Monthly Archives: March 2021

2021-03-17: News Headlines

MEE staff (2021-03-17). Egypt's mass demolitions of Sinai homes 'likely war crimes'. middleeasteye.net Egypt's mass demolitions of Sinai homes 'likely war crimes' | Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 12,350 buildings have been demolished by the Egyptian military in the restive Sinai | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 11: 32 | Image grab, taken from a video released by the official Facebook page of Egypt's military spokesman on 8 December 2020, shows Egyptian army vehicles driving in the desert (Screengrab)
| The…

Umar A Farooq (2021-03-17). Pro-Palestinian groups urge Canada to cancel purchase of Israeli drone. middleeasteye.net Pro-Palestinian groups urge Canada to cancel purchase of Israeli drone | Canadian NGO says Ottawa's recent purchase of civilian version of military drone implicitly rewards Israel | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 14: 24 | Canada first announced its purchase of Israeli-made drone last December (AFP) | Pro-Palestinian groups are urging the Canadian government to cancel a $36m purchase of an Israeli-made civilian…

MEE staff (2021-03-17). 'No indications' of withdrawal of Russian mercenaries from Libya, says UN report. middleeasteye.net 'No indications' of withdrawal of Russian mercenaries from Libya, says UN report | UN experts cite 'extensive, blatant' violations of 2011 embargo imposed on war-torn country | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 11: 46 | Libyan cadets attend a graduation ceremony at the Military College in the Libyan capital Tripoli (AFP) | There have been "no indications" that around 2,000 Russian mercenaries have withdrawn from Libya, despit…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-17). The University Deception: Rankings and Academic Freedom. counterpunch.org Forget the global university rankings of any list. The global university promotion exercise is filled with snake oil and perfumed refuse, an effort to corrupt the unknowing and steal from the gullible. The aim here is to convince parents, potential students and academics that their institutions of white collar crime are appealing enough to warrant

Dianne Mathiowetz (2021-03-17). Killings of Korean women reflects U.S. misogyny and racism. workers.org Demonstrators at "Love Our Communities: Build Collective Power" rally to raise awareness of anti-Asian violence in Los Angeles, March 13. Atlanta Beginning at 5 p.m., March 16, the first horrific news of the murders of four people and the wounding of a fifth at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, a . . . |

Ellis Cose (2021-03-17). Racial Justice and Civil Liberties: An Inseparable History at the ACLU. aclu.org After World War I, it quickly became clear that the war to make the world "safe for democracy" had not made America safe for equality. Anti-Black race riots ripped through Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and even Elaine, Arkansas. In October 1919, after Black sharecroppers in Elaine convened a union meeting, newspapers labeled the effort a "Negro uprising." The state mobilized troops and mobs to quell the rebellion. The result was "possibly the bloodiest racial conflict in the history of the United States," concluded the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. | The American Civil Liberties Union's origin…

The Conversation (2021-03-17). Every day is war' — a decade of slow suffering and destruction in Syria. juancole.com By Ammar Azzouz | — Abduljalil sent me a photo of his ruined home in Homs, Syria. "It is the third floor", he told me over WhatsApp. The building still stands but it looks like an empty skeleton. Most of its facade has been destroyed, while piles of debris surround it. Residents have not been …

Tina Ngo, Wai Lee Chin Feman, Bethie Wang (2021-03-17). Why are hate crimes against Asian Americans on the rise? liberationnews.org Over the past year, we have seen an alarming surge in racist violence directed toward Asian Americans.

Editor (2021-03-17). Defend voting rights! workers.org The former Republican president may be absent from the corporate media these days, but his racist and pro-rich ideas live on in all reactionary political institutions and organizations. This ideology flourishes in the Republican Party's current assault on the universal right to vote. We are well aware of the limitations . . . |

Tomdispatch (2021-03-17). On January 6th, the U.S. Became a Foreign Country. juancole.com By Kevin Tillman | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — Just about everyone was shocked by what happened at the Capitol building on January 6th. But as a former soldier in America's forever wars, horrifying as the scenes were, I also found what happened strangely familiar, almost inevitable. I thought that, if only we had taken our …

Mark Gruenberg (2021-03-17). OSHA targets coronavirus inspections to health care, meatpacking firms. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Carrying out Democratic President Joe Biden's executive order, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's inspectors will put health care firms—including hospitals and nursing homes—and meat and poultry packers at the top of its inspections and enforcement list in the war against the coronavirus. It's especially going to focus its ire on employers who retaliate against …

RT (2021-03-17). US road safety regulator sides with GM after widower's lawsuit over deadly car crash. rt.com The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has refused to open a formal investigation into GM after a lawsuit alleged that a defective steering sensor from the company had led to a car crash that killed his wife. | Lance Cooper's 42-year-old wife died after her 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV crashed, with the lawsuit alleging it was caused by a defective steering sensor issue that GM was aware of but failed to warn drivers about. | The NHTSA was informed of Cooper's concerns in February 2020, when he contacted the regulator, asking them to investigate the car company over the issue, to identify…

RT (2021-03-17). Biden tells migrants 'Don't come over,' downplays own DHS chief's warning of biggest immigration surge in 2 decades & blames Trump. rt.com US President Joe Biden has urged migrants and refugees to stay home, telling them not to attempt to cross the US border, even as his own officials sound alarms over what they say is the largest influx of immigrants in two decades.

