MEE, agencies (2021-03-06). Scores killed in Yemen's Marib over 24 hours. middleeasteye.net Scores killed in Yemen's Marib over 24 hours | The UN warned of a humanitarian crisis as thousands are displaced by Houthi offensive | Sat, 03/06/2021 – 09: 47 | Armed Houthis at the funeral of another fighter killed during recent fighting in Marib (Reuters) | At least 90 combatants have been killed in fighting around Yemen's Marib governorate over a single day, government sources said.

Alex MacDonald (2021-03-06). Turkey: Erdogan's human rights initiative raises eyebrows of beleaguered activists. middleeasteye.net Turkey: Erdogan's human rights initiative raises eyebrows of beleaguered activists | Despite Ankara announcing the new initiative, the co-chair of Turkey's Human Rights Association says the situation is worse than ever | Sat, 03/06/2021 – 10: 00 | President of the Human Right Association (IHD) Eren Keskin speaks to journalists during a demonstration in front of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-06). Ready to Work with Netanyahu: Mansour Abbas Splinters Arab Vote in Israel. dissidentvoice.org At a glance, it may appear that the split of Arab political parties in Israel is consistent with a typical pattern of political and ideological divisions which have afflicted the Arab body politic for many years. This time, however, the reasons behind the split are quite different. As Israel readies for its fourth general elections …

Editor (2021-03-06). Todo el mundo está mirando. workers.org "Un ataque contra uno es un ataque contra todxs." Este famoso lema laboral, popularizado por los Trabajadores Industriales del Mundo hace más de un siglo, es más significativo hoy que nunca. Pero tiene un doble significado para los trabajadores de Amazon, donde la tasa de lesiones en el lugar de . . . |

RT (2021-03-06). ICE to allow detainees to appeal arrest if they feel their detention does not 'align' with Biden's immigration policy. rt.com The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has created an appeals process that will permit migrants to challenge arrests and deportations if they feel their treatment does not reflect the Biden administration's own policies. | Overseen by a senior official in Washington, DC, the ICE Case Review Process is part of the White House's wide-ranging immigration reforms. | In a statement, the agency said that the appeals process could be used by individuals who believe that their case does not "align with ICE's enforcement, detention, and removal priorities." | Shifting away from Donald Trump's strict enforceme…

RT (2021-03-06). 'No new directives, period': New York lawmakers vote to strip Governor Cuomo of emergency Covid powers with veto-proof majority. rt.com Legislators in New York have sent a bill to Governor Andrew Cuomo's desk seeking to eliminate his "temporary" emergency pandemic powers, securing a veto-proof majority to impose stricter limits on the state government. | Both chambers of the state legislature approved the bill on Friday in a largely party-line vote, with most Republicans opposing the measure on the grounds that it does not go far enough in curbing Cuomo's authorities. With sizable Democrat majorities in the State Assembly and Senate, however, the law passed with ease. | "Today, under this new legislation the governor will no longer be able to…

RT (2021-03-06). California gives green light for Disneyland reopening after Covid restrictions shutter theme park for 1 year. rt.com Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California is preparing to welcome visitors for the first time in over a year after the iconic theme park was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. | California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly announced on Friday that the state's amusement parks will be permitted to reopen with limited capacity starting on April 1. | Read more | | "We feel like now is the appropriate time to begin t…

The Conversation (2021-03-06). Women in Afghanistan worry peace accord with Taliban extremists could cost them hard-won rights. juancole.com Mona Tajali and Homa Hoodfar | — Three Afghan women who worked at a media company were gunned down in Jalalabad in early March. In January, unidentified gunmen killed two female Supreme Court judges in Kabul. These are the latest victims on a long list of assassinations and attempted assassinations of female politicians and women's …

Bruce Lerro (2021-03-06). Anti-Communist Political Science: Propaganda for the Yankee Capitalist State. dissidentvoice.org Orientation I returned to college 20 years after dropping out in the late 1960s. After a couple of weeks in the political science class I was taking, I challenged the instructor by asking: "Where are the Marxists and anarchists in your presentation of political science?" Here is what I was told. "Marxists and anarchists are …

