(2021-08-26). Grandson of Notorious Warlord: My Family Is Celebrating the Taliban, But I Fear for My Friends' Lives. democracynow.org 
As the United States has begun the final phase of evacuations of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies from the Kabul airport, we speak with Obaidullah Baheer, an Afghan academic who has decided to stay in Kabul despite the risks. Baheer's grandfather, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, is a former mujahideen fighter once nicknamed the "Butcher of Kabul," now among the senior political figures in the country attempting to shape a post-U.S. government with the Taliban. "This country needs more educated people," says Baheer. "They're not going to have enough technocrats for a functioning government to be in place. That's why some of u…
(2021-08-26). Headlines for August 26, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Begins Final Phase of Kabul Evacuations as Withdrawal Deadline Looms, U.S. Embassy Warns of ISIS Plot to Attack Kabul Airport, U.S. COVID-19 Hospitalizations Top 100,000 for First Time Since January, NY Gov. Hochul Promises "Clear, Honest Picture" of COVID-19 Toll After Cuomo Cover-Up of Deaths, Pan American Health Organization Blasts COVID-19 Vaccine Inequity, House Probe Seeks Documents from Trump's Inner Circle Regarding January 6 Attack, Pro-Trump Attorneys Face Possible Disbarment After Federal Judge's Scathing Ruling, Michigan Man Gets 6-Year Sentence for Plot to Kidnap Gov. Whitmer, Court Upholds Deat…
(2021-08-26). "An Inquiry Needs to Take Place": Jeremy Corbyn on Afghanistan & Preventing the Next War. democracynow.org 
We get reaction to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan from British member of Parliament and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, one of the leading critics of the Afghan War in Britain. He says critics who warned against invading Afghanistan, and later Iraq, have been vindicated, and calls for an official inquiry into the war. "It's horrible to read back to 2001 and 2003 and say all the worst predictions that any of us ever made have all come to pass," Corbyn tells Democracy Now!
(2021-08-26). Sarah Chayes: Afghanistan Was an "Afterthought" for U.S. as Bush Was "Hellbent" on Invading Iraq. democracynow.org 
As the U.S. proceeds with evacuating people from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country, we speak with author and former NPR reporter Sarah Chayes, who covered the fall of the Taliban in 2001, then lived in Kandahar until 2009, where she ran a soap factory, and went on to become a special adviser to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mike Mullen in Kabul. She says it was apparent shortly after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan that the country was an "afterthought" for the Bush administration, which was "hellbent" on invading Iraq. "Well into 2002, there was basically no one home at the U.S. Embassy,"
(2021-08-26). Afghanistan War Is "Cash Cow" for Pentagon. zcomm.org Biden Must End "Delusional" China Rivalry…
(2021-08-26). An Open Letter to President Biden on COVID-19 Vaccines for Cuba. orinocotribune.com By Mayda Mauri Pérez and Luis Herrera Martínez — Aug 24, 2021 | Cuba would be better prepared to cope with the pandemic if US sanctions are lifted to allow for medical supplies. | Dear President Joe Biden: | You recently talked about Cuba and its COVID-19 vaccine campaign at a White House press conference, saying: "I would be prepared to give significant amounts of vaccines if … an international organisation would administer those vaccines and do it in a way that average citizens would have access to those vaccines." You also called Cuba a "failed state". | These statements surprised many, including those…
(2021-08-26). These 3 energy storage technologies can help solve the challenge of moving to 100% renewable electricity. Kerry Rippy, Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory 
(2021-08-26). California Secures Disaster Declaration as Wildfires Spread. telesurenglish.net As massive destructive wildfires continue to spread across regions in Northern California, the western U.S. state has secured a major disaster declaration from President Joe Biden. | RELATED: | "California is grateful for President Biden's swift approval of our request and the ongoing work of our heroic firefighters and emergency responders to protect communities across Northern California," said California Governor Gavin Newsom, no…
(2021-08-26). øPerjudica políticamente a Biden el desastre de Afganistán? globalizacion.ca La mayoría de los estadounidenses está de acuerdo con la retirada de las tropas, pero la imagen de organización y normalidad de Biden se ha resquebrajado por el caos de los últimos días. Por primera vez desde que es presidente,…
(2021-08-26). Rescue Plan of the Biden Administration. indybay.org Thanks to the rescue plan, the US economy is expected to grow faster than at any time since 1984. The rest of the world will also benefit. Families with children will receive tax rebates. 70% of Americans are in favor of the plan.
