2021-02-11: News Headlines

Medea Benjamin (2021-02-11). Biden Should Stop Payment on U.S. Funds to Sisi's Egypt. zcomm.org They should put a "stop payment" on the U.S. taxpayer-funded check that has enabled Sisi to operate with impunity…

David Rosen (2021-02-11). Covid-19: a Nation at War? counterpunch.org The full impact the Covid pandemic is revealed in a recent AMA study that notes "in counties where the population was substantially non-white with a median income defined as $60,240, the COVID-19 death rate was more than nine times higher when compared to counties that are substantially white with the same median income." It adds, "the COVID-19 infection and death rates were nearly three times higher in substantially non-white counties with higher median incomes when compared to substantially white, higher income counties …."

Brian Terrell (2021-02-11). Ending the Other War in Yemen. dissidentvoice.org On February 4, in his first major foreign policy address, President Joe Biden announced "we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales." Speaking of the Saudi-led coalition that has been at war in Yemen since 2015, creating what he called "a humanitarian and strategic catastrophe," …

Lawrence Davidson (2021-02-11). Biden Adopts a Trump Approach to Iran. counterpunch.org All right! Let's hear it for Joe Biden! Our new president is leading us in the direction of domestic sanity, and there are even hints of progressive potential in his evolving agenda. Under his leadership, we might soon master the Covid-19 plague and dig ourselves out of our near-depression economic straits. This is terrific! Some

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-11). The Russian Alternative: How Moscow is capitalizing on US Retreat in Palestine, Israel. dissidentvoice.org Israeli anxiety was palpable when it was reported that Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was not contacted by the new American President, Joe Biden, for days after the latter's inauguration. While much is being read into Biden's decision, including Washington's lack of enthusiasm to return to the 'peace process', Moscow is generating much attention as a …

Binoy Kampmark (2021-02-11). Continuing Prosecutions: Assange and the Biden Administration. dissidentvoice.org With changes of presidential administrations, radical departures in policy are always exaggerated. Continuity remains, for the most part, a standard feature. It is precisely that continuity being challenged by groups fearful of the continuing prosecution of Julian Assange. The effort by the US Justice Department to extradite Assange from the UK on eighteen charges based …

yenisafak (2021-02-11). Supreme court starts hearing Bobi Wine petition in Uganda. yenisafak.com The Supreme Court of Uganda started hearing a petition Thursday by the runner-up candidate of the country's presidential elections last month.Robert Kyagulanyi, locally known as Bobi Wine, is seeking to get the Jan. 14 ballot annulled after the country's electoral commission named sitting President Yoweri Museveni the winner.At the nine-judge hearing in the capital Kampala led by chief justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo, Wine claims that the election was not held in accordance with the Constitution and the law, according to his lead lawyer Medard Segona."The elections were not free and fair and I expect court to rule th…

Ben Norton (2021-02-11). Biden admin smears Nicaragua as 'dictatorship' for forcing US-funded, coup-plotting NGOs to register as foreign agents. thegrayzone.com Nicaragua's elected leftist government passed a law requiring NGOs funded by outside governments to register as foreign agents. This led a CIA agent-turned-Biden State Department spokesman to smear it as "driving toward dictatorship" — despite the policy's similarity to US legislation. Since Nicaragua's socialist Sandinista Front returned to power through democratic elections in 2006, the United States government has poured millions of dollars into right-wing opposition groups in the Central American country. These US-funded NGOs have aimed to destabilize the …

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Biden confronts Xi over rights, security, economic practices. laprensalatina.com (Update 1: adds Xi comments in pars 4-6, updates dateline, minor edits) Washington/Beijing, Feb 10 (efe-epa).- United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday (Thursday Beijing time) spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time as leader and expressed concern over a range of issues including human rights, regional security and Beijing's economic …

Stephen Lendman (2021-02-11). Biden Regime Wants Julian Assange Crucified for Truth-Telling. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | At the behest of Trump regime hardliners, truth-telling investigative journalist/whistleblower Assange …

Rosa Miriam Elizalde (2021-02-11). Can Washington think of Cuba's government as something other than needs to be overthrown? peoplesdispatch.org Joe Biden's Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that he will be reviewing all actions taken by the outgoing Trump administration, including the designation of Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism…

Joan Walsh (2021-02-11). If Republicans Have a Conscience, They'll Convict Trump. Most Don't. thenation.com If Republicans Have a Conscience, They'll Convict Trump. Most Don't.