RT (2021-03-17). 8 killed in string of shootings at THREE different spas across metro Atlanta, Georgia. rt.com A series of shootings at three different spas in the Atlanta, Georgia area has left at least eight people dead and several others injured. A 21-year-old suspect was taken into custody following an intense manhunt. | Police responded to reports of a shooting at Young's Asian Massage near Acworth, Georgia — a suburb of Atlanta — on Tuesday, finding five suffering from gunshot wounds when they arrived, Cherokee County Sheriff's spokesperson Howard Baker told local media. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, while two more victims succumbed to their injuries after being transported to a hospital for tr…

Staff (2021-03-17). Amazon Is Hiring Aggressive Firms to Bust Union Efforts. truthout.org Since the start of the year, Amazon has subjected its almost 6,000 warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, to a relentless and

_____ (2021-03-17). The U.S. Pivot to Asia: Cold War Lessons From Vietnam for Today. strategic-culture.org There were Cold War preparations underway as early as August 1945 and the two regions selected, Korea and Vietnam, were pre-planned years in advance before the actual wars were to take place, Cynthia Chung writes. | In L…

_____ (2021-03-17). Blinken Talks the Talk, but Will He Walk the Walk? strategic-culture.org Secretary of State Antony Blinken's March 3 speech at the US State Department should be warmly welcomed around the world, especially in Caracas and Tehran… | (Click on the image to enlarge)…

_____ (2021-03-17). Assange's Father John Shipton On The Home Run Tour For Julian. popularresistance.org For the past fortnight the Home Run for Julian tour has been weaving its way through regional and suburban Victoria and NSW, towards the nation's capital. | And along its route, it's met with supporters to spread the word that Australians want Wikileaks founder Julian Assange returned home. | After over a decade of drawn out detention in the UK, Assange is now incarcerated in London's Belmarsh prison, pending an appeal of the British court decision not to extradite him to the United States to face multiple espionage charges over his publishing. | The Home Run for Julian speak out tour has been led by Assange's fa…

Eric A. Gordon (2021-03-17). Documentary 'The Boys Who Said No!' recalls anti-draft, anti-war movement. peoplesworld.org A highly effective and moving new documentary about the young American men who refused to be sucked into the maw of the Selective Service System during the Vietnam War has just appeared. The Boys Who Said No!: Draft Resistance and the Vietnam War is featured in the Socially Relevant Film Festival online and is available …

John Wojcik, C.J. Atkins (2021-03-17). Biden administration 'tackling' difficult border situation, progressives say step up the pace. peoplesworld.org In its attempts to deal with rising numbers of immigrants at the southwest border, the Biden administration is facing strong criticism from many different sources, some of it legitimate but much of it outrageously hypocritical. The administration's head of Homeland Security insisted yesterday that the situation is "under control." He made that assertion during a …

Editor (2021-03-17). °Que se abran las fronteras! workers.org Muertes de migrantes: øQuién es el VERDADERO culpable? No tenía por qué suceder. Pero, trágicamente, así pasó. Y lo más probable es que no sea la última vez. El 2 de marzo, 12 personas murieron instantáneamente cuando la camioneta en la que viajaban fue golpeada de costado por un camión . . . |

RT (2021-03-17). With US immigration crisis escalating, Biden administration attempts to ban Border Patrol agents from talking to media — reports. rt.com One of President Joe Biden's latest tactics in dealing with a growing flood of illegal aliens — especially unaccompanied child migrants — is reportedly to muzzle Border Patrol agents, banning them from speaking to reporters. | Biden's administration has verbally passed down an unofficial

Guest Contributor (2021-03-17). Pandemic NHS workers should be granted indefinite leave to remain — Aaron Gates-Lincoln. ukhumanrightsblog.com Migrant workers have been essential to the operations of the NHS ever since its inception in 1948. Over the decades, many programmes have been used to encourage and find overseas workers and help them migrate to the UK to be employed in the healthcare system, demonstrating our governments acknowledgment of how important they are. As …

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-17). Yemen's Houthis express 'deep regret' for Sanaa migrant centre fire. middleeasteye.net Yemen's Houthis express 'deep regret' for Sanaa migrant centre fire | Houthis said 44 people died, as evidence grows that the rebels caused the fire | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 12: 53 | East African refugees wait for then-head of UNHCR Antonio Guterres in 2010 when he visited a refugee camp in Djibouti (AFP) | The Houthi rebel movement in Yemen expressed "deep regret" on Wednesday for the deaths of dozens of mig…

