Our Mutual Fight: The Case against Pakistani Normalization with Israel
Ramzy Baroud | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-05
The Pakistani government should never, under any circumstances and no matter the pressure, normalize with Israel. Doing so is not only dangerous — as it will embolden an already vile, racist, violent apartheid Israel — but it would also be considered a betrayal of a historic legacy of mutual solidarity, collective affinity and brotherhood that …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/our-mutual-fi…
Our Mutual Fight: The Case Against Pakistani Normalization with Israel
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
The Pakistani government should never, under any circumstances and no matter the pressure, normalize with Israel. Doing so is not only dangerous — as it will embolden an already vile, racist, violent apartheid Israel — but it would also be considered a betrayal of a historic legacy of mutual solidarity, collective affinity and brotherhood that…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/our-mutual-f…
You’re Not A Radical, You’re Just Sane
Caitlin Johnstone | thealtworld.com | 2021-02-05
In response to rumors that Bernie Sanders foreign policy advisor Matt Duss may be playing some role in the Joe Biden State Department, bloodthirsty psychopath Nikki Haley told the Washington Free Beacon that this “is another indication that the only unity in Biden’s foreign policy is between the far left and the extreme left.” | Which is of course ridiculous. Taken as a whole Biden’s im…
thealtworld.com/caitlin_johnston/youre-n…
The Economist: Democracy Index ranking for Britain rises!!
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2021-02-05
By TruePublica: The 2020 Democracy Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit found that democracy had deteriorated in all seven regions of the world for the first time since 2010, driven by government measures to address the Covid-19 emergency. And while the biggest regressions were in authoritarian regions, the report said that — “the removal of …
truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/the-economist-democracy-index-ranking-for-britain-rises/
Exposure to misinformation could make people refuse a COVID-19 vaccine
imperial.ac.uk | 2021-02-05
Exposure to online misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines could reduce vaccine uptake, threatening the goal of herd immunity.
imperial.ac.uk/news/214393/exposure-misinformation-could-make-people-refuse
Greta Thunberg effect: people familiar with young climate activist may be more likely to act
The Conversation | juancole.com | 2021-02-05
By Anandita Sabherwal and Sander van der Linden | — She was declared Time magazine’s person of the year in the same month that Donald Trump told her to “work on her anger management issues”. Greta Thunberg has attracted international attention since her lone demonstration outside the Swedish Parliament in August 2018. Her “school strike …
juancole.com/2021/02/thunberg-familiar-a…
Republicans in Congress engage in hateful Islamophobia to defend their Islamophobe, Greene
Juan Cole | juancole.com | 2021-02-05
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — In attempting to defend Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican Far Right (a.k.a. the Republican Party) has actually just taken her own as a role. They are performing Greene. Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) introduced a bill to strip Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) of her seat on the Foreign Affairs committee. Omar, …
juancole.com/2021/02/republicans-islamop…
How ExxonMobil Uses Divide and Rule to Get Its Way in South America
Vijay Prashad | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Guyana’s government used money from ExxonMobil “to meet the estimated cost in 2018 of presenting Guyana/Venezuela controversy at the International Court of Justice including payment of legal fees.” In mid-2020, the Guyanese paper Kaieteur News’ senior reporter Kiana Wilburg broke the story that the World Bank had paid $1.2 million to Hunton Andrews Kurth, a law firm long associated with ExxonMobil, to revise Guyana’s petroleum laws.
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/how-exxonmob…
Are We Not All in Search of Tomorrow
Vijay Prashad | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-05
Oswaldo Terreros (Ecuador), Mural para la Universidad Superior de las Artes (‘Mural for the University of the Arts’), 2012. In 2019, 613 million Indians voted to appoint their representatives to the Indian parliament (Lok Sabha). During the election campaign, the political parties spent Rs. 60,000 crores (around US $8 billion), 45% of which was spent …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/are-we-not-al…
It’s Now or Never — We Stare Into the Abyss
Lee Camp | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
This column is hopeful. I promise. The northern white rhinoceros is now functionally extinct. Sudan — the last male of his kind — passed away recently. There are two females remaining but obviously they can produce no more of their species without a male — and mating with nearby giraffes is not something in which they seem…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/its-now-or-n…
U.S. Should Pay Iran Reparations
David Swanson | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Why would I say such an outrageous, treasonous, delusional, OBVIOUSLY-funded-by-Putin thing? Am I hoping to enrage war-crazed sadists who’ve seen too much television “news”? Not at all. I want them to still be around when I say that it would actually be preferable for the United States to pay reparations to the entire rest of…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/u-s-should-p…
Back to Cold War 2.0
Dave Lindorff | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
A fawning liberal media and a passel of well-endowed ‘peace’ organizations like Plowshares and Council for a Livable World and self-described “progressive” organizations like MoveOn have been hailing Biden’s cabinet picks, many of them veterans of the Obama administration, claiming they will steer the US in a new direction under which diplomacy, not bluster and…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/back-to-cold…
Should People Who Want to Save the World from the Pandemic Be Demanding We Pay China to Produce Billions of Vaccine Doses?
Dean Baker | cepr.net | 2021-02-05
I have written repeatedly on how we should have been looking for a collective solution to the pandemic, where countries open-source their research and allow anyone with manufacturing capacity to produce any treatment, test, or vaccine. (We pay upfront, like with Moderna, for those wondering why anyone would do the work.) Anyhow, we obviously did …
cepr.net/should-people-who-want-to-save-…
The Decline and Fall of the American Empire
Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
In 2004, journalist Ron Susskind quoted a Bush White House advisor, reportedly Karl Rove, as boasting, “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality.” He dismissed Susskind’s assumption that public policy must be rooted in “the reality-based community.” “We’re history’s actors,” the advisor told him,…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/the-decline-…
The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell’s Brain
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as “the Guardian of Gridlock.” He was Senator “NO,” except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/the-struggle…
It’s Not Too Early to Criticize Joe Biden
Ted Rall | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Censorship in mainstream corporate American media outlets is subtle. It’s not so much that they spin the truth. It’s that they omit pertinent facts and exclude relevant points of view. So it is with politics. Among the tools available to messaging and framing experts is “flooding the field” — dominating the news with a blizzard…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/its-not-too-…
Roaming Charges: Xenophobia With a Human Face
Jeffrey St. Clair | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
+ As the Biden administration announced its intention to leave in place Trump’s border rules “for now,” it might be worth recalling when Biden’s campaign manager derisively quipped that they didn’t see Hispanics as part of their “path to victory.” + 5500 children were separated at the border in the last four years, at least 628 of them…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/roaming-char…
Vaccine heist? Florida man steals car with $10,000 worth of anti-Covid jabs, triggering nationwide alert
rt.com | 2021-02-05
Police in Florida are on the lookout for a thief who made off with a car filled with dozens of vials of coronavirus vaccine worth some $10,000, posting a nationwide alert in their hunt for the suspect. | A vehicle stolen from the Strawberry Festival Grounds in Plant City, Florida — roughly 25 miles east of Tampa — on Wednesday contained 30 vials of the immunization, a local NBC affiliate reported. | The Plant City Police Department issued a statement on the incid…
rt.com/usa/514658-vaccine-heist-florida-…
Wisconsin governor reimposes Covid-19 mask mandate after Republican-led legislature votes to repeal it
rt.com | 2021-02-05
Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin, a Democrat, issued a new statewide mask order an hour after the Republican-majority legislature voted to repeal his previous one saying he lacked the authority. | “If the legislature keeps playing politics and we don’t keep wearing masks, we’re going to see more preventable deaths, and it’s going to take even longer to get our state and our economy back on track,” Evers said on Thursday, announcing the order. | Since the beginning of this pandemic, I promised I would: | 1Ô∏è‚É£never play politics with your health | 2Ô∏è&sb…
rt.com/usa/514659-wisconsin-governor-leg…
UNICEF ??warns of an increase in female genital mutilation due to COVID-19
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-05
New York, Feb 5 (efe-epa).- The closure of schools as a result of COVID-19 and the interruption of aid programs for girls in countries where the practice of female genital mutilation is common could cause an increase in this practice in the next decade, the United Nations said Friday. “It is possible that there will …
laprensalatina.com/unicef-warns-of-an-in…
Dispatch of millions of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa expected to start in February: WHO
news.un.org | 2021-02-05
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday the joint UN-led COVAX initiative aims to start shipping about 90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa in February, in what will be the continent’s largest ever mass vaccination campaign.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2021/02/1…
COVID lockdown fuels prison suicide
| workers.org | 2021-02-05
By Miley Selena Fletcher The following letter is from a transgender incarcerated worker at SCI Forest in Pennsylvania. On Jan. 6, an inmate nicknamed Brother Bernie (Bernie Shank), who was in his 60s and doing a life sentence, came out of his cell at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Forest on . . . | Continue reading COVID lockdown fuels prison suicide at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54287/?utm_source=rs…
The Super Bowl Ends the Most Toxic Season Ever
Robert Lipsyte | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Overwhelmed by the intertwined plagues of Covid-19 and Trumpism, sports didn’t stand a chance in 2020. No wonder I’m weirded out by the strange, metaphorical moments of that last disastrous year and the first days of this one. To mention just three among so many: Dr. Anthony Fauci’s errant pitch on opening day of the…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/the-super-bo…
A short history of US imperialism and resistance
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-05
Graham Drew reviews Vijay Prashad’s new book outlining the hegemonic actions of the United States in the modern era.
greenleft.org.au/content/short-history-u…
‘We gotta have them speaking about reparations’: Rapper Ice Cube set to meet with Biden as US president vows ‘racial equity’
rt.com | 2021-02-05
As Joe Biden promises to make racial justice a top priority for his administration, rapper Ice Cube has revealed that he could soon be meeting with the US president to discuss reparations for black Americans. | In a radio interview, the iconic musical artist and actor revealed that Biden’s team had reached out to him and that plans are in motion for a White House visit later this month. He said that while he recognizes that the new administration is “really into helping all minorities,” Biden needed to back up his words by enacting “specialty programs.” | “You know me, I’m all about reparations. It seems like…
rt.com/usa/514673-ice-cub-racial-equity-…
‘America is back!’ Biden talks ‘tough’ on Russia and China, vows to reclaim ‘moral leadership & defend democracy’
rt.com | 2021-02-05
In his first major foreign policy address, President Joe Biden vowed to confront the enemies of ‘democracy’ globally, while seeking to reclaim America’s ‘moral credibility’ and leadership in LGBT and climate change issues. | Speaking at the State Department headquarters in the nation’s capital on Thursday, Biden outlined his foreign policy vision in a 20-minute address, laying out a sprawling list of priorities for his administration, among them countering supposed US “adversaries.” | “American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism, including the growing ambitions of China to rival…
rt.com/usa/514663-biden-roll-over-russia…
‘Wild Things’: Frontline activism to save the planet
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-05
Jim McIlroy and Laurie MacSween review a new documentary on Australia’s frontline environmental activists.
greenleft.org.au/content/wild-things-fro…
Behind the coup in Myanmar
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-05
A military coup took place in Burma/Myanmar, reversing the country’s ostensible shift toward civilian government. Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma’s Debbie Stothard discusses its significance with Green Left.
