2021-04-23: News Headlines

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2021-04-23). Biden's Appeasement of Hawks and Neocons Is Crippling His Diplomacy. counterpunch.org President Biden took office promising a new era of American international leadership and diplomacy. But with a few exceptions, he has so far allowed self-serving foreign allies, hawkish U.S. interest groups and his own imperial delusions to undermine diplomacy and stoke the fires of war. Biden's failure to quickly recommit to the Iran nuclear deal,

Staff (2021-04-23). What If 401Ks Could Fund the Green New Deal Instead of Wall Street? truthout.org This week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey re-introduced the Green New Deal. One crucial arm of it is the Green New Deal for Public Housing, a bill to rebuild and revitalize the nation's public housing infrastructure. Momentum by lawmakers to reinvest in our existing public housing infrastructure has been

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2021-04-23). Bernie Sanders Says Backing Waiver for Covid Vaccine Patents Is 'Common Human Morality'. commondreams.org "We must do everything humanly possible to crush this global pandemic and save millions of people who are in danger of needlessly dying." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_patent_waiver_1.png

WSWS (2021-04-23). COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations on the rise in Alabama after easing of restrictions. wsws.org On April 7, Alabama's Republican Governor Kay Ivey lifted the state's mask mandate, falsely claiming that the "pandemic is almost over." Within two weeks, infections and hospitalizations are once again on the rise.

Staff (2021-04-23). Headlines for April 23, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Pledges to Halve U.S. Emissions Compared to 2005 Levels as Virtual Climate Summit Opens, House Committee Hears Testimony on Role of Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Preventing Climate Action, New York City Sues Big Oil over Decades of False Advertising About Climate Crisis, India Posts World Record Coronavirus Case Count for Second Consecutive Day, South Africa Resumes Use of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine, Study Confirms Elevated Risk of COVID-19 for Expectant Mothers and Babies, House Votes to Make "Washington, Douglass Commonwealth" the 51st State, Senate Passes Bill Targeting Anti-Asian Hate Crimes, Pro-Tru…

MISES (2021-04-23). Texas Ended Lockdowns And Mask Mandates: Now Locked-Down States Are Where Covid Is Growing Most — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Ryan McMaken* | Early last month, Texas governor Greg Abbott announced he would end the state's mask mandate and allow most businesses to function at 100 percent capacity. | The response from the corporate media and the Left was predictable. California governor Gavin Newsom

Ryan McMaken (2021-04-23). Texas Ended Lockdowns and Mask Mandates. Now Locked-Down States Are Where COVID Is Growing Most. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Early last month, Texas governor Greg Abbott announced he would end …

Eds. (2021-04-23). Migrant women farmworkers: An invisible essential labor force. mronline.org The Biden administration must address the industry's long-standing gender discrimination and systemic inequalities, which have become even more severe during the pandemic. | April 23, 2021 | Newswire…

Eve Ottenberg (2021-04-23). Biden's Commission on the Supreme Court and Breyer's Tenure. counterpunch.org One of the best ways to evade a campaign promise is to appoint a commission. Regarding expanding the Supreme Court, however, Biden skipped the promise and went straight to the evasion. Biden said he would appoint a Very August Body, after the election, to consider whether SCOTUS should be enlarged. Obviously it can and it

Sam Knight (2021-04-23). Democrat Opposed to the PRO Act Was Showered With Cash From Amazon Executives. zcomm.org Tactics used by Amazon to defeat the union organizing drive at the company's Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse have highlighted the need for Democrats to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act…

Staff (2021-04-23). "Shelter from the Storm": Climate Change Is a Driving Force in Central American Migration. democracynow.org We look at the link between migration and the climate emergency, which studies have estimated could displace over 200 million people by 2050, including many in Central American countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Last year, two hurricanes, Iota and Eta, devastated the region and forced thousands to flee north. A new report finds that the climate crisis is already a driver in migration from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which reiterates the necessity of planning "ahead for the major migration flows," says Camila Bustos, human rights associate at the University Network for Human Rights. "W…

Staff (2021-04-23). "He's Going to Be So Missed": Funeral Held for Police Shooting Victim Daunte Wright in Minneapolis. democracynow.org Mourners gathered in Minnesota Thursday for the funeral of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was shot dead by a white police officer during a traffic stop in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center. Daunte's mother, Katie Wright, fought back tears as she remembered her son. "When he walked in the room, he lit up the room. He was a brother, a jokester, and he was loved by so many. He's going to be so missed." We air excerpts of Wright's funeral service.

