Daily Archives: March 21, 2021

2021-03-21: News Headlines

_____ (2021-03-21). On Contact: America's Secret Government. popularresistance.org On the show this week, Chris Hedges discusses the rise of America's secret government with journalist and author David Talbot. David Talbot's book is 'The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government'.

_____ (2021-03-21). Money Is Made Up. popularresistance.org Have you ever noticed how online capitalism cultists who condescendingly tell socialists they "just don't understand economics" are always unable to lucidly defend their own understanding of economics? | If you've never pressed such a character to clearly and concisely explain what it is you "don't understand" using their own words, I highly recommend that you try it, because it's one of the funniest things in the world. If you keep interrogating them about each aspect of their belief system, demanding that they explain exactly what it is they know and how they know it, they will invariably end up getting frustra…

Daniel Raventós, Julie Wark (2021-03-21). West Papua: Rape The Women To Rape The Land. counterpunch.org West Papua is often described as "remote", a handy word conveying two meanings: a pristine place for an exotic holiday and too far away for most people to give a damn. The Jakarta Post gives as its first reason for visiting this wonderland, "Dive with Friendly Whale Sharks". Number 8 on the list is gawking

Thomas Pulliam (2021-03-21). Tanks, Tanks, Tanks: Biden-Era Neoliberalism and the Suffocation of Syria. realprogressives.org "All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind." | Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations | It's not difficult these days to find symbolism for America's culture built on violence and colonialism. Party to party, politician to politician, oligarch to oligarch, everything appears to be an illusion which harms the world the more we believe in it. It was just last January that Joe Biden illegally ordered a missile strike targeted towards Syrian soil. It was aimed at an Iranian-backed militia, and wound up killing at least…

The Conversation (2021-03-21). Asians are good at math? Why dressing up racism as a compliment just doesn't add up. juancole.com By Niral Shah | — The narrative that "Asians are good at math" is pervasive in the United States. Young children are aware of it. College students' academic performance can be affected by it. On the surface, the "Asians are good at math" narrative sounds like a compliment. After all, what's wrong with saying that …

Ron Jacobs (2021-03-21). The Curse of White Supremacy Must Be Fought, Not Handed Over to a Committee. counterpunch.org In recent years, the United States has once again begun to face a reckoning over its history and practice of white supremacy. In 2020, this reckoning became a raging fire that burned across the nation after Minneapolis police killed a Black man by choking him to death. This latest firestorm led to numerous commissions being

Colin Todhunter (2021-03-21). Walmart, Amazon and the Colonial Deindustrialisation of India. globalresearch.ca In June 2018, the Joint Action Committee against Foreign Retail and …

Celia Farber (2021-03-21). John Magufuli: Death of an African Freedom Fighter, Confronted Big Pharma and the Corrupt Covid Cabal. globalresearch.ca In the Western world, African leaders are invisible, until that is, …

Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-21). Green Passes and Dark Inequalities: the Push for COVID Immunity Passports. counterpunch.org Sensible, ideal, wonderful — if you happen to be in the European Union. This is the air of confidence surrounding the March 17 proposal for a digital COVID immunity passport, or what is officially being called the Digital Green Certificate. The Digital Green Certificate is actually a bundle of three: vaccination certificates stating the brand

F. William Engdahl (2021-03-21). "The Great Reset" Is Here: Follow the Money. "Insane Lockdown" of the Global Economy, "The Green Agenda" globalresearch.ca The top-down reorganization of the world economy by a cabal of …

_____ (2021-03-21). Parisians March Against Systemic Racism And Police Brutality. popularresistance.org Watch a live broadcast from central Paris where people are gathering on Saturday 20 March to march against "systemic racism and police brutality." | Organised by several activist groups to mark the International Day Against Police Brutality (15 March) and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), people are demanding the creation of an independent entity to monitor the use of force by police officers and reparation for victims of police brutality. | One of the organisers is Assa Traore, whose brother Adama, 24, died in police custody in 2016 after he was stopped for an ID chec…

Towards increasing Networking (2021-03-21). Starting Tonight (Sat): Online events w) Chomsky, McKibben, Frida Berrigan & many others. indybay.org Here are some 17 online events taking place over the coming month (and starting tonight, Saturday, March 20), featuring people such as Noam Chomsky, Bill McKibben, Frida Berrigan, Thomas Piketty, Paul Mason, Hazel Henderson, and many others.

Noam Chomsky (2021-03-21). Biden's Early Agenda Gives Hope, But Activist Pressure Must Not Cease. zcomm.org The dire challenges we face have no borders. Global heating, pandemics, disarmament will be dealt with internationally, if at all…

Celia Farber (2021-03-21). John Magufuli: Death of an African Freedom Fighter, Confronted Big Pharma and the Corrupt Covid Cabal. globalresearch.ca With humor, cheek, and audacity, Magufuli had crossed a line—exposing the fraud and illegitimacy of the PCR testing apparatus that the WHO relied on to justify the global lockdown, the terror, and the vaccine rollouts.

Prabir Purkayastha (2021-03-21). Vaccine wars, ASEAN and the Quad. peoplesdispatch.org The COVID-19 pandemic demands that all nations cooperate to vaccinate the entire global population. The usual rules of which countries win and which ones lose do not operate in this civilizational crisis…

Timothy Alexander Guzman (2021-03-21). The WHO and Big Pharma Rejected by Tanzania: President John Magufuli Says COVID-19 Vaccines Are "Dangerous and Unnecessary" globalresearch.ca Update | President John Magufuli has passed away. The country has lost …

Kim Iversen (2021-03-21). Pfizer Executive: Shift from Pandemic to Endemic. "Hiking Vaccine Price after Pandemic Wanes" globalresearch.ca Pfizer execs discuss hiking vaccine price after …

Eugene E Ruyle (2021-03-21). Sunday 3/21: The Great Labor Rebellion of the 1930s. indybay.org Zoom meeting. Login info on our website: ICSSMARX.ORG

Arab Resource & Organizing Center (2021-03-21). CA Abandons Its Commitment to Ethnic Studies under Right Wing Pressure—The Fight Continues. indybay.org On March 18, 2021, the California State Board of Education (SBE) rubber-stamped a whitewashed Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) in the face of massive public backlash. This version of the ESMC was panned by teachers, students, community organizations, and Ethnic Studies scholars—including Angela Davis, Cornel West, and Marc Lamont Hill. In disgust, all 20 of the Ethnic Studies educators who drafted the original version of the ESMC demanded that their names be removed.

Socialized Medicine is What We Need (2021-03-21). HR 1976 Medicare for All Act of 2021. indybay.org On March 17, 2021, Rep. Jayapal Pamila of Wash. state and Rep. Deborah Dingell of Michigan introduced this year's version of the urgently needed Medicare for All Act of 2021 with a total of 112 sponsors, all Democrats, and it needs 218 to pass. See www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/hou…{%22search%22: [%22actionSessionCode: \%22117-1 | 1000\%22+AND+billIsReserved: \%22N\%22%22]}&r=9&s=4&searchResultViewType=compact…

Leon Kunstenaar (2021-03-21). Oakland Caravan, Traffic Jam, and Rally to Support Amazon Union Drive. indybay.org Continuing Actions in Support of Alabama Amazon Workers' Union Drive…

Leon Kunstenaar (2021-03-21). Protest at Amazon's New SF Watehouse Site. indybay.org International Day of Protests in Support of Alabama Amazon Workers' Union Drive…

Leon Kunstenaar (2021-03-21). Protest at Amazon's New SF Warehouse Site. indybay.org International Day of Protests in Support of Alabama Amazon Workers' Union Drive…

Claudia Spengler, Johanna Neuhauser (2021-03-21). Unemployment myth and "Migrantization" of precarity. indybay.org Involuntary unemployment is afflicted with many prejudices, which impute a supposed lack of motivation and utility to those affected. Although these prejudices are easy to refute, politicians and representatives of the media cling to the neoliberal notion of individual guilt in unemployment. Unemployment has primarily structural causes and thus requires the assumption of political responsibility.