RT (2021-03-17). False alarm or malicious rumor? Twitter account claiming to be Ecuadorian FM falsely announces death of Julian Assange. rt.com A Twitter account purporting to belong to Ecuador's newly promoted foreign minister has falsely reported Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's death, acknowledging the news is "unconfirmed." It's not clear who's behind the report. | A recently created Twitter account supposedly belonging to Ecuadorian FM Manuel Mejía Dalmau posted an "URGENT" message on Wednesday declaring "diplomatic sources in London" had reported "the news of the death of Julian Assange," the Wikileaks founder's partner Stella Moris revealed on Wednesday, posting a screenshot of the tweet that noted the report was "unconfirmed." | pic.t…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-17). The Ongoing Calamity: US Collective Punishment of the Venezuelan People Must End. dissidentvoice.org Recent statements made by US officials suggest that Washington will continue to pursue a hardline policy on Venezuela. The new Biden Administration, however, needs to urgently rethink its approach. US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, remarked on February 3 that he "certainly" does not "expect this administration to be engaging directly with (President) Maduro." Namely, …

Stephen Lendman (2021-03-17). RussiaGate 3.0: The Myth of "Foreign Threats" to US Elections Prevails. US Intelligence (ICA) Assessment. globalresearch.ca Whenever US intelligence community reports claim foreign interference in or threats …

MEE staff (2021-03-17). Covid-19: West Bank receives first Covax vaccine doses. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: West Bank receives first Covax vaccine doses | World Health Organisation's vaccine-sharing initiative adds 62,000 doses to the occupied West Bank's struggling inoculation programme | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 18: 00 | A worker unloads a refrigerated truck carrying the first Covax delivery to a Palestinian Authority storage facility in the West Bank city of Nablus on 17 March (AFP) | The Palestinian Authority…

Joel Wendland-Liu (2021-03-17). 'Making it' in America as pure fantasy: Ayad Akhtar's 'Homeland Elegies: A Novel'. peoplesworld.org The book jacket describes Homeland Elegies as "art family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel." The decision to confuse these genres is both tantalizing and frustrating. Its subtitle identifies it as "a novel." This pre-pandemic text refers often to real-life events, such as to his own plays and to main actors in those plays …

RT (2021-03-17). CNN ripped for article admitting anti-lockdown Florida is 'booming' but implying Gov. DeSantis shouldn't be 'taking credit'. rt.com Critics are accusing CNN of playing politics and spinning the success of 'booming' Florida, which defied typical Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, as having nothing to do with Gov. Ron DeSantis. | "Everyone told me I was wrong," DeSantis said this week at a fundraiser about pandemic lockdowns. "I faced continued pressure from radical Democrats and the liberal media, but I refused to back down. It's clear: Florida got it right." | While many states are just beginning the process of reopening businesses and rolling back pandemic-era restrictions, Florida has been open for the better part of the last year — an…

Staff (2021-03-17). Spain Plans to Begin Experimenting With a Four-Day Workweek. truthout.org As the coronavirus pandemic changes the way societies around the world view work, Spain has announced it will begin a limited trial of a four-day workweek in a bid to boost productivity, mental health, and the environment. | The Guardian

Staff (2021-03-17). Jackson Mayor Demands Help After Month-Long Water Crisis Amid Pandemic, Racism, Broken Infrastructure. democracynow.org Residents in Jackson, Mississippi, have been facing a water crisis over the last five weeks, with many people lacking reliable access to clean drinking water after deadly February winter storms caused pipes and water mains to burst. While water delivery has largely been restored, "boil water" orders remain in effect for most people. The city estimates it could cost $2 billion to fix the city's water system. The crisis in Jackson, which is 82% Black, highlights how climate catastrophe threatens much of the nation's aging infrastructure. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says while the city "contributes millions of dollar…

Alan Macleod (2021-03-17). Twitter Deletes QAnon to Protect US from Upheaval; Russia May Delete Twitter for the Same Reason. mintpressnews.com With American social media companies increasingly controlled by the national security state, Russia is considering bans on the likes of Twitter and YouTube.

Noam Chomsky (2021-03-17). Class Struggle or Get it in the Neck, Part 2. zcomm.org Photo by Adham Ayesh/Shutterstock David Barsamian: Let's talk about historical memory. The 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg Tribunal for high ranking Nazis was just marked. Robert Jackson, the chief U.S. prosecutor and Supreme Court Justice, said, "We must never forget that the record on which we judge these defendants is the record on which

Andrew Korybko (2021-03-17). The US Director of National Intelligence (DNI)' Report on "Russian Meddling" Report Denigrates Dissident Americans. globalresearch.ca The Director of National Intelligence's

Kathy Durkin (2021-03-17). Philippine activists demand: 'Stop the killings and arrests!'. workers.org "Kill them all!" ordered Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, addressing the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines on March 5. Two days later, state forces following the dictator's edict carried out a deadly attack on progressive activists in the Southern Tagalog region. Protest against the March 7 massacre . . . |