Staff (2021-04-23). African Activists: The Earth Is in Peril If Wealthy Nations Don't Slash Emissions & Pay Climate Debt. democracynow.org As President Biden convenes a major climate summit, we speak with two leading climate activists from Africa about the "climate debt" rich countries owe the Global South and the major emissions cuts still needed in order to avert the worst effects of the planetary emergency. "Given the scale of the crisis right now, the only thing that is going to get us out of it is not going to be baby steps in the right direction," says Kumi Naidoo, special adviser for the Green Economy Coalition's Social Contract Initiative, as well as the former head of Greenpeace International. "It's going to be big, bold, courageous, struct…

Staff (2021-04-23). Biden Vows to Cut Emissions, But U.S. Continues to Subsidize Fossil Fuels Amid Climate Crisis. democracynow.org The White House convened a virtual summit on the climate crisis this week, with 40 leaders representing the world's major economies pledging cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. President Joe Biden said the U.S. would cut its emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade — nearly double the target set by the Obama administration six years ago. Biden's pledge fulfills "a basic requirement of the U.S. being in the Paris Climate Agreement," says New Republic staff writer Kate Aronoff, but still does not go far enough. "This is well, well below what the United States really owes the rest of…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-04-23). With California Single-Payer Bill Shelved, Advocates Call on Newsom to Take Lead on Medicare for All. commondreams.org "The fastest, most direct path to Medicare for All has always gone through the governor," said one single-payer campaigner. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/m4a_2000x1047.jpg

Ralph Nader (2021-04-24). If Biden Is A 'Union Guy' Then Go After The Taft-Hartley Monster — OpEd. eurasiareview.com President Joe Biden likes to say, "I'm a union guy." Unfortunately, as Vice President from 2009 to 2017, his boss, Barack Obama wouldn't let him be a "union guy." Even with large Democratic majorities in Congress and control of the White House, worker needs went unmet. | Setting records for raising Wall Street campaign cash, Obama reneged on his 2008 promise to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.50 per hour by 2011. He reneged on a promise to the AFL-CIO to push for "card check" to facilitate workers wanting to form a union. He did nothing to preserve traditional earned worker pensions provided by…

Paul Street (2021-04-23). Slaves to the Constitution. counterpunch.org Slavery lives on in U.S.-American life, crippling "our" supposed grand "democracy" in numerous ways. The massive wealth, income, and health gaps between Black and white Americans and the related persistent segregation and mass arrest and incarceration of Black Americans cannot be properly understood without reference to the two and a half centuries in which Black

commondreams (2021-04-23). With single-payer bill shelved for the year, Healthy California Now urges Gov. Newsom to lead the way on achieving Medicare for All. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Ted Rall (2021-04-23). Afghanistan Under the Taliban: It Won't Be Like Last Time. counterpunch.org We've been in Afghanistan 20 years, Joe Biden's generals told him. All we need is a little more time. The president overruled them, ordering a complete withdrawal of American troops by September 11th. Madiha Afzal and Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution articulate the opposition to Biden's decision to call it quits. Remove the U.S.

The Conversation (2021-04-23). New US climate pledge: Cut emissions 50% this decade, but can Biden make it happen? juancole.com By Morgan Bazilian and David Victor | — President Joe Biden announced an ambitious new national climate target at a livestreamed summit of world leaders on April 22, 2021. He pledged to cut U.S. carbon emissions in half by the end of this decade and aim for net zero emissions by 2050. The new goal …

John Wojcik (2021-04-23). GOP infrastructure maneuvering can kill plans to mitigate climate change. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—As world leaders came together at the invitation of President Joe Biden for an Earth Day summit to commit to saving a planet imperiled by global warming, a group of Senate Republicans engaged in political maneuvering which, if successful, could dash the hopes of ever addressing climate change in a meaningful way. Trying to sound …

Jill Richardson (2021-04-23). A Textbook Case of Environmental Injustice. counterpunch.org Even as the Biden administration commits to environmental justice, people in the Fifth District of Louisiana's St. James Parish are mobilizing to stop a Formosa plastics plant accused of environmental racism in the majority-Black community. The controversy offers a textbook case for those looking to understand environmental justice and environmental racism. The environmental justice movement

Yanis Iqbal (2021-04-23). The Imperialist Origins of Saudi Arabia. dissidentvoice.org Why is Saudi Arabia, a Sunni absolute monarchy, enthusiastically supported by the West, considered a global promoter of "democracy"? This question is rarely asked. The apparent mismatch between liberal democracy and religious fundamentalism is hastily airbrushed when the matter is about oil trade and arms deals. This attitude is not an expression of mere hypocrisy …

Joe Piette (2021-04-23). Prison officials punish Bryant Arroyo for free speech. workers.org Bryant Arroyo, an incarcerated worker at Pennsylvania SCI Frackville, was placed in isolated custody for several days — in other words, thrown in the hole, the "Restricted Housing Unit" — for suggesting on separate phone calls to this reporter, his daughter and another person that they keep recordings of their . . . |

