Monthly Archives: March 2021

2021-03-18: News Headlines

Juan Cole (2021-03-18). Yemenis face Famine of the Century and Mass Starvation unless President Biden pressures Saudis to Stop Port Blockade. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The head of the UN World Food Program, David Beasley said at a news conference this week covered by al-`Arabi al-Jadid (The New Arab) that five million out of 28 million Yemenis are in severe danger of starvation and 16 million are food-insecure. Food insecurity is a state of being …

Juan Cole (2021-03-18). Yemenis face Famine of the Century. zcomm.org Biden must pressure Saudis to Stop Port Blockade…

MEE staff (2021-03-18). UN Security Council condemns Houthi efforts to take Yemen's Marib. middleeasteye.net UN Security Council condemns Houthi efforts to take Yemen's Marib | The council calls on all parties to halt hostilities so humanitarian aid, including Covid-19 vaccines, can be administered and a peaceful resolution agreed upon | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 17: 14 | Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government get into position during clashes with Houthi fighters in Yemen's northeastern province of Marib on 4 March…

Radhya Almutawakel (2021-03-18). "Shall I Take You Back to War? You Know Exactly What War Means." thenation.com "Shall I Take You Back to War? You Know Exactly What War Means."

Radhya Almutawakel (2021-03-18). 'Shall I Take You Back to War? You Know Exactly What War Means.'. thenation.com 'Shall I Take You Back to War? You Know Exactly What War Means.'

Vijay Prashad (2021-03-18). There Are So Many Lessons to Learn from Kerala. dissidentvoice.org Anujath Sindhu Vinaylal (India), My mother and the mothers in the neighborhood, 2017. Indian farmers and agricultural workers have crossed the hundred-day mark of their protest against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They will not withdraw until the government repeals laws that deliver the advantages of agriculture to large corporate houses. This, the …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-18). The Ongoing Calamity: US Collective Punishment of the Venezuelan People Must End. counterpunch.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,

Mark Gruenberg (2021-03-18). Alabama Amazon worker testifies before Congress: "We're not robots." peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—At Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., more than 5,800 workers, many if not most of them Black, toil for 10 hours each a day in the middle of a pandemic, shifting goods to loading docks via elevators they can't board themselves. Instead, workers, many middle-aged, must tramp, or limp, up and down four flights of …

Workers World Party (2021-03-18). PDF of March 18 issue. workers.org Download the PDF. Bust the filibuster, pass the PRO-union Act! Medical justice: Release Mumia now! International Women's Day: Protest of massacre in Philippines; New York Boricua Resistance; 1970 march on women's prison. ALSO: Solidarity with #BAmazon; Sharpeville 1960: A turning point; Bus drivers blast school reopening; Stimulus for who? UNITE . . . |

Mark Gruenberg (2021-03-18). Pandemic's impact propels new push for Medicare for All. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Propelled by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which exposed, as never before, the gaping holes in U.S. health care's non-system, proponents of Medicare For All launched a new push for comprehensive health care reconstruction. But the March 17 exuberant "Town Hall" for the bill, re-introduced by House Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., …

Dave Lindorff (2021-03-18). Let's Stop Pretending Russia and China are Military Threats. counterpunch.org Someone needs to say this, and it looks like it's gotta be me: China and Russia are not our enemies. Somehow, the opinion-makers in the media, the bloated military brass with all their ribbons and stars and with little to do but worry about how to keep their massively overbuilt operation afloat with ever more taxpayer money, and the members of Congress who like to gin up fears among the voters so they'll keep voting for them have gotten everyone thinking that Russia is still hell bent on world communist takeover and that China it trying to replace the US as global hegemon. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Staff (2021-03-18). "Immoral & Illegal": U.S. & U.K. Move to Expand Nuclear Arsenals, Defying Global Disarmament Treaties. democracynow.org The United States and the United Kingdom are facing international criticism for moving to expand their nuclear arsenals, defying a growing global movement in support of nuclear disarmament. The U.S. is planning to spend $100 billion to develop a new nuclear missile which could travel 6,000 miles carrying a warhead 20 times stronger than the one dropped on Hiroshima, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just announced plans to lift the cap on its nuclear stockpile, ending three decades of gradual nuclear disarmament in the U.K. "We're seeing this united, uniform response of nuclear-armed states to what t…

