobs her whole life. She calls it "getting us for slave wages." The minimum wage is "the only thing that hasn't doubled and tripled" since she first started working years ago, says Garrison, co-chair of the New Poor People's Campaign …
A new IPS briefing paper highlights the unique role of tax policy in wealth concentration.
The International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee has launched an urgent appeal for funds to support legal efforts to free this Native political prisoner, who has been held in U.S. dungeons for nearly 45 years. Peltier is a leader of the American Indian Movement, who was framed and jailed for the . . . |
Se escala la oposición contra el dirigente Republicano congresista Kevin McCarthy del Distrito Congressional 23 y su co-representante Mike Garcia en el Distrito 25. Esto viene a consecuencia en que estos representantes se oponen a denunciar a Donald Trump por el atentado golpe de estado contra el electo presidente Joe Biden y la violencia ocurrida …
In the final days of the World War II in Europe, the German command pursued a deliberate policy of successive partial capitulations in the West to bring as many as possible of the eastern military formations westwards and surrender them intact to the British and Americans. It was General Eisenhower how dashed German hopes for a separate peace with the West and facilitated the signing of the final instrument of surrender at the seat of government from where the German aggression sprang: Berlin, captured by the Red Army.
Egyptian student at Austrian university detained without charge in Cairo | Ahmed Samer said police had beaten him and asked questions about his research on reproductive rights and Islam | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 13: 30 | Samer's family said the 29-year-old student was charged with spreading fake news and affiliation to a terrorist group – claims his family deny and describe as baseless (Supplied) | An Egyptian…
European powers, US warn Iran against further breaches of nuclear deal | Iran's Zarif hit back at joint Western statement, saying violations were a result of US withdrawal from the agreement | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 21: 04 | Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant is the country's only nuclear power station and is currently running on imported fuel from Russia (AFP/File photo) | The United States and major European powe…
REVEALED: Turkey plans spaceport in Somalia for $1bn moon mission | MEE source provides details of plan to put Turks on the moon, as opposition says there's not enough money | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 14: 00 | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed an ambitious timetable with the aim of making contact with the moon on unmanned missions (Turkish Space Agency TUA) | Turkey's recently announced space programme, w…
The untold tragedy of Iraq's Shia Turkmen women abducted by Islamic State | Like the Yazidis, hundreds were captured and killed by the militant group in 2014. But families, community leaders and officials have turned a blind eye | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 10: 01 | A Yazidi woman and her children who were captured by IS but escaped. Unlike with the Yazidis, no major efforts have been made to free Shi…
Nato increases troop numbers in Iraq to combat threat from Islamic State | Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the increase, from 500 to 4,000, is being organised alongside Iraqi government | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 17: 24 | Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attends a defence ministers meeting in Brussels on 13 February to address key issues (AFP/File photo) | Nato is preparing to significantly increase tr…
Israel-Syria prisoner swap: Two Syrian shepherds to be repatriated | Israeli attempts to secure release of a female citizen have been complicated after Syrian Druze shepherds wanted to remain in the Golan | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 13: 01 | Signs pointing out distances to different cities is seen on Mount Bental, an observation point in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that overlooks the Syrian side of the Quneitra…
Palestinian cancer patient on deathbed after release from Israeli prison | Hussein Masalmeh lies in critical condition in hospital, as family accuses Israel of medical negligence | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 12: 01 | Hussein Masalmeh's family say he was gravely ill for two years before being released from Israeli prison (Twitter) | When Bilal Masalmeh, 34, dreamt of the day his older brother Hussein woul…
Biden downplays Uighur persecution as part of China's 'different norms' | US president said he will continue to speak out against China's treatment of Uighurs, which the previous Trump administration declared a genocide | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 15: 20 | Rights groups say more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim Turkic-speaking people in China have been rounded up and held in detention camps (AFP) | US Preside…
Two journalists detained in Minsk on charges that they took part in opposition rallies were given prison sentences on Thursday, becoming the first reporters convicted of organizing protests despite pleas from rights groups. | Katerina Bakhvalova, a presenter for Warsaw-based Belsat TV, and Daria Chultsova, a camerawoman for the network, were sentenced to two years behind bars after a three-day trial. They had been found guilty of "organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them." | Belsat, which is bankrolled by the government of neighboring Poland, cl…