South Front (2021-03-21). Turkey Refuses to Give Up on Its Interests in Northeastern Syria. globalresearch.ca Turkey and its proxies are rushing to defend Ankara's interests in …

Richard Falk (2021-03-21). Palestine Horizons: Winning the Long Game. zcomm.org The reaction by Israel to the ICC decision rises to apoplectic levels of intensity. The fuming response of Netanyahu was echoed across the whole spectrum of Israeli politicians…

Juan Cole (2021-03-21). Tens of Thousands Protest "Crime Minister" Netanyahu in Israel as his Political Survival hangs in Balance. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Thousands of Israelis demonstrated Saturday at various places against Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is being tried for corruption, as the country goes to the polls Tuesday. This was the 39th consecutive weekly demonstration against the beleagured prime minister, who polls suggest faces an extremely close election. If he …

MEE staff (2021-03-21). Yemen: Houthis admit teargas fired by guards caused deadly fire at detention centre. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Houthis admit teargas fired by guards caused deadly fire at detention centre | Houthis say they have detained 11 men from the security forces and senior officials over fire that left 45 migrants dead | Sun, 03/21/2021 – 10: 29 | Members representing African communities in Yemen gather to speak in front of the offices of the International Organisation for Migration in Sanaa on 13 March 2021 (AFP) | Yemen…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-21). Pro-Kurdish MP briefly detained after four nights holed up in Turkey's parliament. middleeasteye.net Pro-Kurdish MP briefly detained after four nights holed up in Turkey's parliament | Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu was controversially expelled from his seat earlier this week as crackdown on HDP continues | Sun, 03/21/2021 – 09: 32 | Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu shows defiance after his dismissal from parliament (AFP) | Turkey briefly detained a pro-Kurdish MP who had been holed up in parliament sinc…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-21). Pro-Kurdish MP detained after four nights holed up in Turkey's parliament. middleeasteye.net Pro-Kurdish MP detained after four nights holed up in Turkey's parliament | Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu was controversially expelled from his seat earlier this week as crackdown on HDP continues | Sun, 03/21/2021 – 09: 32 | Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu shows defiance after his dismissal from parliament (AFP) | Turkey has arrested a pro-Kurdish MP who had been holed up in parliament since being cont…

Eli Day (2021-03-21). The Movement for Black Lives Has Been Waiting for This Moment. zcomm.org Racial justice organizers are preparing to take to the streets and the halls of power to push President Biden to meet their demands…

Luis Feliz León (2021-03-21). The Biggest Amazon Union Drive Yet. zcomm.org Please Help ZNet Source: Labor Notes Photo by lev radin/Shutterstock The chilly early-morning scene at a gas station March 9 recalls the morning rush hour anywhere, as workers shuffle into a convenience store for coffee and cigarettes. But look closer—a yellow hanger on a Jeep's rearview mirror is embossed

Loretta Graceffo (2021-03-21). Garment workers win billions in stolen wages. zcomm.org The PayUp campaign's battle against wage theft has clawed back $22 billion from apparel companies during the pandemic, and they're just getting started…

teleSUR (2021-03-20). Cristina Fernandez Scores Major Win on Google's Defamation Case. telesurenglish.net Argentina's Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by Google against the ruling which forces the company to keep the defamatory information against Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. | RELATED: | Last year, Cristina filed a petition with her country's justice system demanding that U.S. tech giant Google preserve the data naming her as "Thief of the Argentine Nation." | The nickname appeared on Google's platform repla…

Alan MacLeod (2021-03-20). Financial press fears Brazilians will be allowed to elect president of their choice. mronline.org The Brazilian Supreme Court this month dismissed all charges against former President Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva. A towering figure in national politics, Lula was the country's president for eight years between 2003 and 2011. | Newswire…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-20). Demolition of Palestinian houses continues. peoplesdispatch.org The report, prepared by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territories (OCHA), says that in the month of February alone, at least 305 Palestinians, including 172 children, lost their homes and were displaced due to demolition of homes by the Israeli authorities.

Michael Welch (2021-03-20). The Ides of March 2011: NATO's 'Humanitarian' War on Libya. globalresearch.ca "This is injustice, it is clear aggression, and it is uncalculated risk for its consequences on the Mediterranean and Europe…We are confronting Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, nothing more. What would you do if you found them controlling American …

ANSWER Coalition (2021-03-20). National Day of Action March 27: Call It What It Is, a Hate Crime! Stop Anti-Asian Violence, Stop China-Bashing! liberationnews.org The following national call to action was issued by the ANSWER Coalition Join the Sat. March 27 National Day of Action! Endorse the national day of action here Organize an event in your city — register your event here Find local actions in your city: San Francisco, CA 11 AM — 12 PM — A …

WSWS (2021-03-20). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

Brandon Scharles, Julio Cesar Gumeta Ramos (2021-03-20). Milwaukee protesters demand justice for police killing victim Joel Acevedo. liberationnews.org On March 5, several dozen activists and community members gathered at Kosciuszko Park, going door-to-door in the neighborhood where Acevedo was killed, to inform the public about the upcoming trial.

Eds. (2021-03-20). Why are hate crimes against Asian Americans on the rise? mronline.org Largely missing from this ongoing discussion is the role of the police and the capitalist state. The media has done an excellent job at depicting these violent acts as interpersonal and individual attacks. | Newswire…

Jay Janson (2021-03-20). Britain Threatens Humanity with Nuclear Winter without Explaining Why It Foresees War. dissidentvoice.org Both before the First World War and before the Second World War, the world public basically simply watched the arms build up and other preparations for war. This lackadaisical blandly interested public attitude seems to be present again. Criminally insane investors in war openly race forward with the inventing and manufacturing of ever new and …

Robert Hunziker (2021-03-20). Nuclear Fuel Buried 108 Feet from the Sea. dissidentvoice.org San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (Credit: Nuclear Regulatory Commission) The most toxic substance on Earth is separated from exposure to society by Ω" of steel encased in a canister. — Paul Blanch, registered professional engineer, US Navy Reactor Operator/Instructor That eye-opener comes from renowned nuclear expert Paul Blanch in reference to spent fuel rods removed …

Eds. (2021-03-20). At least six killed after factory owner calls in military in Hlaing Tharyar. mronline.org Police publicly executed a woman who was the leader of the workers. | Newswire…

The Conversation (2021-03-20). Racism is behind anti-Asian American violence, even when it's not a hate crime. juancole.com By Pawan Dhingra | — Over the past year, attacks on Asian Americans have increased more than 150% over the previous year, including the March 16 murders of eight people, including six Asian American women, in Atlanta. Some of these attacks may be classified as hate crimes. But whether they meet that legal definition or …

Greg Plancich (2021-03-20). Neoliberal Seattle mayor rejects federal funding, threatens eviction from hotel shelters to 130 people. liberationnews.org The housing crisis in Seattle and the rest of the country is a symptom of capitalism, where homes are built for profit and not shelter.

_____ (2021-03-20). We Fight For Haiti Because We Are Haiti. popularresistance.org The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) seeks to recapture and redevelop the historic anti-war, anti-imperialist, and pro-peace positions of the radical black movement. We fundamentally oppose militarized domestic state repression; the policies of de-stabilization and subversion abroad; and the permanent war agenda of the U.S. state globally. | The reason we're here today in front of the Haiti Consulate-General is simple: we stand in solidarity with the Haitian people against the corrupt and illegitimate regime of Jovenel MoàØse, which is propped up by the Joseph R. Biden administration, the United Nations, and…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-03-20). The 2017 Raqqa Exodus: The US Coalition's "Secret Deal" to Allow ISIS-Daesh Terrorists to Escape… globalresearch.ca US Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis confirmed in May Washington's resolve to annihilate the ISIS-Daesh terrorists. | That was the "political narrative" of the Pentagon. The unspoken truth is that Uncle Sam had come to the rescue of the Islamic State.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-03-20). Destroying a Country's Standard of Living: What Libya Had Achieved, What has been Destroyed. globalresearch.ca A historical reversal in Libya economic and social development has occurred. An entire country has been destroyed, its people driven into abysmal poverty.

Aaron Maté (2021-03-20). Fmr. Ambassador Robert Ford on the US role in Syria's 10-year war. thegrayzone.com Former US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford speaks to Aaron Maté about the 10th anniversary of the Syrian war, the US role in the conflict, and why he now supports the withdrawal of US forces. Robert Ford served as US Ambassador to Syria from 2011 to 2014. On the tenth anniversary of the Syrian war, Ford speaks to Aaron Maté about the roots of the conflict; the US role; the current US sanctions that target Syria's reconstruction; chemical weapons allegations …

WSWS (2021-03-20). Ontario government covered up massive coronavirus outbreak at Amazon's Brampton warehouse. wsws.org Ministry of Labour officials were on site at the Heritage Road fulfillment centre just two days before a local health official ordered the facility closed due to a massive COVID-19 outbreak.

WSWS (2021-03-20). Philadelphia school closed for COVID outbreak 10 days after reopening. wsws.org Since reopening schools earlier this month, the city of Philadelphia has seen a 16 percent increase in the 7-day average of new infections.

WSWS (2021-03-20). Turkish government moves to ban Kurdish-nationalist HDP. wsws.org The Turkish government is initiating legal action to ban the HDP amid the COVID-19 pandemic and mounting expectations of US military intervention in Syria.