Editor2 (2021-04-23). West-Backed Color Revolution a 'Top Threat' to China's National, Political Security. orinocotribune.com By Yang Sheng and Chen Qingqing — Apr 15, 2021 | The sixth National Security Education Day falls on Thursday, with the Chinese national security agency releasing a series of cases related to the threat against China's political security. Experts on international intelligence and security said under the intensifying China-US competition, foreign hostile forces have increased efforts to target the political security of China rather than merely conducting regular espionage activities. | The law enforcement cases released by relevant national security agencies this year are different from the past, which specifi…

PAI (2021-04-23). Unions back Biden's Postal Board nominees. peoplesworld.org

Anonymous669 (2021-04-23). Assassination Of Tribal Leader Inflamed New Clashes Between SDF, NDF In Al-Qamishli (Videos). southfront.org The coffin of Sheikh Hayis Al-Jaryan, source: the Hawar News Agency (ANHA). | The assassination of an Arab tribal leader has inflamed the ongoing The leader, Hayis Al-Jaryan, was shot and killed…

Staff (2021-04-23). Biden Vows to Cut Emissions While US Continues to Subsidize Fossil Fuels. truthout.org The White House convened a virtual summit on the climate crisis this week, with 40 leaders representing the world's major economies pledging cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. President Joe Biden said the U.S. would cut its emissions by at least 50% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade — nearly double the target set by the Obama administration six years ago. Biden's pledge fulfills "a basic requirement of the U.S. being in the Paris Climate Agreement," says New Republic staff writer Kate…

Staff (2021-04-23). Louis DeJoy Must Be Fired to Save the USPS, Says Watchdog. truthout.org Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on Thursday reiterated its call for the ouster of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the Republican megadonor accused of attempting to sabotage the U.S. Postal Service last year as millions of Americans relied on the agency to participate in the presidential election. | As the House Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee

a guest author (2021-04-23). Imperialism in the name of 'water preservation'. workers.org By Jason Cohen (City College of New York student) Vice President Kamala Harris, while appearing with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, made a stunning remark that illuminated the perilous future ahead due to climate change. Discussing the need for policies to bolster the crumbling infrastructure that is needed to provide adequate . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-04-23). Raúl Castro honored. workers.org The excerpts below are from the Cuban daily newspaper, Granma, April 17. "Let no one doubt that as long as I live, I will be ready, with a foot in the stirrup, to defend the homeland, the Revolution and socialism," stated Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, first secretary of the . . . |

Arab News (2021-04-24). Context Crucial If Biden Recognizes Armenian Genocide — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Dania Koleilat Khatib* | US President Joe Biden is this weekend expected to formally recognize the massacres conducted against the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War as "genocide." He is likely to make the announcement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which falls on Saturday. This recognition was one of his campaign promises. | Biden already has a chilly relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and this move is likely to increase the tensions between the two NATO allies. However, the recognition should not be looked at from a political angle but rather a human on…

Arab News (2021-04-23). Ankara Tense Ahead Of Biden's Expected Recognition Of Armenian Genocide. eurasiareview.com Tensions between Washington and Ankara may be further strained on Saturday when US President Joe Biden is expected to become the first US leader to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915 onward. | The massacre of around 1.5 million Armenians in the early 20th century was formally recognized as genocide by the US Senate in 2019, but then-President Donald Trump did not follow suit. | April 24 is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, and ahead of Saturday's annual commemoration, this much-anticipated move is now a major concern for Ankara, and likely to inflame an already tense relationship. Turkey denie…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-23). Coalition Calls for Bold Pricing Reforms to Save $450 Billion on Drug Costs. commondreams.org The U.S., said one advocate, could "pump those savings back into Medicare" to expand and strengthen the program. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1715882401.jpg

RFE RL (2021-04-24). The History Of Turkish Atrocities Against Armenians And Why Biden Is Poised To Call Them Genocide — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Ivan Gutterman* | It's April 24, 1915. Some 250 Armenian intellectuals are rounded up in Constantinople and imprisoned by Ottoman police. Known as "Red Sunday," it is today a day of remembrance for a murderous yearslong campaign that would see the majority of the Ottoman Empire's prewar Armenian population expelled or exterminated. According to estimates, between 664,000 and 1.2 million people lost their lives. | A century later, recognition of the killings as genocide is still a divisive diplomatic issue, with Turkey and Azerbaijan — who share strong ethnic and cultural ties — officially denying genocide…

MISES (2021-04-24). The United States Has Declared Defeat In Two More Wars — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Ryan McMaken* | President Biden announced A week earlier, the US and Iraq reaffirmed a deal to withdraw "