greenleft.org.au/content/behind-coup-mya…
Indonesia’s economy posts first year-on-year contraction in over 20 years
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-05
Jakarta, Feb 5 (efe-epa).- Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 2.07 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, its first contraction in more than two decades. Transport, export manufacturing and services were some of the sectors most impacted by the year-on-year decline, the country’s statistics bureau, Statistics Indonesia, locally known as BPS, said …
laprensalatina.com/indonesias-economy-po…
Athletic beat Betis on penalties to reach Copa del Rey last 4
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-05
Seville, Spain, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- Goalkeeper Unai Simon was the hero here Thursday for Athletic Club in their Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie with Real Betis, making two stops in the penalty shootout to put the Bilbao club in the final four. It was the 11th time the two clubs have met in the Copa …
laprensalatina.com/athletic-beat-betis-o…
Myanmar arrests prominent political leader, close aide of Suu Kyi
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-05
Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 5 (efe-epa).- Police in Myanmar arrested one of the main leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party and close aide of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, five days after a military coup. Win Htein was arrested after midnight at his daughter’s house in Yangon, the country’s former capital and …
laprensalatina.com/myanmar-arrests-promi…
Brewer Kirin to cut ties with Myanmar military in wake of coup
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-05
Tokyo, Feb 5 (efe-epa).- Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings announced Friday that it will end its two operations in Myanmar as a result of this week’s military coup in the Southeast Asian country. Kirin said the military’s actions were “against our standards and Human Rights Policy.” The Japanese multinational owns 51 percent of two Myanmar operations, …
laprensalatina.com/brewer-kirin-to-cut-t…
India’s central bank projects 10.5% growth, leaves lending rates unchanged
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-05
Srinagar, India, Feb 5 (efe-epa).- India’s economy is expected to grow at 10.5 percent in the next financial year, its central bank said on Friday, as signs of recovery have strengthened after a record-breaking slump caused by the coronavirus. Reserve Bank of India Governor Shantikanta Das also announced that they had left policy lending rates …
laprensalatina.com/indias-central-bank-p…
Colombian artists honor civil violence victims with urban memory museum
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-05
Bogota, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- They were killed by police or for defending a cause they believed in, and now their faces, painted in vivid colors on the columns of a bridge in Bogota, occupy a place in Colombia’s first open-air memory museum. Cars whiz on by on Boyaca Avenue as several street artists, perched on …
laprensalatina.com/colombian-artists-hon…
Coronavirus / Tokyo Olympics: The Japanese government’s clever way of deceiving its people
KANN | indybay.org | 2021-02-05
Please comment to the Japanese government about the Coronavirus Tokyo Olympics. There is no e-mail address, and it is not necessary to include a name. This stupid government plans to trick the world into hosting the Olympics.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/04/1883975…
Imperial College Business School launches new Centre for Digital Transformation
imperial.ac.uk | 2021-02-05
The Business School has launched a new research centre which is designed to help grow the digital economy.
imperial.ac.uk/news/214373/imperial-college-business-school-launches-centre
Climate targets require plans, which is why Morrison doesn’t want them
Kathy Fairfax | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-05
Pressure from the Biden administration’s pledges on swift climate change action seems to have pushed Scott Morrison to mention he indeed has a plan to reduce emissions, writes Pip Hinman.
greenleft.org.au/content/climate-targets…
High Court decision helps Acland farmers against coal giant
Pip Hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-05
The Oakey Coal Action Alliance has claimed victory after the High Court allows its appeal to the expansion of the New Acland coal mine to be reheard in the Queensland Land Court. Margaret Gleeson reports.
greenleft.org.au/content/high-court-deci…
‘Turkey won’t let FETàñ poison relations with Albania’
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-05
By Fatjon Cuka, Furkan Abdula, and Talha OzturkBELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Turkey will do whatever needed to prevent the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETàñ) from harming its relations with Albania, the visiting Turkish parliament speaker said on Thursday.”The Fetullah Terrorist Organization has some presence in Albania as well, like as in several Balkan countries… The terrorist group carries out its covered goals [worldwide] under the guise of education and health institutions, associations, and media,” Mustafa Sentop said, warning against the FETàñ threat in countries where it operates.”I want to…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-wont-let-fe…
Istanbul to host 1 of Turkey’s biggest rivalries
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-05
ISTANBUL (AA) – Fans in Turkey are excited to witness one of the biggest derbies of Turkish football this weekend as the winning side will gain the edge in the title race.In the most anticipated game of matchday 24, league leaders Fenerbahce will host runners-up Galatasaray at Ulker Stadium Saturday, with the whistle to blow at 1600GMT.Having won eight out of the last nine league matches, Fenerbahce had an impressive form in recent weeks, collecting 48 points in 22 matches to top the Turkish Super Lig.The Yellow Canaries actively sought to bolster their squad during the winter transfer window in a bid to end thei…
yenisafak.com/en/sports/istanbul-to-host…
UN Security Council urges democratic return in Myanmar
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-05
The UN Security Council voiced “deep concern” Thursday at the situation in Myanmar after the military overthrew the civilian government and jailed political and civil society leaders.The council decided what it said was the “arbitrary” detentions of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, as well as the military’s unilateral imposition of a state of emergency. It called for the “immediate release” of all those swept up in military raids and urged a return to democratic norms.”The members of the Security Council emphasized the need for the continued support of the democratic transition in Myanma…
yenisafak.com/en/world/un-security-counc…
Erdogan says Turkey now has 8.4M university students
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-05
The number of university students in Turkey increased from 1.6 million to 8.4 million over an 18-year period, the country’s president said on Thursday.Turkey’s higher education has reached a capacity that goes beyond our borders, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a project presentation meeting of the Council of Higher Education in the capital Ankara.He said the number of universities in Turkey has gone up from 76 to 207 and the number of staff members at these institutes increased from 70,000 to 180,000.”Our female students have an important place in this rise. The ratio of female students has increased from…
yenisafak.com/en/news/erdogan-says-turke…
Oil prices up over output cuts, positive economic data
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-05
Oil prices jumped on Friday with resolve from oil majors to adhere to production cuts and with positive US economic data that helped boost market confidence.International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $59.12 per barrel at 0646 GMT with a 0.20% increase after closing Thursday at $59 a barrel.American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) traded at $56.56 per barrel at the same time for a 0.59% increase after it ended the previous session at $56.23 a barrel.The timely and massive production cuts by OPEC members and its allies, known as OPEC , propped up prices at a time of uncertainty over when the oil mar…
yenisafak.com/en/economy/oil-prices-up-o…
Israeli army gunfire kills Palestinian man in West Bank
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-05
A Palestinian man was fatally shot Friday by Israeli forces in the central West Bank, according to a Palestinian official.Radhi Abu Fakhida, head of the village council of Ras Karkar, west of Ramallah, told Anadolu Agency that the Palestinian Civil Liaison Authority, a Palestinian body for communication with Israeli authorities, informed the family of a young man named Khaled Nofal that he had been martyred.He said the body of the martyr was in the Israeli occupation authorities’ custody.Since morning, the Israeli army has barred entry into Ras Karkar, also preventing those inside from leaving.Eyewitnesses told A…
yenisafak.com/en/world/israeli-army-gunf…
Perpetrator of French apartment fire sentenced to 25 years
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-05
A French court on Thursday sentenced the perpetrator of the 2017 fire in Mulhouse to 25 years in prison.Six people, four of them Turkish, died in the fire in an apartment building. Two Algerian nationals also died.The Colmar High Criminal Court found French defendant Aurelien Roellinger guilty of arson.A lawyer of the Turkish families, Gulcan Yasin, told Anadolu Agency that Roellinger is a dangerous and criminal person.”Those who lost their lives will not come back, but justice has been served,” she said, adding the families welcomed the decision.Ertun and Aksu families’ house in Mulhouse’s Bourtzwiller District…
yenisafak.com/en/world/perpetrator-of-fr…
Malians demonstrate against French military presence
| workers.org | 2021-02-05
By Carlos Lopes Pereira The author writes regularly on African events for the Portuguese Communist Party. This article was published in the PCP newspaper Avante on Jan. 28. Translation: John Catalinotto. There have been further protests in Mali against the presence of French troops in the Sahel. On Jan. 20, . . . | Continue reading Malians demonstrate against French military presence at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54284/?utm_source=rs…
USW calls on University of Pittsburgh to drop anti-union attack on faculty, grads
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2021-02-05
Pittsburgh, PA – The United Steelworkers (USW) union is calling on the University of Pittsburgh administration to end its anti-union campaign against the university’s graduate students and faculty in light of reports showing that the university has paid more than $2 million on union-busting attorneys in recent years. | The university paid Philadelphia ‘union avoidance’ firm Ballard Spahr nearly $900,000 during the fiscal year that ended June 30 to help the university wage campaigns to stop Pitt graduate student workers and faculty members in their simultaneous efforts to join the USW. That amount brought the tota…
www.fightbacknews.org/2021/2/4/usw-calls…
Racism in Food Systems and the Vegan Community
Beau Peters | dissidentvoice.org | 2021-02-05
Racism is one of the major social justice issues of the modern era. It can be seen in all corners of the globe, and in virtually every industry, negatively impacting minority communities and overall public health. The global food system is no exception. As a niche dietary movement, veganism is particularly problematic, with various news …
dissidentvoice.org/2021/02/racism-in-foo…
Isolatoes: From Natty Bumppo to the Proud Boys
Jonah Raskin | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
They were nearly all Isolatoes, not acknowledging the common continent of men, but each Isolato living on a separate continent of his own. Yet now, federated along one keel, what a set these Isolatoes were! — Melville, on the crew of the Pequod in Moby-Dick At various times in my life, I have lived alone and…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/isolatoes-fr…
Ain’t No Time to Wait
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
The earth is in crisis. So are all those who inhabit it. The nature of the crisis and the rapidity with which it is engulfing the planet is caused in large part by the self-defined success of capitalist economics. Although many of the wealthy who profit from an economic system designed to help them believe…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/aint-no-time…
China’s Sea of Conflict
Conn Hallinan | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Biden ‘s administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy its thornist will be its relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). How it handles issues of trade, security and human rights will either allow both countries to hammer out a working relationship or pull the US into an expensive–and unwinnable–cold war that will shelve existential threats like climate change and nuclear war.
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/chinas-sea-o…
Bipartisanship: Not All That It’s Cracked Up to Be
Andrew Levine | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Let’s stipulate, as lawyers would say, that, in politics, the best can be and often is the enemy of the good; that those who aim too high, can and often do end up worse off than need be. Let’s stipulate too that in our duopolistic electoral system, the good can be and often is the…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/bipartisansh…
Saturday 2/6: Solidarity Rally in Celebration of the Bookshop Workers Union
Support Bookshop Santa Cruz Union | indybay.org | 2021-02-05
Locust St and Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/04/1883975…
A police chief tried to stop the drug war–then they came for him
Staff | therealnews.com | 2021-02-05
An in-depth look at the obstacles to police reform. PAR examines the story of a police chief who tried to limit arrests and end the war on drugs by helping people get treatment and jobs. His efforts made the public safer, but cost him dearly.
therealnews.com/a-police-chief-tried-to-…
Trump Was On Controversial Baldness Drug
Martha Rosenberg | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
In 2018, President Trump’s doctor disclosed that the president takes finasteride, a drug marketed as Propecia to treat male pattern baldness. While it is tempting to make jokes about Trump’s hair and even the sexual side effects that accompany the drug, it also has many disturbing adverse effects and probably no other men should risk…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/trump-was-on…
Biden’s Top Foreign Policy Challenge: Avoiding a Cold War with China
Conn M. Hallinan | juancole.com | 2021-02-05
Taiwan and the South China Sea are the likeliest points of conflict — but conflict is not an option. ( Foreign Policy in Focus) — President Joe Biden’s administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy its thorniest will be its relations with the People’s Republic of China. How the new administration …
juancole.com/2021/02/foreign-challenge-a…
Looking into the sun: American author Charles Baxter’s novel The Sun Collective
wsws.org | 2021-02-05
This is Baxter’s sixth novel. His previous novels include First Light (1987), a beautiful and technically brilliant narrative told in reverse chronological order, and the magnificent The Feast of Love (2000), which was a National Book Award finalist.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/05/sunc…
Fascism is Capitalism That Really Means It
Rob Urie | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Broad characterizations of political acts are themselves political in the sense that they emerge from views of the world that give them meaning. They can be descriptive, in which case why not let political actors speak for themselves? The contemporary fear of giving a ‘platform’ to disagreeable views begs the question, how do you know they are disagreeable unless you’ve heard people out?