RT (2021-03-17). Georgia mass shooting suspect may have 'SEX ADDICTION' and wanted to 'eliminate temptation' at massage parlors — police. rt.com The suspect behind a string of shootings at massage parlors in Georgia has told police he wanted to "eliminate" sexual temptation and the massacre was not racially motivated. | Robert Aaron Long, 21, told police he was trying to eliminate the temptation of the spas, which he allegedly visited, and claimed he had an addiction to sex. | "He gave indications that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction," Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds told reporters, adding that Long "may have frequented some of these places in the past" and could have been "lashing out." | Eight people were killed in the shootin…

Staff (2021-03-17). Asian Americans Reel in Response to Gun Attack on Massage Parlors in Georgia. truthout.org A 21-year-old white man was taken into custody Tuesday night as the primary suspect in three metro Atlanta massage parlor shootings that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent. | While law enforcement officials have yet to determine suspected gunman Robert Aaron Long's motive, advocacy groups and lawmakers feared that the massacre was an anti-Asian hate crime given the establishments targeted and the victims, which also included a white man and woman. | Stop AAPI Hate, a…

Betsey Piette (2021-03-17). 'The only acceptable treatment for Mumia Abu-Jamal is his freedom!'. workers.org Organized in less than 24 hours, around 50 supporters of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal rallied outside Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office March 12. They demanded Krasner immediately release 66-year-old Abu-Jamal, who has tested positive for COVID-19. At a protest outside DA Larry Krasner's office, Pam Africa compares photos of . . . |

MEE staff (2021-03-17). Nepal probes Bahraini prince's 'gift' of 2,000 vaccines to Himalayan village. middleeasteye.net Nepal probes Bahraini prince's 'gift' of 2,000 vaccines to Himalayan village | Nepal's medicines regulator said vaccine doses were brought into the country without a licence or prior knowledge of the health ministry | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 19: 32 | Sheikh Mohamed Hamad Mohamed al-Khalifa (second right) poses for pictures upon arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (AFP) | An investigation has bee…

MEE staff (2021-03-17). Covid-19 and Ramadan: UAE issues strict social measures. middleeasteye.net Covid-19 and Ramadan: UAE issues strict social measures | UAE said residents and citizens must avoid evening gatherings and the exchanging of food to break the fast, except for members of the same household | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 12: 17 | A man registers before receiving a Covid-19 vaccine at the Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE, 3 February 2021 (AFP) | The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday introduced a nu…

Anand Naidoo (2021-03-17). The Heat: COVID-19 in Brazil. america.cgtn.com Brazil is fighting to control a devastating COVID-19 outbreak while it tries to save its economy.

Kenneth Surin (2021-03-17). The EU's Vaccination Lag. counterpunch.org The advanced industrial countries are now inoculating their populations with the Covid-19 vaccines. A Vaccine Tracker provided by Bloomberg indicates that of the following three countries, the UK's rollout has been the most effective (36.03 doses per 100 people), followed by the US at 28.83 doses per 100 people (as one would expect, the US's individual state variation is considerable—extending from North Dakota (36.84) to Georgia at 13.4), while the EU is far behind at 10.64 doses per 100 people.

Staff (2021-03-17). With First Native Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, Hope Grows U.S. Will Confront Toxic Uranium Legacy. democracynow.org Deb Haaland, a tribal citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, is being sworn in as secretary of the interior and will be the first Native American ever to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet. Just four Republicans joined Democrats in voting to confirm Haaland, who will manage 500 million acres of federal and tribal land. Haaland will also oversee government relations with 574 federally recognized tribal nations and is expected to address the legacy of uranium mining on Indigenous land and other areas. Leona Morgan, a Diné anti-nuclear activist and community organizer, says that while it's "impossible to expect one person…

Martha Grevatt (2021-03-17). Bust the filibuster! Pass the PRO Act! workers.org On March 9 the House of Representatives passed the Protect the Right to Organize Act, the most sweeping amendment to the 1935 National Labor Relations Act since the notorious, union-busting Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Unions are now demanding the Senate pass the PRO Act, which undoes parts of Taft-Hartley and . . . |

Judy Greenspan (2021-03-17). California rally: 'Union busting is disgusting!'. workers.org San Francisco, March 12 San Francisco March 12 — Labor union and community members rallied today in front of the offices of Morgan Lewis, a law firm with offices in 31 cities around the world with a sordid history of union busting. Morgan Lewis was recently hired by Amazon to . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-03-17). Federación mundial del trabajo respalda a sindicato #Bamazon. workers.org La Federación Sindical Mundial (FSM) emitió el siguiente comunicado el 3 de marzo. EE.UU.: FSM en solidaridad con los trabajadores de almacén de Amazon en Alabama La Federación Sindical Mundial, que es la voz militante de 105 millones de trabajadores de 132 países de todo el mundo, extiende su solidaridad . . . |