WSWS (2021-03-20). Amid health care collapse, Brazil cannot bury its COVID-19 dead. wsws.org Next week, Brazil is expected to reach the grim milestone of 300,000 COVID-19 deaths, 100,000 of which occurred in the first months of 2021.

WSWS (2021-03-20). Australian government uses misleading jobless figures to ramp up attack on working conditions. wsws.org A closer examination of the data used points to the use of the mass unemployment caused by the global pandemic as a battering ram against the working class.

WSWS (2021-03-20). Millions of Australian workers forced to deplete their retirement funds amid pandemic. wsws.org Many of those accessing their superannuation accounts were from low-paid and casualised employment in the retail and hospitality sectors, often leaving them with little or no retirement funds.

_____ (2021-03-20). Starve The Pentagon, Feed The People. popularresistance.org The budget for 2021 clocked in at more than $740 billion. Passed during the throes of the pandemic in mid-2020, Congress awarded $130 billion more than requested for the nuclear-armed Columbia class submarine program. While these same legislators whittled down the second round of stimulus payments to Americans to $600, they simultaneously lined defense contractor's pockets. | These priorities, putting weapons before citizens, are clearly to the detriment of not just those living in the United States, but to those across the globe. The Pentagon intends to request more funding for nuclear weapons this year as part…

WSWS (2021-03-20). Pandemic threatens to explode in Massachusetts as Baker administration forces schools open. wsws.org Governor Baker's unelected board voted to give Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley "full power of the law" to force open all state school districts amid dangers of a new surge.

Juan Cole (2021-03-20). German Greens come out against Russian Gas Pipeline: "It ought not to Exist" juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Germany's Green Party has come out strongly against the Nord Stream II Baltic natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. The pipeline's construction is already advanced. Der Tagesspiegel reports, "Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock warned that the pipeline would undermine European sovereignty and pose an obstacle to a common European …

Matt Taibbi (2021-03-20). Aaugh! A Brief List of Official Russia Claims that Proved to be Bogus. globalresearch.ca The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released …

Editor (2021-03-20). A Brief List of Official Russia Claims That Proved to Be Bogus. scheerpost.com Book Catalog / CC BY 2.0] By Matt Taibbi / TK News The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released a much-hyped, much-cited new report on " Foreign Threats to the 2020 Elections." The key conclusion: We assess that Russian President Putin authorized, and a range of Russian government organizations conducted, influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden's… |

_____ (2021-03-20). Mutual Aid, Abolition And Movements. popularresistance.org When I first got involved in organizing, in the mid-1990's in New York City, I wasn't aware of the term "mutual aid" but mutual aid was a core part of what I saw around me in all the groups I was in. | Rudy Giuliani (or as we called him, Ghoul-iani) was mayor and his administration was attacking and targeting people on many fronts. He was going after taxi drivers, street vendors, unhoused people, queer bars and public meeting spaces, the sex work industry, people on welfare, and more. His administration's brutality really "remade" the city in ways that are so visible today, increasing displacement and criminaliza…

Tinashe Goroga, Dana Brown,, Siddhartha Mehta (2021-03-20). All Health Is Public Health. commondreams.org The pandemic has blown up the myth that our health is largely a product of individual choices and personal responsibilities. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

_____ (2021-03-20). Financial Press Fears Brazilians Will Elect President Of Their Choice. popularresistance.org The Brazilian Supreme Court this month dismissed all charges against former President Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva. A towering figure in national politics, Lula was the country's president for eight years between 2003 and 2011. He was later convicted on highly dubious corruption charges and spent 18 months in prison, where his plight drew worldwide attention, making him, in the estimation of Noam Chomsky, the "world's most prominent political prisoner." | Lula's incarceration directly led to far-right authoritarian Jair Bolsonaro coming to power, as Lula, the overwhelming favorite in the polls, was barred from run…

Staff (2021-03-20). Chomsky: Biden's Early Agenda Gives Hope, But Activist Pressure Must Not Cease. truthout.org Joe Biden's first months in office have comprised a flurry of actions on the domestic front, including a historic stimulus bill. In this exclusive interview, the celebrated public intellectual Noam Chomsky shares his views on some key policies embraced by the Biden administration. Chomsky is Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT and Laureate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona. His latest books are Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal: The Political Economy of Saving th…

Staff (2021-03-20). Animal Testing Is Useless for Determining COVID Vaccine Effectiveness in Humans. truthout.org There have been What is surprising, however, is the complete lack of differing scient…

Staff (2021-03-20). Parties Charge A Lot for Committee and Leadership Roles. Corporations Benefit. truthout.org This article was produced by Federal campaign finance law lets lawmakers take money from PACs sponsored and administered by the corporations and special interest groups that lobby them on how they would like the laws to…

Staff (2021-03-20). Some of the Wealthiest Counties in the US Have Seen the Biggest Rise in Hunger. truthout.org This story also ran on USA Today and GateHouse Media. It can be "Oh, my God, it smells so good!" Sierra, 39, said of the bounty she'd just picked up at a food pantry, pulling out a ready-made salad and a container of soup. | Sierra unpacked the donated food and planned lunch for Rachell and her siblings, ages 9 and 2, as a reporter watched through FaceT…

Staff (2021-03-20). Garment Workers Win $22 Billion in Historic Victory Against Wage Theft. truthout.org This article was originally published on In March 2020, Amanda Lee McCarty was laid off from her job. | For years, she had been working in the fashion industry as a buyer and product developer. But as COVID-19 cases surged and lockdown orders were implemented across the world, retailers were faced with a dramatic plummet in consumer demand for clothing. McCarty, who had…

Sharmila Devi (2021-03-20). [World Report] Aid agencies turn attention to diabetes. thelancet.com The rise in non-communicable diseases and their contribution to COVID-19 is prompting a shift in priorities. Sharmila Devi reports.

Richard Lane (2021-03-20). [Perspectives] Chris Butler: primary care research supremo. thelancet.com As Professor of Primary Care in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, UK, and a practising general practitioner in south Wales, Chris Butler has a bird's eye view of the potential impact of primary care research on clinical practice. Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 research is a priority, with Butler co-leading the PRINCIPLE trial to try and identify treatments for the alleviation of COVID-19 symptoms in community settings. "I am hopeful that our innovations in research methods will identify effective early treatment for the disease", he says.

Nigel Crisp (2021-03-20). [Perspectives] Human flourishing in a health-creating society. thelancet.com The way we think about health and health systems needs to reflect the realities of the society we live in. There is no going back to the world before COVID-19. And, more fundamentally, it is time to finally leave behind the mindsets and practices of 20th-century medicine. COVID-19 is still doing terrible damage. Many countries are in the grip of a second or third wave of infections—in some cases worse than the first. COVID-19 vaccines bring optimism, but access to them is unequal for low-income and middle-income countries.

Susan Jaffe (2021-03-20). [World Report] Biden's first legislative victory: $1 ∑9 trillion for COVID-19. thelancet.com US President Joe Biden's first legislative triumph will fund the COVID-19 response and economic recovery, and address social determinants of health. Susan Jaffe reports from Washington, DC.

Richard Strugnell, Nancy Wang (2021-03-20). [Comment] Sustained neutralising antibodies in the Wuhan population suggest durable protection against SARS-CoV-2. thelancet.com SARS-CoV-2 infections were first reported in Wuhan, China, in 2019,1 and quickly became a global pandemic, as declared on March 11, 2020.2 SARS-CoV-2 is highly infectious3 and COVID-19 is variable in its presentation, with many infected individuals, as detected by viral nucleic acid screening, being asymptomatic.

Paramjit S Gill, Shoba Poduval, Jarnail S Thakur, Romaina Iqbal (2021-03-20). [Comment] COVID-19, community trials, and inclusion. thelancet.com The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the research landscape with the emergence of platform trials. Platform trials are adaptive clinical trials in which patients with a single disease are randomly allocated to different treatments based on an algorithm to investigate whether various agents have clinical benefit.1 In The Lancet, the PRINCIPLE Trial Collaborative Group2 report no benefit of azithromycin compared with usual care (hazard ratio 1 ∑08, 95% Bayesian credibility interval 0 ∑95—1 ∑23) for suspected COVID-19 in older adults in the community.

Peter Koenig (2021-03-20). The Coronavirus Vaccine: The Real Danger is "Agenda ID2020". Vaccination as a Platform for "Digital Identity" globalresearch.ca What is the infamous ID2020? It's an electronic ID program that uses generalized vaccination as a platform for digital identity. The program harnesses existing birth registration and vaccination operations to provide newborns with a portable and persistent biometrically-linked digital identity.