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/fascism-is-c…
Thursday 2/11: Regenerative Agriculture: Reversing Over Farming to Grow Climate & Food Supply Resiliency
EARTHDAY | indybay.org | 2021-02-05
Online event…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/04/1883975…
About Those Executive Orders
Eve Ottenberg | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
A strange stasis now characterizes U.S. foreign affairs, while on the domestic front, Biden roars ahead. As of January 29, he had signed 42 executive orders. Not one addresses what the U.S. does abroad. True, Biden made the superb move of resuming negotiations over the START nuclear treaty with Russia, and he rejoined the Paris Accords and the World Health Organization. But otherwise, quiet blankets the foreign policy landscape.
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/about-those-…
Dallas plans to sweep Camp Rhonda, a symbol of houseless organizing
Cooper Feste and David Greef | liberationnews.org | 2021-02-05
Over the last few months, Camp Rhonda has become a vital distribution point for resources and donations to dozens of people in desperate need of support.
liberationnews.org/dallas-plans-to-sweep…
Washington and Tehran: Who will make the first move?
Oraib AlRantawi | juancole.com | 2021-02-05
( Middle East Monitor) — From the outside, the heated debate between Tehran and Washington seems as though it could be summarised by the question: Which side will make the first move? Tehran wants Washington, which was responsible for violating its obligations and inflicting heavy losses on Iran, to start by lifting all additional sanctions …
juancole.com/2021/02/washington-tehran-f…
Riots Don’t Change Systems: There’s No Shortcut to Organizing
Pete Dolack | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
You say you want a revolution? There are no “lessons” for anyone on the Left to draw from the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol building in Washington. If we were to set aside for a moment the fascistic nature of the mob, egged by on former President Donald Trump and his minions (which I am…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/riots-dont-c…
Can Former President Trump Really Save The GOP?>
oneworld.press | 2021-02-05
Even if all goes according to plan, then the only way that Trump can convince the MAGA members to remain loyal to the GOP is to focus almost exclusively on their hatred for the Democrats since he can no longer appeal to them from his earlier anti-establishment angle after allying with the RINOs.
oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=view&id=1907
The Year of the Aurochs
Lee Hall | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
On the 12th of February, the Year of the Ox begins. Let’s call it the Year of the Aurochs (Bos primigenius): primordial oxen, the ancestors of cows. They carved paths through the woodlands and steppes of Europe, North Africa and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years, until 1627, when the last living aurochs was…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/the-year-of-…
The Origins of Trump’s Attempted Coup
Charlotte Dennett | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
A Conversation with Buzzflash founder Mark Karlin As the DC drama heats up over the level of Trump’s involvement in the January 6 insurrection, it is imperative to pay attention to the Investigative journalists who have been tracking and revealing Republican skullduggery long before the Age of Trump, going as far back to the Clinton…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/the-origins-…
Thursday 2/18: The History and Future of Affirmative Action in California
KQED of San Francisco | indybay.org | 2021-02-05
Online Event…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/03/1883975…
Warriors Dreaming: Can Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Be Stopped?
Rebecca Wildbear | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Flowering sage covers the desert. Layers of rolling hills and a few rocky cliffs shape the horizon. I wander up a dry creek bed lined with trees on Thacker Pass in Humboldt County, Nevada. The dry air is thick with the fragrance of sage, mixed with juniper and pinion. I imagine the artery of long-awaited…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/warriors-dre…
Can Former President Trump Really Save The GOP?>
oneworld.press | 2021-02-05
Even if all goes according to plan, then the only way that Trump can convince the MAGA members to remain loyal to the GOP is to focus almost exclusively on their hatred for the Democrats since he can no longer appeal to them from his earlier anti-establishment angle after allying with the RINOs.
oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=view&id=1907
Earthworks report reveals CA fails to safely manage radioactive and toxic oil wells
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2021-02-05
Estela Garcia, impacted resident and member of the Committee for a Better Arvin,” said, “In my community, there are many people who are sick – with asthma, with allergies, and many many people suffering from cancer. Here in Arvin, there are wells near schools and near apartments. There are wells that supposedly aren’t operating, but a terrible smell comes to you if you get close to these sites.” | “This pollution affects everyone in the community. So if you ask me, ‘what would you change in your community’, I’d say ‘get the wells out of our communities as much as possible,” concluded Garcia.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/03/1883975…
Insurrection or Menacing Mashup of Misrecognition?
John O’Kane | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
The mob that swarmed the capitol on January 6th was ill-prepared to mount an insurrection and seize power, performing a coup de gras to civility but coming well shy of delivering a revolutionary punch. A few of its factions are surely “counting coup” in anticipation of another performance, to lift a scoring ruse from native…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/insurrection…
Reviewing Anti-Black Terror: Works on Afro-pessimism, Multiracialism and Perpetual Slavery
Daniel Falcone | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-05
Introduction This essay analyzes the questions, issues, frameworks and events that define the concept of Afro-pessimism advanced by Frank B. Wilderson III. I contextualize the works of Saidiya Hartman and Jared Sexton as antecedents to Afro-pessimism in order to explain the themes of racial violence found in terror, slavery, and antiblackness. The authors and titles…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/05/reviewing-an…
Farmer protest: It seems India is at war with itself
George Stacey | nationofchange.org | 2021-02-05
The demonstrators are requesting that Mr. Modi repeal farming laws that would limit the public authority’s job in horticulture and open more space for private financial specialists.
nationofchange.org/2021/02/04/farmer-pro…
California’s Bulldozer ‘Restoration’: From the Ballona Wetlands to the Delta
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2021-02-05
“Our Governor’s cabinet members just announced a series of initiatives that support ‘Nature Based Solutions’ to counter climate change. So, how does Governor Newsom justify a project to bulldoze and excavate more than 2.5 million cubic yards of soil, paving the way for a new fossil fuel infrastructure for the aging gas storage field under this ecological reserve?” asked attorney Bryan Pease.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/03/1883975…
Vaccination of Palestinians To Begin with Russia’s Sputnik V
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
This batch consists of 10,000 doses of the prophylactic preparation and should arrive this Thursday, said the expert, who said that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) also purchased two million doses of other formulations, which will be enough to vaccinate one million citizens. | The vaccines will arrive here between February 14 and 20, said Alkaila, quoted by the Wafa news agency. | RELATED: | Palestine on the Verge of a Total COVID-19 Lockdown | The health minister said that the P…
telesurenglish.net/news/Vaccination-of-P…
Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal: The Political Economy of Saving the Planet (Book)
NationofChange Staff | nationofchange.org | 2021-02-04
The issues inherent in the climate crisis as well as the solutions are complex, but Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin do an excellent job of presenting a clear and actionable analysis of both. If you are looking for a solution based, well thought out approach to the biggest existential threat to humanity today, this book …
nationofchange.org/2021/02/03/climate-cr…
‘What I Want For Me, I Want For You’
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
The 1,400 workers at Hunts Point Market, the largest produce distribution market in the country, went on strike the night of Sunday, January 17. They walked out of the warehouse to win a better contract after risking their lives as essential workers since the beginning of the pandemic. | Management offered them a minimal $0.32 per hour raise. Their demands? Bring members who are making $18.75 an hour up to $20 an hour, give everyone else a $1 an hour raise, and maintain their healthcare coverage at no additional costs to the workers. This was the first time the union, Teamsters Local 202, went on strike since at…
popularresistance.org/what-i-want-for-me…
American Healthcare System Failed Black Americans
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
There are certain policy positions that are such a slam dunk that if someone does not support them, I can’t take anything they say seriously, nor can I trust their judgement. Medicare for All is one of those polices. It is the most pro-black legislation in mainstream political discourse right now. Our black leaders, such as Jim Clyburn, teaming up with health insurance companies and Big Pharma, are why the state of healthcare in the African American community is so bleak, as I laid out in my previous article | Liberals, for good reason, hold social wedge issues as their primary litmus test. Can you imagine a stan…
popularresistance.org/american-healthcar…
The Palestinian boycott of Israel is not racist, it is anti-racist
Ramzy Baroud | zcomm.org | 2021-02-04
The boycott movement aims to hold the oppressor colonial state of Israel accountable as it places a price tag on its military occupation and apartheid…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-palestinian-bo…
Cowardly History: Australia Day and Invasion
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
It’s the sort of stuff that should have been sorted years ago in Australia: a murderous, frontier society ill disposed to the indigenous populace; the creation of a convict colony that was itself an act of invasion rather than settlement; the theft of land and its rapacious plunder. Even some of the rough colonists were…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/cowardly-his…
After COVID, Davos Moves to The “Great Reset”
F. William Engdahl | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-04
The WEF is about to unveil what will transform the way we all live in. This all fits into an agenda that has been planned for decades by old wealth families such as Rockefeller and Rothschild. Brzezinski called it the end of the sovereign nation state. David Rockefeller called it “one world government.”
globalresearch.ca/after-covid-davos-move…
Great.com Interviews CEPR about Climate Change, Social Security, and a Global Response to COVID
Dan Beeton | cepr.net | 2021-02-04
Spirit Rosenberg from Great.com interviewed CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot as part of their “Great.com Talks With…” podcast. This series seeks to provide an antidote to negative news stories and aims to shed light on organizations and experts whose work is making a positive impact on the world. The interview examines the question of how research …
cepr.net/great-com-interviews-cepr-about…
The COVID-19 RT-PCR Test: How to Mislead All Humanity. Using a “Test” To Lock Down Society
Dr. Pascal Sacré | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-04
The misuse of the RT-PCR technique is used as an intentional strategy by some governments, supported by scientific safety councils and by the dominant media, to justify the violation of a large number of constitutional rights, the destruction of the economy with the bankruptcy of entire active sectors of society,…
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-rt-pcr-how-to…
EU Open To Use of Approved COVID-19 Vaccines
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said that COVID-19 vaccines from Russia and China could be approved for use in the European Union (EU) if their full information is submitted. | RELATED: | Russia Applies for Registration of Sputnik V Vaccine in the EU | If Chinese producers “show all the data… then they could get… a conditional market authorization like the other ones,” von der Leyen said. | One of the criteria for the EU contracts for vaccines…
telesurenglish.net/news/EU-Open-To-Use-o…
Western Australia: COVID-19, fires and the fossil fuel premier
Pip Hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-04
The Western Australian election is shaping up as a referendum on the Labor government’s handling of COVID-19, with pundits expecting it to be returned with an increased majority, reports Sam Wainwright.