Climate Nexus (2021-03-17). Environmentalists seek climate action in U.S. infrastructure bill. peoplesworld.org Environmental groups are launching a $10 million push for Congress to make climate change central to infrastructure legislation. "The Great American Build" campaign, a joint effort of Climate Power, the League of Conservation Voters and Potential Energy Coalition, will pressure lawmakers to include funding for climate action as part of the emerging infrastructure package. "Americans elected pro-climate …

Walden Bello (2021-03-17). John Locke and the Roots of White Supremacy in the US. counterpunch.org Ideas count — sometimes, they are even stronger than material interests. This is the case with the legacy of 17th century philosopher John Locke in the United States, which is central to explaining why class solidarity is so weak while white racial solidarity is so strong. Recent events have confirmed the unfortunate fact that there

Eds. (2021-03-17). Magellan, inquisition and globalisation. mronline.org MR Online

2021-03-16: News Headlines

Ron Jacobs (2021-03-16). Washington in Afghanistan: How Long Must This Go On? counterpunch.org The United States military and mercenary forces need to leave Afghanistan now. Even Donald Trump understood this, at least in public. The US mission was a failure within a year of its 2001 invasion. It could not and cannot reshape the political landscape in that nation. It tried in the 1970s and the 1980s when it created and armed the mujaheddin to fight the Soviet-supported government. It couldn't mold the nation of Afghanistan into a willing client after the Taliban marched into Kabul. It has failed to do so since it invaded the country in 2001 under the pretense of going after Osama bin Laden. To repeat, the U…

MEE staff (2021-03-16). Iran calls on US and its allies to halt military actions in Syria at Security Council. middleeasteye.net Iran calls on US and its allies to halt military actions in Syria at Security Council | Iran's envoy to the UN slammed the US and Israel for striking Iran-backed targets in Syria and called for a political settlement to end 10-year war | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 17: 22 | Israeli troops take part in a drill on 2 March in the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, which it says it has permanen…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-16). Syria: Ambush of government forces in south kills dozens, says monitor. middleeasteye.net Syria: Ambush of government forces in south kills dozens, says monitor | At least 21 Syrian soldiers were killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in Daraa, according to Observatory | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 15: 51 | A Syrian man rides a motorcycle while carrying a gas cylinder as he drives past the Omari mosque in the southern Syrian city of Daraa (AFP) | A military convoy came under an ambush in…

Staff (2021-03-16). Vijay Prashad Warns Biden Is "Doubling Down" on Trump's Anti-China Cold War Policy. democracynow.org Beijing has accused the U.S. of perpetuating a Cold War mentality as President Joe Biden and senior administration officials shore up alliances in the Pacific region to counter China's growing influence and increasingly describe the country as a geopolitical threat. Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, says the "bellicose" tone out of Washington is not because the U.S. sees China as a military threat, but because China threatens U.S. dominance in the scientific, technological and diplomatic spheres. "It's very chilling what the U.S. government is doing in ramping up this cold…

Angely Mercado, Naveena Sadasivam (2021-03-16). A record 6 Native Americans elected to Congress, here's where they stand on climate. peoplesworld.org Indigenous peoples have a critical role to play in the fight against climate change. Though they make up just 5 percent of the world's population, their lands encompass more than 80 percent of global biodiversity. Indigenous lands are also at greatest risk from the multiple threats posed by climate change: rising sea levels, warmer temperatures, …

The Conversation (2021-03-16). After the insurrection, America's far-right groups get more extreme. juancole.com By Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid | — As the U.S. grapples with domestic extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, warnings about more violence are coming from the FBI Director Chris Wray and others. The Conversation asked Matthew Valasik, a sociologist at Louisiana State University, and Shannon E. …

Ralph Nader (2021-03-16). Perfidy Meets Putty — Congressional Democrats Betray Voters. counterpunch.org Do you remember the promises made by the Democratic Party's presidential and Congressional candidates on universal health insurance? You can forget their pledges and somber convictions now that your votes put the Democrats in charge of the House and the Senate. The Democrats' leaders are abandoning their promises and retreating into a cowardly corporatist future.

RT (2021-03-16). Bill Burr's black wife is a 'minority sex servant'? Woke activist called out for 'worst tweet ever'. rt.com Comedian Bill Burr has angered the cancel crowd with offensive jokes. They're calling him racist, but the fact that he's married to a black woman isn't placating them. To one, it actually means he owns a "minority sex servant." | Burr hosted last weekend's Grammy Awards, and his jokes rubbed woke viewers up the wrong way. He jibed at feminists, mispronounced Latino names, and (imagine the horror) made fun of K-pop. | A torrent of outrage followed, with some commenters threatening Burr with violence and death. Amid the uproar, one Twitter user stepped in to defend Burr from the racism accusations, posting a pic…