Staff (2021-03-18). Stop Asian Hate: Connie Wun on Atlanta Spa Killings, Gender Violence & Spike in Anti-Asian Attacks. democracynow.org Deadly shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors that left eight people dead have stoked outrage and renewed fears about rising anti-Asian racism in the United States, which has already seen a rise in violence directed at Asian Americans during the pandemic. Police say the shooting suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, denies a racial motive behind the killings, blaming "sex addiction" and a "really bad day" instead, but six of the eight victims are women of Asian descent. Connie Wun, co-founder of AAPI Women Lead and a researcher on violence against girls of color, says it's impossible to "disconnect rac…

Staff (2021-03-18). Burmese Protesters Continue to Demand Democracy as Authorities "Shoot to Kill" in Sweeping Crackdown. democracynow.org Martial law has been declared in more parts of Burma as the military junta intensifies its crackdown following the February 1 coup. At least 217 protesters have been killed and over 2,000 have been arrested or detained since the coup began, according to one Burmese group. Protests are continuing across the country amid a crackdown on communications, in which much of Burma is under an internet blackout and independent newspapers have stopped publishing. Despite international criticism, the Burmese military is tightening its grip on power. People are continuing to protest even as they face the risk of arrest, polic…

Danny Haiphong (2021-03-18). New Cold War is built on humanitarian interventionist lies and dismissal of actual War Crimes. mronline.org MR Online

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2021-03-18). PSL Statement: Massacre in Atlanta — racist, sexist terrorism and the capitalist system. liberationnews.org Photo: Demonstration last weekend in Los Angeles against the rising tide of anti-Asian hate crimes On Tuesday, March 16 at around 5 p.m., three Atlanta-area spas staffed by Asian workers were the targets of a racist and sexist mass shooting. Eight people were killed, seven of whom were women, and six of the women were …

Party for Socialism, Liberation (2021-03-18). PSL Statement: Massacre in Atlanta — racist, sexist terrorism and the capitalist system. liberationnews.org Photo: Demonstration last weekend in Los Angeles against the rising tide of anti-Asian hate crimes On Tuesday, March 16 at around 5: 00 p.m., three spas staffed by Asian workers in the Atlanta area were the targets of a racist and sexist mass shooting. Eight people were killed, seven of whom were women, and six of …

RT (2021-03-18). 'Blackwater had bad days in Iraq too': Outrage after media links sheriff probing Atlanta parlors massacre to mercenary outfit. rt.com Twitter erupted after reports that the sheriff who is investigating the Atlanta parlors massacre may have links to the notorious private military company, Blackwater. His office was previously accused of harboring racism. | The Cherokee County Sheriff's office headed by Sheriff Frank Reynolds attracted national attention this week over its role in investigating the killings of eight people, including six women, at massage parlors in Atlanta, Georgia. The shooting rampage was quickly labeled by the left to be the latest example of racially motivated violence by a presumed white supremacist. | Also on rt.com

Lawrence Wittner (2021-03-18). The U.S. Government Should Promote the General Welfare. counterpunch.org An event revealing a great deal about the kind of government Americans want occurred this March, when members of the U.S. Congress voted on the American Rescue Plan. This legislation, staunchly supported by the Democrats, provided federal funding for the provision of life-saving vaccines, the re-opening of public schools, expanded benefits to the unemployed, a

Daniel Renken (2021-03-18). Unelected operatives play an outsized role in crafting foreign policy. peoplesworld.org It's probably safe to say that most Americans would hope the major foreign policy actions of the United States would be determined by their elected officials in Congress and the White House. In reality, much of the foreign policy of the U.S. is first crafted behind closed doors by individuals that the public never voted …

John Bachtell (2021-03-18). Anger mounts as police cover for Atlanta murderer of Asian women. peoplesworld.org Only two days before the Atlanta-area murders of eight people, including six Asian American women, Georgia State Sen. Michelle Au, herself Chinese American, was warning of rising anti-Asian violence in her state and nationwide. "Asian Americans are part of our country's plurality," said Au. "And all I'm asking, as the first East Asian state senator …