greenleft.org.au/content/western-austral…
Europe still wary of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as Dutch scientific advisers recommend limiting jab to under-65s
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The Dutch Health Council has followed other medical regulators in limiting its approval of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to those aged under 65, as it issued a warning about the jab’s efficacy due to limited data. | The regulator recommended on Thursday that the first available doses of the vaccine be given to people aged 60 to 65, as well as those with medical conditions which put them at greater risk of serious illness and death from the virus. | However, the council said the efficacy of the vaccine in people over 55 cannot be calculated due to the limited number of volunteers from that age group in phase…
rt.com/news/514641-netherlands-astrazene…
Covering Up Workplace Covid-19
Marc Norton | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an excellent article on Sunday, January 31 about the failure of the California Public Health Department (CDPH) to abide by state law requiring the agency to disclose information about COVID-19 outbreaks in the workplace, and about the failure of county public health departments, including San Francisco, to disclose information about…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/covering-up-…
Cuba develops COVID-19 vaccines, takes socialist approach
W. T. Whitney Jr. | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-04
Cuba’s socialist approach to developing vaccines against Covid-19 differs strikingly from that of capitalist nations of the world developing vaccines. Socialist Cuba’s production of four vaccines is grounded in science, in a dedication to saving the lives of all Cubans, and in international solidarity. Cuba is the only vaccine manufacturer in Latin America; there are …
peoplesworld.org/article/cuba-develops-c…
Selected Articles: Towards 2030, NATO Is Shaping Our Future
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-04
Is It True that the New Covid Variants Are Very Dangerous? | By Rosemary Frei, February 04 2021 | According to what we hear from officials and the mainstream media, the new variants are the most dangerous and unpredictable beings since | …
globalresearch.ca/selected-articles-towa…
“COVID-19 The Great Reset” — “Delete” Humanity
Peter Koenig | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-04
All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The Big Picture of the plan is clear. It plays out …
globalresearch.ca/covid-19-great-reset-d…
We Did Not “Lose” Loved Ones and Normal Life to COVID. They Were Stolen
William rivers Pitt | zcomm.org | 2021-02-04
Please Help ZNet Source: Truthout Photo by Steve Sanchez Photos/Shutterstock.com There is a great deal of talk about “loss” as we slog into the newest month of this long COVID winter. The lost lives — more than 441,000 people in the U.S. alone — are top of mind. The loss of Read…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/we-did-not-lose-lo…
Minnesota: AFSCME members at Hennepin County score major win
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2021-02-04
Minneapolis, MN – At the Hennepin County Commissioner meeting, February 2, the vote passed unanimously to enact a Board Action Request (BAR) that will allow extension of COVID Child Care Leave for an additional 160 hours. Although it does not extend at full pay as the union requested, the passage of this BAR represents a major step forward for parents and caregivers who work for Hennepin County. The union members in AFSCME locals representing Hennepin County workers had been campaigning actively for full pay. | Ronisha Buckner, who is a mother of one, works as human services representative and is sergeant of arms…
www.fightbacknews.org/2021/2/4/minnesota…
Spanish Morenoite Izquierda Diario denounces social distancing for COVID-19
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
Despite the mounting toll from the coronavirus pandemic, the Morenoites are bitterly hostile to lock-down measures needed to halt the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/spai…
In Push for Global Vaccine Equity, US AIDS Program PEPFAR Offers Blueprint
Staff | truthout.org | 2021-02-04
As the U.S. COVID death toll tops 450,000, the Biden administration is attempting to ramp up its vaccination campaign to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants. Meanwhile, health experts warn any vaccination progress in the United States will be threatened without global vaccine equity. “We need to, as quickly as possible, expand access to the vaccines, both in this country, in the United States, as well as around the world,” says Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the ICAP at Columbia University…
truthout.org/video/in-push-for-global-va…
How the Covid-19 pandemic impacted migration through the Mediterranean
Katherine Hearst | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-04
How the Covid-19 pandemic impacted migration through the Mediterranean | While the European Union boasts of low numbers attempting the treacherous journey in 2020, migrants and rescue organisations paint a different picture | Katherine Hearst | Thu, 02/04/2021 – 11: 21 | People rescued at sea sit on the deck of the Ocean Viking rescue ship, operated by French NGO, SOS Mediterranee, in the Mediterranean Sea o…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/covid-europe-…
COVID tester at Amazon facility in Virginia dies suddenly of unexplained causes
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
While Amazon is one of the richest companies in the world, her family has been unable to afford an autopsy to determine the cause of her death, which was quoted at $7,600.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/amaz…
Portugal records worst rate of Covid-19 cases in the world
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
In a de facto warning to the working class throughout Europe, experts estimate the British variant accounts for up to 40 percent of all new cases.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/port…
Imperial staff reflect on a challenging year — and their hopes for the future
imperial.ac.uk | 2021-02-04
In a new video, Imperial staff at the heart of the COVID-19 response share their thoughts on the challenges of 2020 — and hopes for the future.
imperial.ac.uk/news/213833/imperial-staff-reflect-challenging-year-their
Minnesota: AFSCME members at Hennepin County score major win
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2021-02-04
Minneapolis, MN – At the Hennepin County Commissioner meeting, February 2, the vote passed unanimously to enact a Board Action Request (BAR) that will allow extension of COVID Child Care Leave for an additional 160 hours. Although it does not extend at full pay as the union requested, the passage of this BAR represents a major step forward for parents and caregivers who work for Hennepin County. The union members in AFSCME locals representing Hennepin County workers had been campaigning actively for full pay. | Ronisha Buckner, who is a mother of one, works as human services representative and is sergeant of arms…
fightbacknews.org/2021/2/4/minnesota-afs…
The So-Called Moderna Vaccine Is a Publicly Funded Miracle
Alex Lawson | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
The so-called “Moderna” vaccine is a miracle of science. It is nearly 100 percent effective at preventing serious illness and death. By vaccinating the world, we can end the COVID-19 pandemic and save millions of lives. The only problem? We don’t have nearly enough doses. But there’s a solution: If the Biden administration allowed generic manufacturers, not…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/the-so-calle…
The Never Ending COVID Crisis
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
It was in early 2020 that the word COVID-19 entered the lexicon. In the past year more than 440,000 people in the United States have died from this disease. The impact of shutdowns meant to end the spread of disease have cost millions of people their jobs, and businesses large and small no longer exist at all. COVID-19 has proven that the political system is devoted to the interests of the billionaire class and is therefore incapable of acting in the interests of the people. | The vaccines which hold some promise are distributed by the same for-profit entities that run what passes for a health care system in this…
popularresistance.org/the-never-ending-c…
Biden’s COVID Guy Says Doubling Face Diapers Could Increase Virus Spread
Daniel Chaitin | anti-empire.com | 2021-02-04
An infectious disease expert says wearing two face masks may increase the chances of getting infected by COVID-19. | Michael Osterholm, who was a member of the Biden Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, gave a second opinion after Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that doubling up on face masks “likely” provides more protection than wearing just one mask. | “When we talk about double masking, remember what we’re really talking about is just trying to prevent th…
anti-empire.com/bidens-covid-guy-says-do…
Wednesday 2/3: Dicussion on Science of COVID Vaccines & Inequities Contributing to Vaccine Hesitancy
March for Science | indybay.org | 2021-02-04
Online event…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/03/1883974…
Covid, climate, and ‘dual metabolic rupture’
Eds. | mronline.org | 2021-02-04
We thought climate catastrophe the main danger. Now we know there is another. A double-whammy ecological crisis threatens collapse into dystopian chaos.
mronline.org/2021/02/04/covid-climate-an…
“Viruses Know No Borders”: In Push for Global Vaccine Equity, U.S. AIDS Program Offers Blueprint
Staff | democracynow.org | 2021-02-04
As the U.S. COVID death toll tops 450,000, the Biden administration is attempting to ramp up its vaccination campaign to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants. Meanwhile, health experts warn any vaccination progress in the United States will be threatened without global vaccine equity. “We need to, as quickly as possible, expand access to the vaccines, both in this country, in the United States, as well as around the world,” says Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the ICAP at Columbia University and professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. She argues that the U.S.
www.democracynow.org/2021/2/4/global_cov…
New York’s COVID-19 nursing home deaths severely undercounted while Cuomo forced out public health officials
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
Nursing home deaths in the state due to the pandemic have been drastically undercounted by nearly 50 percent.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/home…
Church of England launches investigation after clergyman calls fans of WWII hero Captain Tom a ‘CULT OF WHITE BRITISH NATIONALISM’
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The Church of England is investigating one of its clergymen after he posted a Twitter message smearing fans of WWII veteran Captain Tom Moore, who died this week of Covid-19, as being part of a “cult of white British nationalism.” | The Rev. Jarel Robinson-Brown tweeted on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be taking part in a national clap to honor Moore, who died at the age of 100 after raising nearly 33 million pounds for the National Health Service in a funds-raising walk. “The cult of Captain Tom is a cult of white British nationalism,” Robinson-Brown said. “I will offer prayers for the repose of his kind and gen…
rt.com/uk/514653-clergy-captain-tom-cult…
A better future after COVID-19
European Attac Network | indybay.org | 2021-02-04
The costs of the crisis must be paid out of large private fortunes and through the taxation of speculative capital on the financial markets. The billions of euros in dividends that companies will have to pay to their shareholders on the basis of profits generated in 2019 must not be distributed. Instead, these funds must be used to tackle the crisis.
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/03/1883974…
Anne Feeney, Folk Singer And Political Activist, Dies At 69
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
Anne Feeney, the legendary Pittsburgh folk singer-songwriter and self-described rabble-rouser, has died of COVID at age 69. | Her daughter, Amy Sue Berlin, shared the news in a Facebook post on Wednesday night, writing, in part, “It is with a very heavy heart that we must announce the passing of our courageous, brilliant, beautiful mother, Anne Feeney. We were very lucky that she fought hard enough to open up her eyes, and give us a couple days to be with her before she finally decided it was time to let go.” | “It is with a very heavy heart that we must announce the passing of our courageous, brilliant, beautifu…
popularresistance.org/anne-feeney-folk-s…
UK: Captain Sir Tom Moore’s death used to boost politics of “national unity”
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
It is a feature of a decaying social order that it turns the good and the sincere into the grotesque and sordid. Those supposedly honouring Moore’s life are the same people who carried out and oversaw policies which have led to over 100,000 COVID-19 deaths in the last year–the majority of them elderly people.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/capt…
Uruguay Detects the Brazilian COVID-19 Strain in Its Territory
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
Uruguay’s Pasteur Institute biologist Lucia Spangenberg on Thursday confirmed the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 strain “P.2”. | RELATED: | Uruguay Secures COVID-19 Vaccines With Pfizer and Sinovac | The researchers analyzed samples from eleven COVID-19 positive patients, five of whom were identified with the P.2 variant. | The strain has more presence in Brazil’s State Rio Grande do Sul that borders the Artigas, Rivera, and Rocha departments where the survey was conducted. | Uruguayan…
telesurenglish.net/news/Uruguay-Detects-…
What They Said About Lockdowns Before 2020
Amelia Janaskie | anti-empire.com | 2021-02-04
In 2020, beliefs about how to handle a new virus shifted massively. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, mainstream epidemiology and public health entities doubted — or even rejected — the efficacy of lockdowns and mass quarantines because they were considered ineffective. This all changed in March 2020, when sentiment flipped in support of lockdown measures. Still, there is a vast body of evidence explaining their original stance and why these mandates do not work. | Fauci said that…
anti-empire.com/what-they-said-about-loc…
The PCR Test does not Identify the Virus: Covid “False Positives” Used to Justify the Lockdown and Closure of the National Economy
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2021-02-04
We are led to believe that the corona epidemic has entered into a Second Wave, and that the virus is spreading relentlessly. That’s a lie. | The PCR test used to estimate covid positive cases is flawed. There is no second | …
globalresearch.ca/the-pcr-test-does-not-…
Chile Launches Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
Chile’s Health Minister Enrique Paris Wednesday reported that over 140,000 people received the COVID-19 vaccine on the first day of the mass vaccination campaign. | RELATED: | Chile Convicts Dictatorship’s Ex-Agents for Poisoning Prisoners | Among those who received the first dose, there were 23,942 people over 90 years old, 66 percent of whom were women. | National Service for Minors’ officials, health workers, and students in practice were also vaccinated. | From Feb. 8 to 1…
telesurenglish.net/news/Chile-Launches-M…
COVAX Will Supply the First Batch of Vaccines for Africa
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti announced that this continent will receive 90 million doses of COVID-19’s vaccines this month. | RELATED: | South African President Proposes Nobel Prize for Cuban Doctors | The first batch will be delivered through the United Nations COVID-19 Vaccines mechanism (COVAX), which notified African countries that most of the doses were produced by AstraZeneca. | Moeti affirmed Africa has been marginaliz…
telesurenglish.net/news/COVAX-Will-Suppl…
Quebec teachers’ union rules “out of order” motion condemning government’s reopening of schools amid pandemic
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
After refusing to call a single membership meeting on the COVID-19 crisis since schools reopened in August, one of Quebec’s largest local teacher unions ruled “out of order” a motion calling for an emergency meeting to discuss what actions teachers should take to fight the pandemic.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/cate…
Bay Area movement: ‘Mass releases, not mass deaths!’
