2021-05-07: News Headlines

Margaret Kimberley (2021-05-07). Progressives Capitulate To Biden — OpEd. eurasiareview.com There can be no more excuses made for Democratic "progressives," who steadfastly refuse to fight for what they know to be right. | No one is holding Joe Biden's "feet to the fire" or pushing him left or taking any of the other make believe actions which were meant to silence the Democratic Party's left wing. There is no longer any need to say that The Justice Democrats, Progressive Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus all sing Biden's praises despite the…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-05-07). Palestine's Moment of Reckoning: On Abbas' Dangerous Decision to 'Postpone' Elections. counterpunch.org The decision on April 30 by Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, to 'postpone' Palestinian elections, which would have been the first in 15 years, will deepen Palestinian division and could, potentially, signal the collapse of the Fatah Movement, at least in its current form. Unlike the last Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, the big story,

Paul Street (2021-05-07). Would Anyone Care to Defend American Radicals? counterpunch.org I am told that a leading senior and radical American historian quipped last year that a second Trump administration might have given the American Left a chance to gather together — under armed guard "in Yankee Stadium." A bit of excessively paranoid dark humor? Maybe. But maybe not entirely. Consider. As President of the United

Vijay Prashad (2021-05-07). In Kerala, the present is dominated by the future. mronline.org Kerala, a state in the Indian union with a population of 35 million, has re-elected the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to lead the government for another five years. Since 1980, the people of Kerala have voted out the incumbent, seeking to alternate between the Left and the Right. | May 7, 2021…

William Boardman (2021-05-07). What Does a "Racist Country" Look Like Anyway? dissidentvoice.org "America is not a racist country," Republican senator Tim Scott of South Carolina said in his party's official response to President Biden's address to the nation on April 28. There are reasons that should have been a laugh line: Biden did not say America was a "racist country," the Black senator was rebutting the president's …

Margaret Kimberley (2021-05-07). Freedom Rider: Progressives capitulate to Biden. mronline.org There can be no more excuses made for Democratic "progressives," who steadfastly refuse to fight for what they know to be right. | May 7, 2021 | Newswire…

Stephen A. Crockett Jr. (2021-05-07). Wildly Popular Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Won't Seek Reelection and Something Doesn't Seem Right [Updated]. theroot.com Thursday was ending the way that Thursdays usually do, with Thursday being all annoyed that no matter what it does, it will never be Friday. Then, literally out of nowhere, news that the rockstar mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, won't be seeking reelection shocked the airwaves. |

Staff (2021-05-07). #FreePalestinianStudents campaign update: Join a letter-writing action online; Israeli attacks on students continue. samidoun.net There are hundreds of Palestinian high school and university students among the approximately 4,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails, in many cases specifically targeted for Israeli colonial imprisonment and repression for their student activism, organizing student events and participation in student elections and other political and social activities on campus. As Israeli settlers rampage through Jerusalem and Palestinians resist the threatened impending forced transfer and ethnic cleansing in Sheikh Jarrah, occupied Jerusalem, the attacks on Palestinian students — and their organizing and…

Staff (2021-05-07). GOP Lawmakers Are Trying to Overrule Voters on Everything From Medicaid to Weed. truthout.org Amid growing concerns that Republicans will try to Missouri voters last year passed a ballo…

Staff (2021-05-07). Texas Democrats Fought GOP Voter Suppression Bill Through the Night. truthout.org Texas House Republicans passed a voter suppression bill early Friday morning despite a tough fight put up by Democrats, who offered over 130 amendments from late Thursday into the night. | Democrats

Staff (2021-05-07). US-Made Border Crisis Persists Despite Biden's About-Face on Refugee Cap. truthout.org This week's news of the Biden-Harris administration's about-face on U.S. refugee policy was a win for all the progressive forces that have been pressuring Biden to discontinue Trump's egregiously low cap on the number of refugees accepted each year. But the victory did nothing to change the other massive structural ways in which the Biden-Harris administration is continuing to perpetuate the humanitarian crisis at the border through its embrace of Trump's other asylum policies. | For example, even…

Staff (2021-05-07). Trump Loyalist Who Attacked the Capitol Blames Fox News. truthout.org A man who took part in the Capitol breach on January 6 said this week that his actions weren't 100 percent his fault. Rather, he said, was influenced into being a part of the violence that day by something his lawyer called "Foxmania," which resulted in him believing false claims about election fraud in the 2020 election. | Anthony Antonio

Stephen A. Crockett Jr. (2021-05-07). How the Coronavirus Has Impacted Vice President Kamala Harris' Family in India. theroot.com On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks at the State Department in which she will declare the United States' solidarity with the people of India and the struggle they face battling COVID-19. |

