Staff (2021-02-18). Stop blaming the Green New Deal for Texas blackouts. therealnews.com Republican politicians like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have cynically used overblown and patently false claims that renewable energy failures are responsible for millions losing power and heat during deadly Winter Storm Uri. Critics around the country are calling "BS."

MEE staff (2021-02-18). US lawmakers press military over data purchases from Muslim apps. middleeasteye.net US lawmakers press military over data purchases from Muslim apps | Military and intelligence chiefs asked to disclose whether any US citizens were surveilled when military bought user information from popular apps | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 19: 08 | The effort was led by Congressman Mark Pocan, with representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna signing on to it (AFP) | US lawmakers…

Staff (2021-02-18). COVID Deaths in the US Lead to Biggest Drop in Life Expectancy Since WWII. truthout.org Life expectancy in the United States has dropped by a full year, according to new figures released on Thursday. | The current life expectancy of an individual in the U.S. While there have been drops in life expectancy in recent years due to increases in drug overdoses, the decline over the past year, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic, is the biggest drop i…

_____ (2021-02-18). How the Gates Foundation seeded America's COVID-19 policy catastrophes. strategic-culture.org The nursing home death warrants were signed by panicked governors using Gates-funded forecasting. | By Jordan SCHACHTEL | New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is finally facing the heat for his botched and criminally negligent coronavirus response policies, yet no one seems to be asking why Cuomo and select governors made the fateful decisions that led to the excess deaths — and the coverup campaigns — of tens of thousands of senior citizens in New York and elsewhere across the United States. | After being awarded an Emmy and writing a book on his supposedly heroic response to the pandemic, Cuomo is finally…

MEE correspondent (2021-02-18). Iranian press review: Iran plans to export Covid-19 vaccine to the world. middleeasteye.net Iranian press review: Iran plans to export Covid-19 vaccine to the world | Meanwhile, Tehran indicates readiness for Qatar to play mediator role in nuclear talks, and, as the pandemic spreads, the number of Iranians working without a contract rises to seven million | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 10: 58 | A member of the Imam Khomeini Hospital medical personnel receives a dose of Russia's Sputnik V…

John Perry (2021-02-18). If It Were a Narco Lab, It Would be Working. counterpunch.org On the day he was inaugurated, Joe Biden halted the construction of Trump's Mexican border wall. A few days earlier, 1500 miles to the south, a new 'caravan' of at least eight thousand Honduran migrants had set off northwards, partly in the hope that by the time they tried to cross into Texas, Biden's promised softening of immigration policy might have taken effect.

Staff (2021-02-18). Biden Plans to Use "Inclusive" Language in Future Discussions on Immigration. truthout.org The Biden administration announced this week that federal agencies will use "more inclusive" language when it comes to discussing issues relating to immigration. | A memo from Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Tracy Renaud

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-02-18). Video: The 2020 Worldwide Corona Crisis. globalresearch.ca We bring to the attention of our readers, the English version of this PANGEA TV program which was broadcast live in several regions of Italy. | Maya Nogradi of PANGEA TV interviews Prof. Michel Chossudovsky pertaining to his E-Book entitled: | |

Norman Solomon (2021-02-18). Cuomo and Newsom Symbolize the Rot of Corporate Democrats and the Dire Need for Progressive Populism. counterpunch.org The governors of New York and California — the most populous states led by Democrats — now symbolize how slick liberal images are no substitute for genuinely progressive priorities. After 10 years as New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo is facing an uproar over revelations that his administration intentionally and drastically undercounted the deaths from COVID in nursing homes. Meanwhile,

Staff (2021-02-18). "Not Doing This Is a Choice": Biden Drags His Feet on Canceling Student Debt Despite Campaign Pledge. democracynow.org Students, campaigners and top Democrats have been pushing President Joe Biden to use executive authority to cancel at least $50,000 in student loan debt per person. Student loan debt in the U.S. stands at $1.7 trillion, with some 45 million people owing money. Filmmaker and organizer Astra Taylor, an author, documentary director and organizer with the Debt Collective, says Biden has clear legal authority to cancel student debt. "Not doing this is a choice," she says. We also speak with Braxton Brewington, a digital strategist with the Debt Collective, who says student debt cancellation is also politically smart.

Staff (2021-02-18). Failed State: Texas Power Grid Collapse Impacts Millions. Black & Brown Communities Are Worst Hit. democracynow.org Millions of people in Texas were plunged into freezing cold and darkness as a major winter storm overwhelmed the state's power grid. More than 12 million Texans face water disruptions and have been ordered to boil tap water for safe consumption, and some parts of the state have no running water at all. The state is also running out of food as the storms disrupt key supply chains. Leading Republicans, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, falsely blamed renewable energy sources for the state's blackouts, warning against a shift to more green energy, but the state's own energy department said the outages were prima…

Staff (2021-02-18). "No Hate! No Fear!" Democracy Now! Co-Host Nermeen Shaikh Celebrates 10 Years Covering War & Peace. democracynow.org As Democracy Now! prepares to mark 25 years on air, we celebrate Nermeen Shaikh's 10th anniversary as a Democracy Now! co-host and feature a report she filed from protests at New York's JFK Airport against the Trump administration's Muslim ban, one of the many highlights from her time on the program.