Judy Greenspan | workers.org | 2021-02-04
Oakland, Calif. Courtney Morris of No Justice Under Capitalism speaks at Port of Oakland rally. Jan. 31 — Today as a plane pulled a banner, “Newsom: Free prisoners 2 stop Covid deaths,” through the sky over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, protesters held signs against “State execution by COVID 19” . . . | Continue reading Bay Area movement: ‘Mass releases, not mass deaths!’ at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54243/?utm_source=rs…
There’s No Secret Chinese Hand In Myanmar’s State Of Emergency
Andrew Korybko | thealtworld.com | 2021-02-04
The People’s Republic isn’t involved in the Tatmadaw’s state of emergency, but falsely claiming otherwise is yet another attempt by self-interested forces to pressure Biden into continuing Trump’s anti-Chinese policies. | American media has gone wild speculating about a secret Chinese hand in Myanmar’s recent decision to announce a year-long state of emergency. The country’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, detained members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) on Monday in response to what it claimed was their refusal to seriously consider its concerns about November’s contested elections. The Tatmadaw lega…
thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/theres-no…
Manifestantes apoyan a los huelguistas en Batavia, N.Y
Arjae Red | workers.org | 2021-02-04
Manifestantes se reúnen frente a la valla de alambre de púas de la detención del ICE en Batavia, Nueva York, el 19 de enero. En noviembre de 2020, los inmigrantes encarcelados en la cárcel del condado de Bergen, en Nueva Jersey, iniciaron una huelga de hambre para protestar por las . . . | Continue reading Manifestantes apoyan a los huelguistas en Batavia, N.Y. at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54239/?utm_source=rs…
111 NGOs Call On Biden To Close Guantánamo
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
On February 2, more than a hundred non-governmental organizations joined a letter led by the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Center for Victims of Torture, urging President Joe Biden to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and end indefinite military detention. The letter is signed by organizations ranging from those working to end anti-Muslim discrimination and torture to immigrant rights organizations and organizations working broadly on civil rights, civil liberties, and racial justice at the national and local level. It emphasizes the devastating and ongoing consequences of the prison, including…
popularresistance.org/111-ngos-call-on-b…
Police Officers Rescue 49 Migrants Near the US-Mexico Border
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
Mexico’s police agents Wednesday rescued 49 migrants who were begging for help from an abandoned lot in the Reynosa city in the Tamaulipas state, near the U.S. border. | RELATED: | Mexico: 60 Percent of Oxygen Tanks Robberies are Prosecuted | “Local police came to the rescue after a neighbor alerted about people screaming from a field turned into a camp by human traffickers,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated. | Fourteen of the migrants were from El Salvador, five from Guatemala, 22 from…
telesurenglish.net/news/Mexico-Police-Of…
Thursday 2/11: Islam, Immigration & Women’s Rights: Ending Marginalization and Assault of Immigrant Women
Inforum at Commonwealth Club | indybay.org | 2021-02-04
Online event…
indybay.org/newsitems/2021/02/03/1883974…
Immigrant/refugee rights: It’s now or never, Joe
Teresa Gutierrez | workers.org | 2021-02-04
Since the beginning of the most recent war on immigrants — which took shape starting in 2006 with the hypercriminalization of undocumented workers — the U.S. Congress has repeatedly talked of passing legislation labeled “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” to right some of those wrongs. We are long past “reforms,” however. Conditions . . . | Continue reading Immigrant/refugee rights: It’s now or never, Joe at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54249/?utm_source=rs…
Migrant Deportations Continue Despite Biden’s Policies
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to deport migrants despite president Joe Biden’s 100-day moratorium on deporting most people in the U.S. without authorization. This decision was barred by a federal judge in Texas last week. | During the first days of Biden’s administration, ICE has deported hundreds of immigrants, including 269 people, to Guatemala and Honduras last Friday. The agency has been accused of violating human rights as a coalition of immigrant groups denounced that Cameroonian asylum seekers were tortured to be forced to approve their deportations.
popularresistance.org/migrant-deportatio…
After Years of Outrage Politics, RepubliQans have surrendered to the Neo-Nazi Conspiracy Theorists
Juan Cole | juancole.com | 2021-02-04
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — From Sarah Palin’s alarmist and mendacious charge of death panels in the Affordable Health Act to Benghazi, where the smarmy Mike Pompeo tried to hang a terrorist attack around the neck of secretary of state Hillary Clinton (who was not in charge of military or intelligence decisions), the brand of …
juancole.com/2021/02/republiqans-surrend…
Pelosi Calls McCarthy a Member of the “Q” Party After Failure to Act on Greene
Staff | truthout.org | 2021-02-04
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) referred to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) as a member of the “Q” political party after House Republicans failed to take any action against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia). | Pelosi released the statement following news that the Republican caucus would not remove Greene, a supporter of QAnon, from the House Budget and Education panels. Greene has been criticized for espousing anti-Semitism and conspiracies, includin…
truthout.org/articles/pelosi-calls-mccar…
Indigenous People and Justice in Nicaragua’s North Caribbean Coast
Tortilla con Sal | telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
Nicaragua’s Revista Tortilla con Sal spoke with Loyda Martinez, Sole Local Judicial Authority of the Municipality of Waspam, Rio Coco, to learn how the Indigenous community of the Autonomous Region of the Northern Caribbean Coast (RACCN) is defending itself against the usurpation of its lands. TeleSUR shares the full interview. | RELATED: | Nicaragua: Virtual Reality and Human Rights | – We would like you to explain the Indigenous people’s property remediation process and about the cases you have…
telesurenglish.net/news/Indigenous-Peopl…
Indigenous peoples reclaim the National Bison Range
Amanda Mills | nationofchange.org | 2021-02-04
“We are such a place-based people. To have this land back, to be in control of it, is a fresh, new hope.”
nationofchange.org/2021/02/04/indigenous…
February Dispatch — Crisis Creates Opportunities to Win
claudia | dsausa.org | 2021-02-04
Enjoy your February Dispatch! This month, Amazon’s wage theft; labor, cultural, ecosocialist, and political education events; and opportunities to get involved with DSA organizing in your workplace and around the country. Read on for more! From Maria: Crisis Creates Opportunities to Win Tonight, Thursday 2/4 — On The Front Lines of the Philippine Labor Movement…
dsausa.org/news/feb2021dispatch/
PDF of February 4 issue
Workers World Party | workers.org | 2021-02-04
Download the 12-page PDF. BAmazon Union Which side are you on? GM 1937, Amazon 2021 NFL union solidarity ALSO: Drug homicide law kills; Laundry workers victory; Georgia plant deaths; Biden and immigration; Neutralize the fascists. Editorial: Demonizing China. The legendary Cicely Tyson. GLOBAL: China gains; India strikes continue; Mali protests. . . . | Continue reading PDF of February 4 issue at Workers.org…
workers.org/2021/02/54260/?utm_source=rs…
Amazon Is Using AI-Equipped Cameras In Delivery Vans
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
Amazon drivers at some U.S. facilities will soon have an extra set of eyes watching them when they hit the road to make their daily deliveries. | The company recently began testing AI-equipped cameras in vehicles to monitor contracted delivery drivers while they’re on the job, with the aim of improving safety. | Amazon has deployed the cameras in Amazon-branded cargo vans used by a handful of companies that are part of its delivery service partner program, which are largely responsible for last-mile deliveries. The cameras could be rolled out to additional DSPs over time, and Amazon has already distributed an ins…
popularresistance.org/amazon-is-using-ai…
How ExxonMobil Uses Divide And Rule To Get Its Way
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
Tensions rise between neighboring Guyana and Venezuela over a piece of land that has been disputed since at least 1835. Both Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali and Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro have exchanged sharp words about the status of the Essequibo region, which both countries claim. Since 1990, the two countries have pursued their claims through a United Nations “good offices” process; as recently as 2013, President Maduro and Guyana’s then-President Donald Ramotar said that the discussions over Essequibo were “going well” under this UN framework. | Everything changed in 2015, and since then the tensions…
popularresistance.org/how-exxonmobil-use…
‘Right-Wing Media Attack Arauz to Halt His Victory’ Expert Say
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
Argentine political scientist Atilio Boron on Wednesday denounced that the Latin American mainstream media is harassing Andres Arauz in an attempt to prevent his victory in the Ecuadorian presidential elections on February 7. | RELATED: | Ecuador: Arauz Leads Majority of Polls for February 7 Elections | On Monday, for instance, the Buenos Aires outlet Clarin reported that the leftist candidate got the Sputnik V vaccine in Argentina last month. | “The information is based on uni…
telesurenglish.net/news/Political-Scient…
It’s Now Or Never — We Stare Into The Abyss
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
This column is hopeful. I promise. | The northern white rhinoceros is now functionally extinct. Sudan — the last male of his kind — passed away recently. There are two females remaining but obviously they can produce no more of their species without a male — and mating with nearby giraffes is not something in which they seem interested. | This is not the end but the beginning. | This is still the beginning of a great extinction, the sixth great extinction in earth’s history and the first one caused by humans. The others were caused by things like massive asteroid impacts creating damage equivale…
popularresistance.org/its-now-or-never-w…
The Digital Police State Is Being Institutionalized Throughout the Western World
Paul Craig Roberts | thealtworld.com | 2021-02-04
This report sounds like science fiction, but it comes from a credentialed source and is posted on a respected website. If correct, the only possible conclusion is that a police state is being institutionalized throughout the Western world and perhaps all of the world. If correct, the report certainly validates my conclusion that the digital revolution is the worst disaster ever to befall humanity, and it validates my conclusion that no Western government represents the people. PCR | Implanted “Vaccine Package” ID: Germany’s Parliament Has Ratified GAVI’s Digital “Agenda ID2020” | By Peter Koenig, Global Research…
thealtworld.com/paul_craig_roberts/the-d…
Why Always Israel? Only One Country Matters to Congress and the Media
Philip Giraldi | thealtworld.com | 2021-02-04
Pandering to Israel as part of the political process in the United States has become part of the DNA of both major parties. | The job of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations must have some kind of curse on it as it seems to attract a type of woman who seeks to prove her suitability by running up a tally of how many wars she can start and how many people she can kill. One recalls fondly Bill Clinton’s monstrous Madeleine Albright, who famously declared the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children as “worth it” due to the sanctions that Washington had imposed and enforced. And then there was Barack Obama’s darling Samanth…
thealtworld.com/philip_giraldi/why-alway…
OCHA: Protection of Civilians Report | 19 January — 1 February 2021
OCHA | imemc.org | 2021-02-04
The United Nations Office for the Coordination Of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA-OP): Latest development (outside the reporting period) On 3 February, the Israeli authorities demolished or confiscated 21 structures in Humsa al Bqai’a, two days after the previous operation took place, as described below. The two military operations displaced 60 people, …
imemc.org/article/ocha-protection-of-civ…
Biden ending US ‘support for offensive operations’ in Yemen doesn’t mean actual end to war, skeptics caution as activists rejoice
rt.com | 2021-02-04
While peace activists cheered the news that the US will be ending its support for Saudi-led “offensive operations” in Yemen, that’s a far cry from actually ending the six-year war that began with Barack Obama’s tacit blessing. | National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan previewed the Yemen announcement ahead of President Joe Biden’s major foreign policy speech on Thursday, telling reporters the decision “extends to the types of offensive operations that have perpetuated a civil war in Yemen that has led to a humanitarian crisis,” and that it does not apply to US operations against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsu…
rt.com/news/514642-biden-yemen-war-opera…
US Cuts Support to Saudis, Freezes Arms Sales Over Yemen Crisis
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
The United States has announced an end to the Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen, citing how the bombing campaign has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. | The announcement came during a visit of Joe Biden to the State Department on Thursday, one of the multiple drastic foreign policy shifts made since his January 20th inauguration. | RELATED: | US Government Freezes Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE | “This war has to end,” Biden said. “And to underscor…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Cuts-Support-…
Biden ends US support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen
Ali Harb | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-04
Biden ends US support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen | War in Yemen ‘has to end’, Joe Biden says in first foreign policy-focused address as president | Ali Harb | Thu, 02/04/2021 – 17: 01 | Conflict in Yemen is world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to UN (Reuters/File photo) | US President Joe Biden announced the end of US support for a Saudi-led coalition that is waging war in Yemen, in a major policy reversal from…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-saudi-a…
NACOSH unveils comprehensive job safety/health strengthening plan
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2021-02-04
HOUSTON–One year after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, Marcos Vasquez, a 20-year day labor construction worker in Houston, still toils for employers who won’t provide him an anti-viral mask. Or gloves. Or other personal protective equipment. “There’s not enough social distancing,” he adds. “The bathrooms” on worksites “are dirty and they lack water and …
peoplesworld.org/article/nacosh-unveils-…
A Museum Dedicated to Stalin: An Example of How to Deal With Historical Memory
Monika Zgustova | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
Before the pandemic started, I was invited to give a series of talks at the University of Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia. Taking advantage of my day off, I went to visit the Stalin Museum in Gori. The road runs parallel to the Caucasus with its imposing, snow-covered peaks. And it runs close past…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/a-museum-ded…
The Resilience Doctrine: Mutual Aid in the Pandemic and Beyond
Zoltan Grossman | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
Part 4 of a 4-part Primer on Disaster Collectivism in the Climate and Pandemic Crises At The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Washington, our winter-quarter class on “Catastrophe: Community Resilience in the Face of Disaster” began in early January 2020, so our students had early warning of coronavirus as it began to spread around the…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/the-resilien…
Keeping Chicago schools closed during the pandemic is not negotiable!