Jim McMahan (2021-05-07). Tell Biden and Bill Gates: End vaccine apartheid! workers.org Seattle Nearly 100 demonstrators rallied here April 30 in front of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — the world's richest "philanthropic" foundation — to demand "End vaccine apartheid!" Protests to free vaccines from being corporate 'intellectual property' are spreading, here at Moderna headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., April 28. Gates, . . . |

Joe Glenton (2021-05-07). Greens gain and NIP struggle, but Labour decay is the election theme. thecanary.co The big battle in this round of elections was always going to be between the Conservatives and Labour in the Hartlepool by-election, a battle in which the Tories achieved a landslide win. | However, smaller parties had mixed results. The Greens made some gains, as did the Liberal Democrats. The Northern Independence Party had a rough outing in its first electoral test. | Lib Dems: | The Lib Dems, who have never looked the same since their stint in coalition with the Tories, won control of Stockport Council and took

Global Research News (2021-05-07). Selected Articles: As NATO Summit Approaches: Will Biden Keep U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey? globalresearch.ca By It has been estimated that the Pentagon maintains 50 B61 tactical nuclear weapons at the ƒ∞ncirlik Air Base in the country …

The Canary (2021-05-07). Labour falls to 'shattering' defeat in Hartlepool by-election. thecanary.co Keir Starmer's hopes of leading a Labour revival have been dealt a crushing blow after the Tories romped to victory in the Hartlepool by-election. | In a stunning result, the Conservatives took the seat — which had been Labour-held since it was formed in 1974 — with a majority of 6,940. | Reaction pours in: | Shadow communities secretary Steve Reed admitted it was an "absolutely shattering" result as another brick in the party's once impregnable "red wall" crumbled. | (PA Graphics) | Heavy defeat: | In a major boost for Boris Johnson, Conservative candidate Jill Mortimer gained 15,529…

Paul Haeder (2021-05-07). The Good, Bad and the Ugly of Roughshod Chemistry. dissidentvoice.org "When we look at what is truly sustainable, the only real model that has worked over long periods of time is the natural world."— Biomimicry Institute founder, Janine Benyus [Photo: A selection of the thousands of native potato varieties that grow in Peru. Photograph: The International Potato Centre] It's paramount to talk about all the …

_____ (2021-05-07). Activist Confronts Defense Industry CEO For Company's Role In War Crimes. popularresistance.org An anti-war activist confronted General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic on Wednesday during the company's shareholders' meeting, accusing the defense industry giant of profiting off war crimes and arming repressive, undemocratic regimes without "moral reflection." | "I appreciate the care you've taken to keep us safe during COVID," CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin told General Dynamics' board, which included Novakovic and former Defense Secretary James Mattis. "But," she added, "I wonder about the care that this company takes to keep people safe from the bombs and the other weapons that you produce that kill innoc…

_____ (2021-05-07). A Temporary TRIPS Waiver Is Not Enough. popularresistance.org A new poll finds that 59% percent of US voters support waiving all patent protections to produce generic versions of life-saving medicines for critical diseases, from Covid-19 and HIV/AIDS, to heart disease and diabetes. Only 28% disagreed. | The survey carried out by Data for Progress and the Progressive International, shows a super majority of 71% registered Democrats support the removal of all patent barriers to allow for the cheaper production of life-saving medicines. Even registered Republicans support the action with 47% in favor compared to 39% opposed.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Delhi Protest Against Bill Gates for Refusing to Share Vaccine Tech With Developing Nations. sputniknews.com Just days before Joe Biden's administration supported India's proposal to waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, Bill Gates spoke out against sharing such patents with developing countries. His remarks have provoked much anger in India, which is battling the second coronavirus wave.

Robert R. Raymond (2021-05-07). Mutual Aid Efforts Working to Fill Gaps of Biden's COVID Response. zcomm.org "Community building is really necessary in order to fight capital, and you can't go up against a state if you don't have relationships that are already formed."

Walden Bello (2021-05-07). Fascism's Global Spread is Real — As Real as the Spread of COVID-19. zcomm.org In the world's largest democracies, far-right movements that embrace violence, reject democracy, and target the vulnerable are on the rise…

Lori Wallach (2021-05-07). Pressure Grows on Biden to Back WTO Waiver on Vaccine Technology. zcomm.org More than 100 countries have supported the waiver, which they say is critical to ramp up production of vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests in the Global South…

Sangeeta Gopal Saxena, Thomas Godfrey (2021-05-08). [Correspondence] Catalysing needed change for health systems in the USA. thelancet.com Powerful voices calling for change to address the health-care crisis in the USA are gaining momentum.1—3 These voices are in response to the Lancet Commission on public policy and health in the Trump era: a deep analysis of the causes of long-standing systemic failure of health-care delivery in the country. The proposed change is crucial but daunting, and can be catalysed by deepening the collaboration between clinical medicine and public health. Both efforts share the common goal of maintaining good health; yet they operate on parallel tracks in the USA.