IDN (2021-04-24). The US To End Its War In Afghanistan, 'The Graveyard Of Empires' — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Somar Wijayadasa* | President Joe Biden of the United States announced that its war in Afghanistan, the US's longest war ever, will end on September 11, 2021. | A glimpse of Afghanistan's history—dubbed as "the country where Empires go to die" will help us understand why many empires failed in that country. | Afghanistan, rightfully called a "graveyard of empires", is a mountainous landlocked country located along the ancient Silk Road between Asia and Europe, and surrounded by powerful nations such as India, Pakistan, and Russia. | For centuries, it was a melting pot as new empires rose up and took c…

K. Lloyd Billingsley (2021-04-24). Biden-Harris Gun Violence 'Fact Sheet' Comes Up Short On Facts — OpEd. eurasiareview.com "Biden-Harris Administration Announces Initial Actions to Address the Gun Violence Public Health Epidemic," declared a recent

Fight Back (2021-04-24). Students host rally for trans-inclusive housing. fightbacknews.org Tallahassee, FL – A group of transgender students and community members gathered on Florida State University's campus to demand changes to the campus housing policy for trans students. The student organization Gender Odyssey has been leading a campaign to adopt a new student housing policy that would, among other things, create an opt-in system for trans students to stay in dorms with fellow trans students, allow for students to change their name in the electronic housing registry system, and discipline students for transphobic harassment. | Student organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society, the Pri…

Gateway House (2021-04-24). India At The Arctic Council — OpEd. eurasiareview.com India has had big successes during its first stint as an observer in the Arctic Council. Since then, the country has made substantial progress in its climate action pledges and developed comprehensive strategies to mitigate climate change. With its re-election, India can now offer much more to the global organisation's role in promoting environmental stability in the polar region.: | By Chaitanya Giri* | In 2019, India was re-elected as an Observer to the Arctic Council,, a multilateral organisation consisting of eight littoral Arctic nations that works towards promoting cooperation, coordination and i…

commondreams (2021-04-23). 48 Organizations Call on Biden to Include Bold Drug Pricing Reforms in the American Families Plan, Use the Savings to Expand Medicare. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Rick Rozoff (2021-04-23). Biden's first trip outside the country will take him to NATO headquarters. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Biden's first trip outside the country will take him to NATO headquartersRick Rozoff White House Press Secretary Jen "Russia will be accountable by the international community" Psaki announced today that her boss, President Joe "I will continue with every fiber in my being to keep America involved with troops that can shoot and kill" Biden, …

Derek Royden (2021-04-23). A formula for disappointment? Joe Biden's center right return to 'normal' at home and abroad. nationofchange.org Having a new occupant in the White House is a relief for many people but the current moment clearly requires radical change.

_____ (2021-04-23). Memo to Biden: What About The Other Whistleblowers? popularresistance.org Darnella Frazier is a whistleblower. She's an important one. Few Americans will know her name, but we should all be thanking her. | Darnella is the 17-year-old who took the video of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd. That video has become the de facto official record of Floyd's death. Where would we be without it? | The Minneapolis Police Department's initial account was entitled, "Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction." It said that police had been called to a Chicago Avenue South address for a "forgery in progress," that Floyd "appeared to be under the in…

EMMA (2021-04-23). The People's Podcast: Climate Emergency, DAPL, & Biden's Plan. peoplesparty.org Join us for the second episode of The People's Podcast, our new live show dedicated to making the case for a major new party free of corporate money. New episodes every other week. | Sadie Thompson, co-chair of Power Shift Network, joins Nick Brana and Eynelys García to discuss the climate emergency, DAPL, and Biden's plan.

WSWS (2021-04-23). Biden climate summit offers empty spectacle. wsws.org The two-day event that began Thursday underscored the reality that there is no solution to global warming and climate change within the framework of capitalism.

Zach Conti (2021-04-23). Biden Vows Cut to US Emissions as Yellen Commits Full Power of Treasury to Address Climate. indybay.org Financial decisions play a critical role in solving climate change, advocated Treasury Secretary Yellen during a US-hosted climate summit.

Geopolitical Monitor (2021-04-23). Biden Can Learn from Indonesia's Infrastructure Experience — Analysis. eurasiareview.com By Ronny P. Sasmita | US President Joe Biden unveiled a roughly $2 trillion jobs proposal focused on infrastructure and the climate crisis in a speech in Pittsburgh last Wednesday, stressing his support for labor unions and his hope that such investments would lift the middle class. The president's next major legislative push, the American Jobs Plan, would heavily invest in rebuilding the nation's crumbling infrastructure and shift to greener energy sources over the next eight years. Biden plans to pay for his proposal by raising corporate taxes and eliminating tax breaks on fossil fuels, which was one of his…