Eds. (2021-03-06). Who signed the pro-testing appeals? mronline.org Education Trust, led by former Secretary of Education John King, sent two letters to the Biden administration, urging the administration not to allow states to receive waivers from the mandated federal testing.

teleSUR Desk (2021-03-06). U.S. to continue using Guaido to rob Venezuelan assets abroad. mronline.org The continuation of the Trump administration's aggressive policies toward Venezuela by the Biden administration is reflected in the recent meeting between the new U.S. Secretary of State and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

Eds. (2021-03-06). Rosa Luxemburg at 150: a revolutionary legacy. mronline.org Rosa Luxemburg, one of the great leaders in the history of the socialist movement, was born in Poland (then a province of the Russian empire) 150 years ago this month, on 5 March 1871.

The Canary (2021-03-06). Government accused of 'snatching away' promised NHS pay rise as the outrage grows. thecanary.co The organisation representing NHS Trusts in England is challenging the government over its defence of a controversial 1% pay offer to health workers. | Growing controversy: | NHS Providers said the NHS has conducted detailed work around implementing a long-term plan. It claimed that in this plan the government assumed an NHS pay rise in 2021/22 of 2.1%, not 1%. | It comes amid growing anger at the pay offer, with the main nurses' union setting up a £35m industrial action fund. And another union is urging the public to support a slow hand clap next week as protest against the proposals. | Deputy chie…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-06). Lebanon's caretaker prime minister threatens to resign his duties over economic crisis. middleeasteye.net Lebanon's caretaker prime minister threatens to resign his duties over economic crisis | Hassan Diab said he would stop performing his duties in order to pressure the formation of a new government | Sat, 03/06/2021 – 15: 03 | Lebanon's caretaker premier Hassan Diab (3rd R) watches as actor Salah Tizani (aka Abu Salim al-Tabl) receives a dose of the Covid-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at the R…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-06). Tunisians protest for LGBT rights activist's release. middleeasteye.net Tunisians protest for LGBT rights activist's release | Rania Amdouni had been repeatedly targeted since protests began against police repression | Sat, 03/06/2021 – 15: 59 | Tunisian activist Rania Amdouni at a protest in January (AFP) | Hundreds of Tunisians demanded the release of an activist sentenced to six months in prison for allegedly insulting a police officer. | The incident for…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-06). Pope Francis meets Iraq's top cleric Ali Sistani in 'historic' meeting. middleeasteye.net Pope Francis meets Iraq's top cleric Ali Sistani in 'historic' meeting | Leaders of Catholic Church and Shia Islam call for religious tolerance in unprecedented meeting | Sat, 03/06/2021 – 09: 25 | A handout picture provided by the Vatican media office shows Pope Francis meeting top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in the Iraqi shrine city of Najaf (AFP) | Iraqis have hailed a "

MEE, agencies (2021-03-06). Egypt's President Sisi in Sudan with Ethiopia's dam on agenda. middleeasteye.net Egypt's President Sisi in Sudan with Ethiopia's dam on agenda | Egyptian leader's visit continues diplomatic push for support and renewed talks on controversial mega-project | Sat, 03/06/2021 – 11: 14 | Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meets with the head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah Burhan, in Egypt in October (FILE/AFP) | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has arrived in S…

RT (2021-03-06). Pentagon 'assessing systems' after TENS OF THOUSANDS of servers compromised in global Microsoft hack… blamed on 'Chinese hackers'. rt.com The US military is reviewing its networks following a hacking spree linked to a vulnerability that gave backdoor access to tens of thousands of Microsoft Exchange servers, in a massive attack the company has blamed on China. | "We are aware of the Microsoft threat intelligence center's report. We are currently assessing our networks right now for any evidence of impact," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters at a Friday presser. "We're also taking all necessary steps to identify and remedy any possible issues related to the situation." | Joint Force headquarters… is coordinating with the Nationa…