Michelle Kern (2021-03-18). Author Dan Hicks reveals the backstory of 'contested objects' in Western museums. peoplesworld.org The role of museums in Western culture has been a conversation in art and academia for decades. The institution as a whole has had a spotlight shined on its structural biases for years. In response, several museums have attempted to institute reforms to expand diversity. Curator Dan Hicks, of the Pitt-Rivers Museum of Oxford University, …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-18). Rate of demolition of Palestinian homes has increased in 2021, says new report. peoplesdispatch.org The report, prepared by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territories, says the monthly average of demolition of Palestinian houses by Israeli authorities has increased by 65% in 2021 as compared to the previous year…

Staff (2021-03-18). No justice, no peace: Rapsody on art, activism, and the power of music. therealnews.com The professors invite Rapsody to discuss the legacy of the Black music tradition and how it continually reiterates itself within "new genres," creating a cultural archive.

Jayati Ghosh (2021-03-18). Interpreting contemporary imperialism: lessons from Samir Amin. mronline.org MR Online

Dean Baker (2021-03-18). Profit Shares Fall to the Lowest Level Since 2009. counterpunch.org The Federal Reserve Board released an item of good news that might be missed. The Financial Accounts for the fourth quarter showed a decline in profit share of national income to 12.0 percent, the lowest annual share since 2009. It is far too early to know if this shift will be enduring, but it is

Greg Kearney (2021-03-18). The stain that won't wash (or be whitewashed). peoplesworld.org

David Rosen (2021-03-18). Thumb in the Dike: Homelessness and Deepening Inequality. counterpunch.org In December 2020, USA Today ran a bold headline declaring, "the federal eviction moratorium expires in January. It could leave 40 million Americans homeless." The article cites Diane Yentel, CEO and president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, who warns, "We're facing potentially the worst housing and homelessness crisis in our country's history."

Ronda Shelton (2021-03-18). PSL in Tennessee launches campaign to fight utility shutoffs. liberationnews.org The rise in unemployment and poverty coupled with dismal state benefits during a deadly pandemic have left many families unable to pay their bills.

The Conversation (2021-03-18). Climate Change is making Sea levels rise fastest in big cities — here's why. juancole.com By Sally Brown and Robert James Nicholls | — It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. What is less well know is the threat of sinking land. And in many of the most populated coastal areas, the land is sinking even faster than the sea is rising. Parts of …

Tings Chak (2021-03-18). Guangzhou 1927: The Paris Commune of the East. peoplesdispatch.org On the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Paris Commune, its legacy is remembered in the Guangzhou Uprising, when workers and peasants established a popular republic in the southern Chinese capital in 1927.

Eds. (2021-03-18). Jason Hickel introduces Degrowth — book review. mronline.org MR Online

Scott Hiley (2021-03-18). 150 years ago, Paris Commune showed that workers can run society themselves. peoplesworld.org On March 18, Paris arose to the thunder-burst of 'Vive la Commune!' […] When ordinary workers dared for the first time to infringe upon the governmental privilege of their 'natural superiors'… the old world writhed in terror at the sight of the red flag, the symbol of the Republic of Labor, floating over city hall. …

George Wuerthner (2021-03-18). The Active Forest Management Scam. counterpunch.org There are daily news stories about the recent large wildfires in 2020. In nearly all of these media accounts, almost always attributed to a lack of active forest management. In other words, proponents of logging/thinning forests assert fuel reductions would diminish fire severity. The prevailing assumption is that fuels are the major cause of large

Global Voices (2021-03-18). Syria needs Long-Term Housing for the Neediest, and the US needs to Stop Blocking it. juancole.com By Hany Al Banna | — ( Middle East Monitor ) — March 15, 2021, will mark a grim milestone—the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the popular uprising that led to the civil war still engulfing Syria. As we all grapple with the deadly crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world's …