Christopher Black (2021-04-23). Joe Biden: Who is the "Killer President"? globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | On March 18th President Biden made the absurd accusation that President …

Susan Price (2021-04-23). Morrison mute on targets at Biden climate summit. greenleft.org.au Prime Minister Scott Morrison had nothing to announce at the US-initiated World Leaders Climate Summit, reports Pip Hinman.

sputniknews (2021-04-23). US President Joe Biden to Visit UK & Belgium in First Overseas Trip. sputniknews.com The White House said the trip aims to highlight Joe Biden's "commitment to restoring our alliances, revitalising the trans-Atlantic relationship, and working in close cooperation with our allies."

sputniknews (2021-04-23). Some US Military Equipment Beginning to Be Shipped Out of Afghanistan, Reports Say. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Some US military equipment is starting to be shipped out of Afghanistan as part of the Biden administration's decision to withdraw all American forces on the ground by 1 May, CNN reported on Friday citing three defence officials.

Dave DeCamp (2021-04-23). Report: US Open to Lifting 'Terror' Sanctions on Iran's Central Bank. news.antiwar.com Since the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions on Iran to restore the JCPOA, the US is negotiating with Tehran what specific sanctions need to be lifted through indirect talks in Vienna. | The Trump administration imposed sancti…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2021-04-23). Groups Urge Blinken to Keep Human Rights Conditions on US Military Aid to Egypt. commondreams.org The NGOs said in a letter that refusing to waive conditions "will send a clear message" that the Biden administration "is serious about its commitment to supporting human rights abroad." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/egypt_2000x1047.jpg

Kenny Stancil, staff writer (2021-04-23). If Biden Serious About Green Jobs, Sunrise Movement Urges Embrace of AOC-Markey Civilian Climate Corps. commondreams.org With a "historic" bill introduced just this week in Congress, campaigners say the president has a chance to pass "the very opportunity he is hopeful for." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sunrise_jobs.jpg

commondreams (2021-04-23). Jubilee USA Statement on President Biden's Leaders Summit on Climate. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2021-04-23). Sunrise Responds to Biden's Job Creation Climate Argument: If You're Serious, Pass Markey's Civilian Climate Corps Bill. commondreams.org ______________________________…

commondreams (2021-04-23). Biden's Climate Summit Falls Short: Lofty Words But Where is the Plan? commondreams.org ______________________________…

K. Lloyd Billingsley (2021-04-23). Buttigieg Boosts Prospects Of California's Bullet Train Boondoggle — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is on record that California's High-Speed Rail project could "potentially" be funded by the pending $2.3 trillion infrastructure program. State rail bosses were pleased but in his It began in 2013, but more than 500 pieces of property have yet to be acquired, and "contractors cannot build on land that the state does not yet own." As with Hedley Lamarr's railroad in Blazing Sadd…

_____ (2021-04-23). The International Crisis Group: Do Its Funders Control the World on Behalf of American-and-Allied Billionaires? strategic-culture.org By Eric ZUESSE | Conservatives in America demonize George Soros for funding the Democratic Party and U.S.-imperialistic (or "neo-conservative") international organizations, but he's actually just a part of a network of around a thousand or so global aristocrats or billionaires who do this. Furthermore, within the individual U.S.-and-allied nations, the billionaires who fund all of the domestic political parties do the same thing in their own way; and, in the United States, a different billionaire, the conservative Charles Koch, is a mega-donor to Republican politicians and is demonized by Democratic Party voters…

Susan Price (2021-04-23). The Kobane case: a Turkish show trial. greenleft.org.au One hundred and eight leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party — the third largest party in the Turkish parliament — will face a show trial on April 26 that could see them imprisoned for life, reports Sarah Glynn.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-04-23). Warren and Cleaver Lead Introduction of 'Historic' Bill to Address US Housing Crisis. commondreams.org "It's time to stop nibbling around the edges and, instead, pass this big, bold proposal," said the Massachusetts Democrat. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12317344461.jpg

Michael Harris (2021-04-23). Friday 4/23: Gold Mining Town of Negro Bar, Sacramento County in the News again… indybay.org Negro Bar State Park Sub-Unit of Lake Natoma | Folsom Lake Recreational Area | managed by California State Parks…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2021-04-23). After Republican Caitlyn Jenner Says "I'm In" for Governor, Equality California Says: "We're Out" commondreams.org California's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, Equality California, shared its immediate reaction to the news that transgender rights activist and Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner is running for governor of the state. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/caitlyn_jenner.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2021-04-23). Critics Blast Oklahoma GOP for Passing 'Absolutely Insane' Law Shielding Drivers Who Run Over Protesters. commondreams.org The Oklahoma chapter of the ACLU is vowing to fight the state's Republican leadership following Gov. Kevin Stitt's signing of a law that will grant immunity to drivers who unintentionally hurt or kill protesters—while holding demonstrators accountable for threatening public safety instead. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/oklahoma_protest.jpg

WSWS (2021-04-23). Columbus, Ohio officer who killed Ma'Khia Bryant was trained in military marksmanship. wsws.org The fact that officer Nicholas Reardon is also an active duty member of the Air National Guard raises questions about the militarization of police in America.

ecns.cn (2021-04-23). World's second largest hydropower station ready for operation. ecns.cn Baihetan Hydropower Station is a 16 GW facility under construction on the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze River in southwest China. Upon completion, it will be the world's second biggest hydropower station after the Three Gorges Dam.