RT (2021-03-06). Tough night shift: Senate passes an amendment to Covid bill… just to vote on an almost identical one later. rt.com As Senators pulled an all-nighter to pass Joe Biden's Covid-19 relief bill, they apparently didn't care about time, as they voted on an amendment to extend unemployment pay, an hour after voting on an almost identical amendment. | The Senate voted on Friday night against adjourning business until Saturday morning, ensuring that senators would stay on Capitol Hill overnight voting on a flood of amendments to President Biden's long-anticipated Covid-19 relief bill, a $1.9 trillion package that includes $1,400 stimulus checks for eligible Americans and bailouts for state and local governments. | Some of these ame…

RT (2021-03-06). Covid vaccine-induced swelling can lead to false cancer diagnosis, doctors warn. rt.com Cancer experts and radiologists in the US are warning Covid-19 vaccine recipients that an otherwise normal immune response can be mistaken for cancer if it appears on a mammogram or other cancer screening. | Prior to major offensives against infections and unwanted intruders, some of the body's defense forces, the white blood cells, gather in lymph nodes. However, lymph nodes, especially in the armpit, can swell up following Covid-19 vaccinations. | As cancer screenings continue parallel to vaccination drives across the world, a scan conducted soon after vaccination may yield a false positive and cause unneces…

RT (2021-03-06). 'At least hold the pictures up': House GOP leader receives poor reviews for Dr. Seuss reading amid censorship controversy. rt.com House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been accused of playing childish political games after he shared a video of himself reading Dr. Seuss, apparently as a protest against the 'cancelation' of the late author's books. | Days after Dr. Seuss' estate announced that six of the author's books would no longer be published due to racially insensitive imagery, McCarthy took to Twitter to show solidarity with the late children's author. | "I still like Dr. Seuss, so I decided to read Green Eggs and Ham," he wrote, adding: "RT if you still like him too!" | I still like Dr. Seuss, so I decided to read Green E…

RT (2021-03-06). Texas high school cancels 'Rules of Chivalry Day' assignment after outrage over girls being told to OBEY male classmates. rt.com A Lubbock, Texas high school has apparently taken a lesson from unwoke history too far, causing public outrage by instructing girls to "obey any reasonable request" by male classmates to learn about medieval "rules for chivalry." | The 'Rules of Chivalry Day' assignment at Shallowater High School has been cancelled after a review determined that, despite its historical context, "it does not reflect our district and community values," superintendent Anita Herbert said in a statement. The matter has been addressed with the offending teacher, who wasn't identified. | According to copies of the assignment that wer…

RT (2021-03-06). BLM backfire? US public opinion shifts on George Floyd's death, law & order, as racial divide widens after summer of riots — poll. rt.com US public opinion on the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody has shifted since the early days of last year's Black Lives Matter protests, with trust in law enforcement growing after violent unrest in the streets. | Just 36 percent of respondents in a USA Today/Ipsos

Yves Engler (2021-03-06). Broadbent Institute Head smears Ashton, Robinson and Internationalism. dissidentvoice.org Broadbent Institute head Rick Smith should just be frank and say he hates Palestinians and doesn't care about internationalism. On Tuesday Smith tweeted that it was disturbing that NDP MP Niki Ashton was doing an upcoming fundraiser for the Progressive International with former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. In response to former NDP MP …