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
We are fighting to mobilize opposition to any agreement reached by CPS and the CTU to reopen schools, and to prepare for general strike action with the broader working class.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/chi-…
Mutual Aid in the Pandemic and Beyond
Zoltan Grossman | zcomm.org | 2021-02-04
Communities that are proactive and plan ahead will be the communities that survive the disaster, rather than those that respond wildly and ineffectively as the crisis shatters familiar norms…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/mutual-aid-in-the-…
Food Not Bombs Aims To Bring More Than Just Food
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
New Paltz, NY – Every Wednesday, a mix of New Paltz college students and locals congregate in a small workspace just outside of town. It may look like they’re just cooking and packing food to deliver to needy families, but it’s really more than that. | “Like when people say, ‘serving the community,’ well, we want to build a community,” said Katari Sisa, a volunteer for Food Not Bombs New Paltz. | Sisa, a recent graduate of SUNY New Paltz, has been involved at the organization for the last four years now. Sisa says that giving back is necessary right now, with a pandemic raging and, according to data collected by…
popularresistance.org/food-not-bombs-aim…
The Decline and Fall of the American Empire
Medea Benjamin | zcomm.org | 2021-02-04
We need to rapidly and profoundly shift our national priorities from irrelevant, destructive militarism to the programs of social uplift that Dr. King called for…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-decline-and-fa…
A Multipoint Plan to End War as We Know It
William Astore | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
When it comes to war, if personnel is policy, America is yet again in deep trouble. As retired Army Major Danny Sjursen recently pointed out, when it comes to foreign policy, President Joe Biden’s new cabinet and advisers are well stocked with retired generals, reconstituted neocons, unapologetic hawks, and similar war enthusiasts. Biden himself has…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/a-multipoint…
The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
In 2004, journalist Ron Susskind quoted a Bush White House advisor, reportedly Karl Rove, as boasting, “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality.” He dismissed Susskind’s assumption that public policy must be rooted in “the reality-based community.” “We’re history’s actors,” the advisor told him, “…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.” | Sixteen years later, the American wars and war crimes launched by the Bush administration have only spread chaos and violence far and wide, and this historic conjunction of criminality and failure has predictably undermined America’…
popularresistance.org/the-decline-and-fa…
Israeli Military Detains One Palestinian, Attacks Fishermen, Farmers in Gaza
Ali Salam | imemc.org | 2021-02-04
The Israeli occupation army opened fire at Palestinian farmers, and fishermen, on Wednesday morning, in different areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, The Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported. The army opened fire with live ammunition and smoke bombs at farmlands, while farmers were present, south of Khan Younis in the southern coastal enclave, …
imemc.org/article/israeli-military-detai…
Unions, Just Transition and the Struggle for Radical Social Transformation
John Treat | socialistproject.ca | 2021-02-04
For more than a decade, trade union responses to the unfolding climate and ecological crisis have mainly focused on the idea of “just transition.” This idea has brought much-needed attention to the serious disruptions facing many workers, and the need to minimize those disruptions where possible, or provide alternatives where necessary. Unions have generally affirmed … Keep reading »…
socialistproject.ca/2021/02/unions-just-…
After Smeaton Grange workers reject union sell-out: The way forward for Coles and Woolworths workers
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
The Socialist Equality Party is holding a public meeting this Saturday, February 6 at 5 p.m. (AEDT) to discuss the critical dispute at the Coles distribution centre in Smeaton Grange, Sydney.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/meet…
The Real Story: Biden Targets China
The Socialist Program | liberationnews.org | 2021-02-04
Will the U.S. continue under Biden to push towards confrontation with China?>…
liberationnews.org/the-real-story-biden-…
The Failings Of Unemployment Insurance Are By Design
_____ | popularresistance.org | 2021-02-04
Our unemployment insurance system has failed the country at a moment of great need. With tens of millions of workers struggling just to pay rent and buy food, Congress was forced to pass two emergency spending bills, providing one-time stimulus payments, special weekly unemployment insurance payments, and temporary unemployment benefits to those not covered by the system. And, because of their limited short-term nature, President Biden must now advocate for a third. | The system’s shortcomings have been obvious for some time, but little effort has been made to improve it. In fact, those shortcomings were baked in…
popularresistance.org/the-failings-of-un…
Police accused of ‘harassment’ after Palestine Action co-founder arrested for blackmail
Joe Glenton | thecanary.co | 2021-02-04
Palestine Action co-founder Richard Goddard was arrested for blackmail on 3 February, just days after the group launched a joint action with Extinction Rebellion that shut down the premises of Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems. | The arrest, which was filmed, took place at around 3pm and G…
thecanary.co/trending/2021/02/04/police-…
Powerful explosion hits Haifa in occupied Palestine
Mehr News Agency | en.mehrnews.com | 2021-02-04
TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (MNA) — An explosion was reported near a Chemicals factory in the occupied Palestinian city of Haifa.
en.mehrnews.com/news/169511/Powerful-exp…
Bernie Sanders Says Biden Decision on Yemen a Tribute to ‘So Many Activists Over the Years’
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“Yemen needs food, medicine, and healthcare—not bombs and blockades,” said Sanders. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/bernie-…
Bernie Sanders Says Biden Decision on Yemen a Tribute to ‘So Many Activists Over the Years’
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“Yemen needs food, medicine, and healthcare—not bombs and blockades,” said Sanders. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/bernie-…
‘Let ’em die!’ Doctor gets flamed over ‘evil and twisted’ tweet about maskless shoppers in Florida
rt.com | 2021-02-04
A video showing unmasked shoppers in a Florida supermarket has gone viral due to an NBC reporter’s complaining. Among the more extreme reactions was one now-deleted tweet by a doctor who seemingly thought they deserved to die. | In a video shared on Wednesday, NBC correspondent Sam Brock showed a crowd of customers in a supermarket in Naples, Florida. Few people were wearing a face mask or practicing social distancing, and everyone was going about their business as usual. Complaining about the spread of Covid-19 on a “massive scale,” Brock claimed that the store allowed “medical exemptions” to mask wearing, an…
rt.com/usa/514613-florida-masks-coronavi…
‘PUT ALL THE CHICKEN IN THE BAG’: Restaurant customer turned away for not wearing mask returns with gun… and demands (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2021-02-04
A maskless gunman held up a restaurant in Pasadena, California but rather than emptying the cash register, the suspect demanded chicken that he had been refused because he wasn’t wearing a face covering. Enjoy the rest of 2021. | According to staff at Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles, the chicken heist occurred after a man was told to leave the establishment because he refused to wear a mask in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines. The enraged customer reportedly stormed out, before later returning with a gun… and his food order. | Robert Gonzalez, who works at the restaurant as a cook, told local media th…
rt.com/usa/514593-california-chicken-rob…
Children in crisis don’t need a celebrity ambassador, they need a fully funded mental health service
Sophia Purdy-Moore | thecanary.co | 2021-02-04
In response to Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, Boris Johnson announced that the government has appointed Love Island star Dr Alex George to be the nation’s youth mental health ambassador. The A&E doctor has been tasked with prioritising mental health in the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic which has had a devastating impact on child…
thecanary.co/trending/2021/02/04/childre…
Pandemic capitalism and resistance
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-04
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw the rise of authoritarian regimes as a brutal expression of neoliberalism’s death throws, writes Susan Price.
greenleft.org.au/content/pandemic-capita…
The So-Called Moderna Vaccine Is a Publicly Funded Miracle
_____ | strategic-culture.org | 2021-02-04
By Alex LAWSON | The so-called “Moderna” vaccine is a miracle of science. It is nearly 100 percent effective at preventing serious illness and death. By vaccinating the world, we can end the COVID-19 pandemic and save millions of lives. | The only problem? We don’t have nearly enough doses. But there’s a solution: If the Biden administration allowed generic manufacturers, not just Moderna, to manufacture the vaccine at scale, the United States would no longer suf…
strategic-culture.org/news/2021/02/04/so…
New Poll Finds More Vaccine Skeptics in France Than in Other Nations
sputniknews.com | 2021-02-04
LONDON (Sputnik) – France has the largest share of people opposed to COVID-19 vaccination, followed by the United States and Germany, a fresh poll by global social research company Kantar Public has found.
sputniknews.com/society/2021020410819829…
Iranian press review: Health officials reject Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine
MEE correspondent | middleeasteye.net | 2021-02-04
Iranian press review: Health officials reject Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine | Meanwhile, Tehran hosts Taliban to talk about US-brokered Afghan peace deal, and the Islamic Republic is said to be eying the Caucasus to bypass US sanctions | MEE correspondent | Thu, 02/04/2021 – 11: 22 | A woman receives an injection during the first trial phase of a locally-made vaccine for Covid-19 in Iran’s capital Tehran on 29…
www.middleeasteye.net/news/covid-iran-ru…
New York restaurants eagerly await arrival of Covid-19 vaccines
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-04
New York, USA, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- New York’s bars and restaurants — once the beating heart of the Big Apple but which have been shut because of the pandemic — are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Covid-19 vaccines after mayor Bill de Blasio announced that their workers are now eligible to be vaccinated. On a …
laprensalatina.com/new-york-restaurants-…
Covid rapid test center set up at Vienna’s historic Schoenbrunn Palace
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-04
Vienna, Feb 4 (EFE).- The area around the historic Schoenbrunn Palace has been converted into Vienna’s sixth Covid-19 rapid testing center, with a capacity of 200,000 coronavirus tests per day. The tests at Schoenbrunn, which are free of charge, can be performed in two ways: on foot in a pavilion attached to the complex, or …
laprensalatina.com/covid-rapid-test-cent…
[Commentary] Is ivermectin ready to be part of a public health policy for COVID-19 prophylaxis?