Jessica Corbett (2021-05-07). 'America the beautiful': Biden administration aims to protect 30% of US lands and waters by 2030. nationofchange.org "This is a critical opportunity for Americans to come together to build a new, more inclusive model of conservation to save nature, and ultimately ourselves," said one advocate.

_____ (2021-05-07). On Education, Biden Is Making Sure 'Nothing Will Fundamentally Change'. popularresistance.org When it comes to education policy, Joe Biden is following through on his promise that nothing will fundamentally change. | While he expressed support for some progressive measures on the campaign trail, like ending the high-stakes testing mandate for K-12 and giving relief to higher education students and borrowers, his actions so far have led some to surmise that corporatists and reformers are running the show at the Department of Education. Secretary Miguel Cardona has taken a prolonged "Help is Here" tour, but urgent demands from students, parents, and teachers are going unmet. | Here's a breakdown of the admi…

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). As NATO Summit Approaches: Will Biden Keep U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey? globalresearch.ca Visit and follow us on Instagram at @crg_globalresearch. A

_____ (2021-05-07). More States Enter The Race To Criminalize Protest. popularresistance.org It was April 1, and Jestin Dupree had driven more than 400 miles from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana to the state's capital, Helena, to testify against legislation that could be used to jail environmental protesters. For years, his tribe had been protesting the Keystone XL pipeline, which was to cross the Missouri River, their main source of water. Their efforts seemed to be vindicated when the project was cancelled by President Joe Biden during his first day in office. | Montana's new legislation, however, would allow environmental protesters to be jailed for up to 18 months if they obs…

William I. Robinson (2021-05-07). Crisis capitalista y control social. globalizacion.ca La decisión del presidente Joe Biden, el pasado 15 de abril, de expulsar a 10 diplomáticos del Kremlin y de imponer nuevas sanciones contra Rusia por su alegada injerencia en las elecciones presidenciales estadunidenses de 2020 —a lo cual ya…

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Psaki Plans to Leave Her Post of US President Press Secretary 'In About a Year From Now'. sputniknews.com Jennifer Psaki gained fame as Department of State press secretary under Democratic US President Barack Obama. In 2015 she worked as Director of Communications and returned to the scene this year as Joe Biden's press secretary.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Conservatives Up in Arms After Biden Fails to Mention 'God' in National Prayer Day Proclamation. sputniknews.com Although America's founding fathers were proponents of religious rationalism and generally sought to keep religion out of politics, no president in the nation's 244 year history has been openly atheist. In recent decades, a self-serving display of one's religious identity has even been employed by many candidates to try to get votes.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Pentagon Adds 'Package' of F-18 Jets to Assist With US Troop Withdrawal in Afghanistan. sputniknews.com US President Joe Biden announced in April that the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan would not be completed by the previously agreed upon May 1 deadline, declaring instead that the forces would be out of the war-torn country by September 11, marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the US.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Biden Still Wants Summit With Putin Despite Tensions Over Ukraine. sputniknews.com Last month, the two presidents held a phone conversation during which they agreed to hold a meeting in the near future.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Biden Administration Says Iran Sanctions Could Be Lifted Only If Tehran Returns To JCPOA Status. sputniknews.com &nbsp…

MISES (2021-05-07). Three Reasons Why The Biden Tax Increase Makes No Sense — OpEd. eurasiareview.com By Daniel Lacalle* | Anyone who believes the "rich" and large corporations will pay for $28 trillion in debt or the $2 trillion in new deficit has a real problem with math. | Biden's announcement of a massive tax increase on businesses and wealthier segments of the population simply makes no sense. The tax hikes will have a significant impact on economic growth, investment, and job creation and do not even scratch the surface of the structural deficit. Even if we believe the gross domestic product growth and revenue estimates announced by the Biden administration, the impact on debt and deficit is negligible.

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). Ukraine confirms boost in U.S. military aid, invitation to Biden, Harris during Blinken visit. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukraine confirms boost in U.S. military aid, invitation to Biden, Harris during Blinken visitRick Rozoff Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a press conference after a meeting with the two, Ukraine's prime minister and foreign minister and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland earlier in the …

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-07). Blinken: West Must Be 'Very Careful' About Chinese Investments. news.antiwar.com Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US and its allies have to be "very careful" when it comes to Chinese investments in Western economies. | "I think we have to be very careful about exactly what the nature is of that investment," Blinken made the comments when explaining the Biden administration's China policy. He claims th…

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). Ukraine Confirms Boost in U.S. Military Aid, Invitation to Biden, Harris During Blinken Visit. news.antiwar.com Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a press conference after a meeting with the two, Ukraine's prime minister and foreign minister and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland earlier in the day. While acknowledging that it was too early to discuss the matter in detail, Zelensky …

Dave DeCamp (2021-05-07). US Accuses Iran of Making 'Unrealistic Demands' for Sanctions Relief. news.antiwar.com Indirect negotiations between the US and Iran that have been ongoing in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal are dragging out due to the fact that the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions. On Thursday, The unnamed official told reporters that a deal could be reached quickly if Iran has the political will.