Lee Siu Hin (2021-03-06). Vaccine imperialism: China vs. the Western world. workers.org Vaccine Racism: How wealthy nations stockpile life-saving vaccines while poor countries and poor people within these countries are ignored. How Western countries criticize China, despite China's success in containing the virus and providing vaccines to the world. Feb. 23 China and Russia are among the first countries in the world . . . |

yenisafak (2021-03-05). 'Important positions' targeted in Saudi Arabia: Houthis. yenisafak.com Yemen's Houthi group said on Friday it targeted "important positions" in Saudi Arabia in three drone attacks.The Saudi-led coalition, however, said it destroyed a Houthi drone aiming to target the southern Khamis Mushait city."The UAV air force managed to target important positions at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait area and Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia," said Yahya Sarei, a Houthi military spokesperson.He said the attacks were carried out with three explosives-laden drones, and were in retaliation to coalition airstrikes and the "continued blockade on our country."The Saudi Press Agency ran a…

Sara Jamshidi (2021-03-05). For the Sake of Preventing More Journalists' Murders, Biden Must Punish Saudi Arabia's MBS (And I Should Know). juancole.com Seattle (Special to Informed Comment) — The horrific outcome of Jamal Khashoggi's story is not dissimilar to the tales of many journalists, including my own, who decide to fight against tyranny using words instead of violence. Fear, terror, and horror cannot begin to describe the common situations in which we find ourselves. Back in Tehran, …

RT (2021-03-05). Covid-19 has been 'really good' for CNN's ratings, WarnerMedia CEO says at Morgan Stanley conference. rt.com While Covid-19 has claimed more than 2.5 million lives worldwide, the chief executive at CNN's parent firm is looking on the bright side, telling a virtual audience the pandemic has been "really good" for the outlet's ratings. | Jason Kilar — the CEO of WarnerMedia, which owns the cable network — appeared at Morgan Stanley's 'Technology, Media and Telecom' virtual conference on Thursday, where he was asked about CNN and whether it could keep up its current momentum. | "I'd say that it turns out that pandemic is a pretty big part of the news cycle, and that's not going away anytime soon," he replied,…

Staff (2021-03-05). New York Congressmember Mondaire Jones: Israel Should Ensure Palestinians Have Access to COVID Vaccine. democracynow.org Israel has failed to make COVID-19 vaccines available to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, despite its responsibility under the Geneva Conventions. Critics in the United States say this "vaccine apartheid" is another example of Israeli human rights abuses going unpunished, even as the country receives billions in U.S. aid each year. Congressmember Mondaire Jones of New York says Israel must ensure that Palestinians are vaccinated. "There's no question about that," he says. "I don't think that anyone can argue otherwise in good conscience."

Miko Peled (2021-03-05). Israel: Orthodox Religious Parties Shaken by Supreme Court Ruling on Law of Return. mintpressnews.com The Israeli Supreme Court ruling on the application of the Law of Return threatens ultimate dilution of the political power of Israel's Orthodox religious parties, and thus has the potential to shake up the upcoming election's dynamics.

Juni Hannah (2021-03-05). A fight for free speech in Selah, Wash. liberationnews.org In a small, conservative town in central Washington, sidewalk chalk has become a highly contentious issue between residents and the City Council.

Zac Vecellio, Brianna Griffith (2021-03-05). Abbott forces Texas "OPEN 100%" just weeks after deadly storm. liberationnews.org Abbott has billed the new order as a victory for "freedom," even as he undermines cities' freedom to protect their own populations with mask mandates and protective measures.

Don Fitz (2021-03-05). From the Murder of Berta Cáceres to Dam Disaster in Uttarakhand. dissidentvoice.org March 2, 2021 was the five year anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras. That date was less than one month after the deaths of dozens of people from Tehri Dam disaster in Uttarakhand, India. The two stories together tell us far more about consequences of the …

William J. Astore (2021-03-05). Failing Upward: Pentagon's more and more Expensive Boondoggles (that don't even work). juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com) — Cancel culture is a common, almost viral, term in political and social discourse these days. Basically, somebody expresses views considered to be outrageous or vile or racist or otherwise insensitive and inappropriate. In response, that person is "canceled," perhaps losing a job or otherwise sidelined and silenced. In being deplatformed by Twitter, …