Foreign affairs officials in Canada and the UK have announced new sanctions on senior Myanmar military figures on Thursday over alleged human rights abuses against people protesting the ongoing army-led coup. | Both nations will sanction Myanmar's Minister of Defense General Mya Tun Oo over the military's crackdown on protesters and Home Affairs Minister Lt General Soe Htut for his responsibility over the police's actions. Deputy Home Affairs Minister Lt General Than Hlaing is the third person named under the new penalties. | The UK has sanctioned 19 military officials in total over the coup, and Canada, 54 in…
While Israel prepares to welcome only vaccine recipients into gyms, hotels, and other venues, thousands have been making their own 'Green Pass,' the easily-counterfeited credential the country is using to prove vaccination. | The Green Pass looks complex enough, with the secure-looking QR code on the lower-right side, but the code is just made up of the same details printed on the pass in normal letters and numbers, cybersecurity expert Ran Bar-Zik revealed in a Facebook post earlier this week. The pass can thus be easily forged by anyone with a graphics program and a printer. | ◊ê◊û;◊&…
For the first time in 11 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) is actively recruiting new astronauts, including for the first time in human history, a physically disabled team member. | Applications for aspiring astro- and para-nauts will open on March 31 for a period of eight weeks, after which the six-stage selection process will begin. | "We did not evolve to go to space so when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled," said Captain Samantha Cristoforetti, an Italian European Space Agency astronaut. | Candidates are required to have knowledge of or a degree in at least one of the following: physics,…
Rallies protesting the arrest of a rapper convicted of insulting the monarchy have continued across Spain for a third straight night. One woman reportedly lost an eye and more than 50 people were detained at demos a day earlier. | Valencia saw some of the worst violence on Thursday, where demonstrators could be seen clashing with riot police in footage posted to social media, while a üî¥Cà rregues policials a la concentració…
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, the 23-year-old heir to a billionaire business fortune headed by his Russian-born mother, has become the youngest chairman in English football after completing his takeover of third-tier Sunderland. | The youngster was confirmed as new chairman on Thursday at the proud North East club, who are spending a third season languishing in League One after tumbling down the tiers when a 10-year stay in the Premier League ended in 2017. | Louis-Dreyfus takes over from British businessman Stewart Donald, who had been owner at the Stadium of Light club since 2018, and who will retain a minority share…
The Philippines' foreign minister has voiced his full support for the Sputnik V vaccine, stating he's been "turning every stone" to get it approved. So far, the drug has been caught in a regulatory limbo. | The country's top diplomat, Teddy Locsin, I'm turning every stone to get Sputnik V in. It is the…
Washington, DC police are calling for razor-wire-topped fencing around the US Capitol to be kept in place until at least September because they continue to hear of threats against lawmakers in the aftermath of the January 6 riot. | US Capitol Police have notified congressional leaders of their fencing recommendation, the Associated Press
Landing on the Moon by 2024 is no longer a realistic goal, the US space agency quietly admitted. While the Biden administration said it would keep the Trump-era Artemis program, there was no hint of Congress actually funding it. | "The 2024 lunar landing goal may no longer be a realistic target due to the last two years of appropriations, which did not provide enough funding to make 2024 achievable," acting NASA administrator Steve Jurczyk told Ars Technica on Wednesday evening. | The agency was "reviewing the program for the most efficient path forward," he added. | Notable: The Artemis Program will become NA…
Portland, Oregon has made headlines after police were called in to stop people from rummaging through a dumpster full of food that allegedly spoiled due to a power outage. Social media users found the incident hard to stomach. | A power outage caused by a winter storm that has wreaked havoc on multiple US states prompted a supermarket to discard perishable items deemed unsafe due to lack of proper refrigeration. After two dumpsters were filled with meat, dairy and other items, a small group of people began to form in the store's parking lot, apparently angry that so much food was being discarded. Photographs s…
Washington, DC, police are calling for razor-wire-topped fencing around the US Capitol to be kept in place until at least September because they continue to hear of threats against lawmakers in the aftermath of the January 6 riot. | US Capitol Police have notified congressional leaders of their fencing recommendation, the Associated Press