RT (2021-03-16). US set to face more migrants on Mexico border than in 'last 20 years' — Homeland Security boss. rt.com The US is set to encounter more migrants on its southwestern border than it had over the past 20 years, warns Secretary of Homeland Security, defending Washington's handling of the ongoing influx of unaccompanied child migrants. | The prediction was "The situation we are currently facing at the southwest border is a difficult one. We are tackling it," Mayorka…

Staff (2021-03-16). Immigrant Advocate: Unaccompanied Minors Are Not a "Border Crisis" But a Humanitarian Crisis. democracynow.org Thousands of migrant children seeking refuge are being held in crowded cells amid an increase in asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite claims by Republican lawmakers during a tour of the southern border aimed at warning against rollbacks of Trump's immigration policy, most adults at the border are still being turned away, while the Biden administration is allowing unaccompanied children to cross while their cases are processed. Thousands of the unaccompanied minors are being sent to cities across Texas to be housed and processed, including Dallas, where FEMA will hold as many as 3,000 unaccompanied te…

Bill Blum (2021-03-16). The Life and Legacy of RBG. progressive.org The U.S. Constitution vests enormous authority in the nine unelected individuals who sit on the Supreme Court. They alone have the last word in defining and applying U.S. law.

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-16). Yemen: Evidence mounts that Houthis started Sanaa migrant centre fire. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Evidence mounts that Houthis started Sanaa migrant centre fire | A new Human Rights Watch investigation confirms MEE findings that Houthis started a fire that killed scores of people | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 02 | African migrants, mainly from Ethiopia, receive food and water inside a football stadium in the Red Sea port city of Aden, Yemen, on 23 April 2019. (AFP) | New details revealed by Human Ri…

RT (2021-03-16). Biden administration to house up to 3,000 migrant kids in Dallas convention center turned into 'decompression' facility — reports. rt.com The Biden administration reportedly plans to use a Dallas convention center to hold as many as 3,000 migrant teenagers, easing overcrowding in detention facilities as open-borders policies spur a surge in illegal immigration. | Federal agencies will use the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for up to 90 days, starting as early as this week, to detain 15- to 17-year-old migrant boys, the Associated Press

Steve Gillis (2021-03-16). Boston School Bus Drivers Union blasts bosses' reopening schemes. workers.org In direct confrontation with the U.S. ruling class' monolithic drive to "reopen" schools and businesses, even as the pandemic continues to rage, Boston School Bus Drivers picketed their employer, Transdev, March 9. They gave voice to the outrage of frontline workers over this dangerous gamble with the lives of both . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-03-16). New York Boricua Resistance: No International Working Women's Day without trans women. workers.org This statement was co-written by Alicia Rodriguez and Gabriela Malespin of New York Boricua Resistance and presented by Malespin during the March 13 webinar sponsored by New York City-based International Working Women's Day Coalition. The webinar was entitled "Women and oppressed-gender workers rise up: The real pandemic is capitalism. The . . . |

Patrick Cockburn (2021-03-16). Test and Trace is the Dead Elephant in the Room. counterpunch.org As Britain enters a post-pandemic era, its struggle with Covid-19 reveals a country that is a complicated mix of strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, Britain has developed, manufactured and distributed effective vaccines quicker than any other nation. On the other, it has constructed the biggest gravy train in British history, one that pays

MEE staff (2021-03-16). Israel sentences 14-year-old Palestinian boy to two months in prison. middleeasteye.net Israel sentences 14-year-old Palestinian boy to two months in prison | Abdullah Obaid handed himself to Israeli authorities after being accused of throwing stones at police | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 14: 19 | Abdullah Obaid, 14, hugs his mother farewell before handing himself to an Israeli detention centre in West Jerusalem, 16 March 2021 (Screengrab) | An Israeli court on Tuesday sentenced a 14-year-old Palestinian…

Sheila Malone RN (2021-03-16). Maine Medical Center nurses want a union, need support. peoplesworld.org PORTLAND, Me. — Nurses at Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Portland, the region's pre-eminent referral center, have taken steps to organize a union. On their behalf, the Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA) in January petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to authorize a secret vote on forming a union for the hospital's 1600 nurses. Ballots …

Justin Podur (2021-03-16). India's Right-Wing Government is So Hungry for Profit It Will Risk a Famine for the Country. counterpunch.org India's right-wing government has been deploying all the modern tools of repression against a historic farmers' protest. Much is at stake. For the people of India, their agricultural system is about to get far more precarious. For its farmers, ruin, and bankruptcy for millions, is all but guaranteed. For the government of Narendra Modi and

Eds. (2021-03-16). 8M: For a revolutionary feminism, which is not a cover photo but a struggle against all exploitation. mronline.org MR Online

Sameena Rahman (2021-03-16). Blood-drenched Bolivian coup leader in prison. liberationnews.org Photo: Demonstration in Fresno, California in solidarity with the Bolivian people's struggle against the coup Bolivian coup leader and former self-proclaimed president Jeanine àÅñez, was arrested on Saturday in the department of Beni, where she was found hiding in a box to avoid detection from authorities. Earlier today, àÅñez made her first appearance in front …