Rob Urie (2021-03-05). Economic Growth is the Cause of Climate Change, Not the Solution to It. counterpunch.org Through 2019, the last year for which data is available, greenhouse gas emissions and global GDP growth remained as highly correlated as they have been for the last half century. What this means is that despite the rhetorical back-and-forth over technological innovation and government policies as potential solutions to climate change, the role of economic

Magnificent Mndebele (2021-03-05). ArcelorMittal is 'slowly becoming a burial site'. peoplesdispatch.org Three ArcelorMittal workers were trapped in a control room in the early hours of Wednesday 17 February when the room collapsed after a stack structure fell on it, following an explosion. Workers who witnessed the scene at the company's plant in Vanderbijlpark in south Gauteng paint a grim picture. But the company denies an explosion occurred, despite no managers being there at the time. | The workers say the flames from the batteries were unusual that day, resembling an explosion, with large flames in the ovens. Gas escaped to the stack structure adjacent to the control room, where Thami Molefe, 53, Lesenyeho Mof…

Eve Ottenberg (2021-03-05). What the Ecuadoran Elections Mean for the U.S. counterpunch.org The pink tide is coming back in — much to the chagrin of many in the U.S. government. With leftist governments in Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba, the prospect of yet another, this time in Ecuador, doubtless keeps regime changers, right-wing think tankers and other assorted Washington imperialists up at night. All those leftists the U.S. had murdered over the years, all the death squads the U.S. gave the nod to, all those dictators the North American empire supported — for what? After generations of slaughter, the victims' heirs keep taking over. The U.S. sponsored the exterm…

Richard Becker (2021-03-05). Top Pentagon commander requests astronomical sum of money to prepare for war with China. liberationnews.org The funding increase that Davidson is seeking for his command — not the total allocation — is greater than the entire budget of the whole armed forces of Brazil.

National Lawyers Guild (2021-03-05). The case for abolition, for skeptics. mronline.org In the final piece of the series, NLG Anti-Racism Committee Co-Chair and one of the proponents of the 2020 policing resolution Kira Kelley makes the case for the abolition of policing and offers examples of individuals and projects taking power and resources away from police and prisons to create non-carceral, non-punitive alternatives.

Paul Street (2021-03-05). Killer Kim Reynolds and the Fascist State of Iowa. counterpunch.org The affluent and older white male "leftists" who minimize the threat posed by the ever more fascistic Republican Party tend to live in big "blue" cities where the Amerikaner Republivolk are a distinct minority. Some of these privileged urbanites might want to spend some time in a pandemo-fascist white-supremacist state like Iowa, which sent Steve

John Feffer (2021-03-05). The Odyssey of An Wei, the Forest Gump of China. counterpunch.org The story of An Wei overlaps almost perfectly with the story of Communist China. Born in a small village some distance from the northwestern city of Xian, An Wei was seven years old when Mao took control of the country in 1949. As the son of peasants, he was part of the first generation of

Caleb Granger (2021-03-05). Houston demonstration demands, "Fix our broken pipes, no more airstrikes!" liberationnews.org Texans were told to drink pool water while Biden prioritized bombing Syria.

Don Fitz (2021-03-05). From the Murder of Berta Cáceres to the Dam Disaster in Uttarakhand. counterpunch.org March 2, 2021 was the five year anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras. That date was less than one month after the deaths of dozens of people from Tehri Dam disaster in Uttarakhand, India. The two stories together tell us far more about consequences of the insatiable greed of capitalism for more energy than either narrative does by itself.

Monica Johnson, Leela Anand (2021-03-05). Atlanta DA refuses to prosecute killer cop in Rayshard Brooks' murder. liberationnews.org Although nearing a year since the murder of Rayshard Brooks, Fulton County officials have yet to prosecute the two killer cops of the Atlanta Police Department. Brooks was killed by officers Garret Rolfe and Devin Brosnan on the night of June 12, 2020, outside a Wendy's restaurant near Atlanta's Pittsburgh neighborhood. Brooks was shot twice …

John P. Geyman (2021-03-05). The Private Health Insurance Industry: Should It Be Eliminated? counterpunch.org Many Americans assume that the private health insurance industry is an unmovable fixture in the U. S. health care system, but there is a growing need to re-examine that premise. Over recent decades, its performance has been increasingly profit-driven to the point of now becoming unaffordable for patients, their families, employers and taxpayers. The time

Joe Lee-Cullin (2021-03-05). Michigan high school students fight racism. liberationnews.org "It can be scary to be Black in America. [Our kids] shouldn't have to be scared at school."