Staff (2021-02-18). How to Wear a Mask & When to Wear Two to Reduce COVID Transmission & Increase Vaccine Effectiveness. democracynow.org While COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations appear to be waning, the United States has a long way to go before people can safely return to everyday life without masks. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, says it's vital to stay vigilant even as vaccinations ramp up. "If we can get our transmission down as low as possible, that is actually going to make the vaccines more effective."

_____ (2021-02-18). Haiti: Black Despots And White Rulers. popularresistance.org The past week has seen growing protests against the contested presidency of Haiti's Jovenel MoàØse. An unpopular figure who has ruled without a mandate, and, increasingly, by decree , MoàØse refused to relinquish power when his presidential term expired on February 7, 2021. While claiming that his term ends in February 2022, MoàØse has lashed out against his political rivals, arresting his critics, members of opposition political parties, and supreme court judges, all the while consolidating his draconian, some would say dictatorial, rule over Haiti. | How Haiti arrived at this moment is pred…

Sara Flounders (2021-02-18). Alexei Navalny: Why is Biden supporting a Russian fascist? workers.org At the very time Democrats in Congress were attempting to impeach Trump for the Jan. 6 fascist rampage, President Joe Biden expressed support for a Russian political leader allied with a gang comparable to the Proud Boys. In his first contact with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as U.S. president, Biden . . . |

Raul Diego (2021-02-18). Prisons Prime Testing Ground for Dehumanizing Hi-Tech "Advances" mintpressnews.com A new form of exploitation, known as "stakeholder capitalism," is already being tested in many places around the world and prisons are among the main targets for its implementation, as they provide an ideal and literally captive market for its proof of concept.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-18). 'Leaving Aside' International Law: Democrats are as Dangerous as Republicans to Peace in Palestine. mintpressnews.com It's easy to discredit the foreign policy agenda of Trump, Pompeo, and other Republicans as their aggressive, dismissive language and action are unmistakably objectionable. The Democratic discourse, however, cannot be as easily censured,…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-18). "Leaving Aside" International Law: Why Democrats are as Dangerous as Republicans to a Just Peace in Palestine. dissidentvoice.org Motivated by their justifiable aversion to former US President Donald Trump, many analysts have rashly painted a rosy picture of how Democrats could quickly erase the bleak trajectory of the previous Republican administration. This naivety is particularly pronounced in the current spin on the Palestinian-Israeli discourse, which is promoting, again, the illusion that Democrats will …

Kenya Elliott (2021-02-18). COVID + Capitalism: Life expectancy plunges and unemployment surges. liberationnews.org Data released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that following that report, life expectancy had dropped by a full year by June of 2020…

Sam Pizzigati (2021-02-18). Rising Inequality: the 'Pre-Existing Condition' That Doomed the U.S. COVID Response. counterpunch.org Back in April 2017, only a few months after Donald Trump's inauguration, one of world's most prestigious medical journals, the London-based Lancet, established a special commission to keep tabs on "Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era." The panel's 33 commissioners — medical professionals of all sorts, along with assorted notables in legal and

Jonathan Cook (2021-02-18). Why Politicians and Doctors Keep Ignoring the Medical Research on Vitamin D and Covid. counterpunch.org It is probably not a good idea to write while in the grip of anger. But I am struggling to suppress my emotions about a wasted year, during which politicians and many doctors have ignored a growing body of evidence suggesting that Vitamin D can play a critically important role in the prevention and treatment

RT (2021-02-18). Pfizer, BioNTech launch global trials of their Covid-19 vaccine in pregnant women. rt.com US pharma giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have kicked off an international study into the safety and effectiveness of their coronavirus vaccine in pregnant women, with 4,000 volunteers from nine countries taking part. | Healthy pregnant women in the US have already received their first shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab as part of the research, the companies announced on Thursday. They'll soon be joined by fellow test subjects in Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mozambique, South Africa, the UK and Spain. | Women aged 18 and older are to be inoculated during weeks 24-34 of gestation, the later stag…

RT (2021-02-18). Asking Russia for Sputnik and getting ANAL SWABS in China: US diplomats vent over State Department's Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. rt.com Even though the State Department received almost enough US-made Covid-19 vaccines for every employee, some diplomats have had to ask host countries for jabs and suffered indignities such as anal tests in China, a new report says. | The State Department has received "roughly" 73,000 doses of the US-made Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but "declined to say" how many of its estimated 75,000 employees it has vaccinated, the Washington Post reported. | Some of the diplomats stationed in Moscow have asked Russia for its Sputnik V vaccine, after Foggy Bottom "could not promise delivery" of American vaccines "in the near…

Anand Naidoo (2021-02-18). The Heat: South Africa's Challenges. america.cgtn.com As South Africa battles COVID-19, it is also dealing with a series of challenges on several fronts including the economy and jobs.