Eds. (2021-03-16). Biden's retaliatory cyberattacks against Russia are folly. mronline.org MR Online

Cronkite News Arizona PBS (2021-03-16). Senate makes history with vote confirming Haaland as first Native American Interior secretary. juancole.com By Sarah Oven | — (Cronkite News) — (WASHINGTON — The Senate Monday confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as the next Interior secretary, a historic vote that makes her the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency. The confirmation came over the objection of Senate Republicans, particularly those representing Western states dependent on …

Mark Gruenberg (2021-03-16). Poor People's Campaign takes voting rights drive to state capitals. peoplesworld.org &nbsp…

Thomas Klikauer — Norman Simms (2021-03-16). University Spiralists and Aca-Zombies. counterpunch.org As in many places where the ideology of neoliberalism holds sway, universities have been contaminated with the self-invented business imperatives of neoliberalism. For the better part of the last forty years, the conversion of universities from places where academics and students wanted to go to learn because knowledge was good to have into places to

Qiao Collective (2021-03-16). Race reductionism: Neocolonialism and the ruse of "Chinese privilege" mronline.org MR Online

Ted Kelly (2021-03-16). $1.9 Trillion stimulus bill: relief or ripoff? workers.org These slightly edited remarks were made during Workers World Party's March 11 webinar, "Stimulus Bill — Relief or Ripoff?" moderated by Ted Kelly, WWP-Philadelphia. Ted Kelly. Credit: WW PHOTO Ted Kelly: The U.S. Congress passed a bipartisan stimulus bill on March 6. Tonight's roundtable with young revolutionary workers from Workers . . . |

teleSUR Desk (2021-03-16). Court rejects vote recount claimed by Yaku Perez. mronline.org MR Online

Wayne Nealis (2021-03-16). Defense argues Floyd family settlement prejudices potential jury in Chauvin trial. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS—As had been expected, Erik Nelson, Derek Chauvin's attorney raised questions Monday regarding the timing and impact of the city's $27 million civil settlement with the Floyd family that was announced Friday. Typically, such settlements are announced after the conclusion of a criminal trial. Nelson argued that such pretrial publicity can have prejudicial effect on …

Alexander Rubinstein (2021-03-16). Intersectional Imperialism: A Wholesome Menace. mintpressnews.com WASHINGTON (Substack // In order to identify where woke imperialism exists, we have to define it first. So what is it? It's certainly not the first iteration of hegemonic domination buttressed by moralism. | The doctrine of Responsibility t…

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2021-03-16). The Crushing Environmental Burden of Greek Tourism. counterpunch.org Tourism is the heavy industry of Greece. It annually earns a fourth of the country's income. The pestilence year 2020, however, was bad for Greek tourism. In 2020, some 70 percent fewer tourists visited the country. This drastic decline meant less money for debt trapped Greece. Compared to 2019, tourist receipts in 2020 dropped by 78.2 percent.

The Empire Files (2021-03-16). VIDEO: A Guide to US Empire in Africa: Neocolonial Order & AFRICOM. liberationnews.org Abby Martin speaks to Eugene Puryear to discuss the big picture of U.S. imperialism in Africa…

CounterPunch News Service (2021-03-16). Centennial Mountain Heli-Skiing. counterpunch.org On Friday, March 12th, Ashton/Island Park District Ranger Liz Davy withdrew the possibility of a permit to allow helicopter skiing in a portion of the Centennial Mountains on the Idaho side of the range for the following reasons: + Research indicates use of helicopters has significant negative impacts to denning grizzly bears, a threatened species.

Michael K. Emerson (2021-03-16). Sanitized Tyranny: The Weaponization of Truth. dissidentvoice.org On Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the Capitol Hill "insurrection", the Parler social media app was the number #1 most downloaded app in the Apple App Store. On "January 10, 2021, Parler CEO John Matze announced the company had been 'dropped by virtually all of its business alliances after Amazon, Apple and Google ended …

contributors (2021-03-16). What is Ramadan? Essential Information for Students and Teachers. juancole.com This FAQ was distributed by Samer Ali, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan, but it is useful for any campus and any community with a Muslim minority. RAMADAN 2021 AT U-M This Winter Semester, around finals, many Muslims at U-M will abstain from food and …

M. Chan, J. Leng (2021-03-16). Bay Area elites attempt to divide and conquer in aftermath of violence against Asian residents. liberationnews.org The violence oppressing both Black and Asian communities is a symptom of capitalism, a system that puts profits over people.