PAI (2021-03-05). PRO Act, biggest labor law reform in decades, headed for House vote. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The narrowly Democratic U.S. House will vote during the week of March 8 on the nation's most wide-ranging, pro-worker labor law reform in decades, the PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize). Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced the scheduled vote on March 3. His schedule statement comes as unions, led by the AFL-CIO, are stepping …

John Bachtell (2021-03-05). GOP, Senate filibuster in way of 'next great Civil Rights bill'. peoplesworld.org The Democratic-led House of Representatives is responding to the largest assault on voting rights since Reconstruction with the For the People Act (H.R. 1). The measure passed in the lower chamber on March 3. The fight to win final adoption of the bill now passes to the nearly evenly divided Senate. But passage in the …

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2021-03-05). Trump and Biden's Secret Bombing Wars. counterpunch.org On February 25, President Biden ordered U.S. air forces to drop seven 500-pound bombs on Iraqi forces in Syria, reportedly killing 22 people. The U.S. airstrike has predictably failed to halt rocket attacks on deeply unpopular U.S. bases in Iraq, which the Iraqi National Assembly passed a resolution to close over a year ago. The

Joe Lee-Cullin (2021-03-05). Michigan high school students fight racism. liberationnews.org "It can be scary to be Black in America. [Our kids] shouldn't have to be scared at school."

MEE, agencies (2021-03-05). Harris reaffirms US opposition to ICC probe of Israel in call to Netanyahu. middleeasteye.net Harris reaffirms US opposition to ICC probe of Israel in call to Netanyahu | US vice president also 'emphasized the United States' unwavering commitment to Israel's security' | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 08: 26 | The call was the first between Harris and Netanyahu since she became US vice president in January (AFP) | US Vice President Kamala Harris, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Ne…

Azhar Al-Rubaie (2021-03-05). What is Ur, the 'birthplace' of Abraham? middleeasteye.net What is Ur, the 'birthplace' of Abraham? | Pope Francis is due to lead an interfaith service at the ancient Iraqi city where the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is thought to have lived | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 13: 14 | The ziggurat at Ur was a temple to the moon god Nannar, and has been dated to the second millennium BC (Reuters) | On Saturday, Pope Francis will hold an inter-faith s…

Staff (2021-03-05). Police hijack helicopter ambulance for aerial surveillance. therealnews.com Documents obtained by PAR reveal how an air ambulance service has been used repeatedly to fly surveillance missions over the city of Baltimore, raising troubling questions about the consequences of law enforcement's growing civic influence.

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-03-05). Arabic press review: Palestine slams Washington's 'lack of understanding' of ICC jurisdiction. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Palestine slams Washington's 'lack of understanding' of ICC jurisdiction | Meanwhile, British ambassador in Jordan says her country is committed to the two-state solution, and Iraq imposes curfew during Pope's visit | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 17: 07 | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks about priorities for administration of President Joe Biden in the Ben Franklin…

Staff (2021-03-05). Rep. Mondaire Jones: Voting Rights Bill H.R. 1 Is of "Foundational Importance" to U.S. Democracy. democracynow.org The House of Representatives has approved sweeping legislation protecting the right to vote with the For the People Act, which has been described as the most sweeping pro-democracy bill in decades. The legislation is aimed at improving voter registration and access to voting, ending partisan and racial gerrymandering, forcing the disclosure of dark money donors, increasing public funding for candidates, and imposing strict ethical and reporting standards on members of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill, which comes amid a nationwide attack on voting rights in courthouses and statehouses, is heading to…