(2021-08-26). Supreme Court forces re-adoption of racist anti-immigrant policy. liberationnews.org 
A Supreme Court ruling yesterday — upholding an earlier ruling by a right wing judge — dealt a blow to immigrants' rights by requiring the Biden administration to re-adopt a racist Trump era immigration policy. Known as the "Remain in Mexico" policy, this measure prohibits people who arrive at the southern border from entering the …
(2021-08-26). The Corporate Race for Governor of Virginia. counterpunch.org Virginia's gubernatorial election, to be held on November 2, 2021, will be contested between former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe and his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin. The 2 candidates, pro-corporate politicians to the core, are each trying desperately to differentiate themselves from the other. In addition, both have substantial demerits, which have to be brushed-over during the campaign.
(2021-08-26). Texas House makes quorum as Democrats return, allowing Republicans to move toward passage of anti-voting rights bill. wsws.org The end of the Texas Democrats' quorum break and imminent passage of the anti-democratic voting measures underscore the fraudulent character of the Democratic Party's "defense" of voting rights.
(2021-08-26). Eleven Theses on Socialist Revolution. dissidentvoice.org 
How should we think about "socialist revolution" in the twenty-first century? I put the term in scare-quotes because it can be hard to believe anymore that a socialist, or economically democratic, civilization is even possible—much less inevitable, as Marx and Engels seem to have believed. Far from being on the verge of achieving something like …
(2021-08-25). Biden tells G-7 he accepts Aug. 31 Kabul Airport Deadline as Taliban, fearing Flight of Capital and Skills, Forbid Evacuations Thereafter. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The Taliban have further foreclosed U.S. options in the current effort to evacuate any remaining Americans and eligible Afghans from the country. President Biden said Tuesday that he was accepting the August 31 deadline laid down by the fundamentalist group for the US to be out of the Kabul Airport …
(2021-08-25). "Massacre of My Dreams": Afghan Reporter Bilal Sarwary on Fleeing Kabul & Afghanistan's "Brain Drain" democracynow.org 
The United States has helped evacuate over 75,000 people since the end of July from the Kabul airport, but the Taliban is now allowing passage only to people with foreign passports or an invitation from the U.S. or one of its allies. President Joe Biden says U.S. troops are on pace to leave the country by the August 31 deadline, despite pressure from U.S. allies in the G7 to stay longer to help more people flee the country. We speak with Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary, who fled Kabul in recent days after reporting on Afghanistan for 20 years. He says his plane out of the country was an encapsulation of the brain…
(2021-08-25). Headlines for August 25, 2021. democracynow.org Biden: U.S. "On Pace" to Withdraw from Afghanistan by Aug. 31, Taliban Blocks Afghans from Accessing Kabul Airport, World Bank Cuts Funds for Afghanistan as U.N. Warns of Looming Catastrophe, House Democrats Approve $3.5 Trillion Budget Resolution, House Passes John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Immigration: Supreme Court Revives Trump's "Remain in Mexico" Program, Judge Faults DHS for Not Considering Ecological Harm of Militarizing Border, U.S. Records 1,400 New COVID Deaths as AMA Calls for Broad Vaccine Mandates, U.S. & Cuba Pledge Vaccines for Vietnam, But Only Cuba Offers to Share Vaccine Technology,…
(2021-08-25). Trudeau says Canada to keep military in Afghanistan after Aug 31. ecns.cn Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada is to keep its military personnel in Afghanistan despite US President Joe Biden's commitment for Aug 31 American military deadline in the country.