Anurag Deb (2021-03-16). Re B: soldiers and the criminal process in Northern Ireland. ukhumanrightsblog.com Re B's application [2020] NIQB 76 was a challenge to a decision to prosecute a soldier for offences going back to 1972. Part of the small but politically divisive cohort of prosecutions arising out of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Re B provides a classic example of how courts approach the issue of fairness in …

Al Neal (2021-03-16). Border influx slows Biden administration's effort to reverse Trump immigration policies. peoplesworld.org The coming of a spring season signifies new beginnings, quite like the transition from one presidential administration to another. And as with all things newly budding and beginning to bloom, some of the changes in Washington are gradual ones. President Joe Biden inherited a politically fractured nation and a Trump-sized mess, yet his first 50-plus …

Ragip Soylu (2021-03-16). Saudi Arabia closes Turkish schools amid unofficial boycott. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia closes Turkish schools amid unofficial boycott | Eight Turkish schools in Mecca and Medina were shut down in 2020, as Riyadh reportedly continues unofficial sanctions against Ankara over Khashoggi probe | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 52 | Students from the Mecca International Turkish School celebrate Turkey's Republic Day in 2019 (Screenshot) | Saudi Arabia reportedly closed eight Turkish schools i…

Margaret Flowers (2021-03-16). Peace Delegation Visits Nicaragua To Explore Impact Of US Sanctions. dissidentvoice.org For the next two weeks, I am in Nicaragua on the first delegation organized by the Sanctions Kill coalition and the Friends of the ATC (Asociacion de Trabajadores del Campo — Association of Rural Workers) to study the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States on Nicaragua and learn about the Sandinista Revolution. The …

MEE staff (2021-03-16). Erdogan says Saudi Arabia wants to purchase armed Turkish drones. middleeasteye.net Erdogan says Saudi Arabia wants to purchase armed Turkish drones | Turkish president voiced displeasure at kingdom's decision to conduct joint air exercises with longstanding rival Greece | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 18: 40 | Turkey has emerged as one of the world's premier makers of armed drones (AFP) | Saudi Arabia is seeking to buy armed drones from Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, as he voice…

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-03-16). Egypt mobilises institutions to respond to UN statement on rights record. middleeasteye.net Egypt mobilises institutions to respond to UN statement on rights record | Meanwhile, Algeria threatens to withdraw France 24 accreditation over alleged bias, and Saudi Arabia detains hundreds suspected of fraud | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 12: 27 | An Egyptian police officer stands at the entrance of the Tora prison, Cairo, 11 February 2020 (AFP) | Cairo directs response to damning UN report:…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-16). Lebanon currency hits new low on black market amid political crisis. middleeasteye.net Lebanon currency hits new low on black market amid political crisis | The Lebanese pound has lost 90 percent of its value on the black market over the last 18 months | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 13: 45 | A protester blocks a bridge with burning tyres on the Saida-Ghazieh highway, southern Lebanon, after demonstrations erupted following the sharp drop of the Lebanese pound, 16 March 2021 (AFP) | Leb…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-16). Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages | Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and other officials remain holed up in the building in the port city of Aden | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 22 | Security forces loyal to the separatist Southern Transitional Council stand next to vehicles as they are deployed in the southern port city of Aden (Reuters) | Yemeni public…

MEE staff (2021-03-16). Israel increasing Palestinian home demolitions, UN agency says. middleeasteye.net Israel increasing Palestinian home demolitions, UN agency says | The monthly average of Palestinian structures targeted by Israel has increased by 65 percent this year compared to 2020 | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 19: 23 | Israeli soldiers at a demolition site in the Humsa area of the occupied West Bank on 8 February (AFP/File photo) | Israeli forces demolished or seized a total of 153 Palestinian-owned structures acro…

Nadda Osman (2021-03-16). Jordan: Tens of thousands at risk of prison over unpaid debt. middleeasteye.net Jordan: Tens of thousands at risk of prison over unpaid debt | A new report reveals that people unable to repay their loans face harsh treatment and prison sentences | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 14: 24 | An increasing number of Jordanians end up in prison each year for failing to repay their loans (Reuters) | A report published on Tuesday has raised concerns over the increasing number of Jordanians who end up in…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-16). Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Protesters storm presidential palace demanding payment of wages | Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and other officials were initially trapped in the building in the port city of Aden | Tue, 03/16/2021 – 11: 22 | Security forces loyal to the separatist Southern Transitional Council stand next to vehicles as they are deployed in the southern port city of Aden (Reuters) | Yemeni…

CP Editor (2021-03-16). Fugazi: The Path of Most Resistance. counterpunch.org

Global Research News (2021-03-16). Selected Articles: Ten Years Ago: The US-NATO-Israel Sponsored Al Qaeda Insurgency in Syria. globalresearch.ca By It was not a protest movement,…

A Guest Author (2021-03-16). Mumia Abu-Jamal's health emergency: Interview with Dr. Ricardo Alvarez. workers.org Mumia Abu-Jamal, the internationally renowned journalist, Pennsylvania prison inmate and former Black Panther widely considered to be a political prisoner, is now experiencing a health emergency. A Feb. 27 call from Mumia alerted supporters who immediately began a campaign to telephone Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzl, Philadelphia District Attorney . . . |