(2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org 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
(2021-02-05). The Economist: Democracy Index ranking for Britain rises!! truepublica.org.uk 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 …
(2021-02-04). Surveillance, encryption, security and Huawei. greenleft.org.au Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed back in 2013 the breadth and scale of the United States government's internet surveillance program. Ernst Merkenich argues that it is only increasing.
(2021-02-03). Philippines apex court kicks off hearings on anti-terror law. peoplesdispatch.org The Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments on over three dozen petitions filed against the Anti-Terror Act passed by the Rodrigo Duterte government in July 2020…
(2021-02-03). Ethiopia says it foiled attack on UAE embassy in Addis Ababa. middleeasteye.net 
Ethiopia says it foiled attack on UAE embassy in Addis Ababa | Intelligence and Security Service says 15 people arrested were working at direction of foreigners, local media reports | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 21: 10 | Ethiopian police before inauguration ceremony in Addis Ababa's Sheger park last September (AFP) | Ethiopian authorities arrested 15 people in an alleged plot to attack the United Ar…
(2021-02-03). Indonesian Slaughter, Allen Dulles, and the Assassination of JFK. dissidentvoice.org 
Before I digress slightly, let me state from the outset that the book by Greg Poulgrain that I am about to review is extraordinary by any measure. The story he tells is one you will read nowhere else, especially in the way he links the assassination of President Kennedy to former CIA Director Allen Dulles …
(2021-02-03). Supreme Court pauses Trump immigration cases, as Biden plans to overturn Trump policies & orders a review of 'kids in cages'. rt.com 
The US Supreme Court has canceled arguments on two Trump-era immigration and border security cases, as President Joe Biden eases Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" policies. However, the controversial detention of minors continues. | The cases related to Trump's use of military funding to build his long-promised wall on the US-Mexico border, and his "remain in Mexico" asylum policy that required Central American migrants to wait in Mexico while their US asylum claims were processed. Both cases had been challenged by lower courts, and the Supreme Court was preparing to hear oral arguments in their favor until the…
(2021-02-03). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. commondreams.org Allowing the Trumpian half of his brain to overpower his judgment and vote to acquit Dangerous Donald would spell disaster for the Republican Party (assuming the Democratic Party doesn't go to sleep as it did after Obama's win in 2008). | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mcconnell_biden_0.jpg …
(2021-02-02). Atrocities of the Federal Death Penalty. aclu.org In just six months, the federal government conducted an unprecedented, unjust, and unlawful execution spree, taking the lives of 13 people. The record of injustice in those cases — the compelling claims for mercy and legal relief by those executed and the denial without fair consideration by the executive branch or by the Supreme Court — underscores the urgency for President Biden to grant row-wide clemency to the 49 people on the federal death row. | Although it was William Barr and Donald Trump who scheduled and pushed these executions amidst a deadly pandemic, it was the U.S. Supreme Court that fac…
(2021-02-02). Biden's Executive Order on Climate Crisis Exposes Need for Constitutional Change. commondreams.org Demands to abolish the Electoral College and restructure the U.S. Supreme Court can be pegged to substantive constitutional change. It's the role of movements to demand and make changes to the "applicable law," and its interpretation. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/biden_drilling_fossil_fuels.jpg …
(2021-02-02). Reproductive Rights: The Nationwide State of Play. progressive.org Between a pro-choice President and a conservative-leaning Supreme Court, there are many factors that could change domestic and global abortion rights.
(2021-02-02). The decision to designate the Houthis (Ansar Allah) a foreign terrorist organization, and how it's impacting the United Nations. news.un.org On 10 January, the former United States Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, announced the designation of the Houthis (Ansar Allah) as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist entity. The designation entered into effect on 19 January.
(2021-02-02). White or Wealth Supremacy? realprogressives.org The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 authorized the dissemination of US state department propaganda to foreign nations deemed a threat to American democracy. This act has been a useful tool for intelligence operatives who have repeatedly sought to stamp out populist revolutions in countries with access to valuable natural resources. Through the spread of propaganda and the arming of US aligned insurgency groups, the US has been able to foment confusion and discord in foreign populations resulting in unwinnable political battles, power struggles and weak leadership representing the working people's interests. In the pow…