Jared Olson (2021-04-23). How Border Fascism Explains the Trump Movement. thenation.com How Border Fascism Explains the Trump Movement…

sputniknews (2021-04-22). Graham Suggests State Department Language on 'Third-World' Countries While Slashing Court-Packing. sputniknews.com Earlier, Democrats introduced legislation to expand the Supreme Court to 13 judges, citing the need to restore public confidence in the body. The reform bill was criticised by GOP lawmakers who argued that it is aimed at bypassing the current conservative majority in the Supreme Court and turn the body into an institution controlled by one party.

Staff (2021-04-22). Decolonization or Extinction: Indigenous Red Deal Lays Out Plan to Save the Earth. democracynow.org On Earth Day, we speak with two of the more than two dozen Indigenous authors of a new book that looks at the history of resistance against colonialism and capitalism and lays out a vision for the future to address the climate crisis. "The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth" details the centuries of Indigenous resistance that created the movement at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access pipeline and what movements centering justice for Indigenous people must look like. The book offers a "people's program to prevent extinction," says Melanie Yazzie, assistant professor of Native American studies and A…

Noam Chomsky (2021-04-22). Green New Deal Is Essential for Human Survival. zcomm.org If we do end up building a viable clean energy system through a global Green New Deal, we will therefore also succeed in advancing democracy and egalitarianism…

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2021-04-22). Biden's Appeasement of Hawks and Neocons is Crippling His Diplomacy. dissidentvoice.org Biden with NATO's Stoltenberg (Photo credit: haramjedder.blogspot.com) President Biden took office promising a new era of American international leadership and diplomacy. But with a few exceptions, he has so far allowed self-serving foreign allies, hawkish U.S. interest groups and his own imperial delusions to undermine diplomacy and stoke the fires of war. Biden's failure to …

Medea Benjamin (2021-04-22). U.S. Joins Past Empires In Afghan Graveyard. zcomm.org President Biden announced a removal of all U.S. troops by September 11, but he failed to include some important details…

Dilip Hiro (2021-04-22). Biden's Anti-China Ambitions. counterpunch.org Like his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden is committed to a distinctly anti-China global strategy and has sworn that China will not "become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world, and the most powerful country in the world… on my watch." In the topsy-turvy universe created by the Covid-19 pandemic, it

Staff (2021-04-22). Meet the Texas Doctor Developing a "People's Vaccine" to Help Inoculate Billions Around the World. democracynow.org We look at the state of the pandemic and vaccine rollout in the United States and around the world with Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hotez is part of a team at Baylor University that is working with a private Indian company to develop a low-cost COVID-19 vaccine. The task of developing a simple vaccine is "daunting," Dr. Hotez says. "We're talking about 5 billion doses of vaccine. And the question is: Where do you get 5 billion doses of vaccine?" he says. "We'r…

Staff (2021-04-22). "An Apocalyptic Situation": Indian Hospitals Overwhelmed as COVID Cases Soar in "Modi-Made Disaster" democracynow.org We go to Mumbai, India, for an update on the state of crisis in the country as COVID-19 cases surge and hospitals run out of oxygen. India recently recorded 315,000 new cases in a single day, the highest daily toll in any country since the start of the pandemic, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continued to hold large campaign rallies. Public health experts have blamed the surge on a number of factors, including the government's reluctance to impose another round of lockdowns, the spread of a double mutant variant of the virus, a recent Hindu festival attended by millions, and a slow vaccination drive. India…

Staff (2021-04-22). Headlines for April 22, 2021. democracynow.org India Reports Over 315,000 COVID-19 Infections, the Single Worst Daily Toll of Pandemic, Latin American Nations Suffer "Worst Moment" of Coronavirus Pandemic, U.S. Vaccination Pace Slows as White House Hits Goal of 200 Million Doses in 100 Days, Department of Justice Launches Civil Probe into Minneapolis Police Misconduct, Funeral Services Held for Daunte Wright, 20-Year-Old Black Man Killed by White Minnesota Cop, NC Protesters Demand Release of Footage Showing Police Killing of Andrew Brown, Columbus Police Body-Camera Footage Shows Officer Shot 16-Year-Old Ma'Khia Bryant Four Times, GOP Lawmakers in Iowa and O…