Global Research News (2021-03-18). Selected Articles: Brazil's Lula in a Wilderness of Mirrors, UK Breaks Law on Nukes, Myanmar: Hidden Opposition Violence. globalresearch.ca By A surprising Supreme Court decision that, while not definitive, restores Lula's political rights has hit Brazil like a semiotic bomb and plunged the nation into a …

Ariela Ruiz Caro (2021-03-18). Guerra por las vacunas. globalizacion.ca Esta semana (11 y 12 de marzo) tuvo lugar un nuevo encuentro del Consejo del Acuerdo sobre los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio (ADPIC) de la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC). | Allí se debatió…

RT (2021-03-18). Obama joins chorus in dubbing massage parlor shootings as 'anti-Asian hate crime' as Democrats keep narrative on 'white supremacy'. rt.com Former President Barack Obama and other political and celebrity voices seized on a murder spree at Atlanta-area massage parlors as a call to dismantle "white supremacy" — despite the lack of any apparent anti-Asian hate motive. | "Although the shooter's motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end," Obama said Wednesday on Twitter. While also using the horrific shootings to argue for gun laws, he added that America must "root out the pervasive patterns of hatred and violence in our society." | Even as we've battled the pandemic, we…

RT (2021-03-18). John Kerry caught flouting Biden's mask mandate on flight, dismisses 'elite hypocrite' accusations as 'malarkey'. rt.com US special climate envoy John Kerry is under fire after he was spotted without a mask on board a flight, prompting American Airlines to investigate the matter as critics condemn the failed presidential candidate for hypocrisy. | A mostly maskless Kerry was photographed by a fellow passenger while on a flight from Boston to DC on Wednesday, with the image first

Scott Hiley (2021-03-18). 150 years ago, Paris Commune showed that workers can run society themselves. peoplesworld.org On March 18, Paris arose to the thunder-burst of 'Vive la Commune!' […] When ordinary workers dared for the first time to infringe upon the governmental privilege of their 'natural superiors'… the old world writhed in terror at the sight of the red flag, the symbol of the Republic of Labor, floating over city hall. …

MEE, agencies (2021-03-18). Yemen's Houthis renew call for end to Saudi-led blockade before ceasefire. middleeasteye.net Yemen's Houthis renew call for end to Saudi-led blockade before ceasefire | The Iran-aligned fighters continue their push to take control of Marib, which is home to at least a million displaced people | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 10: 17 | Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government sit in the back of a pick-up truck during clashes with Houthi rebel fighters west of Taiz, on 16 March 2021 (AFP)…

RT (2021-03-18). NYT accused of 'fueling anti-Asian racism' over headline on Chinese vaccine 'made from hamster cells'. rt.com The New York Times was accused of "soft racism" after running a headline about how China's latest Covid-19 vaccine is "made from the ovary cells of hamsters" on the same day shootings in Georgia left six Asian women dead. | In the Tuesday

RT (2021-03-18). Suspected assailant of elderly Chinese woman in San Francisco ends up handcuffed to stretcher after she BEATS HIM UP with stick. rt.com The latest apparent case of unprovoked violence against vulnerable Asian-American people didn't end well for the alleged attacker, who required a trip to hospital after his intended target proved to be too tough for him. | The incident took place on Market Street in San Francisco on Wednesday morning and was first reported by the local CBS affiliate KPIX, whose sports director Dennis O'Donnell happened to be jogging nearby and filmed the aftermath of the altercation. | pic.twitter.com/5o8r0eeHE2— Dennis O'Donnell (@DennisKPIX) Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2021-03-18). UAE suspends Abu Dhabi Israel summit as frustration with Netanyahu grows. middleeasteye.net UAE suspends Abu Dhabi Israel summit as frustration with Netanyahu grows | Emirati officials are particularly angry at Israeli PM's pre-election trumpeting of $10bn UAE investment fund | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 12: 46 | An Emirati man, wearing a protective mask with the flags of the US, Israel and the UAE, upon the arrival of the first commercial flight from Israel, 31 August 2020 (AFP)…

Finian Cunningham (2021-03-18). China and Russia Vaccines Defeat Cold War Virus. dissidentvoice.org A friend in need is a friend indeed, and several countries which may have previously sniffed at vaccines produced by China and Russia are finding truth in the old adage. China is ramping up supplies of its CoronaVac to Brazil and other Latin American countries where Covid-19 infections are threatening to overwhelm public health services. …