Staff (2021-03-05). "We Do This 'Til We Free Us": Mariame Kaba on Abolishing Police, Prisons & Moving Toward Justice. democracynow.org Outrage over police brutality and the mass incarceration of Black and Brown people has generated calls to defund and abolish the police. Longtime organizer Mariame Kaba's new book, titled "We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice," brings together collected essays, interviews and other writings that she and numerous collaborators produced between 2014 — the year of the uprisings in Ferguson, Missouri, over the police killing of Michael Brown — and today. Kaba says the book grapples with "the fact that so many people around the country recognize the complete and utte…

Staff (2021-03-05). Rev. William Barber to Democrats: Overrule the Senate Parliamentarian & Pass the $15 Minimum Wage. democracynow.org The Senate has voted to open debate on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The legislation has widespread support from voters, with one new poll showing 77% of Americans support the bill, including nearly 60% of Republicans. But the Senate bill has some key differences from the package approved by the House, including a reduction in the number of people eligible for direct stimulus checks and no provision to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. However, the Fight for 15 continues, with the Senate considering an amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders to raise the minimum wage fro…

A Guest Author (2021-03-05). #LettersToBessemer: Black Workers Matter. workers.org From People's Power Assembly NYC and Workers Assembly Against Racism: Since early February 2021, a Black women-led unionizing struggle has been happening in a Bessemer, Ala., Amazon warehouse. They've organized in response to dangerous working conditions including: 1) dangerously inadequate COVID-19 protocols; 2) no hazard pay, even as essential workers . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-03-05). Gulf Coast says: Support #BAmazon Union! workers.org By Sean Miller Members of Black Voters Matter, Workers World Party-Central Gulf Coast branch and others hosted a Feb. 20 rally in downtown Pensacola, Fla., in support of the Bessemer, Ala., Amazon workers union drive. Joining over 50 other cities in a Day of Solidarity actions, they spoke out for . . . |

Betsey Piette (2021-03-05). Mumia has COVID-19 — the only treatment is his freedom! workers.org Word has come that Pennsylvania political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal has tested positive for COVID-19. Supporters learned of the diagnosis March 3, as they were gathered in front of the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to call for Abu-Jamal's release and that of all incarcerated people over 50, who . . . |

Jeffrey St. Clair (2021-03-05). Roaming Charges: No Neanderthal Ever Bombed Syria. counterpunch.org + There were many reasons to vote against Trump, starting with the fact that he was the incumbent running for reelection. All incumbent presidents should be voted against as matter of principle, because they almost certainly started committing war crimes within weeks of taking office, a truism Biden has now reconfirmed with his bombing of

RT (2021-03-05). California's Newsom doubles down (literally) on mask-wearing as he says Texas made 'terrible mistake' in lifting mandate. rt.com California Governor Gavin Newsom has urged state residents to double up on their mask-wearing, issuing new guidelines calling for two face coverings in public after condemning Texas and other states for easing their restrictions. | Asking Californians to "get the most out of masking," the state's

RT (2021-03-05). 'It's the Cuomo way': MORE aides describe 'cult' workplace as top NY Democrat says governor should quit if new accusers speak out. rt.com Numerous former staffers for Andrew Cuomo have described the toxic and cult-like work environment they worked under amidst the governor's multiple worsening scandals, including three accusations of sexual harassment. | "There's no right or wrong way. It's the Cuomo way," one staffer told the Gothamist about a warning she received when interviewing for a job in the Cuomo administration. "He wants people who are literally going to fall on the sword for him, and they all will." | Another described being told to wear stiletto heels because she was blonde and the governor "likes blondes" in stiletto heels. Her desk…