Editor2 (2021-04-22). Will Biden's Central American Plan Slow Migration (or Speed It Up)? orinocotribune.com By Aviva Chomsky — Apr 20, 2021 | Joe Biden entered the White House with some inspiring yet contradictory positions on immigration and Central America. He promised to reverse Donald Trump's draconian anti-immigrant policies while, through his " Although t…

Juan Cole (2021-04-22). A big Effing Deal: On Eve of Climate Summit, news that Biden will cut US C02 Emissions 50% by 2030. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — ( Matthew Daly at the Associated Press reports that President Biden will announce at Thursday's virtual international Climate Summit that the US will commit to reducing its annual carbon dioxide emissions by half of the 2005 peak by 2030. Joe Biden famously used an expletive to describe the passage of …

Juan Cole (2021-04-22). On Eve of Climate Summit, Biden will cut US C02 Emissions 50% by 2030. zcomm.org With the Biden plan, we'll be putting on significantly less "weight" every year, and the carbon sink of the oceans will then allow us to "lose" a lot of carbon weight…

The Tricontinental (2021-04-22). Risen from the Ruins: The Economic History of Socialism in the German Democratic Republic. mronline.org The German Democratic Republic (DDR) was a socialist state founded in 1949 as a democratic, antifascist reaction to the Second World War. It redistributed land, socialised the means of production, and collectivised the agricultural system. | April 21, 2021 | Commentary…

IFIMES (2021-04-22). 2021 Elections In Albania: Edi Rama's Political Capitulation — Analysis. eurasiareview.com Albania has entered the final phase of the election campaign for the parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place on 25 April 2021. | Once again the elections will be a confrontation between two old rivals. Specifically, the Socialist Party (PS/S&D) headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama and the opposition group led by the Democratic Party (PD/EPP) headed by Lulzim Basha, which also includes the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) headed by Monika Kryemadhi. | As after the parliamentary elections Albania will be faced with the transition of government, it is necessary to ensure a peaceful transition and ac…

sputniknews (2021-04-22). General Says Afghan Government 'Will Certainly Collapse' if US Doesn't Support Them Post-Withdrawal. sputniknews.com President Biden unilaterally extended the withdrawal period of the 2020 US-Taliban peace deal, announcing last week that the pullout of US forces would start in May and be completed by September. The Islamist militia has ominously warned that "problems" would "be compounded" if US and NATO troops did not pull out by the previously agreed deadline.

John Bachtell (2021-04-22). Ambitious Earth Day target: Biden announces 50% emissions cut. peoplesworld.org President Joe Biden announced an ambitious goal to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in response to the looming climate crisis on Thursday morning. With the goal, GHG emissions are to be reduced by 50% of the 2005 level by the year 2030. Getting to the goal would entail a fundamental transformation in U.S. society …

Leif Autzen (2021-04-22). Columbus, Ohio, police kill 16-year-old. liberationnews.org Merely 20 minutes before Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict was announced to the nation, 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was shot four times in the chest by officer Nicholas Reardon of the Columbus Police Department.

Steve Early (2021-04-22). Why is AFL-CIO So Worried About Its Vermont Affiliate? counterpunch.org Two years ago, a group of local union activists launched a reform campaign, called "Vermont AFL-CIO United!." They were frustrated with their own labor council's lack of militancy and creativity, plus its inability to aid new organizing, contract campaigns, or strikes. In a rare contested election, the Vermont reformers called for greater rank-and-file activism, within AFL-CIO affiliated unions and other Vermont labor organizations which represent state employees and teachers.

Anonymous669 (2021-04-22). Clashes Between SDF, NDF Renew In Al-Qamishli Despite Russian Efforts (Videos). southfront.org Click to see full-size image. | Clashes between the pro-government Syrian National Defense Forces (NDF) and Asayish, the security wing of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are still ongoing in the city of al-Qamishli in northeastern Syria. | The clashes came to a temporary halt on April 22 morning. A delegation of the Russian Military Police and the Syrian Arab Army met with representatives of Asayish in the Tayy district, where the clashes first broke out. | The two sides reportedly agreed on a ceasefire to de-esca…

Staff (2021-04-22). Nearly 100 House Democrats Send Letter to Schumer Demanding End to Filibuster. truthout.org Representatives Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) are leading an effort with nearly 100 of their fellow House members to end the Senate filibuster. The lawmakers join "In today's hyper-partisan climate, there is simply no avenue for bold legislation that meets the needs of everyday Americans witho…

Staff (2021-04-22). We Are Fighting for a World Where Ma'Khia Bryant Would Have Lived. truthout.org Sixteen-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant's TikTok is going