WSWS (2021-05-07). Former Obama administration official arrested on charges of charter school embezzlement. wsws.org Seth Andrew, a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama in the Office of Education Technology, was arrested last Tuesday on charges he stole more than $200,000 from Democracy Prep Public Schools, a network of charter schools he founded in 2005.

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). Russian foreign minister to UN Security Council: West imposing totalitarianism, rejecting democracy in global affairs. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com And it's only taken twenty years of wars and color revolutions, sanctions and travel bans, freezing of assets and conspiracy theories about subverting elections in the U.S. and elsewhere, cyber warfare and chemical poisoning accusations, military-build-up along Russia's borders, repeated Security Council votes condemning the nation, isolation of Russia to the point where the West …

Sasha Abramsky (2021-05-07). The Arizona GOP's Attack on Democracy. thenation.com The Arizona GOP's Attack on Democracy…

sputniknews (2021-05-07). 'Sounds Like We're Machines': Democratic Rep. Trashed For Calling Mothers 'Birthing People'. sputniknews.com According to many of those trying to make the English language more gender-neutral, some words should simply be erased from our everyday vocabulary — including "mum" and "dad."

Emir Sader (2021-05-07). La falta de conciencia democrática fue fatal para Brasil. globalizacion.ca El momento decisivo para el golpe que rompió con la democracia em Brasil, sacó al Partido de los Trabajadores (PT) del gobierno e introdujo gobiernos antidemocráticos, antinacionales y antipopulares, como los de Temer y Bolsonaro, fue cuando la derecha orquestó…

_____ (2021-05-07). History Repeats… Why Washington and London Crave a New Cold War. strategic-culture.org American global power is in direct contradiction to the democratic needs of a multipolar planet. | The United States and its "junior partner" Britain this week expressed their desire for a new Cold War with Russia and China — albeit surreptitiously, and dressed up in virtuous language. | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was speaking with his British counterpart Dominic Raab ahead of a G7 summit for foreign ministers held in London this week. The two diplomats called for G7 nations and partners to band together more tightly in order to confront China and Russia. To that end, delegates from Australia, Ind…

Elisa Gratias, Bastian Barucker (2021-05-07). Corona Enlightenment Offensive and The primal need. indybay.org At the end of 2019, the online medium Rubikon founded its own book publishing company just in time before the start of the Corona Crisis, in order to offer its content to a broad public in a sustainable way offline and to promote a more democratic formation of opinion. Today, this decision enables the Rubikon to launch a Corona education offensive.

Eurasia Review (2021-05-07). Open Source Tool Can Help Identify Gerrymandering In Voting Maps. eurasiareview.com With state legislatures nationwide preparing for the once-a-decade redrawing of voting districts, a research team has developed a better computational method to help identify improper gerrymandering designed to favor specific candidates or political parties. | In an article in the Harvard Data Science Review, the researchers describe the improved mathematical methodology of an open source tool called

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Harris Urges Central America to Tackle 'Root Causes' of Migration as Mexico Accuses US of Meddling. sputniknews.com The so-called Northern Triangle of Central America, consisting of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, has been long been plagued by social unrest, poverty, violence, and corruption, partially attributable to centuries of US meddling in the region's affairs. The crisis has caused many people from these countries to flee in search of a better life.

Mirko C. Trudeau (2021-05-07). øKamala y Blinken repiten la política de Trump para Latinoamérica? globalizacion.ca La vicepresidenta de Estados Unidos, Kamala Harris reiteró la consigna de su gobierno de que Estados Unidos está de regreso y destacó este martes que la relación con Latinoamérica va mucho más allá del comercio y, pese a reconocer que…

WSWS (2021-05-07). Congressional Republicans move to purge Liz Cheney from leadership. wsws.org The removal of Cheney, daughter of the former vice president and an arch-reactionary and warmonger, is a significant step in the transformation of the Republican Party into the fascistic instrument of Donald Trump.

Ryan McMaken (2021-05-07). Vaccine Passports Are Just a Way for the Regime to Expand Its Power. globalresearch.ca Visit and follow us on Instagram at @crg_globalresearch. Earlier this month, …

Rick Rozoff (2021-05-07). Belarus ready to hold early presidential election same day U.S. does. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Belarusian Telegraph AgencyMay 7, 2021 Lukashenko names conditions for early presidential election in Belarus ==== Belarus thanks U.S. for telling it how to run elections, country — with assistance of Sixth Fleet Top Belarus commander warns of NATO build-up near Belarusian, Russian borders Last bastion: Belarus warns of repetition of 1921, 1941 tragedies Belarus: Wars have taken on …

Guest Contributor (2021-05-07). OPINION: New Mexico Leading the Nation on Early Childhood Education. latinorebels.com This legislative victory shows that elections are crucial to pushing for social change.