RT (2021-03-20). Blood clots & one death reported in Denmark after hospital staffers take AstraZeneca vaccine. rt.com Two hospital staffers in Denmark experienced blood clots and cerebral haemorrhaging after they were vaccinated against Covid-19 with AstraZeneca's jab. One has since died. | Denmark The new report comes amid increasing concerns in the European Union over whether Astr…

Liberation Staff (2021-03-20). Cuba launches Phase 3 test of COVID vaccine, the first produced in Latin America. liberationnews.org Despite the most severe blockade conditions imposed by the U.S. government, Cuba's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries have made outstanding achievements in the campaign to overcome COVID-19.

RT (2021-03-20). 'We need to think more freely': Bavarian PM mulls producing Sputnik V in Germany as Russian pharma announces investment plans. rt.com Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder has once again called for the speedy approval of Russia's Sputnik V as his government considers vaccine production in the German state, and a Russian company plans to invest in it. | "Generally, we need to think more freely" when it comes to vaccination, Soeder told the German newspaper FAZ on Saturday, adding that this also "includes approving the Russian Sputnik V vaccine as soon as possible if it meets the requirements." | According to the paper, the prime minister would also like to see the Russian vaccine produced in his state. Earlier, Bavaria's Health Ministry issue…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-03-20). AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Suspended Across Europe. "Possible Autoimmune Reactions, Blood Clotting, Stroke and Internal Bleeding" globalresearch.ca UPDATE | France, Germany and Italy which had suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine, have resumed "after health officials sought to allay concerns it may cause blood clots" (VA Report) | This resumption of inoculations followed statements by the WHO and the European Medicines …

teleSUR (2021-03-20). Brazil: Censorship Law Is Used To Shield Bolsonaro From Critics. telesurenglish.net Protestesters have been arrested in Brasilia after calling Bolsonaro "genocidal" for his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and displaying a cartoon depicting him as a Nazi. | RELATED: | "They were jailed because the description 'genocidal' suits our president very well. He has contributed to our health care system's collapse due to the lack of vaccines. Police can't silence us," said the geography teacher Katia Garcia.

teleSUR (2021-03-20). EU Threatens To Ban the Export of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine. telesurenglish.net European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday threatened to block exports of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine if the European Union (EU) does not receive what it was promised. | RELATED: | The official said AstraZeneca has only delivered 30 percent of the 90 million vaccines promised to the EU by the first quarter of 2021. | The contract with the Swedish-British lab calls for the delivery of vaccines…

Eds. (2021-03-20). WSJ rage at 'woke' China foreshadows new redbaiting of social justice activists. mronline.org The Wall Street Journal editorial board has accused a major Chinese newspaper, and by extension the People's Republic of China, of exploiting progressive rhetoric around racial justice to create division in the United States. | Newswire…

Global Research (2021-03-20). Advierten de que en 20 años se duplicó el endeudamiento de América Latina. globalizacion.ca Eric Toussaint y Milan Rivié, especialistas del Comité para la Abolición de las Deudas Ilegítimas (CADTM) señalaron que en los últimos años se asistió a un aumento espectacular del stock y del servicio de la deuda en la región. | ´En…

Zachary Conti (2021-03-20). G7 Supports Emergency Funds for Developing Country COVID Relief. indybay.org G7 finance ministers agreed to create emergency reserve funds for developing countries wrestling with coronavirus economic impacts.

A3 statement given to the Jamal Journal (2021-03-20). The Angola 3 support Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Color of Change petition. indybay.org In this new statement from from former Black Panther political prisoners Albert Woodfox and Robert King of the Angola 3 declare about Mumia Abu-Jamal: "He has always fought for all of our human rights from inside prison walls. Please fight for his human rights today."

Revolution Books (2021-03-20). Monday 3/22: Dr. Nicole Fleetwood Tour of Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration. indybay.org Revolution Books, 2444 Durant Ave. Berkeley CA 94704…

RT (2021-03-20). Stripping Catalan MEPs of immunity from prosecution 'undermines EU's moral authority' — region's ex-leader to RT. rt.com The European Parliament's decision to pave the way for the extradition of Catalan pro-independence politicians to Spain is a threat to European democracy, Catalonia's former leader, Carles Puigdemont, told RT. | Puigdemont fled Spain in 2017, after Madrid charged him with rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds for organizing the Catalan independence vote that year while serving as the head of the region's government. | In January 2020, a Belgian court refused to extradite the politician to Spain, citing his immunity from prosecution as a member of the European Parliament. However, the EU's top legisla…

RT (2021-03-20). Fruitful investigation: Huge bust of MDMA and ecstasy announced by French police turned out to be… strawberry powder, reports say. rt.com An investigation by French police, who earlier announced they had seized ‚Ǩ1 million worth of drugs, was apparently revealed to be fruitful in a quite unexpected way. | The Paris Police Prefecture earlier this week published an official tweet with photographs showing what looked like kilos of pink powder and packages of some small pink cubes. It said it had carried out a "fruitful investigation," having uncovered a "narcotics packaging workshop (MDMA, ecstasy) which supplied clandestine parties," in a suburb near the French capital. Goods worth €1 million had been seized, authorities sai…

RT (2021-03-20). Don't underestimate our determination to defend sovereignty, China warns US after rocky top-level talks. rt.com While talking to the media after meeting with their US counterparts, top Chinese diplomats have emphasized that they will stay firm in defending their national interests. | "There are so many major differences sitting between the two sides," Chinese foreign policy official Yang Jiechi told journalists in Alaska. According to Yang, who spoke to the press alongside China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, although Beijing believes that both countries "should follow the principles of no confrontation and conflicts," it will remain firm on the issues involving its domestic policies and interests in the region. | Also on…

Fight Back (2021-03-20). Nurses in Madison WI demand a decent contract. fightbacknews.org Madison, WI – Nurses at Meriter Hospital in Madison represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are coming to what could be their final bargaining session with management from UnityPoint Health. | Throughout the COVID pandemic, many of the 850 nurses represented at Meriter Hospital had to use up all or most of their paid time off due to being sick or exposed to the coronavirus. Nurses at Meriter continue to be pressured to work longer hours and extra shifts due to staffing shortages. | A press conference was held March 19 to support these essential frontline health care workers. Speakers included…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-20). Libya orders investigation after bodies found in Benghazi. middleeasteye.net Libya orders investigation after bodies found in Benghazi | New prime minister says a cover-up could not be tolerated after bodies of more than a dozen people found shot dead | Sat, 03/20/2021 – 15: 50 | The main western and eastern factions that split apart in 2014 have publicly accepted Dbeibeh's government (Reuters) | Libya has ordered an investigation after more than a dozen bodies wer…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-20). Anger as Turkey quits European treaty on violence against women. middleeasteye.net Anger as Turkey quits European treaty on violence against women | President's decision to leave Istanbul Convention described as 'deplorable' amid growing cases of femicide in the country | Sat, 03/20/2021 – 09: 45 | A protest against Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, an international accord designed to protect women, in Ankara, 20 March 2021 (Reuters) | Thousands protested…

MEE staff (2021-03-20). Saudi Arabia's Adel al-Jubeir confirms no normalisation deal with Israel. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia's Adel al-Jubeir confirms no normalisation deal with Israel | Minister of state for foreign affairs also says kingdom has made 'great strides' with regards to human rights | Sat, 03/20/2021 – 12: 45 | Jubeir, left, said relations with the United States were unlikely to change under President Joe Biden (AFP) | Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs, has said his countr…

imperial.ac.uk (2021-03-20). 'Ticket and test' scheme could help crowds return safely to live events. imperial.ac.uk Researchers have proposed a model to support the safe return of crowds to live events, while reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Charles Bethea (2021-03-20). The Alabama Workers Trying to Unionize an Amazon Fulfillment Center. zcomm.org South of Birmingham, warehouse employees are voting on whether to form a union. Their decision could have ripple effects around the country…

Mira Oklobdzija (2021-03-20). The Dutch Elections and the Rising Waters. zcomm.org The recent Dutch elections suggest that voters still long to return to an illusory pre-COVID status quo…

Anand Naidoo (2021-03-20). The Heat: China-U.S. talks conclude in Alaska. america.cgtn.com Chinese and U.S. officials have concluded their talks in Anchorage, Alaska after a strong and frank exchange. But, did the two economic superpowers find any common ground? The meetings, involving top diplomats from Beijing and Washington, saw fiery exchanges Thursday before the cameras. Relations between …

Nyla Ali Khan (2021-03-19). Transnational and Transformative Movements: BLM, Kashmir, and Prison Reform in Oklahoma. counterpunch.org Considering electoral processes in my state of adoption, Oklahoma, are healthier than they are in my state of origin, Jammu and Kashmir, I remind millennials to identify important issues to them as voters, so they are inspired to make a significant difference by participating. I will not deny the feeling of hopelessness that sets in

Brasil de Fato (2021-03-19). From jurisdiction to a judge's misconduct: what will clear Lula in corruption cases? peoplesdispatch.org The four criminal cases involving Lula in the Lava Jato anti-corruption operation that were judged in the city of Curitiba, located in the state of Paraná, were annulled on Monday March 8, making the former president All the while, at the request of Lula's defense, the 2nd Panel of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) is in the midst of judging suspicious conduct by former judge Sergio Moro. For now, t…

teleSUR (2021-03-19). Bolsonaro Seeks to Halt Subnational COVID-19 Restrictions. telesurenglish.net President Jair Bolsonaro filed an appeal of unconstitutionality before the Federal Supreme Court against the governors' decrees that seek to contain the COVID-19 pandemic through epidemiological restrictions. | RELATED: | He argues that the closure of activities can only be based on approved laws and not on decrees of subnational governments because "there is no generic provision delegating competence to local execu…

Mark Fiore (2021-03-19). Screen Shot 2021-03-18 at 8.49.00 AM.png. progressive.org If so many Republicans keep refusing to get vaccinated, we'll be in for more lockdowns, masks, and deaths.