Workers World Party (2021-02-18). PDF of February 18 issue. workers.org Download the PDF. Alabama — Roll the union on! Solidarity with Amazon organizing; Class struggle then and now. BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Tribute to George Jackson L.D. Barkley, martyred in Attica uprising A fighting union leader: Karen Lewis ALSO: Care workers dare to strike; $1K per hour union busters; Electric vehicles . . . |

RT (2021-02-18). Amazon changes timing of TRAFFIC LIGHTS in Alabama town to derail unionization drive. rt.com Online retail giant Amazon was so desperate to scuttle a unionization drive among warehouse workers in Alabama that it actually had traffic light times changed. A pro-union publication says it confirmed the rumors with the county. | Amazon actually reached out to Jefferson County to change the timing of the traffic lights near its Bessemer warehouse, the pro-worker publication More Perfect Union reported on Tuesday, citing a public official from the county who said the company had complained about "traffic delays during shift changes" in order to secure the light change. | Organizers had claimed for weeks that…

Akram Al-Waara (2021-02-18). Palestinian cancer patient on deathbed after release from Israeli prison. middleeasteye.net Palestinian cancer patient on deathbed after release from Israeli prison | Hussein Masalmeh lies in critical condition in hospital, as family accuses Israel of medical negligence | Thu, 02/18/2021 – 12: 01 | Hussein Masalmeh's family say he was gravely ill for two years before being released from Israeli prison (Twitter) | When Bilal Masalmeh, 34, dreamt of the day his older brother Hussein woul…

The Socialist Program (2021-02-18). Capitalism in Crisis: An Absurd & Deadly System. liberationnews.org This interview is an episode of The Socialist Program with Brian Becker, a podcast providing news and views about the world for those who want to change it. You can follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss how deeply dependent big banks and corporations are on government assistance, the …

Raúl Zibechi (2021-02-18). China avanza desde el mar de Sur hasta Medio Oriente y Europa. globalizacion.ca La disputa por el Mar del Sur de China se sigue intensificando, pero el Dragón va colocando sus fichas de forma gradual, implacable e incontenible, como lo muestran los recientes desarrollos de una estrategia largamente diseñada, que parece estar poniendo…

Tim Wheeler (2021-02-18). Famed Black journalist Joe Walker's fateful meeting with Malcolm X. peoplesworld.org Joe Walker was already a widely admired African-American journalist when he got a surprising invitation and an offer to become the New York editor of Muhammad Speaks, the Nation of Islam's newspaper. He was summoned to the Harlem Mosque of the Black Muslims for a private meeting. And who was the meeting with? Malcolm X. …

Jim Soliz, Antonio García (2021-02-18). Proponen manifestaciones en Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Bakersfield contra Trumpistas en Congreso. peoplesworld.org Se escala la oposición contra el dirigente Republicano congresista Kevin McCarthy del Distrito Congressional 23 y su co-representante Mike Garcia en el Distrito 25. Esto viene a consecuencia en que estos representantes se oponen a denunciar a Donald Trump por el atentado golpe de estado contra el electo presidente Joe Biden y la violencia ocurrida …

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-02-18). Surge of Anti-Asian hate crimes spurs communities to action. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif.—As the start of the Lunar New Year approached last week, concern was growing over a surge in hate crimes being experienced by Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area, including several victims who were over 60 years of age. One attack last month in San Francisco was widely publicized when a local …

Eds. (2021-02-18). Role of NGOs in promoting neo-Colonialism. mronline.org There are literally thousands of NGOs, the better known being Oxfam, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International.

The Conversation (2021-02-18). Nonviolent Noncooperation: Why Indian farmers' protests are being called a 'satyagraha' — which means 'embracing the truth'. juancole.com By Sumit Ganguly | — For the past few months, farmers protesting in India's capital, New Delhi, have been demanding the repeal of three farm laws that were passed last year. These largely peaceful protests have been referred to as a "satyagraha" by many in the Indian media, politicians and activists. As a political scientist …

Melvin Goodman (2021-02-18). George Schultz's Character Study of Robert Gates. counterpunch.org In January 1986, Shultz told Gates that he had no "confidence in the intelligence community" and that he "wouldn't trust anything you guys said about Iran no matter what." Shultz charged Gates with "trying to manipulate me" and accused him of trying to create an "alternate State Department with its own strong policy views." Shultz conceded that his department made mistakes, but that Gates' "assaults are almost joyful."