Céleo Ramírez, Edwin F. Herrera-Paz, Guímel Peralta, Gaspar Rodríguez, Reyna M. Durón | thelancet.com | 2021-02-04
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a worldwide time trial in search for therapeutic alternatives that would be effective, safe, and accessible. The despair of front-line physicians in the face of the increment in mortality led to the empirical use of various therapies in a sort of “war medicine.” Most of the studies evaluating the efficacy of multiple therapeutic options have been carried out mainly in hospitalized patients with severe or critical illness. Most treatments have proved to be ineffective or partially effective at these stages.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(21)00024-9/fulltext?rss=yes
Power Games All Over the Place
B. Nimri Aziz | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
“Stop Mitch McConnell!” screams yet another message to my inbox. Wait a minute. I understood that the power Mitch McConnell wielded over the Senate (and the nation), thwarting all attempts at progressive reform and adequate Covid relief, ended two weeks ago. Where are Georgia’s Democratic victories that leveled the playing field? That 50-50 party share…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/power-games-…
Putin’s approval rating drops slightly to 64%, while Navalny overtakes Communist Party leader in new opinion poll
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Despite recent street protests and the Covid-19 pandemic, almost two in three Russians say they approve of Vladimir Putin’s record as president, according to a new poll, representing a slight drop since late last year. | New research, conducted by the Levada Center — a registered foreign polling company that has received Western funding in the past — found that 64 percent of the 1,600 people surveyed backed Putin’s performance, down from 65 percent in the last poll, conducted in…
rt.com/russia/514629-popularity-poll-put…
Sterile, fun-free Tokyo Olympic Games are starting to look distinctly unlike ‘a victory over Covid’
rt.com | 2021-02-04
They were supposed to be ‘the Games that conquered Covid’ but this year’s Tokyo Olympics look increasingly like being a pale imitation of a great sporting event which will play out in the shadow of the virus. | This week, Games organizers released a ‘Playbook’ aimed at various officials and dignitaries planning to be in Tokyo for when the show gets going on July 23, one year later than planned. | The information did not make for chirpy reading, no matter how many colorful, cheery graphics the designers had applied. | The Playbooks are the basis of the collective effort between the IOC, IPC, Tokyo 2020, and the…
rt.com/sport/514624-tokyo-olympics-playb…
COVID-19 cuts global air passenger traffic 66% in 2020
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-04
As fear over the coronavirus mounted and infections climbed worldwide, the global air passenger traffic slipped by 65.9% in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to a leading trade group.This is the sharpest traffic decline in aviation history, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement on Wednesday.The international passenger demand decreased 75.6% year-on-year in 2020. The capacity measured in available seat kilometers on international routes declined 68.1% and load factor fell 19.2 percentage points to 62.8%.Domestic demand fell at a slower pace last year, down 48.8% compare…
yenisafak.com/en/life/covid-19-cuts-glob…
‘So utterly disingenuous’: Republicans file slew of unrelated amendments as Dems push ahead with Covid relief
Jake Johnson | nationofchange.org | 2021-02-04
“If the GOP actually wanted to provide Covid relief, they’d introduce amendments to do so. Instead they’re going to introduce what they believe are gotcha amendments to try to trip up Dems.”
nationofchange.org/2021/02/04/so-utterly…
Mass Rapes. Sweeping Surveillance. Forced Labor. Exposing China’s Crackdown on Uyghur Muslims
Staff | democracynow.org | 2021-02-04
China faces widespread condemnation following a BBC report about the mass rape and sexual torture of Uyghur women and other Muslims detained in the province of Xinjiang. Women who spoke with the BBC described gang rapes, routine sexual torture using electrocution tools, forced sterilizations and men outside the prison camps paying for access to the detainees. China has rejected the report as “wholly without factual basis” and claims its mass detention of Muslim minorities is part of a “vocational training” program to counter extremism. Meanwhile, The Intercept has obtained a massive police surveillance database u…
www.democracynow.org/2021/2/4/uyghur_cam…
‘As fake as her tweets’? Police open conspiracy PROBE into Greta Thunberg’s ‘protest toolkit,’ accuse creators of ‘WAR ON INDIA’
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Police in New Delhi have opened a conspiracy investigation into the creators of a “toolkit” with instructions on how to amplify the farmers’ protests in India — a document that has been shared by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. | Thunberg took to Twitter on Wednesday to share a lengthy document outlining ways for activists to contribute to India’s ongoing pro-farmer protests, including stock messages and hashtags to disseminate on social media, as well as advice on organizing rallies. Within hours, the “toolkit” was taken offline by its creators and replaced with a much shorter version, with Thunberg no…
rt.com/news/514634-greta-thunberg-india-…
At least 24 irregular migrants held in Turkey
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-04
At least 24 irregular migrants were held in different parts of Turkey on Thursday, sources said.Nine Iranian nationals were held in the Beyazkoy district of the northwestern Tekirdag province, close to the border with Greece.They were found on a bus stopped for a check by gendarmerie personnel, said the sources, asking not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.The vehicle’s driver, a Turkish national identified by the initials I.O., was arrested.In the central Nigde province, 15 Syrian nationals were held after police teams stopped and searched a bus on a highway connecting southeast Turkey to…
yenisafak.com/en/news/at-least-24-irregu…
President Biden Softens Trump’s Immigration Policy
telesurenglish.net | 2021-02-04
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued orders to reverse the anti-immigrant agenda of Donald Trump’s administration (2017-2021). | RELATED: | US Authorizes Certain Port, Airport Operations with Venezuela | The new rules aim to achieve a “fair, safe, and orderly immigration system that keeps families together,” said a White House official, as reported by EFE. | One of the orders stops children’s separation from their parents and creates a task force whose mission will be to…
telesurenglish.net/news/President-Biden-…
Hundreds already deported from the US under Biden despite executive orders
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
Deportations of immigrants and refugees have continued under the new Democratic administration despite cosmetic changes to Trump era policies.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/immi…
Tallahassee demands affordable housing from City Commission
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2021-02-04
Tallahassee, FL – On January 13, activists with the Tallahassee Community Action Committee attended the Tallahassee City Commission’s annual retreat. While much of the retreat featured city leaders applauding each other for their great work, there were some moments that touched on the people’s concerns regarding affordable housing and redevelopment initiatives on the majority-Black Southside. | After a discussion of the city’s efforts to invest in Southside, the newly-elected Democratic Socialists of America-backed commissioner Jack Porter asked for clarification as to why the Southside of Tallahassee has been so…
www.fightbacknews.org/2021/2/4/tallahass…
Tallahassee demands affordable housing from City Commission
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2021-02-04
Tallahassee, FL – On January 13, activists with the Tallahassee Community Action Committee attended the Tallahassee City Commission’s annual retreat. While much of the retreat featured city leaders applauding each other for their great work, there were some moments that touched on the people’s concerns regarding affordable housing and redevelopment initiatives on the majority-Black Southside. | After a discussion of the city’s efforts to invest in Southside, the newly-elected Democratic Socialists of America-backed commissioner Jack Porter asked for clarification as to why the Southside of Tallahassee has been so…
fightbacknews.org/2021/2/4/tallahassee-d…
After Years of Outrage Politics, RepubliQans Have Surrendered to the Neo-Nazi Conspiracy Theorists
Juan Cole | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
The House Republicans have experienced an embarrassing loss of spine, which has reduced them to floundering slugs, because Trump is still the leader of their party and he supports Greene. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2021/02/04/after-…
After Years of Outrage Politics, RepubliQans Have Surrendered to the Neo-Nazi Conspiracy Theorists
Juan Cole | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
The House Republicans have experienced an embarrassing loss of spine, which has reduced them to floundering slugs, because Trump is still the leader of their party and he supports Greene. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/views/2021/02/04/after-…
As a Muslim American, I’m heartened Biden Repealed Muslim Ban: But Rampant Islamophobia is Undiminished
Juan Cole | juancole.com | 2021-02-04
By Domenica Ghanem | ( Otherwords.org ) — President Joe Biden has repealed the Muslim ban. As the news rolled in, I remembered how I felt four years ago, when the Trump administration first announced its intention to ban people from from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the country. The feeling wasn’t incredulity. I distinctly …
juancole.com/2021/02/heartened-islamopho…
We can’t give up on a world free from nuclear weapons
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-04
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons became international law on January 22 for the 122 states who signed the agreement in July 2017, writes Vijay Prashad.
greenleft.org.au/content/we-cant-give-wo…
Codepink Applauds Biden’s Decision to End U.S. Support for the War on Yemen
commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/04/cod…
Codepink Applauds Biden’s Decision to End U.S. Support for the War on Yemen
commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/04/cod…
AOC compared to Jussie Smollett after her ‘near-death’ riot experience revealed as hiding from POLICE in office OUTSIDE Capitol
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being compared to the actor who staged an attack on himself, after her account of fearing for her life during the January 6 riot was fact-checked, exposing that she wasn’t in the Capitol building. | The hashtags #AlexandriaOcasioSmollett, along with #AOCLied, trended on Wednesday, following a fact-check of AOC’s (D-New York) Instagram livestream two days prior by OAN journalist Jack Posobiec. During her emotional one-and-a-half-hour-long talk, Ocasio-Cortez admitted that she was not in the Capitol building during the riot to begin with, but continued to claim that she experienced a…
rt.com/usa/514549-aoc-capitol-near-death…
AOC compared to Jussie Smollett after her ‘near-death’ riot experience revealed as hiding from POLICE in office OUTSIDE Capitol
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being compared to the actor who staged an attack on himself, after her account of fearing for her life during the January 6 riot was fact-checked, exposing that she wasn’t in the Capitol building. | The hashtag #AlexandriaOcasioSmollett trended on Wednesday, following a fact-check of AOC’s (D-New York) Instagram livestream two days prior by OAN journalist Jack Posobiec. During her emotional one-and-a-half-hour-long talk, Ocasio-Cortez admitted that she was not in the Capitol building during the riot to begin with, but continued to claim that she experienced a life-threatening situat…
rt.com/usa/514549-aoc-capitol-near-death…
AOC Blasts GOP Lawmaker for Her “Deeply Cynical” About Face on Events of Jan. 6
Staff | truthout.org | 2021-02-04
On Tuesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) recounted the events of January 6, when Donald Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building demanding that Congress overturn the votes of the presidential election and declare Trump president. | Ocasio-Cortez, in a video on Instagram Live, said she felt as though she…
truthout.org/articles/aoc-blasts-gop-law…
New Bill From Blumenauer, Ocasio-Cortez, and Sanders Demands Biden Declare a National Climate Emergency
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
The Sunrise Movement’s executive director called it “a good sign that our leaders are finally understanding what young people and climate activists have been shouting from the rooftops for years.” | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/new-bil…
‘It Was That Bad. It’s Actually Worse’: Ocasio-Cortez Hits Back After Republicans Challenge Her Capitol Attack Story
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“You previously told reporters yourself that you barricaded in your office, afraid you’d be hurt,” the New York congresswoman told one of her Republican colleagues. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/it-was-…
‘It Was That Bad. It’s Actually Worse’: Ocasio-Cortez Hits Back After Republicans Challenge Her Capitol Attack Story
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“You previously told reporters yourself that you barricaded in your office, afraid you’d be hurt,” the New York congresswoman told one of her Republican colleagues. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/it-was-…
Salma Hayek: ‘It saddens me to think about what might happen to cinema’
Online News Editor | laprensalatina.com | 2021-02-04
Los Angeles, Feb 4 (efe-epa).- Salma Hayek is enjoying working with streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon, but the Mexican film star says she is worried about the uncertainty affecting the movie industry due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen theaters across the world close. “Romantically, it makes me very sad …
laprensalatina.com/salma-hayek-it-sadden…
Warnings of Growing ‘Surveillance Empire’ as AI Van Cameras Give Amazon ‘Roaming Eyes in Every Neighborhood’
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“Amazon will have the perfect panopticon in place to sweep up unprecedented amounts of data en masse,” says Fight for the Future. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/warning…
Warnings of Growing ‘Surveillance Empire’ as AI Van Cameras Give Amazon ‘Roaming Eyes in Every Neighborhood’
Brett Wilkins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“Amazon will have the perfect panopticon in place to sweep up unprecedented amounts of data en masse,” says Fight for the Future. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/warning…
Biden-Harris End Support of Yemen War; NGOs Demand End to All Arms Sales and Increased Humanitarian Aid
commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
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commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/04/bid…
Impeachment Managers Call On Trump to Testify Under Oath for Senate Trial
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“You have… attempted to put critical facts at issue notwithstanding the clear and overwhelming evidence of your constitutional offense,” the letter to Trump says. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/impeach…
Impeachment Managers Call On Trump to Testify Under Oath for Senate Trial
