Monthly Archives: March 2021

2021-03-09: News Headlines

Sara Flounders (2021-03-09). Mass pressure stops Amazon Censorship. workers.org Stopping Amazon censorship is news. Good news. The Amazon corporate conglomerate is notorious for using its power to surveil and control every minute of workers' lives, to dominate labor rates, control local governments and demand huge tax rebates. Its management threatens to close facilities if its demands remain unmet. Amazon . . . |

Sara Flounders (2021-03-09). Stopping Amazon censorship with mass pressure. Good news. workers.org Stopping Amazon censorship is news. Good news. The Amazon corporate conglomerate is notorious for using its power to surveil and control every minute of workers' lives, to dominate labor rates, control local governments and demand huge tax rebates. Its management threatens to close facilities if its demands remain unmet. Amazon . . . |

RT (2021-03-09). 'Huge middle finger': YouTube tells foreign creators they will soon be charged AMERICAN tax. rt.com YouTube has told its content creators and partners that they need to prepare for paying US taxes on their earnings — even if they live and work elsewhere. The already beleaguered video creators are taking it poorly. | The video platform, owned by Google, actually updated its terms of service to tax US creators shortly after the 2020 election, but the change went largely unnoticed in the uproar about censorship. On Tuesday, however, YouTube announced that the taxes will soon be taken out of earnings by creators outside the US. | Taxes will be deducted from earnings derived from US viewers through "ad view…

Simon Black (2021-03-09). The CDC Mandate Masks Study: Is the CDC About to be Canceled by Google and Facebook for "COVID Heresy"? globalresearch.ca On Friday afternoon, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …

RT (2021-03-09). South Dakota passes bill banning biological males from participating in female sports to mark Women's Day. rt.com South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem vowed to sign the legislation that will ban biological males from competing in female sports, following other Republican-controlled states in sending a message on gender politics. | "We're celebrating International Women's Day by defending women's sports," Noem said Monday on Twitter, minutes after the South Dakota Senate passed the state's Women's Fairness in Sports legislation. "I'm excited to sign this bill very soon." | In South Dakota, we're celebrating

RT (2021-03-09). CNN anchor raises eyebrows after revealing video of him not wearing pants during live appearance. rt.com CNN's Brian Stelter received criticism for proudly airing a clip that showed him without pants on during his live coverage of then-President Donald Trump's Twitter ban. | On his show Reliable Sources on Sunday, Stelter brought up the viral 2020 moment when ABC News' Will Reeve had been caught reporting from home without pants on, during a Covid-19 lockdown. | Stelter then followed by saying he could "relate" to Reeve's situation, airing an old video of himself reporting live without pants on, after being given "just two minutes' notice" to appear on the network to discuss Trump's ban. | Shortly after the segme…

RT (2021-03-09). Twitter sues Texas AG over state's investigation into banning Trump, says it's attempt to 'intimidate' & 'harass' company. rt.com Twitter is attempting to stop Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's investigation into its moderation practices, calling the probe "retaliation" for its suspension of former president Donald Trump. | "Twitter seeks to stop AG Paxton from unlawfully abusing his authority as the highest law-enforcement officer of the State of Texas to intimidate, harass, and target Twitter in retaliation for Twitter's exercise of its First Amendment rights," Twitter said in its court filing on Monday. | Twitter said the investigation comes down to the platform making "editorial decisions" Paxton disagrees with, including suspendin…

RT (2021-03-09). Football clubs urged to take action after fans use 'abhorrent' domestic abuse image in meme mocking Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. rt.com A survivor of domestic abuse has spoken of her ordeal after a photo of her was used in a "beaten at home throughout lockdown" social media post which appeared designed to poke fun at Liverpool's recent woes. | Sick fans created and shared a photograph showing a victim of domestic abuse alongside Reds manager Klopp, accompanied by the "beaten at home" caption. | The tasteless joke came days after the English Premier League champions suffered their sixth successive home defeat of the Premier League campaign against Fulham on Sunday. | Katie Walker, whose photo was used in the social media post, said the episode…

yenisafak (2021-03-09). Daesh terrorist nabbed while trying to enter Turkey. yenisafak.com A Daesh terrorist was among 11 people arrested while trying to illegally enter Turkey, the National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.The group was nabbed in the Altinozu district of Hatay province "while trying to illegally cross into Turkey from Syria," the ministry said on Twitter."One individual was identified as a Daesh terrorist wanted with a 'red notice'," the ministry added.In 2013, Turkey became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terrorist group.The country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suici…

RT (2021-03-09). Teen Vogue publisher under fire for chief editor pick: a black female journo who posted homophobic & anti-Asian tweets in college. rt.com The new editor-in-chief once posted insensitive tweets about Asians and gays, angering members of staff at the magazine, who feel hiring her would be inappropriate. The problematic old posts first came to public attention in 2019. | The pick of Alexi McCammond to lead Teen Vogue was announced by parent company Condé Nast last week. The 27-year-old former Axios reporter "embodies the best of our next generation of leaders," and is to take charge of the publication, which recently took a tilt to being more political, starting March 24. Some of her future subordinates already foresee a problem with their n…