Joe Piette (2021-02-18). 'Release Mumia NOW!' was the cry in Philadelphia. workers.org Pam Africa (right), speaking at rally, Feb. 15. Philadelphia On less than 24 hours' notice, more than 40 people came out on Feb. 15 to show their opposition to a Feb. 3 legal brief by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a so-called "progressive." It denies Mumia Abu-Jamal the right to . . . |

Thomas Klikauer — Norman Simms (2021-02-18). What is Digital Fascism? counterpunch.org At least since the great Italian author Umberto Eco's description of the fourteen points that define classical fascism, many readers know what fascism is — at least in theory. New research describes Italo-German fascism (1920s—1940s) as classical fascism. It contrasts classical fascism with a new variant, digital fascism.

IMEMC News (2021-02-18). Soldiers Abduct Two Palestinian In Jerusalem. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Wednesday night after midnight, two young Palestinian men in Shu'fat town, in the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem. Local sources said the two young men were walking near the main road of Shu'fat when the soldiers stopped them and took them to an interrogation facility in Neve Yaakov illegal colony. They added …

Media Lens (2021-02-18). "Our Indifference To Ourselves": Beyond The "Virtue" Of Self-Sacrifice (Part 2). dissidentvoice.org As we saw in Part 1, in 1914 and again in 1939, millions of men and women welcomed war. Arnold Ridley and his pals did make this choice, but in reality the choice had been made for them by decades and centuries of the relentless 'patriotic' propaganda described by Tolstoy, which most people were powerless …

Eds. (2021-02-18). Taxes on the rich: One-sixth of what they used to be. mronline.org A new IPS briefing paper highlights the unique role of tax policy in wealth concentration.

Judy Greenspan (2021-02-18). Leonard Peltier Defense Committee urgently needs support. workers.org The International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee has launched an urgent appeal for funds to support legal efforts to free this Native political prisoner, who has been held in U.S. dungeons for nearly 45 years. Peltier is a leader of the American Indian Movement, who was framed and jailed for the . . . |

Staff (2021-02-18). Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Pt.2) — The Black Church. therealnews.com In the second part of our conversation, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. further explores his new documentary "The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song." The new series reveals the broad history and culture of the Black church and explores African American faith communities on the front lines of hope and change.

Gloria La Riva (2021-02-18). In Texas disaster, low-income people hit hardest. liberationnews.org Eyewitness: In the midst of the massive Texas storm, last night I was fortunate to stay in a shelter in Sealy, Texas, one hour west of Houston.

Melvin Goodman (2021-02-18). George Shultz's Character Study of Robert Gates. counterpunch.org In January 1986, Shultz told Gates that he had no "confidence in the intelligence community" and that he "wouldn't trust anything you guys said about Iran no matter what." Shultz charged Gates with "trying to manipulate me" and accused him of trying to create an "alternate State Department with its own strong policy views." Shultz conceded that his department made mistakes, but that Gates' "assaults are almost joyful."

Eds. (2021-02-18). 'Only the strong will survive': Texas city mayor resigns for lashing out at residents asking for help during deadly storm. mronline.org The now former mayor of Colorado City, Texas, Tim Boyd, has resigned after two Facebook posts telling people needing help and without electricity that they are on their own.

Jim Soliz, Antonio García (2021-02-18). California Republicans Kevin McCarthy and Mike Garcia face opposition. peoplesworld.org SANTA CLARITA, Calif.—From the 'burbs of Los Angeles County to the sandy hills of Antelope Valley to Bakersfield, the fightback against the Congressional Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of the 23rd Congressional District and his colleague Mike Garcia, Representative from California's 25th C.D., continues to escalate. Fed by the refusal of McCarthy and Garcia to meet …

Dennis Broe (2021-02-18). 'The Mandalorian' season two: Not cancel but carnivore culture. peoplesworld.org One of the surprise hits of the contemporary streaming era is The Mandalorian, the first original series on Disney+. A surprise not because it was a hit—any Star Wars spinoff is guaranteed to have a wide audience—but because of the magnitude of its popularity and the way it has penetrated the culture. This space Western …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-18). Colombian students demand free higher-education for 2021. peoplesdispatch.org Students from different public universities of Colombia have been demonstrating to demand that the national and municipal governments guarantee free tuition for all students across the country this year…

PAI (2021-02-18). Fast food workers forced to walk out again for $15 and a union. peoplesworld.org ST. LOUIS (PAI)—For 40 years as a Black pastor in St. Louis, the Rev. Darryl Gray has seen the impact of low-wage jobs not just on his congregants, but on their kids. That's why he and a wide-ranging ministers' coalition support the Fight for $15 and a Union movement—and raising the federal minimum wage to …

Global Research News (2021-02-18). Selected Articles: Pandemic Revelations. globalresearch.ca By We bring to the attention of our readers, this important international statement by health professionals, medical doctors and scientists,…

Scott Williams (2021-02-17). Solidarity accelerates with Amazon workers' union drive in Alabama. workers.org Solidarity with the struggle of 5,800+ Amazon workers in Bessemer, Ala., to unionize continues to grow, following the heroic lead of this majority-Black workforce fighting for justice on the job. Walking the Powder Plant Road approach to the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala.,where a union drive is underway by the . . . |