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2021-02-04
“You have… attempted to put critical facts at issue notwithstanding the clear and overwhelming evidence of your constitutional offense,” the letter to Trump says. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files… …
commondreams.org/news/2021/02/04/impeach…
Wall Street Journal demands Biden crack down on Chicago teachers
wsws.org | 2021-02-04
In a statement by its editorial board Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal angrily criticized President Biden for being too soft on Chicago teachers, who are defying Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s order to resume in-person classes as the pandemic continues to spread in the city.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/02/04/wsj-…
Democrats Announce It Is Safe to Reopen Now That Federal Government Has Tested Negative for Trump
The Babylon Bee | anti-empire.com | 2021-02-04
U.S.–Democrat leaders around the country are declaring it is now safe to reopen since the federal government’s tests have come back negative for Trump. | “The key indicator we were looking for before we could begin the reopening process was that Trump wasn’t president,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “While we are at the worst point yet in this pandemic, it now makes sense to open– even though the science said the exact opposite last year when it was comparably mild. Because now, all the tests are indicating we have tested negative for Trump.” | Governor Cuomo agreed, saying that all his key science experts -…
anti-empire.com/democrats-announce-it-is…
Thousands take to the streets as nationwide strike over pay & working conditions kicks off in France (VIDEOS)
rt.com | 2021-02-04
A nationwide strike has kicked off in France, with public sector workers demanding better pay and working conditions and condemning sloppy government support amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. | The strike began across France on Thursday after being called by the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), one of the nation’s largest unions. Other trade unions joined in — including the Federation Syndicale Unitaire and Solidaires — as well as student groups and youth organizations. | Thousands of workers took to the streets of Paris and marched through the city center. Protesters carried a large banne…
rt.com/news/514605-france-protests-natio…
Two S. Africa, one Brazil variant detected in Turkey
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-04
Two Turkish citizens have contracted the South African variant of the coronavirus while one has contracted the Brazilian variant, the country’s health minister said Wednesday.Moreover, 196 cases of the UK virus strain have been detected in the country, Fahrettin Koca said.The patients have been isolated, he added.In the wake of rising cases once again, the measures against the pandemic will continue full throttle, he said.The vaccination of citizens over 65 and the second group will commence after safety tests are completed, Koca said.So far, 2.4 million people in the country have been vaccinated with vaccination…
yenisafak.com/en/news/two-s-africa-one-b…
US initial jobless claims beat expectation
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-04
Analysts expected 830,000 for the week ending Jan. 30, while the previous week’s number was revised down by 35,000 from 847,000 to 812,000.Despite the fall in claims, there are still more than 10 million jobless Americans since the coronavirus pandemic-hit US economy shed 22 million jobs in March and April.Private American companies, on the other hand, added 174,000 jobs in January, as private payrolls recovered from a 123,000 fall in December when they marked the first monthly decline since April.Services sectors added 156,000 jobs last month, with health care leading the way with 48,000, according to ADP Resear…
yenisafak.com/en/world/us-initial-jobles…
Turkish health minister pens editorial for UN body
yenisafak.com | 2021-02-04
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and James Campbell, director of the health workforce for the World Health Organization, penned an editorial on the challenges frontline workers face amid the pandemic.According to the editorial, Financing and Protection for the Health and Care Workforce, across the world there was a shortage of 18 million employees in the health sector, mostly in low and lower-middle income countries.Although health care employees were quick to respond to the outbreak, they faced many difficulties such as “accelerated rates of infection and deaths, lack of adequate personal protective equipm…
yenisafak.com/en/news/turkish-health-min…
Dealing with a Pandemic as If Human Lives Mattered
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2021-02-04
It’s fair to say that the U.S. performance in dealing with the pandemic has been disastrous. With the effort led by Donald Trump, this is not surprising. His main, if not only, concern was keeping up appearances. Preventing the spread of the pandemic, and needless death, was obviously not part of his agenda. Unfortunately, many…
counterpunch.org/2021/02/04/dealing-with…
Warlord found guilty of crimes against humanity in northern Uganda – ICC
news.un.org | 2021-02-04
A former Ugandan warlord whose forces attacked camps for the internally displaced across the country, has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, judges ruled on Thursday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2021/02/1…
Black Labour members are set to boycott campaigning for the party
Steve Topple | thecanary.co | 2021-02-04
A Labour Party grassroots group is warning that it will call on its supporters to boycott campaigning in the upcoming local elections. This is because of Keir Starmer and the party’s inaction over Black representation. But the rot surrounding this goes much further than just systems and structures. | Grassroots Black Left: | Grassroots Black Left (GBL) is a Labour-supporting campaign group. It formed in 2017. GBL says it consists of “African, Caribbean and Asian socialist Labour…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2021/02/04/blac…
Regional left parties condemn military coup in Burma/Myanmar
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2021-02-04
Socialist parties in the Asia-Pacific have condemned the military coup in Burma/Myanmar, writes Susan Price.
greenleft.org.au/content/regional-left-p…
‘I am become meme, destroyer of shorts’: Musk fires off market-wrecking omens & random thoughts, ending brief Twitter absence
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The temptations of Twitter were apparently too great for Elon Musk, who ended his short-lived hiatus on the platform with a series of characteristically zany messages. | The world’s richest man returned to his virtual soap box around 48 hours after he announced on Tuesday that he would be practicing Twitter abstinence. | Read more | | Elon Musk takes Twitter hiatus after publicly backing bitcoin & acknowledging his comments could affect markets | The social media relapse began innocently enough, with Musk retweeting a video of a SpaceX satellite…
rt.com/usa/514580-musk-twitter-return-do…
Biden ends US backing for Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, but America will continue to ‘help Riyadh against Iranian-supplied forces’
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The US military will stop supporting attacks carried out by the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen, President Joe Biden has confirmed, though America will continue to support Riyadh in “defending its sovereignty.” | Speaking in a televised address from the State Department on Thursday, Biden said Washington’s focus was on finding a diplomatic solution to the war in Yemen and lend its support to restoring the “long-dormant peace talks.” | However, it remains to be seen what practical effect the shift will have on the dynamic of the years-long conflict and America’s role there. While the decision…
rt.com/usa/514640-us-ends-saudi-support-…
McKinsey consulting firm to shell out $573mn to settle probes into its role in ‘turbocharging’ opioid crisis — reports
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The prestigious corporate consulting firm McKinsey & Company has agreed to pay up $573 million to settle investigations into its work with Big Pharma, namely its role in boosting sales of the powerful opioid narcotic oxycodone. | The company struck a multi-million-dollar settlement with officials across 47 states, Washington, DC and five US territories, the New York Times reported on Wednesday evening, citing five people “familiar with the negotiations.” | The company will be required to pay ou…
rt.com/usa/514556-mckinsey-opioid-overdo…
House tells Trump he’ll ‘PROVE’ own guilt by not testifying at impeachment trial — but Trump still REFUSES
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Democrats seeking to impeach the former US president Donald Trump have asked him to testify at his Senate trial and threatened him if he refuses, after his lawyers challenged the charges and the trial itself as illegitimate. | In a letter emailed Thursday to Trump’s attorneys Bruce Castor and David Schoen, the lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) noted that they denied “factual allegations” and “attempted to put critical facts at issue notwithstanding the clear and overwhelming evidence of your constitutional offense.” | üö®HOUSE MANAGERS ASK TRUMP TO TESTIFY …
rt.com/usa/514643-trump-impeachment-test…
Voting software firm Smartmatic files $2.7 billion suit against Fox, Giuliani & Sidney Powell over election-fraud claims
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Fox News is facing a rise of the machines, voting machines that is, as election software firm Smartmatic is suing the network, three of its anchors and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell for allegedly false claims of fraud. | The defamation lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday in New York state court in Manhattan, seeks $2.7 billion in damages. In addition to Fox and the two lawyers, Smartmatic names Fox hosts Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro and Maria Bartiromo as defendants, saying they falsely claimed t…
rt.com/usa/514655-smartmatic-lawsuit-fox…
Smut giant Pornhub to fight abuse & revenge porn with MANDATORY ID of users & other snoopware. Be careful what you w*nk for
rt.com | 2021-02-04
Adult entertainment behemoth Pornhub has rebranded itself as a quasi-responsible business, beefing up content filters, employing a “live content audit team,” and continuing its ban on downloads while opening up non-member uploads. | After being raked over the coals by the New York Times in December for allegedly hosting a sprawling cesspool of child sexual exploitation, Pornhub took emergency measures to remove most of its content, lock the site down except for verified users, and open up its payment system to cryptocurrency users. | On Thursday the site announced a raft of changes, offering new users the chan…
rt.com/usa/514649-pornhub-identity-verif…
Progressive journalist Jordan Chariton regrets calling for social media bans after ‘seeing Silicon Valley’s censorship onslaught’
rt.com | 2021-02-04
After some of his own videos were pulled by YouTube, progressive reporter Jordan Chariton has had a change of heart about Big Tech’s crackdown on extremist content, arguing that it’s a pretext to purge all alternative views. | In a series of tweets, the popular pundit and co-founder of Status Coup News revealed that footage of the January 6 Capitol riots had been yanked from his YouTube channel, apparently for violating the platform’s policies against “spam and deceptive practices.” The video’s deletion followed a similar incident in which a livestream of a right-wing rally held several days before Joe Biden’s…
rt.com/usa/514563-jordan-chariton-youtub…
Biden ends US backing for Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, but America will continue to ‘help Riyadh against Iranian-supplied forces’
rt.com | 2021-02-04
The US military will stop supporting attacks carried out by the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen, President Joe Biden has confirmed, though America will continue to support Riyadh in “defending its sovereignty”. | Speaking in a televised address from the State Department on Thursday, Biden said Washington’s focus was on finding a diplomatic solution to the war in Yemen and lend its support to restoring the “long-dormant peace talks.” | However, it remains to be seen what practical effect the shift will have on the dynamic of the years-long conflict and America’s role there. While the decision…
rt.com/usa/514640-us-ends-saudi-support-…
CNN chief Zucker announces plan to leave at year’s end after ‘change of heart’ decision to see out contract
rt.com | 2021-02-04
CNN President Jeff Zucker has confirmed he will stay on at the network’s helm until the end of 2021, when his contract runs out, having u-turned on his decision late last year to leave the mainstream media outlet. | “I cannot imagine not being here right now,” Jeff Zucker told colleagues on Thursday morning, according to those present on the call. “I’m going to stay and finish my current contract, which, as I said, will keep me here until the end of this year. At that point, I do expect to move on.” | The truth is, back in November and December I had basically decided that it was time to move on now… But si…
rt.com/usa/514623-zucker-president-cnn-n…
Sturgeon: over-simplistic to argue Brexit benefit for coronavirus vaccines
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2021-02-04
Nicola Sturgeon has labelled arguments that Brexit has brought a benefit to the UK procuring more coronavirus vaccines as “over-simplistic”. | Brexit: | During an interview on Good Morning Britain, Scotland’s first minister was asked about comments made by SNP MP Dr Philippa Whitford last July when she said the UK Government should be working with EU partners to find a vaccine. Interviewer Susanna Reid suggested the UK now managing to get vaccines because it is not part of the EU vaccination programme “must be one of the most powerful arguments for Brexit”. | The SNP leader replied: I think there’s a bigge…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2021/02/04/sturgeon…
Climate expert warns prime minister over ‘contemptuous’ coal mine plans
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2021-02-04
Boris Johnson risks “humiliation” over approved plans to open a new coal mine in Cumbria, a leading climate scientist has warned. | “Contemptuous disregard”: | James Hansen said that failure to stop the mine from going ahead at Whitehaven would be in “contemptuous disregard” for the future of young people and nature. The new facility, which will be used to extract coking coal for steel production, has been granted planning permission by Cumbria County Council. | Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Stefan Rousseau/PA) | The government said in January that it would not call in the plans for an inquiry, despite th…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2021/02/04/climate-…
Colour of ink on forms among ‘catalogue of problems’ hitting post-Brexit exports
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2021-02-04
Squabbling over whether to use red or blue ink on post-Brexit customs forms is among the problems plaguing exporters who are facing a “whack-a-mole” situation, a Scottish trade body has warned. | Brexit means Brexit: | Scotland Food and Drink chief executive James Withers told MSPs the sector has faced approximately £1m in lost sales every day during “an absolutely dreadful first few weeks of trading in this post-Brexit world”. | Among the “catalogue of problems that have just been racking up day by day” since the implementation of the Brexit trade deal, Withers revealed there was an “ongoing debate…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2021/02/04/colour-o…