Staff (2021-04-22). Biden Opens Climate Summit With Pledge to Cut US Emissions in Half by 2030. truthout.org President Joe Biden on Thursday has pledged to cut carbon emissions from the U.S. to half of what they were in 2005 by the end of this decade. His announcement came on the first day of a virtual climate summit hosted by Biden. | "I've talked to the experts and I see the potential for a more prosperous and equitable future,"

Staff (2021-04-22). 72-Year-Old Fisher Hunger Strikes to Press Biden to Revive Crude Oil Export Ban. truthout.org This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. | Seventy-two-year-old, fourth-generation retired shrimper Diane Wilson has been without food for 16 days. Her 1995 red Chevy, nicknamed "Rosie," has become a mobile campsite, and each morning she posts up on a causeway at the waterfront of Texas's Lavaca Bay, expending just enough energy to switch out a sign displaying the number of days she's been on hunger strike an…

Editor2 (2021-04-22). Vienna Talks Reveal Biden Team's Attachment to Sanctions that Would Torpedo Iran Deal. orinocotribune.com By Gareth Porter — Apr 18, 2021 | Biden's foreign policy team refuses to relieve Iran from sanctions illegally imposed by the Trump administration, setting the stage for the collapse of negotiations and a major crisis. | The Biden administration signaled once again at the April 9 Vienna meeting on the Iran nuclear deal that it intends to maintain Trump-era Iran sanctions in an effort to win political and military concessions going well beyond the original deal itself. Team Biden continued to insist during the conference that Iran return to full compliance with the nuclear agreement without any reciprocal US…

William Donohue (2021-04-22). Armenian Genocide Was A Christian Genocide — OpEd. eurasiareview.com On April 24, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, President Biden is expected to make a statement on the massacre of the Armenian people that took place in 1915-1916. This was the first of three genocides in the twentieth century; the other two were Stalin's mass killing of the Ukrainians and Hitler's annihilation of the Jews. | We urge President Biden to call the massacre of the Armenians for what it is—genocide. To this day, Turkish leaders take umbrage at any mention of this subject, preferring to live in a state of denial. We should not appease them any longer. Regrettably, too many presidents and sena…

commondreams (2021-04-22). Democrats Must Pass H.R. 3 and Reinvest the Savings into Medicare. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Dean Baker (2021-04-22). Biden's Education Proposals Sets Off Washington Post Orgy of Really Big Numbers. cepr.net In an article that ran under the headline "Biden's mammoth education agenda would expand the federal role from cradle to college," the Washington Post spewed a whole set of budget numbers with literally no context whatsoever, not even giving the number of years over which the money would be spent. For example, the piece told …

Dominic Kailash Nath Waughray* (2021-04-22). Earth Day 2021: A Turning Point For Climate Action — OpEd. eurasiareview.com Earth Day 2021 marks a historic moment for action on climate change. Today, at President Biden's unprecedented Leaders Summit on Climate, he put forward an ambitious national commitment from the US to help the world tackle the climate crisis — to halve greenhouse gas emissions from the country by 2030 compared to 2005. | Combined with existing commitments to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 from the EU, the UK and other major G20 economies including Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as a commitment from President Xi to peak China's carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon-neutral growth by 20…

Michael Shellenberger (2021-04-22). Democrats Must Stop Sacrificing Good American Nuclear Jobs For Cheap Chinese Solar Panels — OpEd. eurasiareview.com The Biden Administration is

Thomas Knapp (2021-04-22). A Biden-Putin Summit: Jaw-Jaw is Better than War-War. counterpunch.org On April 13, US president Joe Biden spoke by phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin, whom he has previously referred to, in pot/kettle fashion, as a "killer." During the call, Biden proposed a summit between the two in the near future. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Russian chess legend and political exile Garry Kasparov

_____ (2021-04-22). Tim Kirby, Joaquin Flores — The Strategy Session, Episode 14. strategic-culture.org The Biden Circle's foreign policy agenda is secondary — It's prime objective is to forestage 'toughness', Alastair Crooke writes. Tim and Joaquin discuss

_____ (2021-04-22). Who Wags the Dog? Israel's Friends in Washington Mean Constant War in the Middle East. strategic-culture.org Biden, like presidents before him, is caught in the trap between an extremist-dominated Israel and the all-powerful domestic Israel Lobby. | Donald Trump, who was elected President of the United States in 2016, may have won due to voters attracted by his pledge to end many of the "stupid" wars that the American military was involved in worldwide. In the event, however, he ended no wars in spite of several attempts to withdraw from Afghanistan and Syria, and almost started new conflicts with cruise missile attacks and the assassination of an Iranian general. Trump was consistently outmaneuvered by his "experts" on…

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