W. T. Whitney (2021-05-07). Chile's Neoliberal Nightmare, New Constitution, and Daniel Jadue. counterpunch.org Working and marginalized people in Chile can now see possibilities of relief from the political grief of decades. A new constitution is in the works. And Daniel Jadue, author of an astonishingly progressive program as mayor of Rocoleta municipality, is a presidential candidate. The election is set for November 21, 2021. Chileans will vote on

sputniknews (2021-05-07). 'Historic': UK Conservatives Win By-Election in Labour Stronghold Hartlepool. sputniknews.com Britons went to polls on Thursday to choose between candidates in the largest round of local elections in 50 years.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Cummings Roasts Starmer Over Dire Labour Losses, Holds Up 'Vote Leave' as Perfect Strategy. sputniknews.com After Labour's crushing by-election defeat in Hartlepool, formerly one of its safest seats, where a Conservative MP was elected for the first time in 62 years, opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer finds himself fending off awkward questions regarding the direction in which he is taking the party he leads.

Steve Topple (2021-05-07). Voter apathy lost Labour Hartlepool, not Jeremy Corbyn. thecanary.co The Tories Not that this problem is anything new. | Hartlepool turned blue: | The result on the Hartlepool by-election that was held on 6 May was as follows: | Hartlepool, parli…

Joe Glenton (2021-05-07). For Starmer fans, Hartlepool is everybody's fault but their own. thecanary.co The Labour Party has lost Hartlepool to the Tories in a by-election landslide. You might expect a failure of this scale to start a round of soul-searching. Nope. Keir Starmer's backers are blaming everybody but themselves for this latest disaster. | Hartlepool, parliamentary by-election result: | Con: 51.9% (+23.0) | Lab: 28.7% (-9.0) | Ind: 9.7% (+7.5) | RefUK: 1.2% (-24.6) | Grn: 1.2% (+1.2) | LDem: 1.2% (-3.0) | Oth: 6.1% (+4.9) | Con GAIN from Lab. | — Britain Elects (@BritainElects) Blairite Wes…

sputniknews (2021-05-07). Starmer Compounds Awful Election Result With Car Crash TV Interview, Repeating Himself Three Times. sputniknews.com Sir Keir Starmer – a former Director of Public Prosecutions – replaced Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader last year after the Tories won a landslide victory in the 2019 general election. He had hoped to see the first signs of a post-Corbyn bounce in the elections held on 6 May.

sputniknews (2021-05-07). #StarmerOut Trending on Twitter as Labour Party Suffers Historic Loss in Hartlepool by-Election. sputniknews.com The Hartlepool defeat has reignited questions about over whether Keir Starmer can reverse Labour's fortunes ahead of the 2024 general election.

Combined Sources (2021-05-06). Massacre of protesters and economic crisis push Colombia workers to strike. peoplesworld.org Colombia is in the midst of another general strike, with unions saying the government has failed to listen to demands for emergency measures to deal with rising poverty and hunger. Monday night's massacre of protesters by police in the city of Cali have further enraged the democratic and people's movements in the country and garnered …

Staff (2021-05-06). "Nothing to Lose": Colombians Protest "Fascist Mafia Regime" Amid Deadly Police & Military Crackdown. democracynow.org At least 30 people in Colombia have been reportedly killed since a nationwide uprising erupted against the government of right-wing President Iván Duque. Protesters are vowing to remain in the streets amid a deadly crackdown by police and military officers. About 800 people have been injured and 87 people are missing in the midst of the demonstrations, which were initially sparked by a now-withdrawn tax reform proposal, but they have since expanded in scope. People in Colombia are also denouncing rampant police brutality and demanding broader social, economic and political reforms. At least 15 people were killed…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-05-06). Duque Regime's Crimes Against Humanity to Reach ICC. libya360.wordpress.com Kawsachun News Scene from a protest in Santiago de Cali on April 29, 2021. Photo: Jahfrann The International Criminal Court (ICC) will soon receive a communication from Bogotá on the crimes against humanity committed by the Ivan Duque regime against Colombian citizens since national strike mobilizations began on April 28th. Senator Iván Cepeda Castro announced…