Staff (2021-02-17). "David vs. Goliath": Warehouse Workers in Alabama Fight Amazon for the Right to Unionize. democracynow.org Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, are continuing to vote on whether to become the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the United States. Their demands include stronger COVID-19 safety measures and relief from impossibly high productivity standards that leave many unable to take bathroom breaks. "We want to be heard. We want to be treated like people and not ignored when we have issues," says Jennifer Bates, a worker at Amazon's BHM1 facility who has been part of the union drive from the beginning. We also speak with Michael Foster, a poultry plant worker, union member and member-organizer with RWDSU. "Amazon h…

Betsey Piette (2021-02-17). Morgan Lewis lawyers — high-paid union-busting thugs. workers.org In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bosses hired Pinkerton Agency goon squads to infiltrate unions, break strikes and intimidate workers who were trying to organize. Graphic: supportamazonworkers.org Today's hired union-busting thugs are more likely to be high-paid lawyers tasked with turning labor laws — intended to protect workers . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-02-17). Incarcerated workers say: 'Solidarity with Amazon workers!'. workers.org The following letters from incarcerated workers in the Pennsylvania prison system were sent by email on Feb. 13 and 15 to Joe Piette, a member of the Prisoner Solidarity Committee of Workers World Party. From SCI Frackville As I've advised you before, anything that I can do . . . |

Staff (2021-02-17). Teacher Unions: We Want to Reopen Schools as Well, But We Need Vaccines & Resources to Do It Safely. democracynow.org As school districts across the U.S. debate how to safely bring children into the classroom, we speak with two leaders of the teachers' union movement on what's at stake as schools reopen. Stacy Davis Gates, executive vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, says years of underfunding and privatization have left many school districts ill-equipped to meet the needs of students, as well as educators. "It's not just the context of opening schools. It's reopening schools safely with the resources that are necessary to keep people safe," she tells Democracy Now! We also speak with Randi Weingarten, president of th…

Staff (2021-02-17). "Work Won't Love You Back": Sarah Jaffe on Toxic U.S. Work Culture & the Fight Against Inequality. democracynow.org Amid the economic crisis and precarious working conditions for millions of people during the pandemic, we look at a new book by Sarah Jaffe, an independent journalist and author who covers labor and economic justice. "Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone" looks at the unsustainable expectations of fulfillment around work and how the "labor of love" myth has contributed to the rise of toxic workplaces. Jaffe says the pandemic has shown that work can always get worse, and that more and more people are pushing back. "It's not just that it's a bad, grinding, slow…

Staff (2021-02-17). 'We're not a charity case, we're under occupation'. therealnews.com Telling Israel to be a kinder occupying force does nothing to address the structural violence of Israeli occupation, which has been laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eds. (2021-02-17). Vulture Funds plan to use the Pandemic to pillage the Global Economy. mronline.org Before the pandemic, private equity had amassed $2.5 trillion—more than the GDP of Italy—in 'dry powder,' waiting for distressed assets to plunder. Covid-19 provided them with the perfect opportunity.

Real Progressives (2021-02-17). COVID-19 Has Made Americans Lonelier Than Ever — Here's how AI can Help. realprogressives.org "How does that make you feel?" | In the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are missing a sympathetic ear. Would a response like that make you feel heard, less alone, even if it were a machine writing back to you? | The pandemic has contributed to

John Bachtell (2021-02-17). For the sake of democracy, kill off the Senate filibuster. peoplesworld.org The nation's economic outlook is worsening, and new, more contagious COVID-19 variants worry public health officials. In response, the Democratic-led House and Senate are moving quickly to pass President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan (ARP) through the process of budget reconciliation. This process requires a simple majority vote in the U.S. Senate. Budget reconciliation is …

RT (2021-02-17). 'Verbal stumble' or blatant lie? Biden says US had no vaccine when he took office as new admin criticizes Trump's jab rollout. rt.com Joe Biden, who was fully vaccinated before his inauguration, has been accused of playing loose with the facts after stating that there was no Covid-19 shot when he entered office. But some insist it was a harmless verbal slip. | Read more | | Speaking with CNN's Anderson Cooper at a town hall event on Tuesday, the US president explained in a rather disjointed way that the United States lacked both vaccines and health workers capable of administering…

RT (2021-02-17). 'Breathing is optional': Internet groans after NYC requires double-masking inside federal court buildings. rt.com Two masks will now be required for those who want to enter a federal court building in Manhattan — but the new Covid-19 guidance has provoked more mockery than applause on social media. | The Southern District of New York

MEE correspondent (2021-02-17). Covid-19: Mass medic migration leaves Iran in pandemic panic. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Mass medic migration leaves Iran in pandemic panic | The pandemic has driven Iran's doctors and nurses to foreign countries that offer better financial and workplace incentives, as well as respect for the healthcare profession | Wed, 02/17/2021 – 14: 42 | As Iran struggles with the coronavirus outbreak, many Iranian doctors and nurses have chosen to emigrate for better pay and…