Barbara Boland (2021-03-19). Is Biden Using a Trump Card to Pressure Maduro Regime Change in Venezuela? globalresearch.ca Six years of punishing economic sanctions have had a "devastating" humanitarian …

Don McIntosh (2021-03-19). TALKING SOCIALISM | Catching up with AOC. dsausa.org Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her way to speak at NYC's Women's March. [Photo by Corey Torpie] | Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, best known as AOC, is DSA's foremost socialist superstar. Her June 2018 primary win—a 29-year-old taqueria bartender defeating the third most powerful Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives—inspired up to 10,000 people to join DSA. : | The Netflix documentary

Don McIntosh (2021-03-19). Socialists Across Generations: We Need To Talk. dsausa.org I joined DSA at age 19 (full disclosure: I'm 36 now) because of Eugene Debs's alleged quip that "an unorganized socialist is a contradiction in terms." I felt it as a moral obligation, not a strategic decision. The organization was down to about 5,000 members and had no visible national presence. | As a member, and then a staffer of Young Democratic Socialists (now YDSA) in the final years of George W. Bush's second term, I found it demoralizing to attempt to recruit students to an organization that seemed to have no one under 40 in its off-campus chapters. How could one not consider leaving to join a larger o…

Devin Cole (2021-03-19). Linked struggles: Trans liberation, women's liberation — WW commentary. workers.org It's just two and a half months into 2021, and already over 25 blatantly anti-trans bills have been introduced in 28 state legislatures. In total, 91 bills are proposed in those states that, in some way, shape or form, attack trans people — some directly, some indirectly, but the destructive . . . |

Staff (2021-03-19). Police union defends convicted cops keeping their jobs. therealnews.com Why is it so hard to reform the police, let alone hold police accountable for abusing their power? What are the legal and political protections that have put police above the very law they're supposed to enforce?

Éric Toussaint (2021-03-19). The Paris Commune of 1871, banks and debt. mronline.org MR Online

Matthew Stevenson (2021-03-19). Letters From Minsk: Travellers in the Third Reich. counterpunch.org This is the second in a series about train and bicycle rides from Switzerland to Belarus, in those carefree days before pandemic lockdowns. On the Train to Minsk Julia Boyd and her book about "Third Reich travellers" were good company on my Deutsche Bahn trains across Germany, heading for Berlin. On the tracks along the

David Yearsley (2021-03-19). Travelers, Sour and Sentimental. counterpunch.org "I hate traveling and explorers." —Claude Levi-Strauss, Tristes tropiques (1955) Texas loosens, Italy locks down. With the skies mostly still clear and quiet, one can hear the collective champing at the bit before the gates open and vacationers charge into their first getaway in more than year. As Airbnb bookings surge, it's worth asking what

Al Neal (2021-03-19). Case of Sarah Everard, kidnapped and murdered by cop, sparks reform in Britain. peoplesworld.org Walking home alone in the darkness of night is a regular experience for many—whether they live in the busiest cities or the quietest towns. It is such a norm that many people never stop to think about safety. But for women everywhere, this action is often fraught with fear and anxiety. Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old …

Craig Collins (2021-03-19). Villagers & Pillagers: Who Will Survive the Collapse? counterpunch.org Unless you live in a state of denial you're probably like me, troubled about the future. There's not much left of mine, but my daughter's generation and their children will have to survive the aftermath of fossil-fueled civilization on the ravaged, toxic planet we've left them. How will that look? Will democratic eco-settlements rise from

Eds. (2021-03-19). How Chesa Boudin is pursuing his promise to reduce incarceration. mronline.org After more than a year in office—and despite pushback—the San Francisco DA's policies have kept people out of jails and prisons. | Newswire…

Hillary Lazar — Paul Messersmith-Glavin (2021-03-19). Love & Rage: The Eros Effect and Spontaneous Combustion. counterpunch.org "Today the fight for life, the fight for Eros, is the political fight." — Herbert Marcuse, Eros and Civilization, 1966 "Eros is historically shaped but eternally emergent. Love binds us together, gives us the courage to make history, to stare down our fears . . . and gives us the nerve to be resolute .

Tom Engelhardt (2021-03-19). Life in a Wounded and Wounding Land. counterpunch.org Here's one of the things I now do every morning. I go to the online Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and check out the figures there — global coronavirus cases and deaths, U.S. coronavirus cases and deaths. And I do so the way that, not so long ago, I would have opened the sports pages

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-03-19). Oakland crafting pilot program for response to mental health crises. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif. — An innovative program to provide trained civilian responders for mental health and other nonviolent crisis calls, instead of armed law enforcement, moved a step closer March 16 with unanimous City Council passage of legislation that will launch a pilot project within Oakland's Fire Department. The Council's actions include an ordinance amending Oakland …

Ron Jacobs (2021-03-19). A People's History of the Civil Rights Movement. counterpunch.org The story of the Civil Rights movement is often told in a manner that glorifies certain Movement organizers and so-called leaders while ignoring the multitudes in the churches, the cotton fields, the hamlets of the South and the streets of the nation. This portrayal exists in spite of the ongoing reminders from those who have

Emily Mossman Smiley (2021-03-19). Text scandal exposes bigoted character of Eureka, California police. liberationnews.org Five Eureka police officers are on paid leave following the exposure of a bigoted group chat.

Callie McGrath (2021-03-19). Poor People's Campaign demonstrates for priorities in 30 state capitols. liberationnews.org Among the policies are "comprehensive, free, and just" COVID-19 relief; universal healthcare; redirection of the military budget to social needs; and many others.

Don McIntosh (2021-03-19). A Green New Deal Means a Labor New Deal. dsausa.org What does an "all hands" moment for DSA look like? Perhaps the campaign to pass the PRO Act, the first major campaign of 2021.

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-19). From the Earth to the Moon: Biden's China Policy Doomed from the Start. dissidentvoice.org A much anticipated American foreign policy move under the Biden Administration on how to counter China's unhindered economic growth and political ambitions came in the form of a virtual summit on March 12, linking, aside from the United States, India, Australia and Japan. Although the so-called 'Quad' revealed nothing new in their joint statement, the …

The Conversation (2021-03-19). Startling Discovery of New Dead Sea Scrolls sheds light on Jewish Revolts against Imperial Rome. juancole.com By Gareth Wearne | — On Tuesday news broke of the discovery of fresh fragments of a nearly 2,000-year-old scroll in Israel. The fragments were said to come from the evocatively named Cave of Horror, near the western shore of the Dead Sea. The finds were announced with attention-grabbing headlines that these were new fragments …

Emily Mossman Smiley (2021-03-19). Text scandal exposes bigoted character of Eureka, Calif., police. liberationnews.org Five Eureka police officers are on paid leave following the exposure of a bigoted group chat.

Staff (2021-03-19). Battleground Baltimore: Brandon Scott sets a progressive path. therealnews.com In this week's round-up of Baltimore news: Mayor Brandon Scott delivers his State of the City address, students and leaders look to end digital redlining, activists push for further cannabis reform, and more.