Ramzy Baroud (2021-05-06). Palestine's Moment of Reckoning: On Abbas' Dangerous Decision to 'Postpone' Elections. dissidentvoice.org The decision on April 30 by Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, to 'postpone' Palestinian elections, which would have been the first in 15 years, will deepen Palestinian division and could, potentially, signal the collapse of the Fatah Movement, at least in its current form. Unlike the last Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, the big story this …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-05-06). Palestine's Moment of Reckoning. zcomm.org On Abbas' Dangerous Decision to 'Postpone' Elections…

Monica Moorehead (2021-05-06). Bashing China, U.S. commits crimes against humanity. workers.org It was announced April 7 that the Biden administration is being pressured by right-wing Republicans to either fully or partially boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, which will take place for two weeks that February. As part of the ongoing anti-China tirade that accelerated with the COVID-19 . . . |

Amiad Horowitz (2021-05-06). No surprise Florida Republicans pair voting restrictions with anti-communist indoctrination. peoplesworld.org In early April, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill requiring all schools in the state to teach students about "communism and totalitarianism" and the ways that "communism" supposedly stands in contrast to the "American principles of freedom and democracy." The new law was passed at a time when state governments across the U.S.—including …

Stephen A. Crockett Jr. (2021-05-06). They Getting Real Reckless: White Colorado State Rep Calls Colleague 'Buckwheat'. theroot.com Maybe they've been watching reruns of old Rocky films or still reeling from the high of rushing into the Capitol on Jan. 6, but some Republicans are getting real reckless with their words, and one of the worst examples might be a Colorado state representative who referred to a colleague as "Buckwheat." |

Stephen A. Crockett Jr. (2021-05-06). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Continues Republican Push to Make Voting Hard AF for Black People. theroot.com Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, aka Big Baby Brian Kemp, continued the Republican streak of enslaving the fuck out of the Black vote by signing a controversial bill into law that would limit access to mail-in voting in the state, continuing to move on former President Trump's continuous lie of election fraud in…

Jake Johnson (2021-05-06). 300,000 Deported in Biden's First 100 Days. orinocotribune.com By Jake Johnson — Apr 29, 2021 | A rights group warns that the U.S. president is "well on track to repeat" Obama's failures. | Rights group United We Dream warned Tuesday that unless he takes immediate steps to improve his administration's treatment of immigrants, President Joe Biden is at serious risk of repeating the destructive failures of former President Barack Obama, who deported Despite Biden's characterization of Obama's mass deportations as a "

Kate Sullivan (2021-05-06). Heroes: Stacy Abrams. thenation.com Fighting the GOP's voter suppression.

Staff (2021-05-06). Military Industrial Complex Exerts Powerful Influence on Biden's Foreign Policy. truthout.org Given how progressive many of the initial Biden administration domestic policy actions have been, its Many commentators have pointed out that Biden's foreign policy…

Staff (2021-05-06). Florida's DeSantis Bars All Media Except Fox at Voter Suppression Bill Signing. truthout.org Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Thursday imposing new restrictions on voting, such as making it harder to vote by mail and criminalizing the handing out of food and water to people in voting lines. | The governor made the signing of the bill, which would affect millions of voters in his state, a "Fox exclusive,"

Staff (2021-05-06). Police and State Violence Have Secondary Impacts: Complex and Lasting Trauma. truthout.org These last weeks, months, years and decades we keep on adding names to the list — Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright, Ma'Khia Bryant, Ronald Johnson, Pierre Loury, Rekia Boyd, Nickolas Lee, Laquan McDonald, Archie Lee Chambers, Maurice Granton, Anthony Alvarez…. The list of victims of police murder seems never-ending. Then there is the list of police torture survivors — Gerald Reed, Stanley Howard, Tony Anderson, Darrell Fair, Sean Tyler, Kilroy Watkins, and on and on and on. Many of us…

Staff (2021-05-06). Justice Department Raises Concerns Over Cyber Ninjas' "Audit" of Arizona Ballots. truthout.org The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division has expressed serious concerns over an audit of the 2020 election in Arizona's largest county, noting that the firm hired to conduct the review may be taking illegal actions. | In a letter written by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pamela Karlan, the DOJ worried that 2.1 million ballots from Maricopa County may be compromised due to the lack of security at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum where the audit is taking plac…

Staff (2021-05-06). Facebook's Oversight Board Isn't Enough. The Government Must Regulate Big Tech. truthout.org Former President Donald Trump will continue to stay off Facebook after the company's oversight board ruled Wednesday that his ban was justified for creating "an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible." Trump was banned shortly after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which he helped foment by promoting baseless claims of election fraud. The oversight board also said Facebook should reassess its ban and make a final decision in six months. Shoshana Zuboff, professor…

Staff (2021-05-06). Trump-Appointed Judge Rules Against CDC's Moratorium on Evictions Amid Pandemic. truthout.org Delivering another blow to people across the United States First enacted under former President Donald Trump last year, the CDC morat…