Raphael Tsavkko Garcia (2021-03-18). Why Brazil is Losing the Global Race for Vaccines. counterpunch.org On January 17 nurse Monica Calazans became the first person vaccinated against COVID-19 in Brazil. The procedure took place during a much-awaited ceremony in Sà£o Paulo. However, after months of denial and heel-dragging from the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's late entry into the global race for vaccines could prove to be fatal for

RT (2021-03-18). One last failed bid to end the Forever War: Pentagon adviser dishes details of Trump's final failure to end Afghanistan quagmire. rt.com Despite an executive order in November mandating the withdrawal of all remaining troops in Afghanistan, Trump's promise to end the US' longest war collapsed — and was set up to fail, according to a senior Pentagon adviser. | Former US president Donald Trump made one last effort to prove he was sincere about prying the US military loose from its two-decade engagement in Afghanistan when he signed an executive order demanding all remaining troops be pulled from the country before the year's end — just days after November's election results suggested the American people had had enough of him. | Accordi…

MEE staff (2021-03-18). Biden's Iran envoy says Trump's maximum pressure campaign was a failure. middleeasteye.net Biden's Iran envoy says Trump's maximum pressure campaign was a failure | Rob Malley stresses the need for talks with Iran to revive the nuclear deal, offering negotiations through a third party | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 20: 18 | 'Neither side is going to go first entirely,' Malley told the BBC (AFP/File photo) | The US envoy for Iran has reaffirmed the intention of President Joe Biden's administration to revive the…

CP Editor (2021-03-18). Lorenzo Wolff — The Pearl (featuring Bartees Strange). counterpunch.org

MEE staff (2021-03-18). Syria: Hundreds gather in Daraa to celebrate anniversary of uprising. middleeasteye.net Syria: Hundreds gather in Daraa to celebrate anniversary of uprising | Daraa, currently under Assad control, was the centre of major demonstrations in the early days of the uprising in March 2011 | Thu, 03/18/2021 – 15: 36 | Still from video footage shared on social media (Twitter) | Hundreds reportedly gathered in the Syrian city of Daraa on Thursday to mark the tenth anniversary of the beginning of anti-gove…

2021-03-17: News Headlines

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-17). Yemeni protesters storm presidential palace in Aden. peoplesdispatch.org Hundreds of angry Yemenis on Tuesday, March 16 stormed the presidential palace in Aden in the south of Yemen, media reports said. The protesters were reportedly mostly public sector workers who were angry with the government for the delay in the payment of their salaries, the deteriorating public services, falling currency values and inflation. | The strategically important port city of Aden is controlled by the western and Saudi-backed government of president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Most of the cabinet, including prime minister Maeen Abdulmalik, have been based out of the Maasheeq Presidential Palace since bein…

Staff (2021-03-17). Headlines for March 17, 2021. democracynow.org Gunman Kills 8 People, Almost All Women of Asian Descent, at Three Atlanta Spas, Report Finds a Third of COVID Deaths Tied to Lack of Insurance as Dems Reintroduce Medicare for All, WH to Increase Vaccines for COVID Hot Spots; Tribal Groups Open Up Inoculations for All Oklahomans, WHO Urges Against "Vaccine Passports" Due to Widespread Inequality in Access, New Report Details Horrific Blaze That Killed Dozens of Refugees at Yemeni Migrant Jail, Colombian Journalist Accuses Paramilitaries of Rape, Torture in Testimony to Inter-American Court, U.K. Lifts Cap on Nuclear Arsenal as U.S. Considers Plan for $100 Billio…

South Front (2021-03-17). Video: The Houthis Continue Their Push, but Is Erdogan Coming to the Saudi Kingdom's Rescue? globalresearch.ca Yemen's Ansar Allah are unrelenting in their offensive, both on positions …

Mehr News Agency (2021-03-17). Saudi-American equations collapse in Yemen's Ma'rib. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 17 (MNA) — The Lebanese-based newspaper "Al-Akhbar" in an article reported that Yemenis disrupted equations of Saudi Arabia and the United States in Ma'rib, adding that Yemeni forces have also taken initiative in Taizz.