RT (2021-02-17). Biden promises vaccines available to all Americans by end of July, 'significantly' less social distancing & masks a year from now. rt.com President Biden has predicted a "very different circumstance" for the US' Covid-19 outbreak by Christmas, saying some 600 million vaccine doses will be ready by July while noting that he's been advised against 'over-promising.' | Biden waxed optimistic about the ongoing viral outbreak during a CNN town hall event on Tuesday, declaring that "by next Christmas, I think we'll be in a very different circumstance, God willing, than we are today." He said the improvement would be further helped along if an inoculation developed by Johnson & Johnson receives FDA approval, as it is expected to sometime this month. | "

Binoy Kampmark (2021-02-17). The "Return" of America: Biden's Maiden Foreign Policy Speech. counterpunch.org Few could have been slack-jawed at the first significant foreign policy speech of US President Joe Biden. It can easily be filed under the "America is back" label. Back as well, as if the previous administration had been incapable of it, was a promise for that practice unflatteringly called jaw-jaw. "Diplomacy," the President states from

RT (2021-02-17). Playing politics while Texans freeze? Gov. Abbott grilled after blaming Green New Deal for his state's power woes. rt.com Texas Governor Greg Abbott has singled out renewable energy as the culprit behind his state's devastating power outages, sparking accusations that he is trying to skirt responsibility for the crisis. | Frigid temperatures have shut down some of Texas' wind turbines and solar panels, as well as natural gas infrastructure in the Lone Star state. As a result, millions of residents have been left in freezing conditions without power, resulting in numerous deaths. | Speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday, Abbott suggested that the failure of so-called "sustainable" energy sources such as wind and solar…

RT (2021-02-17). Texas disaster is what happens when you DON'T pursue a Green New Deal — AOC. rt.com Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has blasted Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the state's infrastructure planning, claiming her Green New Deal would better prepare areas for extreme weather conditions. | "The infrastructure failures in Texas are quite literally what happens when you *don't* pursue a Green New Deal," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Wednesday. | The message appeared to be in response to Abbott criticizing a potential Green New Deal due to many renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines failing in the state's historically cold weather. In an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday ev…

Dan Bacher (2021-02-17). Big Oil Spent $10 million Lobbying California Officials in 2020. counterpunch.org The powerful oil industry lobby in California in 2020 spent less on lobbying in California than it did in 2019, but still managed to defeat legislation it opposed and getting CalGEM, the state's gas and oil regulatory agency, to double the number of new oil production well permits approved in the state. The top four oil industry lobbyist employers — the Western

Patrick Cockburn (2021-02-17). The Arab Spring Failed But the Rage Against Misery and Injustice Continues. counterpunch.org Ten years ago, people across the Middle East and North Africa rose up in protest against their rulers, demanding freedom and democracy. Despotic rulers were toppled or feared that power was being torn from their grasp in countries across the region, as millions of demonstrators surged through the streets, chanting that "the people demand the fall of the regime".

Eds. (2021-02-17). GameStop and Share Markets: Between the bad and the ugly, there is no G. mronline.org The recent GameStop story coming out of the U.S. pushed arcane financial dealings into a prominence they rarely enjoy. The public was introduced to weird concepts such as "short selling and short squeezes" and, for a while, they are likely to be part of many Zoom conversations.

Liz Theoharis (2021-02-17). Whose Rights Matter in Pandemic America? Not Those of Poor Americans, That's For Sure. juancole.com By Liz Theoharis | — ( Tomdispatch.com ) — In June 1990, future South African President Nelson Mandela addressed a joint session of Congress only months after being released from 27 years in a South African apartheid prison. He reminded the political leadership of the United States that "to deny people their human rights is …

Leif Autzen (2021-02-17). Columbus OH activists fight closure of park, site of a homeless encampment. liberationnews.org The city's decision to close the park without offering alternative plans to house the people who live there exposes the city's failure to care for its most vulnerable residents.

Michael Tarm (2021-02-17). Execution cruelty hidden by Trump officials to speed up death sentences. peoplesworld.org CHICAGO (AP)—Executioners who put 13 inmates to death in the last months of the Trump administration likened the process of dying by lethal injection to falling asleep and called gurneys "beds" and final breaths "snores." But those tranquil accounts are at odds with reports by The Associated Press and other media witnesses of how prisoners' stomachs rolled, …

Michael Berkowitz (2021-02-17). 'Faith in the Masses': Communist Party history gives something to believe in. peoplesworld.org Faith in the Masses: Essays Celebrating 100 Years of the Communist Party, USA, edited by Tony Pecinovsky, is an ambitious undertaking—almost as ambitious as the work the book describes. These essays cast a wide net aiming to capture the breadth of the Party's efforts to change society over the last century. The celebration is heartfelt, …