John Bachtell (2021-05-06). Suspending COVID vaccine patent restrictions puts people before profits. peoplesworld.org A move is underway internationally to temporarily scrap patent restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines that are making pharmaceutical companies' profits explode while many countries struggle to inoculate their people against the deadly virus. In a surprise but extraordinary decision, the Biden administration announced its support Wednesday for a waiver of such patent rights. But to happen, …

John Bachtell (2021-05-06). Suspending COVID vaccine patent restrictions puts people before profits. peoplesworld.org A move is underway internationally to temporarily scrap patent restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines that are making pharmaceutical companies' profits explode while many countries struggle to inoculate their people against the deadly virus. In a surprise decision, the Biden administration announced its support Wednesday for a waiver of such patent rights. But to happen, all 164-member …

Workers World Party (2021-05-06). PDF of May 9 issue. workers.org Download the PDF. Justice for Andrew Brown Jr. Celebrating May Day 2021! No education austerity! Vaccine apartheid; Colonialism in space; Bash U.S., not China; 'Scientific' racism; Protest for MOVE children; Lucy Parsons, anti-capitalist; Editorial — Biden's military maneuvers. GLOBAL: Chad conflict; Ecuador election. Tear down the walls: Unbroken, indomitable spirits; . . . |

claudia (2021-05-06). May Dispatch — May Day shows DSA power. dsausa.org Enjoy your May Dispatch! This month we have a PRO Act update, socialist organizing and history calls, and more. From Maria: May Day Shows DSA Power! Support Our Socialist Slate — Races Coming Up 5/18 Wednesday 5/19 — Join our Democratic Socialist Labor Commission for Socialists on the Job! RSVP for Demilitarize US 2 Palestine…

Staff (2021-05-06). "Monumental Moment": U.S. Backs Waiving COVID Vaccine Patent Rights After Months of Blocking Talks. democracynow.org The Biden administration has announced it now supports temporarily waiving the intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines, in what the World Trade Organization is calling a "monumental moment." India and South Africa first proposed the waiver in October, but the United States and other wealthy nations blocked the WTO from even opening negotiations on the proposal. Supporters say the waiver is critically needed to increase the rate of vaccine production for the Global South as COVID-19 rapidly spreads in India, Latin America and other regions where few vaccines are available. Biden's support for the waiver is…

Staff (2021-05-06). Shoshana Zuboff: Facebook's Oversight Board Is Not Enough. The Government Has to Regulate Big Tech. democracynow.org Former President Donald Trump will continue to stay off Facebook after the company's Oversight Board ruled Wednesday that his ban was justified for creating "an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible." Trump was banned shortly after the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which he helped foment by promoting baseless claims of election fraud. The Oversight Board also said Facebook should reassess its ban and make a final decision in six months. Shoshana Zuboff, professor emerita at Harvard Business School and author of the book "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism," says that Facebook's r…

Global Research News (2021-05-06). Selected Articles: Biden Administration Envisages Using Private Firms to Spy on Americans Via their Online Social Media Activity. globalresearch.ca By The Biden administration is reportedly interested in contracting with private firms to collect information on Americans supp…

David Villamar (2021-05-06). Lessons, dangers and dilemmas for Correismo after Ecuador's election. mronline.org On April 11, the second round of Ecuador's presidential election saw the rightwing candidate Guillermo Lasso prevail by 52.4% to 47.6% over his left wing opponent Andres Arauz. | May 6, 2021 | Interview…

sputniknews (2021-05-06). Netizens Divided as Ivanka Trump Reveals She Received Second Shot of COVID Vaccine. sputniknews.com The eldest daughter of the former US president, Donald Trump, Ivanka, received her first coronavirus vaccine shot on 14 April. She did not elaborate on which vaccine she was given.

Staff (2021-05-06). Headlines for May 6, 2021. democracynow.org In Reversal, Biden Administration Will Support Waiving Patents for COVID-19 Vaccines, India Sets New Global Record for Daily Coronavirus Cases, CDC Predicts Sharp Drop in U.S. COVID-19 Cases by July If Vaccinations Continue, Trump-Appointed Federal Judge Throws Out National Eviction Moratorium, Study Predicts "Rapid and Unstoppable" Sea Level Rise Unless Paris Climate Goals Are Met, U.N. Warns of Soaring Hunger, Child Mortality and Maternal Deaths During Pandemic, Facebook Oversight Board Upholds Ban on Trump, Active-Duty National Guardsman Arrested over January 6 Insurrection, Top Republicans Prepare to Oust Rep…

sputniknews (2021-05-06). UK Votes in Largest Local Elections in 50 Years. sputniknews.com LONDON (Sputnik) — Wearing the mandatory face mask because of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people are heading to polling stations in England, Scotland and Wales to elect their local authorities in the largest elections in 50 years.