Eds. (2021-03-19). Ten years since beginning of failed regime-change operation against Syria. mronline.org The initial coalition against Syria has collapsed, with Turkey frustrated over the U.S.' sustained support for the Kurds and the Arabs pivoting back to Syria. | Newswire…

Dianne Mathiowetz (2021-03-19). The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson. workers.org Atlanta A videotape shows 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson walking down a hallway and entering the gym in the Lowndes County High School in Valdosta, Ga., eight years ago on Jan. 10, 2013. That night his mother, Jacquelyn Johnson, called the emergency number 911 to report that her son had not come . . . |

Mirinda Crissman (2021-03-19). Outrage over child detention center reopened over toxic dump. workers.org Plans to reopen a migrant detention facility on top of toxic military waste in Homestead, Fla., have sparked anger. Located just south of Miami, the closed facility was the largest center for unaccompanied migrant children — with 3,200 beds — before it was shut down in 2019 due to national . . . |

Eve Ottenberg (2021-03-19). How America Got the Vapors…Over ANTIFA. counterpunch.org It started last summer during the George Floyd Rebellion: alarming tales about left-wing terrorists, about hordes of antifa ready to invade dozy suburbs and burn down the local post office, Walmart and Starbucks. These wild fabrications percolated through right-wing media, causing a panicked spike in gun purchases, followed by announcements from red-blooded Amuricans in the Midwest and matrons from Florida that they were locked and loaded, ready to defend their real estate and SUVs from the battalions of communist terrorist antifa about to overrun their front lawns and trample azaleas, hydrangeas and any other be…

Robin Broad, John Cavanagh (2021-03-19). Water is Life, Can We Protect It? counterpunch.org From West Texas to Jackson, Mississippi, tens of millions of people struggled through late winter storms that froze pipes, broke water mains, and cut off electricity. They froze without showers, toilets, or washing machines — let alone drinking water — for days or even weeks. The irony that Texas, the state built on fossil fuels,

Callie McGrath (2021-03-19). Poor People's Campaign demonstrates for priorities in 30 state capitals. liberationnews.org Among the policies are "comprehensive, free, and just" COVID-19 relief; universal healthcare; redirection of the military budget to social needs; and many others.

Jonah Raskin (2021-03-19). Art & Politics in San Francisco, 2021: Portraits of a City in Upheaval, Again. counterpunch.org Bay Area artist and teacher, Miranda Bergman, knows by heart the most famous lines in The Tempest. She ought to. Her Old Left parents named her after Shakespeare's feisty heroine who exclaims, "How amazing! How many wonderful creatures there are here! Mankind is so beautiful! Oh, what a wonderful new world that has such people

Staff (2021-03-19). We can't erase the radicalism of the Rainbow Coalition. therealnews.com "Judas and the Black Messiah" has received much-deserved praise, but there are still many facets to the story of the Rainbow Coalition and Fred Hampton's murder that need to be told.

Vijay Prashad (2021-03-19). There are so many lessons to learn from Kerala. mronline.org MR Online

John Wojcik (2021-03-19). Biden's 'killer' comment about Putin reflects obsolete foreign policy. peoplesworld.org I want to start this critique of Biden's developing foreign policy by stating clearly and unequivocally that his $1.9 trillion rescue plan deserves total support from everyone in our country. It is nothing less than a dramatic disavowal of the right-wing era launched by Ronald Reagan some 40 years ago. Although Biden deserves praise for …

Austin Fisher — David Correia (2021-03-19). How AFSCME and ACLU Gutted New Mexico's Proposed Ban on Chemical Weapons, Attack Dogs, Rubber Bullets. counterpunch.org If police reform could fix what's wrong with policing in the United States, it would have already happened in Albuquerque. No police department in the U.S. has undergone more reform, over more years, than the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). None of it has worked. New Mexico consistently ranks among the states with the highest rate

Tom Engelhardt (2021-03-19). The Sports Pages of Death: Life in a Wounded and Wounding Land. juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com) — Here's one of the things I now do every morning. I go to the online Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and check out the figures there — global coronavirus cases and deaths, U.S. coronavirus cases and deaths. And I do so the way that, not so long ago, I would have opened …

Bob Lord — Chuck Collins (2021-03-19). No, the Rich Aren't Paying Their Fare Share. counterpunch.org We hear it all the time: The wealthy must pay their fair share in tax. Many of the wealthy, and the members of Congress they sponsor, contend they already are. And they have all sorts of facts and figures to make that appear true. After all, for a billionaire, even a tiny tax payment in

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-03-19). Oakland joins West Coast cities mandating hazard pay for grocery workers. peoplesworld.org OAKLAND, Calif. — Cities around the Bay Area have joined, or on the road to joining, the growing list of West Coast cities requiring large grocery outlets to provide their workers hazard pay while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors now requires large grocers to pay their frontline workers $5 more …

Vincent Emanuele (2021-03-19). The Iraq War: 18 Years Later. counterpunch.org 'You sit in your room, and you talk to the wall You're feeling small but still have a ball And you can't explain what's anyway in vain And you paint your face and dress in black Wear your shades and still can't express The way you feel about a lousy fill And you dance until

John Catalinotto (2021-03-19). The Paris Commune's 150th anniversary — A blueprint for revolution. workers.org An uprising in Paris on March 18, 1871, toward the end of the Franco-Prussian War, burst open the structure of 19th-century European capitalist society. The 72-day social explosion in what would become the capital of the French Empire became the iconic blueprint for workers' revolution. Lessons of the Paris Commune, . . . |

Olujimi Alade (2021-03-19). A revolutionary man on solidarity with women. workers.org As many people reading Workers World/Mundo Obrero newspaper already know, March is Women's History Month. In a patriarchal world and society, it is refreshing to see women finally being centered in this way. In order to guarantee full gender equality for all, it is important to shine a light on . . . |

Mark Gruenberg (2021-03-19). With renewed union backing, House passes Dream Act. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—With renewed labor backing, this time from the Union Veterans Council, the House voted 227-197 at 6 p.m. on March 18 to pass the Dream Act, formally legalizing and providing an eventual path to citizenship for the 700,000 "Dreamers," undocumented people brought to the U.S. as kids, who are Americans in all but their papers. …

Mark Taliano (2021-03-19). Permanent Warfare and the "War On Terror" globalresearch.ca The "War on Terror" is a fraud. Washington supports the very …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-03-19). The WHO Confirms that the Covid-19 PCR Test is Flawed: Estimates of "Positive Cases" are Meaningless. The Lockdown Has No Scientific Basis. globalresearch.ca The Real Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) test was …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-03-19). The Engineered Destruction and Political Fragmentation of Iraq. globalresearch.ca The objective is to engineer a civil war in Iraq, in which both sides are controlled indirectly by US-NATO. The scenario is to arm and equip them, on both sides, finance them with advanced weapons systems and then "let them fight".

Philip Giraldi (2021-03-19). The Puppet Masters: Is There Really a Deep State? globalresearch.ca As a former intelligence officer, I find it amusing to read …

Medea Benjamin (2021-03-19). "We Don't Do Body Counts": The Iraq Death Toll 15 Years After the US Invasion. globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in March 2018. | March 19 2021 …

Kenn Orphan (2021-03-19). The Amazon Chernobyl is a Warning for Us All. counterpunch.org "We must answer their call. Our Mother Earth, militarized, fenced-in, poisoned, a place where basic rights are systematically violated, demands that we take action. Let us build societies that are able to coexist in a dignified way, in a way that protects life. Let us come together and remain hopeful as we defend and care

WSWS (2021-03-19). Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa. wsws.org National strike of all private sector workers in Belgium called against wage restraint; Amazon workers in Italy to walk out over pay and conditions; Strike of French postal workers against restructuring…

Stephen Lendman (2021-03-19). "The Russians Are Coming, Not Again…": Biden Regime Imposes More Illegal Sanctions on Russia. globalresearch.ca "When a Soviet submarine gets stuck on a sandbar off the …

Stephen Lendman (2021-03-19). Frosty China-US Talks in Alaska. globalresearch.ca US foreign policy isn't pretty. Rhetoric suggesting otherwise is subterfuge. | Hegemons …

teleSUR (2021-03-19). Venezuela Delivered 3,500,000 Homes Despite US Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday celebrated the delivery of 3,500,000 homes since the beginning of the social program Great Housing Mission Venezuela (GMVV) in April 2011. | RELATED: | He stressed that the GMVV managed to maintain its construction goals, despite the U.S. blockade against the country's economy and population. | On Thursday, 57 families inaugurated their homes in Aragua, 64 families in Zulia, and 12…

Dan Cohen (2021-03-19). US Intel Thinks You're Stupid: ODNI Report Blames Russia, Ignores Colombian Election Interference. mintpressnews.com The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has issued a new report alleging wide-ranging Russian interference in the 2020 election, contradicting November statements that there was no election interference while outright ignoring documented interference from top US ally Colombia.

Alan Macleod (2021-03-19). With Over $1 Billion Spent, Domestic Dark Money Dwarfs All Foreign Influence on 2020 Election. mintpressnews.com While unapproved foreign interference is a major scandal, corporations and the ultra-wealthy essentially buying elections is simply (big) business as usual.

Alan Macleod (2021-03-19). Sputnik V: EU Sacrifices Its Citizens by the Thousands on the Altar of Anti-Russia Point-Scoring. mintpressnews.com European diplomats told Reuters that many countries would rather let tens of thousands more citizens die than allow Russia to save them.

teleSUR (2021-03-19). Paraguay to Set Beds for COVID-19 Patients in Military Centers. telesurenglish.net Paraguay's Health Ministry on Friday announced that it will enable beds for COVID-19 patients in Armed Forces facilities due to the health system collapse. | RELATED: | The decision was made after public hospital beds reached 100 percent occupancy amid medicines and health workers shortages. | "COVID-19 patients will be assisted in those military institutions that were transformed into isolation centers at the begi…

teleSUR (2021-03-19). Cuba Reinforces Its Anti-COVID-19 Brigade in Qatar. telesurenglish.net Cuba's Health Ministry Friday informed that 156 health workers from the Henry Reeve Brigade were sent to Qatar to help contain the pandemic. | RELATED: | These six doctors and 150 nurses are from 30 to 59 years old and have over five years of work experience. | "We will offer our modest expertise despite the risks. The desire to do good is stronger than the fear of contagion," said intensive care nurse Denia Montalvo, w…

teleSUR (2021-03-19). Europe Becomes First Region to Hit 1M COVID-19 Deaths. telesurenglish.net On Friday, the total number of deaths linked to the Coronavirus surpassed one million in the European region. Vaccination efforts across the region are struggling to keep up with new variants spreading the third wave of infections that could once again overwhelm hospitals. | RELATED: | According to a Reuters tally, at least 37,221,978 infections and 1,000,062 deaths were reported in the European continent since the beginni…

Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-19). The Push for COVID Immunity Passports. dissidentvoice.org Sensible, ideal, wonderful — if you happen to be in the European Union. This is the air of confidence surrounding the March 17 proposal for a digital COVID immunity passport, or what is officially being called the Digital Green Certificate. The Digital Green Certificate is actually a bundle of three: vaccination certificates stating the brand …

WSWS (2021-03-19). Another 770,000 new U.S. unemployment claims filed as unprecedented job losses continue one year into pandemic. wsws.org Over 81 million jobless claims have been filed since March of last year, a figure nearly seven times the yearly average, with no historical precedent or end in sight.

Juan Cole (2021-03-19). Attacks on Asian Americans are Rooted in over a Century of Racist Exclusion. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The spine-chilling attacks on Asian-Americans around the country, in San Francisco, New York, and now most bloodily in Atlanta, are manifestations of a white supremacism that has deep roots in American history. The odious Trump and his minions whipped up hatred by branding the novel coronavirus the "Chinese flu" or …

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2021-03-19). Recruited, Arrested, On Trial: Yemeni Spies Tell of Their Reluctant Work for CIA, MI6. mintpressnews.com The CIA and MI6 have recruited hundreds of Yemenis to work as mercenaries and spies gathering intelligence and coordinates of Yemeni military positions, promising them money and even passports for the dangerous work.

teleSUR (2021-03-19). Over 9,400 Unaccompanied Minors Entered the US Recently. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledged a worrying situation at the U.S-Mexico border where over 9,400 unaccompanied migrant children illegally entered his country in the first two months of 2021. | RELATED: | On Monday, the U.S. Border Patrol found around 4,700 people illegally crossing the border, including 1,575 migrants in the Rio Grande Valley. | This figure represents a daily…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-19). A Climate Change Vandal Goes to Paris: Mathias Cormann and the OECD. globalresearch.ca The hallmark of any institution is the ability to withstand ironic …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-03-19). How China Won the Middle East Without Firing a Single Bullet. mintpressnews.com "If oil and influence were the prizes, then it seems China, not America, has ultimately won the Iraq war and its aftermath – without ever firing a shot." — Jamil Anderlini…

teleSUR (2021-03-19). Myanmar: Security Forces Shoot Dead Nine People, Violence Grows. telesurenglish.net Myanmar's Military Junta elements killed at least nine demonstrators on Friday, as international pressure grows over human rights violations and police brutality almost two months before the February 1 coup. | RELATED: | According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, there have been at least 234 deaths since the coup as protests have not ceased. On Friday, the police fired live ammunition in the central tow…

WSWS (2021-03-19). Demonstrations against draconian Police Bill and police brutality held in UK cities. wsws.org The hostility to the two architects of the present clampdown, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, stands as a devastating rebuke to the attempt to channel opposition to the Bill into the dead end of identity politics and "female-centred reform."

Fight Back (2021-03-19). Photo Essay: Minneapolis protest on day one of the trial of cop who killed George Floyd. fightbacknews.org Kim DeFranco's stunning photographs taken on March 8, when more than 1000 people rallied and marched demanding justice for George Floyd and the conviction of Derek Chauvin, one of the cops who murdered him.

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2021-03-19). Advocates Say Chicagoans Should Not Be Punished for Hospital Execs Who Gave Vaccines to Elites. commondreams.org "The city should investigate the actions at the Loretto Hospital, but the community shouldn't be cut off during the pandemic." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2021-03-19). Big Pharma Quietly Planning Price Hike for Covid Vaccines in 'Near Future': Report. commondreams.org "As this shifts from pandemic to endemic, we think there's an opportunity here for us," said Pfizer's Chief Financial Officer Frank D'Amelio. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-03-19). Sen. Chris Murphy 'Fought Back Tears' Visiting Detained Migrant Children in Texas. commondreams.org "Remember, each 'unaccompanied minor' is a human being with a story," the Connecticut Democrat tweeted after his tour of the El Paso detention center. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files…

Jon Skolnik (2021-03-19). Tucker Carlson is using the Atlanta spa shootings to downplay anti-Asian racism and white supremacy. salon.com Fox News' top host has been busy trying to blame Black people for a rise in violence against Asian-Americans…

Staff (2021-03-19). Biden's New Oil and Gas Lease Pause May Not Apply in This Everglades Preserve. truthout.org Betty Osceola, an elder of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, lives in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, where a small Texas-based oil developer wants to build seven new wells. Burnett Oil Company slipped in its application on Jan. 22, days before President Joe Biden signed an

Staff (2021-03-19). Bernie Sanders Is on a Mission to Tax Billionaire CEOs. truthout.org Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders invited both Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Jennifer Bates, one of Bezos's employees, to a hearing on economic inequality on Wednesday, but only Bates agreed to show up and testify. Bates works at a massive Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, where she said the workday is "grueling." | "The shifts are long. The pace is super-fast," Bates told the committee. "You are constantly being watched and monitored. They seem to think you are just another machine." | Bat…

Staff (2021-03-19). Biden Administration Hit Goal of 100 Million Vaccines Administered 42 Days Early. truthout.org COVID-19 vaccine administration is way ahead of schedule for the Biden administration so far. This week, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will have administered 100 million vaccines within the first 100 days of his administration, reaching his goal 42 days early. | "When we took office, there was a lot that had to be done. We needed more vaccines, more vaccinators, more places for people to get vaccinated,"

Staff (2021-03-19). AOC, Elizabeth Warren Introduce Bill to Electrify Public Transportation. truthout.org A group of progressive congressional legislators has introduced a new proposal to invest $500 billion into infrastructure over the next 10 years in hopes of modernizing and electrifying the U.S.'s public transit systems while meeting ambitious climate targets. | The BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act was unveiled by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Andy Levin (D-Michigan) on Thursday. The l…

Staff (2021-03-19). Cuomo's Gender-Based Violence Includes His Failure to Free Imprisoned Survivors. truthout.org The current spotlight on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's history of sexually abusing his staff is consistent with his history of structurally misogynistic treatment of the people — especially survivors of gender-based violence — incarcerated in New York prisons. | The breadth of Cuomo's interpersonal abuse is disgusting and infuriating. Unfortunately, it is not surprising, given the systemic violence that has characterized the Cuomo administration's attitude to marginalized New Yorkers. | A…

WSWS (2021-03-19). Sri Lankan police arrest Muslim leader using draconian anti-terror laws. wsws.org The Rajapakse government, which faces an unprecedented economic and social crisis exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, is whipping up a new anti-Muslim campaign.

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (2021-03-19). Ernesto Falcon on Internet for All, Alexander Kaufman on Future-Proofed Housing Codes. fair.org This week on CounterSpin: Reporters covering the pandemic can't help but note the impact of the digital divide: How do you work from home, or do remote learning, or even register for a vaccine, without not just available, but affordable high-speed internet? Yet a major congressional effort to end that divide is, so far, generating little interest from big media. It's almost as if the corporate press accepted the existence of information haves and have-nots, because that's how goods get divided in this country—even if it doesn't make technological, economic or humanitarian sense. We'll hear about the Access…

RT (2021-03-19). Finland suspends AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab after 2 thromboembolic events recorded in vaccine recipients. rt.com The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare has said it is suspending the administration of the heavily scrutinized AstraZeneca vaccine after two incidents of blood clotting were recorded 4-10 days after receiving the jab. | On Friday, Finland's Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), a department of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health,

RT (2021-03-19). Prime Minister Jean Castex gets Covid-19 vaccine live on air as France resumes rollout after blood-clot fears. rt.com French Prime Minister Jean Castex received his AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab on live TV Friday as the country restarted its use of the vaccine. Earlier, the EU's drug regulator said it was safe, despite fears it causes blood clotting. | "I didn't feel anything," the 55-year-old said at the Begin military hospital in Paris as he sought to allay fears that the vaccine was unsafe. France was among a dozen European Union nations to pause its rollout of the jab. | Paris announced on Thursday it would resume administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine following a review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which found i…

RT (2021-03-19). European leaders attempt to restore faith in AstraZeneca Covid vaccine by getting or promising to get jabs after blood-clot fears. rt.com Italian PM Mario Draghi has said he will have the AstraZeneca vaccine, becoming the latest world leader to pledge their faith in the jab after the EU drugs regulator said it was safe, amid fears it may cause blood clots. | "Yes, I will do the AstraZeneca vaccine," the prime minister Italy was among a dozen EU countries to temporarily ditch the vaccine after confidence in the jab was shattered by reports from Austria that a person who took…

Don McIntosh (2021-03-19). Question the Data: Go Beyond Fake News. dsausa.org One of my favorite television shows was Numbers, which ran from 2005-2010. It was about a prodigy who helped solve crimes using math. The tagline was, "We all use numbers every day." It's true, whether we're checking the time, running our credit cards, or counting change. We use numbers even when we aren't looking; after all, computers and the Internet are built on numbers —ones and zeros, to be exact. | But do we understand what's going on with those numbers? Do we understand the data and how it's driving policy? Most of the time, we don't. Look at the pseudoscience around vaccines. According to the Wo…

Yaakov Rav (2021-03-19). Why is it still so hard to get vaccinated in Massachusetts? liberationnews.org Massachusetts has a reputation for progressive policies, especially in healthcare. So why is the Bay State's COVID-19 vaccine rollout one of the sloppiest?

Nina Markovic Khaze — Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-19). The Geopolitics of Vaccine Nationalism: Perspectives from Australia. counterpunch.org "The eagle has landed", said Australia's federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on 15 February 2021 referring to the arrival of the first international shipment of Pfeizer's Covid-19 vaccines in Australia. On the day which was supposed to be a vaccine response 'D-day' for Australia and to add a boost to the government's approval ratings, the

RT (2021-03-19). French regulator recommends AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab for over-55s ONLY as blood-clot risk deemed higher in younger population. rt.com In a departure from the guidance given by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), France has deemed it too risky to administer AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine to people under 55 amid concerns of more thromboembolic events. | "Given the data provided by the EMA, it is the HAS's belief that vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine can resume immediately," the French regulator HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé) said in a statement on Friday. | However, the EMA has identified a possible increased risk of (thrombosis) in people under 55 years old… The HAS recommends using the AstraZeneca vaccine at this stag…

Staff (2021-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2021. democracynow.org House Holds First Hearing in Decades on Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans, European Nations Resume Using AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine After Blot Clot Fears, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Challenged by Sen. Rand Paul, Declares "Masks Are Not Theater" , Senate Confirms Xavier Becerra to Lead HHS, William Burns as CIA Director, Deb Haaland Sworn In as Interior Secretary, Becomes First Native American Cabinet Member, House Passes Bills with Path to Citizenship for Farmworkers & DACA Recipients, 14,000+ Unaccompanied Children Held by U.S. as One Texas Facility Reports Over 50 COVID Cases, 12 GOP Lawmakers Oppose Medals for U.S…

WSWS (2021-03-19). The European Medicines Agency calls the AstraZeneca vaccine a "safe and effective vaccine" wsws.org The European Medicines Agency announced that its investigation into AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and blood clots did not find an association with the complication.

Ida Irene Bergstrà∏m (2021-03-19). Norwegian Experts Say Deadly Blood Clots Were Caused by the AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine. globalresearch.ca "Our theory that this is a powerful immune response most likely …

teleSUR (2021-03-19). AMLO Thanks Biden for COVID-19 Vaccine Loan. telesurenglish.net Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador thanked his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, for allowing a loan of 2.7 million COVID-19 vaccines to the North American country. | RELATED: | "I especially thank President Biden because I discussed this issue with him two months ago, when we had a telephone conversation," the president, also known as AMLO, said during a press conference. | Conferencia de prensa matutina, desde Coatz…

John Nichols (2021-03-19). Bernie Backs Covid Nurses Who Are Prepared to Strike for Humane Work Conditions. thenation.com Bernie Backs Covid Nurses Who Are Prepared to Strike for Humane Work Conditions…

AFSCME en Español (2021-03-19). Ley de ayuda por COVID evita miles de despidos en Hawái. peoplesworld.org Hacia finales de 2020, oficiales estatales de Hawái enfrentaban un déficit presupuestario de mas de $2 mil millones en gran parte por la pandemia del coronavirus. El Gobernador David Ige dijo que se podría ver obligado a despedir o descansar a miles de empleados estatales, muchos de ellos miembros de AFSCME, a partir de julio. …

Stop The Money Pipeline (2021-03-19). Friday 3/19: Defund Oil Pipeline 3 Virtual Rally w/ Indigenous Frontline Leaders. indybay.org Virtual protest rally on Zoom or livestream…

IFJ statement posted by the Jamal Journal (2021-03-19). The International Federation of Journalists calls for Mumia Abu-Jamal's release. indybay.org Mumia Abu-Jamal, an African-American journalist with close ties to the Black Panthers, who has spent nearly 40 years in prison, has tested positive for Covid. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has backed calls from US (NWU) and French (SNJ-CGT) affiliates for his immediate release amid growing fears over his health.

No Migrant Child Detention Here or Anywhere (2021-03-19). Protest Outside Federal Facilities in Mountain View. indybay.org On March 15 SIREN (Services, Immigration Rights, and Education Network) led a protest against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' consideration of Moffett Federal Airfield as a shelter for unaccompanied migrant children.

Staff (2021-03-19). "The Sum of Us": Heather McGhee on How Racism Undercuts the American Dream for Everyone. democracynow.org Amid a national reckoning with structural racism and the dangers of white supremacy, author Heather McGhee's new book details how racism in the United States hurts not just people of color but also white people. In "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together," McGhee details how zero-sum thinking has worsened inequality and robbed people of all stripes of the public goods and support they need to thrive. We speak with McGhee about the cost of racism, Republican voter suppression efforts and what people can accomplish when they come together in solidarity across racial lines. "Fundam…

RT (2021-03-19). 'Quite a dangerous place': British minister warns Northern Irish stability could be threatened amid unionist anger at Brexit deal. rt.com Northern Ireland unionists' fury over Brexit arrangements threatens to destabilise the region, Secretary Brandon Lewis has warned, after the Loyalist Communities Council told the EU it was opening a "Pandora's box" of unrest. | "If the unionist community feel that the Protocol is breaching the Good Friday agreement and moving away from the spirit of it, then we're in quite a dangerous place in terms of stability of not just the executive but the north-south institutions," Lewis told reporters. | Earlier, the LCC — an umbrella group of several outlawed paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland — called…

Nick Pemberton (2021-03-19). Why Don't We Take Hate of Asians Seriously? counterpunch.org We have to problematize the purely academic extrapolation of Asians. I remember this slime popping up after Dylan Roof. According to an analysis quoted on NBC Scott Kurasige, Roof was operating on the premise that Asians were a "model minority" and that a core of white supremacy is to mobilize Asians against Black people. Such

RT (2021-03-19). Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp experience MASSIVE outages around globe — reports. rt.com Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have gone down, users around the world and service issue monitor Downdetector reported on Friday. | Claims that the social networking services, all owned by Facebook Inc, had gone down first surfaced at around 1: 00pm Eastern Time. | There have been as many as 1.2 million reports of problems with Instagram and at least 23,000 for WhatsApp, according to information on Downdetector.com. | Also on rt.com | | Some users were hit with erro…

RT (2021-03-19). Russian opposition figures demand prosecution of Putin after concert held in Moscow allegedly breaks Covid-19 mass gathering rules. rt.com Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin has sent a request to the country's Investigative Committee demanding that it look into a rally held at Moscow's 81,000-seat Luzhniki Stadium and attended by President Vladimir Putin. | Staged on Thursday in celebration of the seventh anniversary of Crimea's reabsorption into Russia, the festival included a concert featuring Russian celebrities such as Polina Gagarina, Sergey Lazarev, and Egor Kreed. The event also saw Putin make a speech. | According to Yashin, a councilor in the Krasnoselsky District of Moscow, the celebration violated the country's sanitary and epidemio…