RT (2021-03-05). Republican senator forces clerks to read Biden's Covid bill for TEN HOURS, in last-ditch effort to block. rt.com Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) has infuriated Democrats by demanding that Senate clerks read each and every page of Joe Biden's $2 trillion Covid-19 relief bill aloud. To some Dems, bills are better passed with no debate. | President Joe Biden's Covid-19 relief bill, which passed the House of Representatives last week, weighs in at a whopping 628 pages. It offers relief checks of $1,400 to eligible Americans, though more than three quarters of its $1.9 trillion

MEE, agencies (2021-03-05). 'Baba al-Vatican': Pope Francis arrives in Iraq for historic visit. middleeasteye.net 'Baba al-Vatican': Pope Francis arrives in Iraq for historic visit | Head of Catholic Church greeted by dancing and dignitaries for Iraq's first ever papal visit | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 13: 21 | Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi welcomed Pope Francis at Baghdad International Airport (Reuters) | Pope Francis said he was "happy" to land in Iraq for the first ever papal visit to the country…

Malek Bachir (2021-03-05). Germany-Morocco tensions: Why is Rabat so upset with Berlin? middleeasteye.net Germany-Morocco tensions: Why is Rabat so upset with Berlin? | Western Sahara, Libya negotiations, German organisations… the suspension of contact between Rabat and the German embassy in Morocco has been attributed to 'an accumulation of grudges'
| Fri, 03/05/2021 – 13: 17 | German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Berlin in November 2019 (AFP) | A d…

MEE correspondent (2021-03-05). Egypt: Toddler traumatised after two years in detention with mother. middleeasteye.net Egypt: Toddler traumatised after two years in detention with mother | Amnesty International says a 27-year-old woman and her baby were 'forcibly disappeared' by Egyptian security services | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 15: 40 | Manar Adel Abu el-Naga and her husband Omar Abdelhamid Abu el-Naga | Egyptian authorities have been urged to fully investigate the two-year-long "enforced disappearance" of…

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2021-03-05). Tens of thousands of Palestinians protest against Israeli police violence and inaction. middleeasteye.net Tens of thousands of Palestinians protest against Israeli police violence and inaction | Demonstration held on eighth Friday in a row and said to be the largest in 20 years | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 11: 04 | Palestinians take part in a protest against a wave of crime and violence in their communities, amid tensions with Israeli police who the protesters say are unwilling to deal with th…

Nadda Osman (2021-03-05). Algeria: Bill to revoke citizenship met with anger and fear among activists. middleeasteye.net Algeria: Bill to revoke citizenship met with anger and fear among activists | The proposed law would target people deemed detrimental to the state, in a move condemned as dangerous and vague | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 14: 22 | Demonstrators carry the national flag on a march in Algiers to demand political change (Reuters) | A new bill being considered by the Algerian government, which could see people have thei…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-05). Princess Latifa: UN 'still waiting' for evidence from UAE that she is alive. middleeasteye.net Princess Latifa: UN 'still waiting' for evidence from UAE that she is alive | Recent footage showed the daughter of Dubai's ruler saying she was being held captive by her father | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 11: 27 | Friends of Princess Latifa say she has had little medical care and went over a year without a toothbrush (Screengrab/Sky News) | The United Nations has said it is still waiting for proo…

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-05). UN expert warns counter-terror policies led to 'further stigmatisation' of Muslims. middleeasteye.net UN expert warns counter-terror policies led to 'further stigmatisation' of Muslims | UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed said Islamophobia has reached 'epidemic proportions' across the world | Fri, 03/05/2021 – 16: 21 | UN expert Ahmed Shaheed said Muslim women face the triple threat of discrimination due to their gender, ethnicity, and religion (AFP) | A United Nations expert has warned that counter-ter…

Joe Lee-Cullin (2021-03-05). Michigan high school students fight racism. liberationnews.org "It can be scary to be Black in America. [Our kids] shouldn't have to be scared at school."

Joe Lee-Cullin (2021-03-05). Michigan high school students fight racism. liberationnews.org "It can be scary to be Black in America. [Our kids] shouldn't have to be scared at school."