Ben Imbus (2021-02-17). Albuquerque teachers say, 'Until cases decline, keep school online!'. liberationnews.org Photo credit: Liberation screenshot of KOAT coverage. On Feb. 3, teachers and students held a protest outside of Albuquerque Public Schools administrative headquarters against the rushed re-opening of schools. They chanted "Save lives, keep the schools closed!" and "Until cases decline, stay online!" Later that day, the APS Board of Education met to vote on …

Liberation Staff, Texas (2021-02-17). Texas infrastructure nears complete collapse as capitalist neglect meets climate change-driven winter storms. liberationnews.org Four million or more Texans are without power. Outages that were initially called "rolling outages" are now lasting several days. The private non-profit corporation that oversees the electric grid is now admitting that they are "unable to predict" when conditions will stabilize.

James K. Galbraith (2021-02-17). Congressional Budget Office Not Competent to Assess Economics of Minimum Wage. counterpunch.org A Congressional Budget Office Report on the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 underpins a February 11 Washington Post editorial headlined, "Democrats Must Listen to the Data."

Joelle Fishman (2021-02-17). 'Georgia On My Mind: The Third Reconstruction': Connecticut Black history event planned. peoplesworld.org "Georgia on My Mind: The Third Reconstruction," is the theme of a series of scheduled events including a Black History Month Youth March / car caravan, a virtual event, and an arts and writing competition highlighting the 47th People's World African American History Celebration in Connecticut. Register here. NEW HAVEN, Conn.—Co-sponsored with the Young Communist …

Gary Leupp (2021-02-17). The Iran Deal: Biden and Blinken, Wykan and Blynkin. counterpunch.org Trump's attack on the Iran Deal was based on his ego, but done in tandem with apartheid-Israel and rogue state Saudi Arabia, whose vile leaders advised him to bomb Iran; he was reportedly on the verge of starting a war (in June 2019 and November 2020) when his more level-headed advisors checked him. (We must always recall that however sickening the Trump years they did not produce another criminal war.) Meantime Trump deeply annoyed the Europeans, such as the Deal's co-signers Germany, Britain and France, by thwarting major investment projects in the Islamic Republic. These included a factory to produce much need…

Aboulfotouh Kandil (2021-02-17). Trump's right-wing Egyptian allies attack Biden administration and Dems. peoplesworld.org Egypt's miserable record on human rights has resulted in two Democrats launching a congressional group to deal with the situation. On Jan. 25, Democratic Reps. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey and Don Beyer of Virginia announced the formation of the "Egypt Human Rights Caucus." Egyptian human rights organizations and activists in the U.S. have responded …

Raouf Halaby (2021-02-17). Israelis, In God's Name, Why? counterpunch.org "The International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust is a time to mourn those who disappeared and to reflect upon the choice of the individuals and governments that allowed this genocide to unfold. It is also a call for vigilance and for action, to address the root causes of hatred

W. T. Whitney (2021-02-17). To Normalize US-Cuban Relations, Restore Working Embassies. counterpunch.org The new Biden administration may soon ease regulations enforcing the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba. However, if Oregon Senator Ron Wyden's new bill, the U.S.-Cuba Trade Act of 2021, becomes law, the blockade itself will disappear. Meanwhile, the two countries' embassies in Havana and Washington are dysfunctional. No normal relations will obtain until they are

Emma-Louise Fenelon (2021-02-17). Essential Inquest Law Updates with Rachel Marcus and Jim Duffy on Law Pod UK. ukhumanrightsblog.com The last 12 months have provided fertile ground for many significant judgments concerning inquest law. In Episode 136, Emma-Louise Fenelon speaks to Rachel Marcus and Jim Duffy about the developments practitioners will need to know about. The episode mentions: Rushbrooke v HM Coroner for West London [2020] EWHC 1612 (Admin) R (Maughan) v Senior Coroner …

The Conversation (2021-02-17). 'Indian Country' is excited about the first Native American secretary of the interior — and the promise she has for addressing issues of importance to all Americans. juancole.com By Traci Morris | — President Biden's nomination of U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico to lead the Department of the Interior is historic on many levels. Haaland, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, was one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, along with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of …

Monica Moorehead (2021-02-17). Montgomery Bus Boycott, Bessemer, prisons — Class struggle then and now. workers.org Fifty years after the end of the U.S. Civil War — and during the height of horrific lynchings of Black people in the Deep South by KKK terror — the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter Woodson and Rev. Jesse . . . |

Staff (2021-02-17). THIS is why 'deregulation' is deadly. therealnews.com Millions of Texans are struggling to keep warm and survive Winter Storm Uri. Meanwhile, Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbot are rushing to save their own asses, pushing the blame for power grid failures onto anyone but themselves; but they, and years of market-serving conservative governance, caused this mess.