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Study blames Trump policies for high US Covid-19 mortality rate. laprensalatina.com New York, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- Former President Donald Trump's administrative healthcare failures caused 461,000 deaths prior to the pandemic in the United States and tens of thousands more over his Covid-19 and air pollution policies, a study published Thursday said. In the study, published in the scientific journal The Lancet 33 researchers said the US …

Andrew J. Bacevich (2021-02-11). Beyond Donald Trump. zcomm.org When Poisons Curdle…

Reese Erlich (2021-02-11). What Trump and the Myanmar Coup Have in Common. zcomm.org The Asian country's military overthrew its government over baseless claims of voter fraud. Sound familiar?

Thomas Knapp (2021-02-11). Impeachment: Why the Senate Will Acquit Trump. counterpunch.org As I write this, the US Senate is cranking up for its trial of former President Donald J. Trump. The House impeached Trump on January 13, a week before the end of his term, on one article charging him with "incitement of insurrection" in the form of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

yenisafak (2021-02-11). UN sends 71 truckloads of humanitarian aid to NW Syria. yenisafak.com The UN on Thursday sent 71 truckloads of humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria, where millions of people need assistance due to internal conflict.The trucks carrying supplies passed through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed to those in need in Idlib and nearby rural areas.A civil war has ravaged Syria since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and displaced since then.Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia.*Writing by A…

Susan Price (2021-02-11). Australia must cut all business and military ties to Myanmar/Burma coup regime. greenleft.org.au The Socialist Alliance strongly condemns the February 1 military coup in Myanmar/Burma and the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the National League for Democracy and calls on the Australian government to deny recognition to the regime.

Aaliyah Harris (2021-02-11). The UK government's Kickstart Scheme is more like another kick in the teeth. thecanary.co In July 2020, the UK government The

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Merkel says goal is to lift restrictions, although she does not specify when. laprensalatina.com Berlin, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the government's goal is to lift Covid-19 restrictions when they are no longer needed, although she did not give a specific date. "All the measures have been decided on the basis of the norms of our democracy, which makes it legitimate. But I …

yenisafak (2021-02-11). 'Turkey favors fair, permanent solution of Cyprus issue'. yenisafak.com Turkey believes in a fair and permanent solution to the Cyprus issue, the country's vice president said during a visit to Northern Cyprus on Wednesday."We stand against injustice and stand by the will for a solution on the Cyprus issue. The Turkish side favors a fair, permanent solution," Fuat Oktay told a joint press conference in Lefkosa, the Turkish Cypriot capital, with Ersin Tatar, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).Stressing that Turkey will never abandon Northern Cyprus, he said there are two separate communities, democracies, and states on the island.Oktay called on the European U…

Pedro A. Noguera (2021-02-11). Education Will Be Critical in the Fight for Democracy and Anti-Racism. zcomm.org What is the role of education in creating a critically-minded public that is unafraid to resist lies and deceptions perpetuated by anti-democratic forces?

Susan Price (2021-02-11). Australian mining companies in Myanmar put profit ahead of human rights and democracy. greenleft.org.au As protests grow against the February 1 military coup in Myanmar/Burma, the country's military elites try to protect their ill-gotten gains, and Australian mining companies carry on as if nothing happened, writes Allen Jennings.

Online News Editor (2021-02-11). Myanmar finalizing law to curb, monitor internet, activists say. laprensalatina.com Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 11 (efe-epa).- The military junta in Myanmar is finalizing a cybersecurity law that will allow it to carry out internet blackouts, ban content and demand data from users, about 160 Myanmar nonprofits reported. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the civil society organizations indicated that the proposed law violates digital rights, privacy …

Peter Crowley (2021-02-11). The GOP Is Over. counterpunch.org Republicans have won only one popular presidential vote in the past 32 years. George H.W. Bush won it back in 1988, thanks to his campaign's use of the black parolee Willie Horton's committing rape to upend what had been a sure victory for Michael Dukakis. Prior to the Horton campaign ad, Dukakis had a 17

Thomas Pulliam (2021-02-11). Democracy Not Feudalism: A Left-Libertarian Critique of the Libertarian Right Part 2. realprogressives.org Libertarianism is the championing of liberty. We can't have liberty with economic and political organization where the majority of the wealth generated is extracted by uninvolved, unproductive rich people who are powerful just because they exist. There's no freedom if people have zero say in the decisions which will affect their entire livelihood. That goes for all government. Today, nobody bats an eye when we have appointed politicians with no consent from the public, without even mandatory public referendum. Unless the economy is designed so all those involved have an equal say to the same degree they are af…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-10). Uncertainty remains about who will face Andrés Arauz in the second round of Ecuadorian presidential election. peoplesdispatch.org The fight for second place in the run-off elections between Yaku Pérez of the Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement party and Guillermo Lasso of the right-wing Creating Opportunities‚Ää (‚ÄäCREO) party and Social Christian Party (PSC) is still too close to call…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-10). Palestinian factions finalize mechanism for upcoming elections. peoplesdispatch.org The elections in the occupied Palestinian territories, if conducted as scheduled, would be the first to be held in 15 years. All groups in the country including Hamas and Fatah have agreed to respect and accept the results…

_____ (2021-02-10). Ecuador's US-Backed 'Ecosocialist' Candidate Yaku Pérez Aids The Right-Wing. popularresistance.org Ecuador's February 7 presidential election concluded in a surprise: The quick count published by the country's National Electoral Council appeared to show a little-known candidate named Yaku Pérez Guartambel in second place, securing a narrow victory over right-wing candidate Guillermo Lasso, a banker with significant influence in the country. | Most polls had predicted that the presidential race would boil down to two presidential candidates, who could hardly have been more different: On one side was the conservative banker Lasso, who had the backing of Ecuadorian elites and the United States, and had unsuccessf…

Nathan Newman (2021-02-10). The Case for Blue-State Secession. thenation.com The Case for Blue-State Secession…

Anand Naidoo (2021-02-10). The Heat: Yemen's war. america.cgtn.com U.S. President Joe Biden charts a new course in an effort to end the war Yemen.

_____ (2021-02-10). How Defeating Keystone XL Built A Bolder, Savvier Climate Movement. popularresistance.org When President Biden rescinded a crucial permit for the Keystone XL pipeline last week, it marked the culmination of one of the longest, highest-profile campaigns in the North American climate movement. The opposition to Keystone XL included large environmental organizations, grassroots climate activist networks, Nebraska farmers, Texas landowners, Indigenous rights groups and tribal governments. Few environmental campaigns have touched so many people over such large swaths of the continent. | The Keystone XL resistance was part of the ongoing opposition to the Canadian tar sands, one of the most carbon-intensive…

Johanna Kichton (2021-02-10). Student Action on Student Debt Cancellation: We Need More. peoplesaction.org Contact: Johanna Kichton, 240.206.1145, press@peoplesaction.org WASHINGTON, D.C.—Student Action released the following statements from Program Director Adiel Pollydore and Iowa Student Action Lead Organizer Denise Cheeseman on the resolution introduced in Congress last week that calls on President Biden to forgive $50,000 of federal student loan debt per borrower through executive action: "We applaud champions in …

Medea Benjamin (2021-02-10). A Pro-Cairo Lobby is Spending Big to Make Sure Biden Doesn't Cut Aid to Egypt's Dictatorship. mintpressnews.com President al-Sisi is afraid that his free rein to commit human rights abuses are over now that Trump is out of office, that's why he hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to the tune of $65,000 per month to whitewash his image and keep the American money flowing.

Medea Benjamin and Ariel Gold (2021-02-10). Biden should stop payment on US funds to Sisi's Egypt. nationofchange.org They should put a "stop payment" on the U.S. taxpayer-funded check that has enabled Sisi to operate with impunity.

Ali Harb (2021-02-10). Here's my number: Netanyahu still waiting for Biden phone call. middleeasteye.net Here's my number: Netanyahu still waiting for Biden phone call | Israeli envoy to the UN sent a phone number purporting to be Netanyahu's office line to the US president on Twitter | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 20: 43 | Then-Vice President Biden and Israel's Netanyahu give joint statements in Jerusalem, 9 March 2016 (AFP/File photo) | We've all had friends who don't call. Sometimes they are busy. Sometimes they are avoidin…

WSWS (2021-02-10). Summers op-ed sparks controversy over Biden stimulus package. wsws.org The former treasury secretary warned that stimulus measures could set off the kind of inflation not seen for a generation, with serious consequences for the US dollar and the stability of the financial system.

Betsey Piette (2021-02-10). Biden's 'prison reform': Smoke and mirrors. workers.org Alabama Students Against Prison demonstrate against state plans to construct three new private prisons, Dec. 30, 2020, Birmingham, Ala. In an executive order signed Jan. 26 as part of his "racial equity" plan, President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. Attorney General and the Department of Justice not to renew contracts . . . |

Conn Hallinan (2021-02-10). China's 'Sea of Conflict'. peoplesworld.org President Joseph Biden Jr's. administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy, its thorniest will be its relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC). How it handles issues of trade, security, and human rights will either allow both countries to hammer out a working relationship or pull the U.S. into an …

MEE staff (2021-02-10). US senators urge Biden to press Turkey on human rights, 'combative' foreign policy. middleeasteye.net US senators urge Biden to press Turkey on human rights, 'combative' foreign policy | Fifty-four senators signed letter sent to Biden, saying Ankara needed to end 'crackdown on dissent' | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 14: 55 | Prior to Joe Biden's inauguration, the then-president-elect did not respond to multiple requests for call with Erdogan (AFP) | A bipartisan majority of the US Senate called on President Joe Biden to…

Editor (2021-02-10). Dangling the carrot. workers.org Maybe some thought that President Joe Biden was serious about doubling the minimum wage to $15 an hour and doing it during the pandemic when workers were most in need. That was never his plan. One of 300 Fight for $15 demonstrations in the U.S. on May 1, 2019. . . . |

Ed Pilkington (2021-02-10). Outcry As More Than 20 Babies and Children Deported by US to Haiti. zcomm.org Ice accused of sending 'defenseless babies into the burning house' as deportations of 72 carried out in apparent breach of Biden order…

Alan Macleod (2021-02-10). New US Military Base in Northeast Syria Latest of Biden's Warlike Moves. mintpressnews.com Many of Biden's first moves in the Middle East, including the building of a new base in Syria, suggest his term will be more of the same rather than a break with the old.

John Feffer (2021-02-10). The American Example Is Shakier Than Ever. thenation.com The American Example Is Shakier Than Ever…

Melvin Goodman (2021-02-10). Biden: "Boxed-In" by the Military Establishment? counterpunch.org President Barack Obama got excellent advice from his vice president, Joe Biden, regarding dealing with the Pentagon and the military establishment. Above all, Biden warned, you shouldn't get "boxed-in" by the military. We're only several weeks into the Biden administration, and the military is already lobbying for increased funding for questionable reasons. The civilian defense establishment and its collegial think tanks as well as the mainstream media can be counted to support increased spending.

John Feffer (2021-02-10). The Unreliable Superpower. counterpunch.org The nightmare is over. The vanquished beast has crawled back to Mar-a-Lago to lick his wounds. The heroes are hard at work repairing the damage. As America returns to the international stage, the world heaves a collective sigh of relief. That, at least, is the story the incoming Biden administration is telling. "America is back,

Paul Jay (2021-02-10). Trump Should be Charged with Sedition and Treason; McConnell's Role Should be Investigated — Paul Jay. theanalysis.news Did Donald Trump attempt to organize a military coup against the incoming Biden administration? Did Mitch McConnell, as majority leader of the Senate and the person who is ultimately responsible for the Capitol Hill Police, deliberately allow the protestors into the Capitol Buildings? Why is mainstream media so quiet about what's so obvious?

Gary Leupp (2021-02-10). On the Relative Vileness of George W. Bush and Donald Trump, Liz Cheney and Marjorie Taylor Greene. counterpunch.org When I think Donald Trump I think the word: VILE. A combination of the evil and repulsive. But when I think George W. Bush I ALSO think "vile." There is no great moral distance between Bush as Texas governor mocking the plea for mercy by a death row female prisoner who'd become a born-again Christian

Staff (2021-02-10). "This Cannot Be the Future of America": Rep. Jamie Raskin Gives Moving Account of Capitol Attack. democracynow.org Congressmember Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the lead Democratic impeachment manager in former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, closed the first day of proceedings in the Senate with an emotional speech describing the terror of the January 6 Capitol attack. "All around me people were calling their wives and their husbands, their loved ones, to say goodbye," said Raskin.

Liberation Staff (2021-02-10). In the News: Trump and Right Wing Privilege. liberationnews.org This interview is an episode of The Socialist Program with Brian Becker, a podcast providing news and views about the world for those who want to change it. You can follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the …

Amanda Marcotte (2021-02-10). Trump trial, day 2: Democrats employ emotion to make their case. Will Republicans be moved?>. salon.com House managers make their impeachment case crystal clear: GOP complicit in Trump's insurrection…

_____ (2021-02-10). What Ever Happened To Class Struggle? popularresistance.org As the fight amongst the oligarchs heats up over Trump's 2nd impeachment, one must wonder what ever happened to the days when the poor and the working class were clear-eyed enough to see their real struggle was against the rich? Wall Street banksters, the weapons warlords, Hollywood moguls, oil barons, real estate developers and the like. | Instead we see the Lumpenproletariat on their knees scratching and clawing each other – defending one side of the elite mobsters who are armed against the other in Washington's usual sideshow that distracts the nation from the ever present reality of capital accumulation.

Staff (2021-02-10). Watch: Dramatic Video of Capitol Attack & Trump's Incitement Kicks Off Impeachment Trial in Senate. democracynow.org The Senate has voted 56 to 44 to proceed with the impeachment trial of Donald Trump for inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Six Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting arguments from Trump's defense team that it is unconstitutional for a former president to face an impeachment trial. Trump is the first president to ever be impeached twice and the first to be tried after leaving office. We air highlights from the first day of Trump's historic second impeachment trial, including clips from a dramatic video mixing Trump's words on January 6 with scenes of rioters breaking into the Ca…

Staff (2021-02-10). Headlines for February 10, 2021. democracynow.org Senate Votes to Proceed with Impeachment as Managers Present Harrowing Video of Jan. 6 Insurrection, Gov't to Send Vaccines to Community Health Centers as U.S. Continues Ramping Up Vaccinations, WHO Team Confirms COVID-19 of Animal Origin; Ghana Shuts Parliament After Outbreak Infects Lawmakers, Protesters in Burma Defy Bans, Escalating Crackdown by Police, Journalists Decry Raid on Progressive Indian News Site NewsClick, U.S. to Pursue Extradition of Julian Assange as Press Freedom Groups Warn of Dangerous Precedent, Fossil Fuel Pollution Causes One in Five Global Deaths, Calls Growing to Shut Down DAPL as Key H…

Staff (2021-02-10). Historians Say "Decades of Medical Racism" Led to Unequal COVID Impact on Black & Latinx People. democracynow.org Historians Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain dedicate their new book, "Four Hundred Souls," to the "Black lives lost to COVID-19." They put the content of their book in the context of the disparate impact of the pandemic on the African American community in the United States. "This has been in the making for decades. Even though this is a new virus, … it connects to a larger history of racial inequality, and we wanted to make sure that was clear," says Blain. Kendi is a cancer survivor and notes Black and Latinx are more at risk from preexisting conditions because of a history of racist policies, but "Americans d…

mgrochowski (2021-02-10). Quienes somos y qué queremos los Socialistas Democráticos. dsausa.org El Grupo de Trabajo por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes de DSA los invita a un seminario web en español: "Quienes somos y qué queremos los Socialistas Democráticos." Escuche a algunos de nuestros miembros sobre su trabajo en DSA y en sus comunidades. Zoom Información de registro en instrucciones y respuesta. Join…

Norman Solomon (2021-02-10). Hidden in Plain Sight: The "Unimpeachable" Offenses. counterpunch.org Impeachment dramas on Capitol Hill have routinely skipped over a question that we should be willing to ask even if Congress won't: "What about a president's unimpeachable offenses?" The question is the flip side of one that Republican Gerald Ford candidly addressed when he was the House minority leader 50 years ago: "What, then, is an impeachable

Jane-Anna Spiekermann (2021-02-10). Corona and psychology: Fear works against democratic coexistence. indybay.org The current "simultaneous consolidation and weakening of the state" (Nicos Poulantzas) are two sides of the same coin: the rise of the punitive state goes hand in hand with growing social insecurity and disenfranchisement, rather than an increase in rule-breaking and crime. The state authority & police strengthen themselves in pandemic…

Eds. (2021-02-10). Through the "Bolivar Act" U.S. Congressmen intend to tighten the blockade against Venezuela. mronline.org On January 28th, a group of U.S. Congressmen, led by former Green Beret and now Republican Party legislator, Michael Waltz, introduced to the U.S. Congress a new bill dedicated to Venezuela entitled the "Bipartisan Banning Operations and Leases with Illegitimate Authoritarian Regime Act".

RT (2021-02-10). Criminal probe into 'attempts to influence' 2020 US election in Georgia targets Trump, media claims. rt.com A criminal probe into the 2020 US presidential election, launched by the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, will look at former President Trump asking the secretary of state to "find" votes, according to media reports. | Fulton County DA Fani Willis confirmed the existence of the investigation on Wednesday and said she had sent letters to Governor Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the lieutenant governor, and the attorney general, asking that all records related to the administration of the election should be preserved. | "This investigation includes, but is not limited to, potential…

Ralph Underhill (2021-02-10). Trump's top for impeachability. thecanary.co Image description | A "Top Trump" style card is illustrated with the words "Donald J Trump" down the side and "Former reality TV host & president" at the bottom. There is an image of Donald Trump on the card and next to that an image of a blue bird puking green vomit and the words "toxic media rating" followed by five radioactive waste symbols. Beneath that, the following characteristics and ratings are written: | Shouting about election fraud — 99 | Finding evidence of election fraud — 0 | Inciting domestic terrorism — 99 | Impeachability — 99 | Next to the card is a game's box with an ill…

Staff (2021-02-10). Trump Incited Real Harm on January 6. His Impeachment Trial Must Reflect This. truthout.org Donald Trump has been impeached (again) for his incitement of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. In his Senate trial, his lawyers will likely argue that his speech to the mob that day was just a regular political speech that maybe contained a little "hyperbole." Don't fall for it. | In the closing days of the 2020 election campaign,

news.un (2021-02-10). Libya: Security Council urges interim leadership to prepare for December polls. news.un.org The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on the new interim leadership of Libya to swiftly form an inclusive Government and make necessary preparations for December's presidential and parliamentary elections.

Yaku Pérez (2021-02-10). 'Barbarism or solidarity' at stake at Ecuador elections. zcomm.org Yaku Pérez, the leader of indigenous party Pachakutik, is running on a green platform — but can he reach outside of his traditional base?

RT (2021-02-10). Russian Communist politician and YouTube star Bondarenko accused of violating corruption laws after attending Navalny protest. rt.com A Russian MP who attended a protest supporting opposition figure Alexey Navalny has been accused of breaking corruption laws after monetizing his YouTube channel. He says he is being targeted to stop him from running in elections. | Nikolay Bondarenko, a Communist politician in the Saratov regional parliament, around 700km southeast of Moscow, runs a channel called 'Diary of an MP', which has over one million subscribers. Some of his videos have garnered multiple millions of views, including one titled 'A fight in Parliament. I was beaten by United Russia deputies. The truth hurts scumbags'. | In September, he…

sputniknews (2021-02-10). Netizens Rejoice as Released Capitol Riot Footage Shows Officer Goodman Directing Romney to Safety. sputniknews.com Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) was one of several lawmakers specifically targeted by the pro-Trump rioters that stormed Capitol Hill and forced their way into the US Capitol building to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election. Four rioters and one police officer died as a direct result of the attack.

sputniknews (2021-02-10). Impeachment Managers Roll Out New Unseen Videos of Capitol Riot at Day Two of Trump Trial. sputniknews.com On 6 January, the US Capitol was attacked by violent Trump supporters who disrupted the certification of the presidential election results and caused the evacuation of lawmakers from the building. Five people died as a result of the riot, including a police officer. All the Dems and some GOP House members agreed that Trump incited the insurrection.

Paul Street (2021-02-10). On Trump's Next Absurd Acquittal. counterpunch.org "Fight Like Hell to Take Back Our Country" On Wednesday, January 6th of this year, with 14 days left in his fascist presidency, after months of trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election, a rabid Donald Trump sent thousands of his frothing minions to the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden's Electoral

RT (2021-02-10). Biden's budget nominee Neera Tanden grilled over calling Bernie Sanders 'everything but an ignorant SLUT' at contentious hearing. rt.com Neera Tanden, Joe Biden's nominee for budget director, was pressed over her history of insulting tweets and corporate coziness. However, neither party took her to task for suggesting that Libya pay for its own bombing. | Tanden sat before the Senate Budget Committee on Wednesday for her second confirmation hearing, after Tuesday's session with the Homeland Security Committee. This time, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) held the gavel, and questioned Tanden on her history of derogatory statements about him and his progressive supporters. | "Your attacks were not just made against Republicans," Sanders told Tande…

RT (2021-02-10). Biden throws weight behind Newsom as campaign to recall California governor says it nears 1.5mn signatures needed to trigger vote. rt.com US President Joe Biden is "clearly" opposed to the drive to oust California Governor Gavin Newsom from office, the White House said, as more than 1.4 million people have reportedly signed a petition to recall the governor. | Biden's spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, took to Twitter on Tuesday to voice support for the embattled governor, stating that the president considers him an ally in many areas and does not endorse the fast-growing recall campaign. | "In addition to sharing a commitment to a range of issues with Gavin Newsom from addressing the climate crisis to getting the pandemic under control, [President Biden]…

RT (2021-02-10). Biden sets low bar on school reopenings, targets resuming in-person teaching at half of schools 'ONE DAY A WEEK' by late April. rt.com In a likely blow to parents' expectations, the Biden administration has said its pledge to reopen most K-8 schools within its first 100 days means "at least one day a week" of in-person classes for over 50 percent of schools. | "His goal that he set was to have the majority of schools — so more than 50 percent, open by day 100 of his presidency, and that means some teaching in classrooms," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday. "So, at least one day a week, hopefully it's more, and obviously it is as much as is safe in each school and local district." | White House: Our goal is t…

RT (2021-02-10). DOJ confirms Biden will continue push for Assange's extradition as human rights groups call to drop case before US appeal deadline. rt.com The Joe Biden administration will continue to pursue extradition for Julian Assange, the Justice Department said, rebuffing calls from rights groups to reverse course ahead of an appeal deadline in the WikiLeaks co-founder's case. | DOJ spokesman Marc Raimondi said on Tuesday that Washington has not abandoned plans for Assange's extradition from the UK, noting that Biden will still challenge a January ruling from a British judge barring extradition over concerns that Assange might take his own life in American custody. | "We continue to seek his extradition," Raimondi told Reuters, signaling that the new Biden…

MEE staff (2021-02-10). Biden supports repatriating foreign nationals from Syria, says US diplomat. middleeasteye.net Biden supports repatriating foreign nationals from Syria, says US diplomat | Several European countries refuse to repatriate adults from Syria, saying they should be tried where they are accused of committing crimes | Wed, 02/10/2021 – 19: 29 | Tens of thousands of women and children have been detained in camps run by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces militia in northeast Syria (AFP) | The Biden administrat…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-02-10). Fossil Fuel and Other Polluters Gave Tens of Millions in Campaign Cash to GOP Lawmakers Opposing Biden's Leasing Freeze. commondreams.org "Our elected officials are sold out to Big Oil," said Public Citizen. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/california_fossil_fuels_3.png

commondreams (2021-02-10). Standing Rock Youth Council Ask President Biden to Shut Down DAPL and Line 3 Pipelines as They Finish 93-Mile Run in Protest. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2021-02-10). Public Citizen Report: Big Oil Funneled Millions to Lawmakers Opposed to Biden's Pause on New Drilling. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2021-02-10). New Report Finds "Serious Conflicts of Interest" at Top National Security Think Tank Sought Out By Biden Administration. commondreams.org ______________________________…

_____ (2021-02-10). The Diplomacy of No Diplomacy. strategic-culture.org By Patrick LAWRENCE | A return to diplomacy: Let us hold this thought up to the light. Among all the promises President Joe Biden is going to break over the next four years, this will prove the most fraudulent and, in the larger scheme of things, the most consequential of his breaches. | As of last week, it is the crisis over the agreement governing Iran's nuclear programs that stands to demonstrate the truth of this judgment. On Sunday Tehran appeared to put the Biden administration on notice that it has two weeks to get serious about reentering diplomatic negotiations, after which time the shutter will come dow…

yenisafak (2021-02-10). Biden administration peers at the Eastern Mediterranean: analysis. yenisafak.com Dean Acheson prefaced his collection of political essays, A Democrat Looks at His Party, with a quote from the esteemed US Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.: "And it seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more than investigation of the obscure." Holmes's quote provided an effective summary of what Acheson, writing only two years after the end of his tenure as US Secretary of State, explained in the rest of the text.While serving as the secretary of state, Acheson carried out one of the boldest and most visionary foreign policy initiatives of an era dominated by bold and visio…

_____ (2021-02-10). Assange Prosecution, Launched By Trump Justice Department, Will Continue Under Biden. popularresistance.org The Justice Department under President Joe Biden plans to continue the case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that was launched under President Donald Trump. | "We continue to seek his extradition," Justice Department spokesperson Marc Raimondi told Reuters, days before February 12, the deadline for the United States government to submit its "grounds for appeal." | The statement represents a departure from President Barack Obama's administration, which declined to prosecute Assange. Justice Department officials were reportedly concerned about the threat it would pose to press freedom. | On January 4, Briti…

_____ (2021-02-10). GAO Report Shows Biden Should Scrap Trump's Economic Sanctions On Venezuela. popularresistance.org Washington, DC ‚Äï A new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that US economic sanctions on Venezuela are harming the Venezuelan economy, especially by depressing oil production and exports, and that they are also hindering US-backed humanitarian assistance to the country. The report, which looks at the impact of US sanctions on Venezuela's economic crisis, was requested by former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel (D-NY) and committee member Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI). | "This report from the GAO offers more evidence that these unilateral, illeg…

Staff (2021-02-10). Ignoring First Amendment Pleas, Biden's DOJ Will Seek Extradition of Assange. truthout.org The Department of Justice (DOJ) under former President Donald Trump had aggressively pursued the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — and it appears, now that President Joe Biden has taken office, that policy won't be changing anytime soon. |

South Front (2021-02-10). Video: Trump's Maximum Pressure Campaign Lives on Under Biden's Command. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps received 340 new speedboats during a …

Mark Gruenberg (2021-02-10). Federal workers warmly welcome Biden revocation of Trump dictates. peoplesworld.org &nbsp…

WSWS (2021-02-10). Biden administration will continue with extradition of Julian Assange. wsws.org President Biden's Department of Justice stated on Tuesday that it will continue with the Trump administration policy of seeking the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the UK to the US.

Kevin Martin (2021-02-10). Trump's trial and war powers. peaceaction.org Trump's Conviction, and Our Convictions of Democracy By Kevin Martin I don't know about you, by my Trump-induced Attention Deficit Disorder is dissipating, and wow does it feel good! As our country faces multiple crises and an overstuffed to-do list for the Biden Administration and new Congress, reasonable people might disagree on the necessity of …

Collin Binkley (2021-02-10). Dems try to push through school funding, wage increase. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats on Tuesday muscled past Republicans on portions of President Joe Biden's pandemic plan, including a proposed $130 billion in additional relief to help the nation's schools reopen and a gradual increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Democrats on the Education and Labor Committee say schools won't …

RT (2021-02-10). 'When you're removed, you're removed': Twitter chief says Trump ban is PERMANENT even if he's re-elected. rt.com Former President Donald Trump will never be allowed back on Twitter, even if he runs for office again in 2024 and wins, company Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal told CNBC. | "The way our policies work, when you're removed from the platform, you're removed from the platform," Segal told CNBC on Wednesday, adding that bans are permanent "whether you're a commentator, you're a CFO, or you are a former or current public official." | "The way our policies work, when you're removed from the platform, you're removed from the platform whether you're a commentator, you're a CFO or you are a former or current public of…

John Nichols (2021-02-10). Jamie Raskin's Passionate Prosecution Is Convicting Trump in the Eyes of History. thenation.com Jamie Raskin's Passionate Prosecution Is Convicting Trump in the Eyes of History…

Jeet Heer (2021-02-10). Trump's Lawyers Mocked Democracy and Reasoned Debate. thenation.com Trump's Lawyers Mocked Democracy and Reasoned Debate…

Common Dreams staff (2021-02-10). WATCH LIVE: On Day Two of Trump Trial, House Dems Set to Unveil New Footage of 'Extreme Violence'. commondreams.org The new footage, said one Democratic aide, "shows a view of the Capitol that is quite extraordinary." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12304683991_0.jpg

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-02-10). Local Georgia Prosecutor Launches Criminal Probe Into Trump's Request to 'Find' the Votes. commondreams.org The former president also faces the ongoing U.S. Senate impeachment trial as well as civil and criminal probes in New York. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_call_unredacted_0.jpg

Heather Digby Parton (2021-02-10). Trump's lawyers make a mockery of Republican senators: Impeachment trial makes GOP complicity clear. salon.com If Republicans in the Senate had any integrity or loyalty to their oath, this one would not be a hard call…

Chauncey DeVega (2021-02-10). Impeachment trial 2, day 1: Now the Republicans are the party of terrorism. salon.com Trump is officially gone, but his specter hangs over Washington — and Republicans are still shackled to him…

yenisafak (2021-02-10). COVID-19: Expert asks US not to rely much on intel. yenisafak.com A member of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of coronavirus has asked the US not to rely "too much" on information from intelligence agencies."Please don't rely too much on US intel: increasingly disengaged under [Donald] Trump frankly wrong on many aspects… but don't forget it's "TRUST" then "VERIFY"!" Peter Daszak tweeted on Wednesday.He was reacting to the news story, the US will not accept the global health body's findings out of Wuhan without independently verifying.The disease, which first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has killed more than 2.3 mi…

Staff (2021-02-10). Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha Blain on Impeachment, White Supremacist Violence & Holding Trump Accountable. democracynow.org As the impeachment trial of Donald Trump proceeds, we speak with two historians about the importance of accountability for the January 6 insurrection and white supremacist attacks in the United States. The scenes of violence at the U.S. Capitol were "familiar" to Black people, says Ibram X. Kendi, author, professor and founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. "We have consistently, over the course of 400 years, faced white supremacist mob violence." We also speak with Keisha Blain, an author and associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, who says Trump must b…

Staff (2021-02-10). "Four Hundred Souls": Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha Blain on History of African America from 1619 to Now. democracynow.org As the U.S. deals with the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, we speak with Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain, co-editors of a new book that situates the white supremacists who rallied around Trump in the longer arc of U.S. history. "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019" brings together prominent Black writers to collaborate on what they call a "choral history" of Black American life in 80 short essays, including by the renowned scholar and activist Angela Davis, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and others. "We wanted to bring together so man…

Staff (2021-02-10). "Four Hundred Souls": Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha Blain on African American History from 1619 to Today. democracynow.org As the U.S. deals with the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, we speak with Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain, co-editors of a new book that situates the white supremacists who rallied around Trump in the longer arc of U.S. history. "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019" brings together prominent Black writers to collaborate on what they call a "choral history" of Black American life in 80 short essays, including by the renowned scholar and activist Angela Davis, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and others. "We wanted to bring together so man…

Staff (2021-02-10). Trump Must Be Held Accountable for Inciting the Capitol Insurrection. truthout.org As the impeachment trial of Donald Trump proceeds, we speak with two historians about the importance of accountability for the January 6 insurrection and white supremacist attacks in the United States. The scenes of violence at the U.S. Capitol were "familiar" to Black people, says Ibram X. Kendi, author, professor and founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. "We have consistently, over the course of 400 years, faced white supremacist mob violence." We also speak with K…

Staff (2021-02-10). Trump Is Furious With His Lawyers' Performance on Day One of Impeachment Trial. truthout.org Former President Donald Trump is reportedly angry with how his lawyers, on day one of his second impeachment trial, have attempted to defend him in their opening statements, at one point resorting to screaming in order to vent his frustrations, multiple reports have said. | Without a Twitter or Facebook account to express his feelings on the impeachment trial in a more direct manner, the public is largely unaware of what Trump's thoughts are about the first day of the Senate's impeachment pr…