United Nations (2021-03-09). Monday 3/8: United Nations Celebration of International Women's Day 2021 (recorded broadcast). indybay.org Online livestream via YouTube…

RT (2021-03-09). Biden admin grants temporary protection to thousands of Venezuelan migrants, admits US sanctions failed to spur regime change. rt.com The Joe Biden administration will offer temporary protections to thousands of Venezuelan migrants living in the US, vowing to step up pressure on Caracas even while acknowledging sanctions failed to topple the Maduro government. | The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

RT (2021-03-09). As migrants pour over US border, White House won't admit Biden's dealing with a crisis. rt.com The fruits of Joe Biden's border policies are already apparent: a tripling of children detained at the border, and crossings set to hit record levels. Yet the administration refuses to acknowledge it has a crisis on its hands. | The number of unaccompanied migrant children detained along the southern US border has tripled in the last two weeks to more than 3,250, the New York Times

Staff (2021-03-09). Texas Gov. Lifts Pandemic Restrictions, Defying Public Health Experts, and Blames Migrants for COVID. democracynow.org Texas is the largest state to lift its mandate on face masks and fully reopen businesses, joining a growing movement in states governed by Republicans to ease pandemic restrictions even as experts warn it is too soon to do so, despite the accelerating pace of vaccinations in the United States. "This is completely politically motivated," says Dr. Dona Murphey, a physician scientist and community organizer in Houston who is helping to lead a campaign demanding Texas reinstate the mask mandate. She says Republican Governor Greg Abbott is ending the state's pandemic restrictions as "a maneuver to conceal failures" re…

C.J. Atkins (2021-03-09). Communist Party unveils 'Emergency Relief Unity Program' to confront crisis. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK—A moratorium on evictions or foreclosures, millions of new green jobs through an immediate infrastructure building spree, abolition of student debt, compensation for historical and ongoing racism, a $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and new taxes on the rich. All that and more is in a new emergency relief program just issued by …

_____ (2021-03-09). Biden Iran Envoy Boasted of Depriving Civilians of Food, Driving Up Iranian Inequality in Sadistic Sanctions Manual. strategic-culture.org Richard Nephew has taken personal credit for depriving Iranians of food and driving up their unemployment rates, celebrating the economic destruction he caused as "a tremendous success." Under Biden, he will help direct policy on Iran. | By Max BLUMENTHAL | The Joseph Biden administration has named

Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-09). Brawling Over Vaccines: Export Bans and the EU's Bungled Rollout. counterpunch.org The European Union has been keeping up appearances in encouraging the equitable distribution of vaccines to combat SARS-CoV-2 and its disease, COVID-19. Numerous statements speak to the need to back the COVAX scheme, to ensure equity and that no one state misses out. And EU member states could be assured of a smooth vaccine rollout,

RT (2021-03-09). Capitol security review urges beefed-up surveillance, permanent 'mobile fencing' & 850 new officers to fill manpower gaps. rt.com The US Capitol's policing and surveillance measures are woefully inadequate, a security review launched in the wake of the January 6 riot concluded, calling for hundreds of new officers and a permanent barrier around the building. | Commissioned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi following the Capitol riot and published on Monday, the

Patrick Cockburn (2021-03-09). The Internal Feud That May Doom Scottish Nationalism. counterpunch.org Most nationalist movements wait until they have achieved independence before having a civil war over who runs the country. But Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond have jumped the gun by opening hostilities while Scottish self-determination is still well over the horizon. Could it remain an unattainable goal thanks to the open warfare between the past

RT (2021-03-09). Wyoming becomes latest state to end mandatory face coverings as GOP continues defiance of Biden's Covid-19 mask push. rt.com Wyoming became the latest state to ease its Covid-19 rules in defiance of the Biden administration's guidelines, as Governor Mark Gordon announced that his mask mandate and restrictions on businesses are ending. | Effective on March 16, bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms will be allowed to resume normal operations, and the statewide mask mandate will end, Gordon said on Monday in a

Editor (2021-03-09). Aumentar el salario mínimo a $15, °al menos! workers.org Un salario mínimo de $15 por hora no puede incluirse en el proyecto de ley de ayuda COVID-19 de $1,9 billones propuesto por los demócratas del Congreso. Así dictaminó la parlamentaria del Senado, Elizabeth McDonough, el 25 de febrero. Este funcionario no electo lo calificó de "irrelevante para la legislación . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-03-09). A message on Mumia's health condition. workers.org Workers World received the following message from Dr. Ricardo Alvarez, who is serving as a medical consultant for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Earlier in March Abu-Jamal tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated for congestive heart disease. Worsening dermatitis on Mumia's leg extends all over his body. Mumia is suffering from multiple diseases . . . |

SC Storm (2021-03-09). Wylder Space Hosts "Freedom Fighters" Meeting, Owner Posts About Q and the "Plandemic" indybay.org Shortly after Wylder Space opened a brick and mortar restaurant in Felton in July of 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, chef and owner Molly Bravo organized a "freedom fighters meeting" at their new location. Bravo then shared a string of political posts on social media, which included a QAnon post calling the Covid-19 pandemic a "plan-demic," and other posts supporting "Q" and the QAnon conspiracy theory. Wylder Space was also identified by a member of the anti-masker group "Keep Santa Cruz Free" as a business that honors "mask exemptions." The Wylder Space website describes the restaurant: "We pr…

Staff (2021-03-09). The Murder of George Floyd: Officer Derek Chauvin Trial Set to Begin as New Charges Considered. democracynow.org The murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for killing George Floyd, is proceeding to jury selection despite an order from an appeals court judge that a third-degree murder charge be considered, as well. We speak with Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and racial justice activist, who says that if the trial proceeds, who serves on the jury could prove crucial in the case. "A big part of the concern is whether or not there will be any real diversity on the jury," says Levy Armstrong. "The jury questionnaire had questions s…

Staff (2021-03-09). The Burglary That Exposed COINTELPRO: Activists Mark 50th Anniversary of Daring FBI Break-in. democracynow.org Fifty years ago, on March 8, 1971, a group of eight activists staged one of the most stunning acts of defiance of the Vietnam War era when they broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and stole every document they found. The activists, calling themselves the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI, began leaking shocking details about FBI abuses to the media. The documents exposed COINTELPRO, the FBI's secret Counterintelligence Program, a global, clandestine, unconstitutional practice of surveillance, infiltration and disruption of groups engaged in protest, dissent and social change. Targets includ…

Staff (2021-03-09). The Murder of George Floyd: Officer Derek Chauvin Trial Set to Begin as Feds Consider New Charges. democracynow.org The murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for killing George Floyd, is proceeding to jury selection despite an order from an appeals court judge that a third-degree murder charge be considered, as well. We speak with Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and racial justice activist, who says that if the trial proceeds, who serves on the jury could prove crucial in the case. "A big part of the concern is whether or not there will be any real diversity on the jury," says Levy Armstrong. "The jury questionnaire had questions s…

Yanis Iqbal (2021-03-09). Notes on revolutionary hope. mronline.org Humanity stands at a dangerous crossroads: a conflict between making profits and saving human life is clearly emerging, with the latter being sacrificed by the ruling class for the former.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-09). Women's groups across Europe mark International Women's Day. peoplesdispatch.org On March 8, Monday, feminist organizations and women's groups across Europe hit the streets to mark International Women's Day. The raging pandemic, job loss and other distress due to the lockdown, rise in femicide, misogyny, conservative laws fueled by the far-right has worsened the situation of many women over the last year. Braving all odds, women across Europe made their mark by raising the flags of women's emancipation and liberation on March 8 on the streets and workplaces. | On Monday, in Poland, women under the leadership of National Women's Strike (Strajk Kobiet) demonstrated across the country raising th…

Charles Pierson (2021-03-09). Yemen's Death Sentence. counterpunch.org "Disappointing" was how UN Secretary-General António Guterres described last week's donor conference for Yemen. The fifth UN Virtual High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Situation in Yemen resulted in pledges of only $1.7 billion. That's just half of the $3.85 billion called for by the secretary-general. Nor is there any guarantee that donors will make

Eds. (2021-03-09). Discourses of Distrust: Conspiracy Theories and the Critique of Ideology. mronline.org Here the main question is not what is said but why it is said. And this question of why is not related to the personal situation, interests, or discursive strategies of the speakers. Men cannot know what is good for them; they very often profess ideologies that are directly detrimental to their interests.

Wayne Nealis (2021-03-09). Protests build as jury selection begins in Chauvin trial. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS—Spirited, determined protesters greeted day one of The People vs. Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. "The whole world is watching" read the main banner behind which an estimated 1,000 people had gathered by 8 a.m., one hour before the trial formally opened. A spokesperson for the National Alliance Against Racist and Political …

The Conversation (2021-03-09). Iran's leaders signal interest in new nuclear deal, but U.S. must act soon. juancole.com By James Devine | — On the campaign trail, Joe Biden pledged that if elected he would quickly return the United States to the Joint Collective Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. But negotiations have been slow to materialize, and with Iran's presidential elections scheduled to take place in June, …

Nick Licata (2021-03-09). The Inspired Terrorists Who Invaded the Capitol Were Your Neighbors! counterpunch.org The major networks and cable news channels largely ignored research findings showing who the people that were "incited" to invade the Capitol. Instead, they focused on those who had "planned" the violent break-in. While the FBI considers both groups to be domestic terrorists, research shows the "incited" people may be your neighbors. Instead of describing

Minnie Bruce Pratt (2021-03-09). Workers are not robots! Racism, high-tech speedup and the Amazon union drive. workers.org A historic organizing drive is underway in Bessemer, Ala., at the Amazon BHM1 warehouse. Almost 6,000 majority-Black workers — almost half women — are deciding whether to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Voting is continuing until March 29. December 12th Movement rally at Harlem's Whole . . . |

Ed Rampell (2021-03-09). Life and death: Two shorts explore a taboo and new romance at PAFF. peoplesworld.org Undaunted, the pandemic can't stop the Pan African Film Festival, and in that immortal show biz tradition, the show must go on! Albeit virtually, as this year in order to stay cinematically safe, America's largest and best annual Black-themed filmfest since 1992 has moved online. This year's 29th annual Pan African Virtual Film + Arts …

George Wuerthner (2021-03-09). Wilderness and Grazing: Time to Send the Cows Home. counterpunch.org Cows in designated wilderness areas? Does that seem like an oxymoron? Wilderness Areas are supposed to be places where natural processes and native species are given priority. With the election of the Biden administration, it may be time to reconsider grazing in designated wilderness, especially in light of the 30 x 30 goal of protecting

Raul Diego (2021-03-09). Massive Secret UK Propaganda Campaign in Former Soviet Republics Seeds Contempt. mintpressnews.com From the Skripal affair to Navalny's rise to the Russian Olympic doping scandal, these damning revelations should be enough to dispel any notions of truth in what the UK and allies tell their citizens through mainstream media outlets and the social media landscape they control.

Eds. (2021-03-09). Tutors replacing teachers: A failed privatization plot returns. mronline.org The pandemic showed that for students to get quality instruction, especially poor children of color, America must invest in real teachers, smaller class sizes, and better working conditions, including improved school facilities.

Eric A. Gordon (2021-03-09). 'From the Plough to the Stars: Working People's Prose from Contemporary Ireland'. peoplesworld.org Frequent People's World contributor Jenny Farrell, based in Ireland, has just edited an important new volume, From the Plough to the Stars: An Anthology of Working People's Prose from Contemporary Ireland. It is a successor to a similar recent book she also edited of contemporary Irish working-class poetry. Farrell includes some 50 Irish writers, a …

Jayati Ghosh (2021-03-09). The political economy of COVID-19 vaccines. mronline.org Vaccine grabs, the refusal to relax patents to enable mass production, and the use of vaccines for diplomacy run the risk that poorer nations may not be protected against Covid-19 quickly enough. This will prolong the pandemic, even for the richer nations.

Pedrosa Neto (2021-03-09). For Afro-Brazilian 'quilombolas,' pandemic is synonymous with abandonment, racism, and 'necropolitics'. peoplesworld.org MOJU, PARàÅ, Brazil— "We are not even getting access to the basic necessities," says Raimundo Magno, the leader of the Africa quilombola community in Moju, Pará, his face grim with anguish. Magno's complaint points to the abandonment felt in the quilombolas, communities of descendants of Africans brought to Brazil as enslaved laborers. The sense they've …

Global Research (2021-03-09). The Globalization of War & The Globalization of Poverty: Two Important Titles by Michel Chossudovsky. globalresearch.ca These two titles from Global Research Publishers are available in PDF (e-book) format delivered directly to your inbox, as well as in print format. | . | . | . | The Globalization of War: America's "Long War" against Humanity | by Michel Chossudovsky |

Emile Schepers (2021-03-09). Chicago joins list of U.S. cities denouncing Cuba blockade. peoplesworld.org For 60 years, the United States has done everything within its power to destroy socialist Cuba. The tactics used have included a failed invasion, violent sabotage, attempted assassinations of Cuban leaders, and an endless and relentless barrage of lies in corporate-controlled media, academia, and other ideology-forming institutions. Cuban socialism, however, has survived all these assaults. Today, …

John Feffer (2021-03-09). The Talented Mr. Bin Salman. counterpunch.org Mohammed bin Salman is a charming fellow. The tall, dark, and handsome Saudi prince known as MbS has seduced world leaders and eager pundits left and right. To his supporters, MbS became first in line to the Saudi throne by championing reform in a deeply conservative Gulf kingdom, taking on corruption, confronting religious extremists, and

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-09). Women across Latin America and the Caribbean rise up against patriarchy, femicides and capitalism. peoplesdispatch.org From Argentina to Mexico, millions of women took to the streets to demand equality in the most unequal region of the world, and to proclaim that they refuse to continue being marginalized, discriminated against, excluded, and murdered…

C.J. Hopkins (2021-03-09). The New Normal (Phase 2). dissidentvoice.org So, we're almost a year into the "New Normal" (a/k/a "pathologized totalitarianism") and things are still looking … well, pretty totalitarian. Most of Western Europe is still in "lockdown," or "under curfew," or in some other state of "health emergency." Police are fining and arresting people for "being outdoors without a valid reason." Protest is …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-09). 'Is This Who We Are?': Gitmo is America's Enduring Shame. counterpunch.org "That's certainly our goal and our intention." This was the non-committal answer given by White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, when, on February 12, she was asked by a reporter whether the new Joe Biden Administration intends to shut down the notorious Guantánamo Bay Prison by the end of the president's first term in office.

Wayne Nealis (2021-03-09). Weekend events prepared 'the people's case' against Derek Chauvin. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS—A weekend of marches, rallies, and news conferences kicked off the fight for justice for George Floyd and the conviction of former MPD officer Derek Chauvin charged with murdering Floyd. This overview and photos of the events from Friday to Sunday show a level of commitment to justice by a coalition of groups intent on …

Sameena Rahman (2021-03-09). Trial of killer cop for murder of George Floyd begins as authorities prepare massive repression. liberationnews.org Chauvin, a former cop with the Minneapolis Police Department who brutally killed George Floyd on May 25, is charged with second degree "unintentional" murder and second degree manslaughter.

John Wojcik (2021-03-09). American Rescue Act: Government of, by, and for the people. peoplesworld.org Ever since the days of the Ronald Reagan presidency, the defining narrative in Washington has been that big government is an unruly animal that has to be tamed. With the passage of the American Rescue Act in the Senate and the expected second passage in the House today and signing of it into law by …

2021-03-08: News Headlines

RT (2021-03-08). Three police injured, SWAT vehicle damaged and local cars FLIPPED as Colorado university party turns violent (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Three SWAT team officers were injured as violent revellers bombarded first responders with bricks and rocks, setting off fireworks and flipping a car during a wild Colorado university street party which attracted up to 800 people. | The violence occurred in the University Hill neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado on Saturday night, as hundreds of partygoers shot off fireworks and flouted social-distancing rules and mask-wearing advice. | #Boulder police arrived pic.twitter.com/t1Yd7Xkclq— Mitchell Byars (@mitchellbyars) Online News Editor (2021-03-08). 31 killed, 500 wounded in Equatorial Guinea's Bata blasts. laprensalatina.com Nairobi, Mar 8 (efe-epa).- At least 31 people were killed and other 500 were wounded in a series of explosions that hit a military base in Bata, Equatorial Guinea's economic capital, the government announced on Monday. "Bata's health emergency data: official figure of 31 deaths," the health ministry said on its Twitter account. The death …

Nadda Osman (2021-03-08). International Women's Day marked across the Middle East. middleeasteye.net International Women's Day marked across the Middle East | From protests to calls for action, women across the Middle East and North Africa mark International Women's Day | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 17: 54 | Women in Istanbul mark international Women's Day (Screengrab/Twitter) | Across the Middle East, women have marked International Women's Day by rallying in public spaces and calling for greater equality and fr…

Nadda Osman (2021-03-08). Saudi Arabia: Online campaign for the release of prominent scholar Safar al-Hawali. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia: Online campaign for the release of prominent scholar Safar al-Hawali | Seventy-year-old has been imprisoned for over 1,000 days and reportedly suffers from various health conditions | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 13: 15 | The Saudi scholar was arrested in 2018 and concerns have been raised about his deteriorating health (Screengrab/Twitter) | Activists have launched an online campaign calling for the…

Ana Garner (2021-03-08). Video: It's Here: First Court Case Against Mandatory Vaccination — Attorney Interview. globalresearch.ca In this interview, which was initially banned by YouTube before it …

United Nations (2021-03-08). Monday 3/8: United Nations Celebration of International Women's Day 2021 (recorded broadcast). indybay.org Online livestream via YouTube…

Alexandra Kollontai (2021-03-08). Celebrating International Women's Day. liberationnews.org To commemorate International Women's Day, we publishe excerpts from Kollontai's 1920 article, "International Women's Day," written just over two years after the October 1917 socialist revolution in Russia.

Eds. (2021-03-08). The birth of Marxism in France: Remembering the Paris Commune and Jules Guesde. mronline.org Guesde (1845-1922) introduced Marxism to France and contributed to building the Socialist Party in the north of the country, where the left, socialism, and then later communism became very strong.

Raul Diego (2021-03-08). Public Fatigue, Distrust and Fear Taint Chauvin Trail Before it Even Begins. mintpressnews.com Jury selection in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was set to begin today, but a last-minute delay has added to the palpable tensions surrounding the case.

MEE, agencies (2021-03-08). Syria: Bashar and Asma al-Assad test positive for Covid-19. middleeasteye.net Syria: Bashar and Asma al-Assad test positive for Covid-19 | Assad's office confirmed that the Syrian president and his wife had caught the novel coronavirus | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 12: 11 | A file handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on 4 November 2020 shows Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and his wife Asma, wearing face masks due to the Covid-19 pandemic (A…

Sonali Kolhatkar (2021-03-08). Why Big Pharma Shouldn't Have Any Control Over COVID-19 Vaccines. counterpunch.org At a recent virtual gathering of parents and faculty at my children's school, one parent who is a teacher and therefore eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine mentioned that she got her first Pfizer shot at a local pharmacy, and when she asked about a leftover dose that could be given to her husband rather

MEE, agencies (2021-03-08). Syria: Bashar and Asma al-Assad test positive for Covid-19. middleeasteye.net Syria: Bashar and Asma al-Assad test positive for Covid-19 | Assad's office confirmed that the Syrian president and his wife had caught the novel coronavirus | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 12: 11 | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for An official statement confirme…

Eds. (2021-03-08). Why Cornel West's tenure fight matters. mronline.org I wrote letters for West's hire and renewal at Harvard. The school's administrators completely miss the point of tenure. — ROBIN D. G. KELLEY…

Alan Macleod (2021-03-08). Govt-Linked CSIS Urges DC To Partner with Social Media Firms To "Promote Protests Movements" mintpressnews.com Widespread protests were a feature of 2020, engulfing 68 nations. However, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a pro-regime-change think tank based in DC, is most preoccupied with those in China and Russia.

Chris Orlet (2021-03-08). Did Racist Images in Dr. Seuss Books Contribute to War Crimes? counterpunch.org A friend delights in sending me news stories that demonstrate what he says are the excesses of liberalism. One recent article that arrived in my inbox concerned Dr. Seuss Enterprises' decision to halt publication of six childrens' books it now believes contain racist imagery. "I didn't realize Dr. Seuss made us all racists," he quipped.

Calla Randall (2021-03-08). The Weekly Round-Up: Family Benefits and Domestic Abuse (pt. 2). ukhumanrightsblog.com In the news: The High Court will hear a case brought by a mother and her 11-month-old baby, who are arguing that they should not be excluded from the UK government's 'Healthy Start' scheme. The scheme provides vouchers for healthy food, nutritional advice, and vitamins to low-income families, but currently excludes many migrant families, including those who …

MEE, agencies (2021-03-08). Yemen: UN fears many dead after fire in Sanaa migrant detention centre. middleeasteye.net Yemen: UN fears many dead after fire in Sanaa migrant detention centre | Houthis criticised the UN for not deporting migrants, thought to be mainly Ethiopians, detained in the centre | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 15: 21 | Ethiopians in 2018 waiting to be repatriated back to Djibouti from Yemen's Hodeidah (AFP) | Eight people are confirmed dead after a migrant detention centre in Sanaa caught fire on…

Staff (2021-03-08). Close Guantánamo: Ex-Prisoner & Torture Survivor Mohamedou Ould Slahi Calls on Biden to Shut Prison. democracynow.org President Joe Biden is facing new calls to close the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an enduring symbol of U.S. abuses in the "war on terror." Since 2002, about 770 men and boys have been held at the prison, and only eight have been convicted of a crime. Three of the convictions were later overturned on appeal. Today the prison's population is down to 40, and shortly after Biden's inauguration, seven former prisoners penned an open letter to the new president pleading with him to finally close the facility. One of the seven authors was Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held without cha…

Staff (2021-03-08). "The Mauritanian": Film Tells Story of Innocent Man Held at Guantánamo for 14 Years Without Charge. democracynow.org A new feature film, "The Mauritanian," tells the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held without charge for 14 years at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo and repeatedly tortured. We speak with Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who says the film is not just about his struggle. "This is not my movie. This is the movie of so many people," he says. "Some of the people who were kidnapped after 9/11 were tortured to death. They did not have a chance to tell their story." We also speak with Kevin Macdonald, director of "The Mauritanian"; Nancy Hollander, the lead lawyer for Mohamedou Ould Slahi; and actor…

Staff (2021-03-08). Millions Mark International Women's Day as Pandemic Deepens Inequality, Violence Around the World. democracynow.org Millions of women around the world are taking to the streets today to mark International Women's Day — in a year where women have been disproportionately impacted by rising poverty, unemployment and violence during the pandemic. We hear voices from protests in the Philippines, Mexico and Guatemala.

Eds. (2021-03-08). Digital colonialism: the evolution of American empire. mronline.org American "Big Tech" corporations are gaining massive profits through their control over business, labor, social media and entertainment in the Global South.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-08). 'Is This Who We Are?': Gitmo is America's Enduring Shame. mintpressnews.com Even if Biden is able to overcome pressure from the military, from the CIA, and from Congress to shut Guantánamo down, justice will still be absent, not only because of the numerous lives that are forever shattered but because America still refuses to learn from its mistakes.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-08). "Is This Who We Are?": Gitmo is America's Enduring Shame. dissidentvoice.org "That's certainly our goal and our intention." This was the non-committal answer given by White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, when, on February 12, she was asked by a reporter whether the new Joe Biden Administration intends to shut down the notorious Guantánamo Bay Prison by the end of the president's first term in office. …

Liberation Staff (2021-03-08). Rural Washington state rally demands: "Stop the war on Black America" liberationnews.org Some 50 assembled in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives Feb. 28 rally in Sequim, a small town in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (2021-03-08). NYT Fails to Examine Its Participation in Brazil's 'Biggest Judicial Scandal'. fair.org The Brazilian Supreme Court on March 8 dismissed all charges against former President Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva made during the Lava Jato investigation, a little over a month after the investigation was A small portion of the leaks, released slowly by the Intercept Brasil and local media partners in <...

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-03-08). The marvelous life of Marvel Cooke, pioneer Black woman journalist. peoplesworld.org At the intersection of African American History and Women's History months is a long list of Black women who have made history as civil rights, labor, and peace activists, educators, scientists, elected officials, physicians, astronauts, artists, and much more. Prominent among them, and combining several of those roles, is the journalist and activist Marvel Cooke. …

Leah Willingham, Michael Liedtke, Anne D'Innocenzio (2021-03-08). Republican governors rush to drop mask mandates, workers fear for safety. peoplesworld.org JACKSON, Mississippi (AP)—Leo Carney worries that bigger crowds and mask-less diners could endanger workers at the Biloxi, Mississippi, seafood restaurant where he manages the kitchen. Maribel Cornejo, who earns $9.85 an hour as a McDonald's cook in Houston, can't afford to get sick and frets co-workers will become more lax about wearing masks, even though …

Liberation Staff (2021-03-08). Rural Washington state rally demands: 'Stop the war on Black America'. liberationnews.org Some 50 assembled in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives Feb. 28 rally in Sequim, a small town in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.

Liz Shuler, Karen Nussbaum (2021-03-08). Women organizing to win: 9to5 yesterday; the PRO Act today. peoplesworld.org If you've never had to make coffee for your boss, it's thanks to women who organized in the 1970s. And while the electric typewriter is no more, how women of that era organized is relevant—to current battles like organizing big tech, building care infrastructure, and winning labor reform by passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—so women …

Simone Chun (2021-03-08). Biden's Hawkish Cabinet Portends Renewed US Militarism in Northeast Asia. counterpunch.org Although the Biden administration has yet to present its North Korea policy, the new president's cabinet includes many career diplomats and business lobbyists advocating the Cold War policy toward Asia and personnel from hawkish think tanks financed by the military industrial complex, leading many Korea experts to predict that an aggressive militaristic policy with respect

Dean Baker (2021-03-08). Economy Adds 379,000 Jobs in February; Unemployment Edges Down to 6.2 Percent. counterpunch.org The establishment survey showed the economy added 379,000 jobs in February. In addition, the figures from December and January were revised up by 38,000. This brings the average job gain over the last three months to 79,700. Employment in the survey stands at 9,475,000 below its year-ago level. The household survey showed the unemployment edging

Byul Ryanim (2021-03-08). The Weekly Round-Up: Ministerial Maternity Leave, a New Offence and Guidance on Visiting Gran (pt. 1). ukhumanrightsblog.com On Monday the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021 came into force, allowing the Attorney General, Suella Braverman QC, to be the first minister to take maternity leave. The Act grants cabinet ministers six months' maternity leave whilst retaining their government post, whereas in the past MPs would have to resign to take time off to give …

John Clamp (2021-03-08). Somalia: a Knotted Web of Causes. counterpunch.org In one translation of Seneca's Oedipus Rex, the unfortunate (anti)hero laments his dark fate by complaining of being 'tangled in the knotted web of causes'. The words have an aptness far beyond their origin. Somalia is a perfect expression of the metaphor. Its dysfunction has so many potential—nay, likely—causative factors that who the hell knows

Laura Dewey (2021-03-08). International Women's Day: Women workers and Poor People's Campaign demand $15. peoplesworld.org The coronavirus pandemic and the economic depression it sparked have highlighted what women workers have known for a long time: The minimum wage is not a living wage. CEOs keep wages low while their own pay and corporate profits continue to skyrocket. Today, on International Women's Day, the Poor People's Campaign: A Call for Moral …

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-03-08). Blinken Blinks on Human Rights. counterpunch.org On March 3, the US State Department has put on its website a hilarious statement titled The United States Opposes the ICC Investigation into the Palestinian Investigation. In a nutshell, the statement exposes that the Joe Biden Administration has blinked for a second time on the human rights situation in West Asia by refusing to

Juan A. Lozano (2021-03-08). Deep freeze just latest disaster to befall Houston's needy. peoplesworld.org HOUSTON (AP) — Ernest and Hester Collins already faced their share of hardships before last month's deadly winter storm plunged much of Texas into a deep freeze and knocked out power to millions of homes, including their modest rental in one of Houston's historically Black neighborhoods, Fifth Ward. The brother and sister were getting by …

Eds. (2021-03-08). International Women's Day: A militant celebration. mronline.org Women's Day or Working Women's Day is a day of international solidarity, and a day for reviewing the strength and organization of proletarian women.

Tomdispatch (2021-03-08). We're Stalked by the 4 Horsemen of Apocalyptic Media: Rush, Roger, Rupert, and The Donald May Ride Forever. juancole.com By Robert Lipsyte | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — The Four Horsemen of our media apocalypse — Rush Limbaugh, Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, and Donald Trump — have ridden roughshod over us this past half-century leaving their hoofprints on our politics, our culture, and our lives. Two of them are gone now, but their legacies, including …

Maria Fernanda Marcelino (2021-03-08). Women take the lead in fight to impeach Bolsonaro in Brazil. peoplesworld.org SAO PAULO—Today in Brazil, women are facing the advancement of predatory neoliberalism, imperialism, an anti-democratic state, the politics of death, and the extermination of the people, which has been escalating with the coronavirus pandemic. In 2016, women were the first to rise up and denounce the coup staged against the first female president elected in …

teleSUR (2021-03-08). Cuba's Abdala Vaccine to Begin Phase III of Clinical Trials. telesurenglish.net Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Saturday informed that the Abdala vaccine will start phase III of clinical trials this week in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo. | RELATED: | "We are one step closer to immunized all of our people," the President tweeted and informed the vaccine will enter the last phase of trials after the Control of Medicines, Equipment, and Medical Devices Center (Cecmed) approves…

Kerry-anne Mendoza (2021-03-08). The real reason England's angry white men hate Meghan Markle. thecanary.co Women of colour operate in the arena where two of society's deepest hatreds collide. It's where racism and patriarchy unite and create their beloved bastard: misogynoir. Most women of colour have experienced some version of what Meghan Markle is living right now. England's monarchy and its useful idiots hold a special hatred for women of colour who dare to grow into their own power. Meghan is Black, beautiful, brave, and she owes them nothing. | Misogynoir: | As women of colour, our bodies are simultaneously reviled and hyper-sexualised. To understand better how this works in reality, we can look at the k…

Martin Downs (2021-03-08). Our first Blogcast: India and the Rule of Law. ukhumanrightsblog.com The UK Human Rights Blog doesn't write about itself. There is too much of interest in the law of Human Rights to cover and the Blog has been providing this service ever since 1998 when Rosalind English and others started the Human Rights Update. With the know-how and energy of Adam Wagner, this developed into …

MEE staff (2021-03-08). Iran's Quds force played role in blast near Israeli embassy in New Delhi, probe claims. middleeasteye.net Iran's Quds force played role in blast near Israeli embassy in New Delhi, probe claims | The January explosion was set by a remote-controlled device triggered by a local Shia group working with Iran, India's central counterterrorism agencies concluded | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 17: 08 | Police close off a street after an explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on 29 January (AFP/File photo) | India's central…

RT (2021-03-08). Texas launches 'Operation Lone Star', sending National Guard & state troopers to secure border after Biden opened floodgates. rt.com Texas Governor Greg Abbott is taking border security into his own hands, sending National Guard troops and state police to combat drug and people smuggling as Biden administration policies spur a surge in illegal immigration. | The new 'Operation Lone Star' initiative will send ground, air, marine and tactical security assets to high-threat areas of the state's border with Mexico to stop cartels and other smugglers from bringing drugs and illegal aliens into Texas. Abbott announced the strategy late on Saturday, one day after former president Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden for creating a "spiraling t…

RT (2021-03-08). South Korea agrees to 'meaningful increase' in payouts for the privilege of hosting 28,500 US troops. rt.com The US and South Korea have finally reached an agreement on "sharing costs" for stationing American personnel, after talks stalled over demands by former president Donald Trump that Seoul quintuples its spending for the privilege. | Seoul currently pays Washington roughly $920 million a year to host some 28,500 American personnel on its soil, but back in 2019 Trump demanded an increase of annual payouts to $5 billion. With a new commander-in-chief in the White House, the US has moved to soothe disagreements with its military allies as part of Joe Biden's commitment to "reinvigorate" Washington's "democratic al…

RT (2021-03-08). Biden preparing to launch series of 'clandestine' cyberattacks against Russia — NYT. rt.com The Biden administration is gearing up to carry out cyberattacks aimed at Russian networks, the New York Times has reported, describing the provocation as a retaliatory measure designed to send Moscow a message. | Citing officials familiar with the operation, the Times

RT (2021-03-08). WATCH: Minneapolis battens down the hatches with extreme security ahead of trial of George Floyd's alleged killer. rt.com Authorities in Minneapolis have erected steel fencing, barbed wire and concrete barricades outside the city's courthouse and local police stations ahead of the Derek Chauvin trial, set to begin Monday. | The former police officer will stand trial for the May 25 killing of George Floyd in an incident which rocked the US to its core and triggered months of unrest and billions of dollar's worth of damage. | An estimated 15 million to 26 million people participated in Black Lives Matter protests in the US in the aftermath of Floyd's death. | Armored personnel carriers have been deployed and local Minneapolis polic…

RT (2021-03-08). Where's Biden hidin'? EVEN CNN begins asking questions, as president goes record time without press conference with Q&A. rt.com Joe Biden has gone longer without giving a press conference with questions and answers than any US president in modern history. Now the elation of his inauguration's worn off, even his allied media are beginning to wonder why. | Monday marked Joe Biden's 47th day in office, and also his 47th without appearing before the press to take questions. The president has sat down to several taped interviews, and has given brief soundbites to reporters at events, but not a single proper Q&A session has materialized. | He has gone longer without holding a press conference than any of his 15 most recent predecessors, all…

Paul Cochrane (2021-03-08). Saudi Arabia's 'Programme HQ': Can Riyadh rival Dubai as a business hub? middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia's 'Programme HQ': Can Riyadh rival Dubai as a business hub? | Plans to make access to mega-project contracts conditional on companies establishing regional headquarters in the kingdom are ambitious but ambiguous | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 16: 29 | Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District in 2018. Saudi Arabia is seeking to persuade more multinational companies to set up shop in the kingdom (…

MEE staff (2021-03-08). Lebanon is next for visit, says Pope Francis. middleeasteye.net Lebanon is next for visit, says Pope Francis | Head of Catholic Church tells reporters on his way back from historic Iraq tour that Beirut will be his next destination | Mon, 03/08/2021 – 14: 57 | Pope Francis speaks to reporters during a news conference while in the air aboard the Alitalia papal plane on his flight back from Iraq (AFP) | Pope Francis has said his next trip will be to Lebanon, which is sufferi…