Eds. (2021-02-17). Leading from the front: The role of women in Farmers' movement. mronline.org As lakhs of farmers continue their protest against the new farm legislations introduced by the Modi government, a remarkable number of women are not only braving the rough weather by participating in these demonstrations but are also leading from the front.

alexander (2021-02-17). Twitch.tv: A new frontier for the Left. dsausa.org Will Twitch hold an active role in the next campaign cycle? Will the Left be able to utilize this platform not only for electoral politics, but for direct action too?

Audrey Huff (2021-02-17). 22-year old climate change organizer arrested in India. liberationnews.org Disha Ravi is accused of "sedition" for allegedly helping to create a digital "toolkit" to support the farmers' struggle.

Martha Grevatt (2021-02-17). From electric vehicles to corruption — UAW faces huge challenges. workers.org General Motors CEO Mary Barra raised more than a few eyebrows Jan. 28, when she announced GM would have an all-electric product line by 2035. This planned phaseout of fossil fuel-burning vehicles represents a serious departure from four years ago, when GM joined the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers in calling . . . |

Michele de Mello (2021-02-17). Agro-ecology project links peasant production to urban communes in Venezuela. peoplesdispatch.org "Only the people can save the people." With this idea in mind, the Pueblo a Pueblo Foundation (People to people, in Spanish) seeks to apply in real life, union and solidarity between the countryside and the city. The project is based on bringing food produced by rural Venezuelan communities to urban communes. The goal is to shut out intermediaries, and ensure the societal division of agricultural production: ensuring that the farmer does not lose his harvest, and that the consumer can have access to a diversified basic food basket at a fair price. | "The Pueblo a Pueblo plan has working on this dimension of agroe…

Liberation Staff, Texas (2021-02-17). Texas infrastructure nears collapse, millions without power, water. liberationnews.org Four million or more Texans are without power. Outages that were initially called "rolling outages" are now lasting several days. The private non-profit corporation that oversees the electric grid is now admitting that they are "unable to predict" when conditions will stabilize.

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2021-02-17). Unsubstantiated 'sonic attack' allegations still hobble U.S.-Cuba relations. peoplesworld.org The new Biden administration may soon ease regulations enforcing the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba. However, if Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden's new bill, the U.S.-Cuba Trade Act of 2021, becomes law, the blockade itself will disappear. The two countries' embassies in Havana and Washington are dysfunctional. No normal relations will be obtained until they are …

Emily Denny (2021-02-17). Texans freeze as fossil-fuel power grid fails, but conservatives blame wind turbines. peoplesworld.org While Texans suffer from freezing temperatures and extensive power outages, frozen wind turbines are being used as a ploy to spread skepticism on the reliability of renewable energy. This week, a relentless winter storm pummeled through parts of the southern and central U.S., causing people to crank their electric heating systems. In Texas, the energy demand became too high for …

Global Research News (2021-02-17). Selected Articles: Science and Power as Fellow Henchmen. globalresearch.ca By Today's science is in a relation…

Anand Naidoo (2021-02-17). The Heat: Farmers protest in India. america.cgtn.com India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi facing the largest demonstrations since he came to power. We will take a look at the protests by thousands of farmers in the country.

RT (2021-02-17). US charges 3 North Koreans with hack on Seth Rogen/James Franco movie and stealing $1.3 billion. rt.com The US has charged three North Korean computer programmers over the theft of $1.3 billion and the well-publicized attack on a Hollywood film starring Seth Rogen and James Franco which depicts Kim Jong-un being assassinated. | The indictment names Jon Chang Hyok, 31, Kim Il, 27, and Park Jin Hyok, 36, as "military hackers" behind the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014, allegedly in response to the film 'The Interview'. | The 'hack-and-dump' operation on Sony saw swathes of its data deleted and other information published online, in what was seen to be the North Korean intelligence services retal…

RT (2021-02-17). Liberals show their true colors by dancing on Rush Limbaugh's grave within minutes of learning about his death. rt.com Many have mourned the death of conservative icon and talk-radio pioneer Rush Limbaugh, but his critics have also been quick to exploit his demise for cheap political points that benefit no one. | It took minutes for liberals to politicize the death of Limbaugh, which was announced Wednesday on his radio program by his wife Kathryn. Limbaugh was 70. | While Limbaugh was a window into the world of politics and a thought-provoking radio personality to many, to others it appears he was the devil himself. One would think he was a full-blown terrorist or murderer based on some of the reactions to his passing away.

RT (2021-02-17). Shopkeeper who stopped robbery in California by shooting into the air ARRESTED for discharging his gun. rt.com An Oakland liquor store owner in violence-besieged Chinatown shot into the air to stop the robbery of a woman in front of his shop, only to be arrested as police signaled that armed resistance to a crime wave won't be tolerated.

Jordan Woll (2021-02-17). Fight for $15: Is Biden trying to sabotage key provision of his own stimulus bill? liberationnews.org One of the biggest unanswered questions regarding the stimulus package is whether or not it will include a provision to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour.