(2021-02-12). Neoliberalism and Its Discontents. counterpunch.org 
While the recent election provides brief respite from the non-stop antagonism of the prior four years, few of the background problems that currently plague the West are likely to be addressed through existing political channels. In contrast to the American tendency, this isn't a matter of the character defects of elected officials.
(2021-02-12). The Dynamic of Revolutionary Struggle in Turkey. dissidentvoice.org Since January 4, 2021, student protests have been going on in Turkey. At Bogazici University in Istanbul, rectors are elected through free and fair elections by faculties. The only time in the institution's history when these democratic processes were suspended was in the aftermath of the 1980 coup d'état. In today's time, it is again …
(2021-02-12). Biden's EPA Nominee Must Act on Forests to Be an Environmental Justice Champion. truthout.org 
The
(2021-02-12). The Russian Alternative: How Moscow is Capitalizing on US Retreat in Palestine, Israel. counterpunch.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
(2021-02-12). Biden Indicates Americans May Need to Wear Masks Throughout 2021. truthout.org 
In remarks he made on Thursday while visiting the National Institutes of Health, President Joe Biden indicated that Americans may need to wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus for the remainder of 2021. | In his statement, Biden mentioned how he continued to wear his mask
(2021-02-12). Ending the Other War in Yemen. counterpunch.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," Biden declared "This war has to end."
(2021-02-12). U.S. reboots Quad in unseemly hurry. mronline.org 
The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported from Washington Sunday quoting "a source" that the Biden Administration had proposed to New Delhi, Tokyo and Canberra the idea of holding an online summit meeting of the leaders of the "Quad".
(2021-02-12). Biden and Harris won't help prisoners. workers.org 
The following are lightly edited remarks from a Workers World Party webinar on January 21. It's actually been a very painful time for those of us who are involved in supporting incarcerated workers. And people behind the walls are incarcerated workers, and they're part of our working class. They're part . . . |
(2021-02-12). Public option in Biden plan could change the face of US health care. juancole.com 
By Michael Williams | — President Joe Biden issued 10 executive orders to fight COVID-19 on his first day in office on Jan. 20, 2021. Among those orders: Speed up vaccine production, expand testing, support the safe reopening of schools and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care and treatment. As a physician and health …
(2021-02-12). Biden's refusal to call Israeli PM Netanyahu sparks questions over leaders' relationship. middleeasteye.net 
Biden's refusal to call Israeli PM Netanyahu sparks questions over leaders' relationship | In a break from past presidential procedures, Joe Biden has yet to reach out to Israel's prime minister, more than three weeks into his presidency | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 19: 04 | Then-Vice President Joe Biden next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during joint statements in the prime minister's office in Jerusale…
(2021-02-12). Biden Announces Pentagon Task Force To Review China Policy. popularresistance.org On Wednesday, President Biden announced a new Pentagon task force that will be reviewing the US military's policy towards China, another sign that the new administration is prioritizing confronting Beijing. | Pentagon officials said the task force is a "sprint effort" that will examine things like US troop presence in the region, intelligence, and the role of US allies and partners in countering China. Leading the task force is Ely Ratner, a China hawk who Biden appointed as a special advisor to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. | Before his new position at the Pentagon, Rather worked at the interventionist Cent…
(2021-02-12). The U.S. War Machine: Now Under New Management. progressive.org Electing Joe Biden is not enough to ensure a saner and less belligerent foreign policy.
(2021-02-12). Holding Trump and His Rioters Accountable Can — and Must — Be Done Constitutionally. scheerpost.com "The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer." Joe Biden, 1/20/2021 "They say time heals everything. But I'm still waiting." Natalie Maines (The Chicks), Not Ready to Make Nice By Dan Siegel / Original to ScheerPost President Biden wants to unify the country while extending justice to all. Some of the newly cooperative Trump enablers are eager for reconciliation and a return to… |
(2021-02-12). Dozens of Prominent Organizations and Academics Press Biden on Human Rights in Brazil. counterpunch.org Last week, the US Network for Democracy in Brazil (USNDB) delivered a white paper to the Biden White House, its "Recommendations on Brazil to President Biden and the New Administration." The wide-ranging document, covering issues such as the environment, human rights, and the rule of law, urges the new administration to make a fundamental break
(2021-02-12). This Is Yemen After Biden Declared an End To American Support for the War. mintpressnews.com The Biden administration sparked a sense of hope around the world that the war on Yemen could finally be over. For those on the ground though, the bombs keep falling, food is scarce and hope is in short supply.
(2021-02-12). Biden's Half Measures to End the War in Yemen are Not Enough. counterpunch.org The Saudis decided to enter an ongoing civil war in Yemen in 2015 for several reasons. The two countries share a long border at the southern end of their peninsula. This length of this border is matched by Yemen's coastline on the Arabian Sea, an access to ocean waters that Saudi Arabia does not have.
(2021-02-12). Will the Biden Plan Prevent Climate Catastrophe? zcomm.org The Biden climate plan has important reforms, but can't reach the stated targets with market mechanisms and carbon capture high tech…
(2021-02-12). Lying Lawyers and Butt-kissing Senators: The First Days of Trump's Second Impeachment Trial. counterpunch.org 
The week began with the death of George Shultz. It reminded me of the 1980s when ol' Shultzie was the face of Reagan's murderous wars against the people of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. A friend who just finished a career in the foreign service reminded me that Shultz was a true diplomat. He's right,
(2021-02-12). Impeachment Trial: Democrats Warn That Trump Would Use Political Violence Again If Not Convicted. democracynow.org 
Democratic House impeachment managers have wrapped up their case against Donald Trump, saying the former president remains a threat and should be convicted of inciting the deadly January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The trial now moves ahead to Trump's legal team presenting their defense. We air highlights from the third day of the impeachment trial, including lead House impeachment Manager Jamie Raskin's reiteration of Trump's long history of inciting violence prior to January 6. "Is there any political leader in this room who believes that if he is ever allowed by the Senate to get back into the Oval Office,…
(2021-02-12). On Some Bad House Manager Language. counterpunch.org 
The House Managers' presentation in the second Senate impeachment trial of the malignant fascist reptile (MFR) Donald Trump has been, to put it mildly, a slam dunk. With great skill and abundant proof, they have demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt that the orange monstrosity fueled and sparked a mass violent and fascistic assault on the
(2021-02-12). Trump's Global Grim Reaper, Mike Pompeo. progressive.org The real reasons he was a shameful Secretary of State, and how Antony Blinken can do better.
(2021-02-12). Why bother? Trump's lawyers don't even offer an impeachment defense because Republicans don't care. salon.com Trump's lawyers know they're not there to persuade — just to give GOP senators cheap rationalizations to acquit…
(2021-02-12). V-Day: Poet Aja Monet & V (Eve Ensler) on the Movement to End Violence Against Women & Girls. democracynow.org 
Amid a global rise in domestic violence during the pandemic, we speak with the founder of V-Day, a day of action to fight violence against women. V, the award-winning playwright of "The Vagina Monologues," formerly known as Eve Ensler, says organizers around the globe are finding ways to fight back. "I'm so moved to see our grassroots women movements around the world finding ways to rise in spite of people being locked in and shut in and in spite of COVID," she says. We also speak with blues poet and organizer Aja Monet, V-Day's artistic creative director, who says Black women are particularly at risk. "For every…
(2021-02-12). Wednesday 2/17: Medicare for All Resolutions Webinar: Take Health Care Action in Your Community. indybay.org Online…
(2021-02-12). Bernie on the Budget Committee. counterpunch.org 
Those discouraged that Bernie Sanders was not appointed labor secretary can take solace in his role as chair of the senate budget committee. There he can accomplish far more for working people than he ever could at the labor department. The proof is staring us in the face — Sanders just shepherded the $1.9 trillion
(2021-02-12). Big Business Goes Up Against Democracy in Seattle. zcomm.org Local corporate interests are trying to recall elected City Council member Kshama Sawant…
(2021-02-12). Turkish-American group slams US Senate letter on Turkey. yenisafak.com The US-based Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC) said Thursday it is "appalled" by a letter by 50 US senators that characterizes the Turkish government as "authoritarian administration and violators of Human Rights.""Turkey's government was determined by a free and fair election by all citizens regardless of their background," senior names of the committee said in a statement. "The Turkish people made it clear that no one can temper with their future when they took to streets and resisted a coup attempt on July 15th, 2016. The Turkish people made it clear to the world that they value their democra…
(2021-02-12). Catalan election campaign draws to an end in Spain. yenisafak.com Another tense election campaign is wrapping up in the Spanish region of Catalonia on Friday, though political divisions and the separatist drive are expected to endure long after Sunday's vote.Spain's Socialist Party and its Catalan chapter, the PSC, have been hoping to lead a change in the region that has been ruled by governments vowing to separate from Spain since 2012.To draw on momentum, and perhaps a certain amount of voter fatigue around the issue of independence, the Socialists brought in one of their most high-profile leaders. Salvador Illa, who acted as Spanish health minister throughout the pandemic, s…
(2021-02-12). Spain's Catalonia region poised for elections. laprensalatina.com Madrid Desk, Feb 12 (efe-epa).- Two weeks of rancorous political campaigning for the elections in Spain's Catalonia region came to a close on Friday, two days before the electorate chooses a new parliament and local president. There are nine candidates vying for the Catalan regional presidency but polls are predicting that no party will walk …
(2021-02-12). America's Transition Away from Democracy and the World's Wave of De-Democratization. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The twentieth century was in the eyes of some observers an uneven but steady march to democracy. Those who study transitions from authoritarian governments to democracy have defined a successful transition as characterized by two elections in a row, where all parties agree on the rules of the game, and …
(2021-02-12). Biden Should Stop Payment on U.S. Funds to Sisi's Egypt. counterpunch.org 
Under Donald Trump's presidency, Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, and other repressive regimes, had virtually free reign to commit unchecked human rights abuses without worry that they might be chastised or lose U.S. diplomatic and financial support. But when Joe Biden won the 2020 election, President Sisi of Egypt started to
(2021-02-12). Biden says China will 'eat our lunch' sans infrastructure. yenisafak.com China is poised to defeat the US amid a great power competition unless the country can come together on a plan to bolster its heavily deteriorated infrastructure, President Joe Biden warned Thursday.Biden's cautionary note comes after he held his first telephone call Wednesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a conversation the US president said lasted two hours.The US president called on Congress to forge ahead with a massive infrastructure revitalization plan, saying that without it China is "going to eat our lunch.""They have major, major new initiatives on rail, and they already have rail that goes 225 mi…
(2021-02-12). Headlines for February 12, 2021. democracynow.org House Managers Rest Their Case in Donald Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial, Biden Blasts Trump's Failures to Prepare for Vaccinations as U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 475,000, As U.S. Secures 200 Million More Doses, Concern Grows Over Vaccine Inequity, NYTimes: Trump Was Far Sicker from COVID-19 Than Previously Reported, Five Killed in Attack on U.S. Convoy in Afghanistan's Capital, Lawmakers Plead With President Biden to End "Catastrophic Impact" of U.S. Sanctions, U.S. Has Sold Over a Million Barrels of Iranian Oil Seized As Part of Sanctions, China Bans BBC's World News Channel, Trump's "Remain in Mexico" Progr…
(2021-02-12). Jettison the Johnson: Transwomen Athletes Crashing Female Sports Will Only Hurt the Game. strategic-culture.org 
As the Biden administration moves to make it illegal to deny the participation of birth males in female sport, a number of courageous athletes and academics are beginning to speak out on the issue, warning that the presidential orders will have disastrous consequences on their profession, and possibly their lives. | On the very same day of his locked-down inauguration, Joe Biden signed off on dozens of executive orders, including one gem entitled, 'Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation'. The controversial legislation, which has never been the subject of seri…
(2021-02-12). US lawmakers urge Biden to press Iran on human rights, state-sponsored 'terrorism'. middleeasteye.net 
US lawmakers urge Biden to press Iran on human rights, state-sponsored 'terrorism' | More than 100 lawmakers call on President Joe Biden to 'remain firm' and hold Iranian government accountable for rights violations and regional destabilisation | Fri, 02/12/2021 – 19: 59 | A bipartisan group of US legislators has urged US President Joe Biden to pressure Iran on its human rights violations while working to nego…
(2021-02-12). Biden Plans to Rescind Trump-Era Medicaid Work Requirements. truthout.org 
The Biden administration on Friday is expected to begin the process of rescinding a Trump policy allowing states to impose punitive work requirements on Medicaid recipients, a move celebrated as a crucial step toward reversing one of the former president's most vicious attacks on the poor and vulnerable. |
(2021-02-12). Ralph Nader: Biden Must Hold Boeing Accountable for Deaths Due to Faulty Planes. truthout.org 
Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and…
(2021-02-12). Ralph Nader on Corporate Crime, Holding Boeing Accountable for 737 MAX Deaths & Biden's First Weeks. democracynow.org 
Legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the U.S. is experiencing a "corporate crime wave," and that the Trump administration's $2.5 billion settlement with Boeing over the manufacturer's faulty 737 MAX jets amounts to a "slap on the wrist." Boeing's faulty planes were involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019, including Nader's 24-year-old grandniece Samya Stumo. Nader says the Biden Justice Department should reopen the previous administration's settlement and hold Boeing fully accountable. "This is just another example of giant companies getting away with their corporate criminal…
(2021-02-12). Biden Must Not Let the Trump Legacy and 'Reviews' Frustrate Reform. progressive.org The President has been off to a fast start on immigration reform, but his reluctance to repeal Trump's border closures is contributing to the cruelty.
(2021-02-12). Immigration changes: What has Biden done so far? workers.org 
Duke university student Anthony Salgado said it best in an editorial for his university paper: "We need immigration revolution, not immigration reform." (tinyurl.com/y695qdw9) Unfortunately, the Democratic Party establishment is not able to grasp this concept. But immigrants have had enough of false promises. A caravan of thousands of migrants from . . . |
(2021-02-12). It's Not That Biden Is Too Slow. It's That He's Going Too Small. counterpunch.org In the intraparty Democratic war between progressive leftists and corporate centrists, each side speaks a different language. The two factions' takes on Joe Biden's first weeks as president starkly demonstrate that inability to communicate. Biden's base is his centrist supporters, those who backed him against Bernie Sanders during the primaries on the grounds that his
(2021-02-12). Former Lincoln Project staff seek release from non-disclosure agreements as group accused of posting ex-member's private messages. rt.com 
Ex-employees of the 'Never Trump' Lincoln Project have reportedly asked to be released from nondisclosure agreements so they can speak openly about allegations that the group's co-founder is a serial sexual harasser. | Six people who worked for the high-profile political group have now written to the organization asking to be freed of legal agreements preventing them from discussing John Weaver, who is accused of sending unsolicited, sexually suggestive messages to over 20 men, including one who was only 14 when they first made contact. In some cases, he purportedly shared explicit photographs with the individ…
(2021-02-12). Will Twitter ban CNN? O'Keefe rips Twitter hypocrisy after Project Veritas 'doxxing' suspension. rt.com 
The founder of Project Veritas has fired shots at Twitter for letting CNN get away with a 2018 ambushing of a Trump supporter in her home, but taking down the watchdog's account for allegedly violating its 'anti-doxxing' policy. | The conservative watchdog group's account was permanently suspended on Thursday over "repeated violations of the companies [sic] anti-doxxing policies," founder James O'Keefe said, while he himself was also temporarily locked out of his account. All that after posting a video of a Facebook official being confronted on the platform's alleged hate speech policies, apparently outside th…
(2021-02-12). 'Disgusted' Nikki Haley throws Trump under the bus, but conservatives & #Resistance are having none of her 'flip-flop'. rt.com 
Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has joined the growing parade of Republicans eager to publicly distance themselves from former president Donald Trump amid his second impeachment proceedings. | "We need to acknowledge he let us down," Haley told Politico in an interview published Friday, making an effort to create palpable space between herself — an upwardly-mobile young politician apparently determined to run for president in 2024 — and the former commander-in-chief whose own party couldn't wait to stick the knives in. | "He went down a path he shouldn't have, and we shouldn't have followe…
(2021-02-12). Even If He's Acquitted, History Isn't on Trump's Side. truthout.org 
When former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial wraps up in the coming days, it's entirely possible that a large majority of Republican senators will vote to acquit him of inciting an insurrection. | If they do so, it will not be because of lack of evidence but because of a stunning lack of moral fortitude. They will acquit not because the House managers didn't prove their case, but because by and large, GOP senators — with a few exceptions — regard their oath to deliver impartial justice abou…
(2021-02-12). Cancel Culture's Latest Victims. thenation.com Cancel Culture's Latest Victims…
(2021-02-12). To Republican Senators, Donald Trump Is Still the Boogeyman. thenation.com To Republican Senators, Donald Trump Is Still the Boogeyman…
(2021-02-12). Republicans Won't Convict Trump—Because They Won't Convict Themselves. thenation.com Republicans Won't Convict Trump—Because They Won't Convict Themselves…
(2021-02-12). If Impeachment Managers Want Witnesses to Trump's High Crimes, Start With Lindsey Graham. thenation.com If Impeachment Managers Want Witnesses to Trump's High Crimes, Start With Lindsey Graham…
(2021-02-12). Smoking Gun for Impeachment. zcomm.org Proof Trump's Call to March on Capitol was a Crime…
(2021-02-12). Where Are the Witnesses? Ralph Nader Says Democrats' Impeachment Case Is "Prescription for Defeat" democracynow.org 
As the historic Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump continues, we speak with longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who says Democrats have set themselves up for defeat by rushing proceedings and failing to call witnesses — including Trump himself. "The narrow approach of the articles of impeachment keep the Democrats from having a full hand," says Nader. "They have like 10 arrows in their quiver and they're using one or two."
(2021-02-12). Trump: How is He Possible? counterpunch.org 
How can someone of Trump's caliber have become president? And now that he no longer is president, how is it possible that he is still able to have his will be done in the Republican Party? How is he able, out of office and with his Twitter account blocked, to make everything even worse than it already is — for example, by making a certifiable nut case, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a rising star in what remains of the Party of Lincoln?
(2021-02-12). America after Trump must Confront MLK's 'Giant Triplets of Racism, Extreme Materialism, and Militarism'. juancole.com 
By Andrew Bacevich | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — When Martin Luther King preached his famous sermon "Beyond Vietnam" at Riverside Church in New York City in April 1967, I don't recall giving his words a second thought. Although at the time I was just up the Hudson River attending West Point, his call for a …
(2021-02-12). Congressional prosecutors: Trump's, insurrectionists' words prove he incited Capitol invasion. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The congressional managers—prosecutors—of the impeachment case against former Oval Office occupant Donald Trump used Trump's and the invaders' own words to show why and how Trump incited the Jan. 6 insurrection in the Capitol, and argue forcefully for his conviction. The managers repeatedly pounded away at Trump's words on Jan. 6 before pointing the invaders …
(2021-02-12). Historians say CNN wrong to compare Communists to Trump's coup plotters. peoplesworld.org 
NEW YORK—Dozens of historians and academics, including Angela Davis, Gerald Horne, and Michael Honey, have signed a statement to CNN challenging an article published on the news corporation's website on Feb. 3 that equated the Communist Party USA with the coup plotters who perpetrated the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The article placed the …
(2021-02-12). When Poisons Curdle: Beyond Donald Trump. counterpunch.org 
When Martin Luther King preached his famous sermon "Beyond Vietnam" at Riverside Church in New York City in April 1967, I don't recall giving his words a second thought. Although at the time I was just up the Hudson River attending West Point, his call for a "radical revolution in values" did not resonate with
(2021-02-12). Resignation of Trump-Appointed US Attorneys Is Just The Start Of DOJ's De-Trumpification. cepr.net Talking Points Memo See article on original site In the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, the Department of Justice was created in part to deliver and oversee equal rights to formerly enslaved Black men and women. This corrective institution was a major step toward building a federal government that protects the civil rights of all …
(2021-02-12). Republicans: "see no evil, hear no evil," even when it is right in front of their eyes. nationofchange.org The Republicans in Congress saw exactly what Trump was doing and should have strongly objected to such an action but they saw no evil, heard no evil on his part.
(2021-02-12). Poor People's Campaign targets Manchin in drive for $15 minimum wage. peoplesworld.org 
CHARLESTON, W.V.—The Moral Monday fight for a $15 per hour minimum wage is going to the streets next week as Rev. Dr. William Barber II will lead a large group of poor and low-income people to march on the office of Sen. Joe Manchin. Manchin, a conservative Democrat representing West Virginia, opposes including a $15 …
(2021-02-12). If Democrats don't deliver now, voters will (rightly) turn on them. therealnews.com 
No Excuses PAC is raising money to run ads and recruit primary challengers against centrist Democrats in an attempt to pressure them into supporting progressive changes in the Senate.
(2021-02-12). Bernie Sanders Clears Path in Congress to Raise Minimum Wage. zcomm.org Please Help ZNet Source: Truthout Photo by Marie Kanger Born/Shutterstock Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders said on Monday that findings in a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report provide Democrats with a clear path for bypassing Republican obstruction in the Senate and raising the federal minimum wage to $15
(2021-02-12). Student injured by rubber bullet on day of mass Myanmar protests. laprensalatina.com Yangon, Myanmar, Feb 12 (efe-epa).- At least one person was shot with a rubber bullet and arrests were reported as Myanmar on Friday witnessed possibly its largest protests since the Feb. 1 military coup. On the public Union Day holiday at a peaceful demonstration at Mawlamyine University in Mon state, about 300 kilometers southeast of …
(2021-02-12). Tearing Down the Edifice of American Democracy. 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 joists and beams that hold U.S. democracy are not as …
(2021-02-12). Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and the future of the Republican Party. nationofchange.org With a still small but growing number of progressive voices within the Democratic party, there is for the first time in decades an opportunity to truly move that party to the left and counter the threat represented by radicals like Boebert and Taylor Greene.
(2021-02-12). Democrats seek to whitewash Republican Party role in January 6 coup. indybay.org As a party of Wall Street and the military and intelligence agencies, the Democrats are opposed to any real exposure of the social and political forces behind the January 6 coup.
(2021-02-11). Headlines for February 11, 2021. democracynow.org "The Inciter-in-Chief": Democrats Accuse Trump of Being "Singularly Responsible" for Insurrection, Trump Attacked Pence on Twitter Minutes After Learning VP Was Evacuated from Capitol, Georgia Prosecutor Opens Criminal Probe of Trump over Election Interference, U.S. COVID Death Toll Tops 471,000; Half of All Deaths Occurred Since Nov. 1, WHO Backs Use of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine, Saudi Women's Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul Released After 1,001 Days in Prison, Biden & Xi Jinping Speak on Phone as U.S. Forms Military Task Force on China, U.S. Sanctions Military Junta as Anti-Coup Protests Continue in Burma,…
(2021-02-11). Correa Says He Is Leaving Politics, Won't Join Arauz Cabinet. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's former president Rafael Correa confirmed on Thursday that he would not join the cabinet of left-wing candidate Andres Araus if the Unity for Hope leader wins the elections. | RELATED: | "The only place I want to occupy is that of a family man, cook, and writer, and to continue finishing my book," Correa stressed during an interview with Russian news agency Sputnik. | "Going back is not my short-term pla…
(2021-02-11). Ecuador Still Counts the Votes of the Presidential Elections. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Electoral Council (CNE) informed that the counting of the votes of the presidential elections held on February 7 will end on Sunday. | RELATED: | On this day, it will be possible to know who will compete with the Union for Hope (UNES) candidate Andres Arauz in the second round of elections on April 11. | So far, the only certainty is that Arauz, a young left-wing…
(2021-02-11). Peru: Authorities Ban Favorite Nominee From Running in Election. telesurenglish.net Lima's Special Electoral Jury (JEE) excluded the National Victory (NV) Presidential candidate George Forsyth from running in the April 11 elections. | RELATED: | Electoral authorities made the decision after a complaint filed against Forsyth for alleged fake information and data omission in his curriculum vitae affidavit. | The complaint, filed by citizen Luis Ayquipa, states that the candidate consigned incomes in his affidavit…
(2021-02-11). With Biden policy moves looming, Jewish National Fund to openly buy West Bank land, ACCELERATE EXPANSION of settlements — report. rt.com 
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is reportedly poised to resume buying land in the West Bank after a five-decade hiatus, clearing the way to speed settlement developments amid the threat of US opposition under President Joe Biden. | JNF's board is expected to approve the new policy on Sunday, according to a
(2021-02-11). US cancels $42 million in Myanmar aid over military coup… then redirects it to nation's 'civil society'. rt.com 
The US has slapped a raft of sanctions on Myanmar's top military to block their access to more than a billion dollars in government funds being held in America, and will redirect millions in US aid to "strengthen civil society." | The Biden administration has designated six members of Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council, including General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the ruling military junta that seized power last week after ousting Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. Hlaing led the military detention of Suu Kyi and Myanmar's other political leaders, who are currently under house arrest, and…
(2021-02-11). Tipped workers' sub-minimum wage is slavery's legacy; Biden's plan ends it. peoplesworld.org 
If it's passed by Congress, President Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief proposal would do a lot more than fund relief payments and vaccine rollouts. It would also raise the wage floor for all U.S. workers—and give a particularly long-overdue raise to restaurant servers, taxi drivers, manicurists, and other tipped workers. For Tanya Wallace-Gobern, getting rid of the …
(2021-02-11). Biden's first directive to the war machine. liberationnews.org 
In his first presidential visit to the Pentagon yesterday, Joe Biden announced the creation of an anti-China task force. This team will review the Pentagon's policy towards the country in areas such as strategy, technology, military and diplomacy with neighboring countries. During the visit Biden pledged to "meet the China challenge … and win the …
(2021-02-11). US Congressman hails Biden's shift on Yemen war but urges vigilance. middleeasteye.net 
US Congressman hails Biden's shift on Yemen war but urges vigilance | Yemen war critic Ro Khanna welcomes decision to end American support for Saudi offensive operations but warns against 'twisted definition' of 'defensive' | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 22: 18 | Ro Khanna, a prominent legislator in the progressive movement, called for lifting the blockade on Yemen (AFP/File photo) | US Congressman Ro Khanna, a leading crit…
(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 …."
(2021-02-11). Turkey quickly gets into fight with Biden over Osman Kavala. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey quickly gets into fight with Biden over Osman Kavala | US State Department criticises Ankara over its human rights record while top officials avoid calling Turkish counterparts | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 12: 04 | A journalist stands in front of a poster featuring jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala during a press conference of his lawyers on 31 October 2018 (AFP) | Tensions rose between Tu…
(2021-02-11). US envoy to Yemen meets with President Hadi ahead of proposed peace talks. middleeasteye.net 
US envoy to Yemen meets with President Hadi ahead of proposed peace talks | US envoy Tim Lenderking stressed the Biden administration's goal of ending the war and 'suffering of the Yemeni people' via UN-led negotiations | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 16: 46 | A Yemeni waves the country's national flag atop a billboard showing President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi during a rally commemorating the 10th anniversary of Arab Spri…
(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
(2021-02-11). Yemen conflict: Will Biden's approach finally end the war? middleeasteye.net 
Yemen conflict: Will Biden's approach finally end the war? | Analysts say ending offensive support for Saudi-led coalition is important step, but questions linger over specifics of new US policy | Thu, 02/11/2021 – 16: 48 | The conflict in Yemen has killed more than 100,000 people and brought the impoverished country to the brink of famine (AFP/File photo) | Following last week's announcement by US President Joe…
(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 …
(2021-02-11). Will the Biden Plan Prevent Climate Catastrophe? — Patrick Bond. theanalysis.news The Biden climate plan has important reforms, but can't reach the stated targets with market mechanisms and carbon capture high tech. Patrick Bond gives a sweeping look at the climate crisis on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.
(2021-02-11). Venezuela Oil Production Rebounds as Members of Congress Call for Sanctions Relief. venezuelanalysis.com Ilhan Omar, Jesus "Chuy" García and Elizabeth Warren urged to Biden administration to review its sanctions policy amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
(2021-02-11). How Biden Can Tackle the Climate Crisis. progressive.org Joe Biden has promised to ensure climate justice, but will his administration rise to the challenge?
(2021-02-11). Top 5 Reasons for Biden to snub Israel's Netanyahu, whom he still hasn't Called. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Danny Danon, Israel's former ambassador to the United Nations, impatiently tweeted a list of all the foreign leaders that President Joe Biden has already called in his one month in office, and suggesting it was time he called Binyamin Netanyahu. Biden is close to the Israel lobbies and had been …
(2021-02-11). Dozens of Prominent Organizations and Academics Pressure Biden on Human Rights in Brazil. cepr.net Last week, the US Network for Democracy in Brazil (USNDB) delivered a white paper to the Biden White House, its "Recommendations on Brazil to President Biden and the New Administration." The wide-ranging document, covering issues such as the environment, human rights, and the rule of law, urges the new administration to make a fundamental break …
(2021-02-11). The right's hatred of AOC isn't just racism and sexism: It sums up the entire toxic Trump era. salon.com All the right-wing paranoia that led to Trump and Jan. 6 is visible in the exaggerated hatred for one woman…
(2021-02-11). Capitol Attack: Impeachment Managers Build Case vs. Trump with Chilling New Video of Mob's Violence. democracynow.org 
On the second day of former President Trump's second impeachment trial, House impeachment managers presented detailed documentation of the events leading up to the January 6 insurrection and shared dramatic new footage of the violence as it unfolded. We air excerpts of video from security cameras, which show the pro-Trump mob searching the Capitol building for lawmakers, including Republicans like Vice President Mike Pence, coming within about 100 feet of the room where he was sheltering with his family. House impeachment managers also played audio of Capitol Hill police officers seeking backup.
(2021-02-11). Not just a US Domestic Threat: Beating Back the Far Right Globally. juancole.com It's time to resurrect a global anti-fascist consensus to name, shame, and throw these guys out of the game. ( Foreign Policy in Focus) — After four years of shock, confusion, and paralysis, the United States is finally taking action against the far right. Perhaps most dramatic has been the deplatforming of Donald Trump: the …
(2021-02-11). House Democrats make their case to Senate Republicans: Trump duped his rioters — and he'll dump you. salon.com Trump impeachment trial, day 3: House managers remind Senate Republicans that Trump will never repay their loyalty…
(2021-02-11). Amid tragic blunders, former pandemic hero Andrew Cuomo now compared to Trump: "He's a bully" salon.com Once a pandemic father figure with a book deal, an Emmy and online fans, New York's governor has lost his halo…
(2021-02-11). Mike Lee objects and Rand Paul doodles: How Republican senators are handling Trump's impeachment. salon.com "Graphic, disgusting": GOP Senators appalled by new riot footage — but still plan to acquit…
(2021-02-11). RIP Anne Feeney, Legendary Labor Songwriter, Whose Favorite Place to Sing Was on a Picket Line. democracynow.org 
Anne Feeney, the legendary Pittsburgh folk singer-songwriter and self-described rabble-rouser, has died of COVID at age 69. Her death comes a decade after she joined in the Wisconsin uprising against a draconian anti-union bill and "sang its solidarity song," remembers The Nation's John Nichols, who covered the protests and is based in Madison.
(2021-02-11). "You Guys Are Not Immune": Modi Government Cracks Down on Independent Media Amid Farmer Protests. democracynow.org 
Indian farmworkers are continuing to take to the streets to demand Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeal three highly contested agricultural laws. Farmworkers say the laws, which seek to deregulate markets and allow large corporations to set prices, threaten their livelihoods. Dozens have died since the start of the protests, with many deaths caused by the harsh winter as tens of thousands of farmers have camped out in the cold on the outskirts of New Delhi and other parts of the country. The Modi government has come under harsh criticism for its response to the uprising as it raided the offices of the progressive…
(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…
(2021-02-11). Socialist candidate leads in Ecuador elections, but run-off vote could mean a return to austerity. thecanary.co Ecuador's election The result is therefore a decisive and…
(2021-02-11). Belarusian President Lukashenko says he'll leave office when 'peace and order' is restored, promises to hold 'open election'. rt.com 
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that he will leave his post, once and for all, if protests subside and the unrest which has gripped the country since his disputed election victory last year comes to an end. | The veteran leader was speaking on Thursday at the All-Belarusian People's Assembly, where he also promised that a draft for a new constitution would be prepared this year and would be submitted for a national referendum in 2022. His plan to leave office is contingent on the new constitution process being completed. | "My main condition for leaving power is peace and order in the cou…
(2021-02-11). How to Build Systemic Equality After Trump. aclu.org The riot on the Capitol building in the last days of Trump's presidency was a powerful inflection point in an era of racial reckoning. In its wake, many pundits and politicians declared that "this is not America." Our guest on At Liberty this week, ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jeff Robinson, would disagree. The image of a Confederate flag paraded through the halls of the Capitol or cries to disavow an election with high Black voter turnout is America; it's just not the one we like to talk about. | In this episode, we speak with Jeff about how building a more equal nation must be rooted in dealing with the racist p…
(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, so a CIA agent-turned-Biden State Department spokesman smeared 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 many millions of dollars into right-wing opposition groups in the Central American country. These US-funded NGOs have aimed to destabilize the government …
(2021-02-11). US on Track to Have Enough Vaccines for 300Mln Americans by End of July – Biden Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States is on track to have enough coronavirus vaccine doses to immunize 300 million Americans by the end of July, US President Joe Biden said.
(2021-02-11). US unemployment remains sky-high as cuts to benefits loom. rt.com 
US unemployment numbers remain perilously high following the inauguration of President Biden, who has promised to "shut down" Covid-19 without shutting down the economy even as jobless benefits for millions are poised to expire. | Unemployment totals have dropped slightly, to 793,000, the Labor Department reported on Thursday, acknowledging that the drop from last week's total of 812,000 doesn't necessarily represent an improvement in the country's economic situation. | Instead, the unemployment rate's decline to 6.3 percent from 6.7 percent represents the fact that many who lost their jobs earlier in the pand…