(2021-08-25). National Front of Afghanistan Resist Taliban From Panjshir. telesurenglish.net Anti-Taliban forces from the National Front of Afghanistan (NRF) are fighting back the terrorist group northeast of the country, local media outlets reported on Wednesday. | RELATED: | The Khaama Press news agency said that the region of Panjshir is becoming the epicenter of the NFR as the militants are "digging a trench to defend Panjshir Province." | Peter Doocy confronts Psaki about Biden's trust in the Taliban amid A…
(2021-08-25). Republicans demand return of $169mn in aid money allegedly embezzled by ousted Afghan President Ghani. rt.com 
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have called on the attorney general to investigate reports that Afghanistan's ousted US-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled his country with a vast sum of stolen US aid dollars. | In letters to Attorney General
(2021-08-25). In OtherWords: August 25, 2021. otherwords.org The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has created a political headache for the Biden administration, which Khalil Bendib beautifully illustrates this week. But One particularly unseemly aspect of the war is the role played by for-profit, private military contractors. Sam Pizzigati takes a critical look this week at the "merchants of death," from World War I…
(2021-08-25). ISIS-K militants look to attack US forces and its allies in Afghanistan — Biden. tass.com US President said that he is "determined" to ensure the implementation of his mission to leave Afghanistan…
(2021-08-25). Medea Benjamin: Afghanistan War Is "Cash Cow" for Pentagon. Biden Must End "Delusional" China Rivalry. democracynow.org 
We look at the situation in Afghanistan, and pressure on Biden to stay longer, with CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who for years has called for an end to the longest war in U.S. history. "We didn't want it to end like this, and there should have been better planning in terms of getting people out of the country, but we were very clear we never wanted the U.S. to go in to begin with," says Benjamin. She also warns the end of the War in Afghanistan will encourage the Biden administration to pour more money and resources into a rivalry with China. "It is a delusional idea that we should be focusing on China as…
(2021-08-25). End of the Longest War in US History Should Wake Us Up to Failure of Militarism. truthout.org 
We look at the situation in Afghanistan, and pressure on Biden to stay longer, with CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, who for years has called for an end to the longest war in U.S. history. "We didn't want it to end like this, and there should have been better planning in terms of getting people out of the country, but we were very clear we never wanted the U.S. to go in to begin with," says Benjamin. She also warns the end of the War in Afghanistan will encourage the Biden administration t…
(2021-08-25). The Heat: Afghanistan political fallout. america.cgtn.com 
With a week to go, U.S. President Joe Biden sticks to the August 31st deadline to leave Afghanistan. We will take a look at the political fallout of his decision.
(2021-08-25). The US Endgame in Afghanistan Was Mineral Extraction, Not Democracy. commondreams.org The Blackwater founder previously pushed the Trump administration to privatize the Afghan war.
(2021-08-25). Russian Leading Political Party Provides Prediction For Middle East's Future. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia released a statement which is an attempt to predict the future of the Middle East, Central Asia, Caucasus and even parts of the Balkans. | The LDPR is the third most popular party in Russia. | In their opinion a lot of changes will take place, some significant, some not so much. | Pakistan will unite with Afghanistan and a single state of Pashtunistan will be created. All other non-Pashtun peoples will be pushed westward towards Central Asi…
(2021-08-25). The Endless Shadow of the War on Terror. counterpunch.org It ended in chaos and disaster. Kabul has fallen and Joe Biden is being blamed (by congressional Republicans in particular) for America's now almost-20-year disaster in Afghanistan. But is the war on terror itself over? Apparently not. It seems like centuries ago, but do you remember when, in May 2003, President George W. Bush declared
(2021-08-25). The Great Game of Smashing Countries. counterpunch.org As a tsunami of crocodile tears engulfs Western politicians, history is suppressed. More than a generation ago, Afghanistan won its freedom, which the United States, Britain and their "allies" destroyed. In 1978, a liberation movement led by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) overthrew the dictatorship of Mohammad Dawd, the cousin of King Zahir Shar. It was an immensely popular revolution that took the British and Americans by surprise.