Cancel culture had its second major defeat in less than a week, as efforts to force Fox News star Tucker Carlson off the air failed so spectacularly that the guy called 'TV's most hated host' has been given another show. | Carlson signed a multi-year deal with Fox Nation, the network's subscription-based streaming service, under which he will produce at least three video podcasts each week and long-form monthly specials. The new programs will be done in addition to Carlson's top-rated primetime show on Fox News, 'Tucker Carlson Tonight', which is broadcast every weeknight. | The podcasts will feature interview…
The US House of Representatives has reintroduced a bill to ban imports from China's northwestern Xinjiang region unless the products coming in can be verified as being produced without forced labor. | The revamped bill, which previously passed the House by 406-3 votes, is designed to clamp down on the Chinese government, which the US has accused of committing "genocide" against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. | Under the legislation, US President Biden would be able to impose sanctions against people trafficking Uighurs in Xinjiang. The region is a major exporter of cotton and tomatoes to the US. | Also on rt.com…
Microsoft founder and synthetic meat enthusiast Bill Gates has said former President Donald Trump should be let back on social media "at some point." Trump himself thinks that social media has "become very boring" without him. | "I think at some point he probably will be allowed back on and probably should be allowed back on," Gates told CNBC on Thursday, more than a month after Twitter and multiple other social media outlets booted Trump from their platforms, with Twitter's reasoning being that the president's calls to protest the 2020 election results presented a "risk of…violence." | Gates is considered b…
Ex-Governor Rick Perry stoked outrage after saying Texans would willingly tolerate further blackouts just to keep the feds "out of their business," as critics blamed his preference for deregulation for the state's power woes. | Perry — who also served as Energy Secretary under former President Donald Trump — was featured in a
Anger has been spilling on Twitter over photos that purportedly show Texas Senator Ted Cruz boarding a plane to Cancun, Mexico. People criticized him for "fleeing" when his state has been badly hit with extreme cold. | Several photos that have been circulating on social media since Wednesday appear to show Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and his family arriving at the ai…
Senators urge Biden to undo US recognition of Morocco's claim to Western Sahara | US lawmakers say new administration should reverse 'misguided decision' which came as part of Morocco's normalisation deal with Israel | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 16: 28 | Sahrawis hold a Polisario Front's flag at Sahrawi refugee camp of Dakhla, 27 February 2016 (AFP/File photo) | More than two dozen US senators from both major parties h…
"I pledge to advocate for and acknowledge all lived experiences and intersectional identities of every Sailor in the Navy.": | Don't believe me? Doesn't matter. It's there. | See That is part of the Task Force One Navy pledge. |
Asian Americans are crying out against an escalation of anti-Asian attacks in San Francisco, San Jose, New York, and all across the United States. In light of the scant media coverage,
Given the long history of U.S. volatility and racist violence, those attentive to white supremacist and fascistic ideologies were dismayed but not surprised at the January 6 breach of the Capitol. A militarized mob endeavored to block the certification of the Biden/Harris election and harm, if not kill, elected officials seeking to uphold constitutional norms. The following month, the Senate acquitted Donald Trump for inciting sedition that inflicted trauma, injuries and the loss of life. | I never consi…
While citizens of Texas are facing a crisis of massive proportions brought on largely by the failures of natural gas companies to Demand for what little natural gas the state can access has soared amid the crisis as mil…
This week, while millions of his constituents in Texas suffered under conditions that some have likened to Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Ted Cruz decided to fly to Cancun with his family for a vacation. | After pictures appeared on social media Wednesday night showing Cruz
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Wednesday that the neo-Nazi leader of The Base, a white nationalist and accelerationist paramilitary group recently designated a terror group by the Canadian government, worked within their ranks for several years, coordinating efforts to combat terrorism. | According to a
Lisa Strawn is a transgender woman who spent more than 35 years in California prisons due to that state's draconian "Three Strikes" law. At the age of 19, she was locked up for petty offenses like prostitution, and on her third "strike," Lisa was sentenced to 50-to-life for burglary. She . . . |
Mitch McConnell and 42 fellow Republicans who acquitted Donald Trump Saturday earned their niche in history, right next to Georg Neithardt and his four fellow jurists. Georg who? Neithardt headed the five-judge panel that twisted the law into a Bavarian pretzel and all-but exonerated Adolf Hitler over the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler and his armed …