Mehr News Agency (2021-03-17). Biden's stance on Yemen not different from Trump's. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 17 (MNA) — Ansarullah's spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Wed. that the Biden administration's stance on Yemen is no different from Trump's.

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…

Ali Harb (2021-03-17). Khashoggi murder: Biden defends decision against punishing MBS. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi murder: Biden defends decision against punishing MBS | US president says sanctions against Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince would have been unprecedented | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 19: 18 | Saudi government agents murdered Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 (AFP/File photo) | President Joe Biden defended his administration's decision against imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabia'

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 …

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). 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). 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

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, …

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 . . . |

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…

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…

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 . . . |

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…

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 …

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…

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…

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.

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…

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 . . . |

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

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 . . . |

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…

Staff (2021-03-17). "Suave": New Podcast Follows One Man's Journey to Freedom After a Life Sentence Without Parole at 17. democracynow.org A new Futuro Media podcast, "Suave," tells the story of one person's journey to freedom after receiving a life sentence without parole at the age of 17. David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez met journalist Maria Hinojosa in 1993 during a talk at the prison in Pennsylvania where he was serving a sentence for first-degree homicide. For years, Gonzalez and Hinojosa stayed in touch through letters, visits and phone calls that Hinojosa recorded. The seven-part podcast series chronicles Gonzalez's experience as he is eventually given the opportunity to experience life on the outside for the first time, after the 2016 Supreme Cou…

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…

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 . . . |

Global Research News (2021-03-17). Selected Articles: COVID — Bioethics, Eugenics and "Death Panels": "A Warning" globalresearch.ca By 193 UN member countries, in unison and lockstep, closed their borders, economies and live-societies. It marked the beginning of the planet's economic and societal …

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.

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…

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…

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.

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

Andrew Bankson (2021-03-17). Pittsburgh's city budget works for the police but not for the people. liberationnews.org The Pittsburgh city budget is a further entrenchment of the same capitalist status quo…

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 …

news.un (2021-03-17). 'Yemen can't wait', UN and partners warn in seeking $3.85 billion for humanitarian response. news.un.org The UN and its humanitarian partners are seeking $3.85 billion to reach 16 million people in Yemen this year, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, as the country descends deeper into crisis.

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 …

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

Media Lens (2021-03-17). The Impossible Peter Oborne. dissidentvoice.org On the face of it, Peter Oborne is impossible. It's not possible to be educated at Sherborne independent school, at Cambridge University, to work as political editor of the Spectator, as chief political commentator of The Daily Telegraph, as a journalist at the Evening Standard, as a commentator at the Express, to make nearly 30 …

M. G. Piety (2021-03-17). Diversity and False Dichotomies at Smith College. counterpunch.org Can exchanges between individuals always unproblematically be characterized as either racist or not racist? Bret Stephens appears to think so. Smith College hired an independent law firm to investigate what a student argued was a racist incident on campus back in 2018. The investigation ended with a finding of "no persuasive evidence of bias." This

Eds. (2021-03-17). Trigger words and the duty of revolutionaries in the Internet era. mronline.org MR Online

Eds. (2021-03-17). The watchdogs of imperialism and the Uyghur genocide slander. mronline.org MR Online

G. Dunkel (2021-03-17). Greek unions say 'No!' to police violence. workers.org The banner of the Federation of Construction Workers (member of the All Workers Militant Front — PAME) at an anti-police violence march in Greece, March 9. Behind the union banner of the Federation of Construction Workers of Greece bearing the slogan "Money for health and education! No to repression and . . . |

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 . . . |

Parth M.N. (2021-03-17). India's Farm Crisis: "How Long Will the Lies Work?" counterpunch.org If it weren't for the violent blows of police lathi s, the farmers protesting in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district would not have left their protest site on January 27. "The protest had been going on for 40 days," says Brijpal Singh, 52, a sugarcane farmer from Baraut town, where the sit-in was held. "It was not

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 …