_____ (2021-05-06). Biden Supports Suspension Of Covid-19 Vaccine Patents. popularresistance.org President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday supported a proposal submitted by several countries to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to suspend the intellectual property of vaccines against covid-19 when the United States has already administered 250 million doses. | The announcement was greeted with sharp falls in the shares of the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna and Novavax on the Wall Street stock exchange. | Biden made good on his campaign promise to endorse the patent suspension. Still, he has only done so when the U.S. vaccination rate plummets, and the country is sitting on…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-05-06). After US Reversal, EU 'Ready to Discuss' Covid-19 Vaccine Patent Waiver. commondreams.org After the Biden administration's reversal, a European Union leader suggests the bloc's members "are ready to discuss" waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-12323044771.jpg

Dean Baker (2021-05-06). Biden's Big Step on TRIPS: Getting the World Vaccinated. cepr.net (This post first appeared on my Patreon page.) President Biden made a huge step yesterday when his trade representative, Katherine Tai, announced that the United States would be supporting a resolution at the World Trade Organization (WTO), to suspend intellectual property rules on vaccines for the duration of the pandemic. This resolution had been introduced …

Badri Raina (2021-05-06). Pandemic and Elections in West Bengal: Modi's Conjoint Failures. zcomm.org We have often been reminded of how Narendra Modi is never in the wrong. Here appear two exceptions…

WSWS (2021-05-06). G7 foreign minister discuss anti-Russia and China agenda amid global pandemic. wsws.org Britain is using its position as host this year to confirm its wholehearted commitment to President Biden's aggressive foreign policy and push other nations, especially the European powers, to do the same.

William Donohue (2021-05-06). Biden's Border Problem Is Exploding — OpEd. eurasiareview.com President Biden is getting high marks for his overall performance, but if there is one issue that is dogging him, it is the crisis at the border. He even refuses to call it a crisis. Indeed, neither he nor his border-in-chief vice president has shown any interest in visiting the border. | Two new surveys spell disaster for the president on this subject. The Pew Research Center poll found that almost 7 in 10 Americans say Biden is doing a bad job dealing with the increasing number of migrants who are crashing our border. Most want more staffing and resources made available to handle the throngs of people, often…

Eurasia Review (2021-05-06). Niger: New Government Should Investigate Massacres. eurasiareview.com Niger's first democratic transition since independence provides President Mohamed Bazoum's new administration with an opportunity to prioritize accountability for alleged war crimes committed by all sides in Niger's armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today in a On March…

Editor2 (2021-05-06). 80 Groups Blast US for Interfering with Mexico's Plan to Ban Glyphosate and GMO Corn. orinocotribune.com As Mexico prepares to phase out glyphosate and GMO corn crops, a coalition of agriculture, consumer, environmental, public health and worker groups called on key U.S. officials to "refrain from interfering with [Mexico's] right to enact health-protective policies." | A coalition of 80 U.S. agricultural, consumer, environmental, public health, and worker groups sent a letter April 29, to key figures in the Biden administration calling for them to "respect Mexico's sovereignty and refrain from interfering with its right to enact health-protective policies" — specifically, the phaseout of the herbicide glyphos…

Matt Sedlar (2021-05-06). Biden Proposes Progress, Republicans Scream "Socialism" cepr.net Bozeman (MT) Daily Chronicle Newsbug.info See article on original site Almost 70 years ago, President Eisenhower pushed bipartisan legislation that created the interstate highway system. Earlier leaders made universal access to education, starting with kindergarten and running through high school, standard throughout the United States. The Republican Party of today would have one word for …

_____ (2021-05-06). Biden Lied About Yemen. popularresistance.org The Biden administration has finally admitted that the US is indeed providing offensive material support to Saudi Arabia's genocidal assault on Yemen, directly contradicting Biden's February claim that it would no longer be providing offensive support in that war. We are being lied to about yet another US war by yet another US president. | "The United States continues to provide maintenance support to Saudi Arabia's Air Force given the critical role it plays in Saudi air defense and our longstanding security partnership," Pentagon spokesperson Jessica McNulty has informedVox reporter Alex Ward. | "Multiple US def…

Andy Kroll (2021-05-06). The True Meaning of the Afghan "Withdrawal" tomdispatch.com Many of us have had a recurring nightmare. You know the one. In a fog between sleeping and waking, you're trying desperately to escape from something awful, some looming threat, but you feel paralyzed. Then, with great relief, you suddenly wake up, covered in sweat. The next night, or the next week, though, that same dream returns. For politicians of Joe Biden's generation that recurring nightmare was Saigon, 1975. Communist tanks ripping through the streets as friendly forces flee. Thousands of terrified Vietnamese allies pounding at the U.S. Embassy's gates. Helicopters plucking Americans and Vietnamese from ro…

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