(2021-08-25). Haiti's Villages Continue to Be "Cut Off from Help" More Than a Week After Massive Earthquake. democracynow.org 
We speak with Stéphane Vincent, a Haitian citizen journalist who is helping the BBC to cover the aftermath of the devastating August 14 earthquake for the BBC and says the destruction in Les Cayes is reminiscent of the 2010 earthquake that struck the country. "To relive that again was very heart-wrenching," he says. "The people have been feeling left out and abandoned by government." Vincent co-wrote a BBC article on "The forgotten villages cut off from help."
(2021-08-25). 11 Days After Haiti's Earthquake, Doctor Describes Lack of Treatment, Supplies & COVID-19 Concerns. democracynow.org 
We go to Les Cayes, Haiti, to speak with a doctor about the conditions near the epicenter of the massive August 14 earthquake, as the death toll passes 2,200, with thousands of survivors growing increasingly desperate. Over 12,000 people were injured and an estimated 53,000 homes were destroyed by the 7.2 magnitude quake. People left unhoused have been living in squalid camps in the mountains north of the hard-hit city of Les Cayes, where children are reportedly suffering from hunger, fevers and infections. There is an acute lack of medical workers and humanitarian aid, says Dr. Chery Marie Anne-Lise, a general p…
(2021-08-25). Drone Strike Hit SDF Position Amid Rumors Of New Turkish Operation In Syria. southfront.org 
File image. | On August 25, a Turkish combat drone attacked a target in the vicinity of the Kurdish-held town of al-Bayluniyah in the northern countryside of Syria's Aleppo. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the target was a position of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). No human losses were reported as a result of the drone strike. | This was the fifth Turkish drone strike to target areas held by the SDF in northern and northeastern Syria within five days. | On August 20…
(2021-08-25). House OKs $3.5 trillion budget plan, allowing massive social change. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—By a tense 220-212 party-line vote, the Democratic-run U.S. House approved a $3.5 trillion "reconciliation" budget blueprint, opening the way for massive social changes Democratic President Joe Biden envisions in his "Build Back Better" agenda. The evenly split Senate previously passed the labor-backed blueprint, crafted by Biden officials and Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, Ind.-Vt. …
(2021-08-25). Biden's Plan a Godsend for Appalachia. progressive.org These funds would help diversify our economies, bring new revenue streams into our region and retrain workers for jobs in the new economy.
(2021-08-25). Progressives want Biden to push harder on voting rights. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The Democratic-run U.S. House may have passed a major voting rights bill on a party-line vote, but progressive groups aren't letting Democratic President Joe Biden off the hook. Instead, they tramped to Lafayette Park, just in front of the White House, on August 25 to demand he force voter protection and voting rights expansion through …
(2021-08-25). From the Nixon Shock to Biden-flation. strategic-culture.org By Ron PAUL | This month marks fifty years since President Richard Nixon closed the "gold window" that had allowed foreign governments to exchange US dollars for gold. Nixon's action severed the last link between the dollar and gold, transforming the dollar into pure fiat currency. | Since the "Nixon shock" of 1971, the dollar's value — and the average American's living standard — has continuously declined, while income inequality and the size, scope, and cost of government have risen. | Since the beginning of this year, price inflation has increased much, and it could continue onward to exceed the 19…
(2021-08-25). øEs Joe Biden un libertador de la Internet? globalizacion.ca El viernes 16 de julio, en los jardines de la Casa Blanca y antes de abordar el helicóptero rumbo a la residencia de descanso en Camp David, Joe Biden declaró a la CNN que "la desinformación en las redes nos…
(2021-08-25). The Meaning of "Open Borders" counterpunch.org Guests on conservative Fox News are going nuts over what they are calling President Biden's "open borders" policy. One recent example was Stephen Miller, a former Trump advisor, who appeared on Tucker Carlson's show, where he lamented Biden's supposed "open-border policies." Another was Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, who appeared on Fox and Friends, where he
(2021-08-25). Supreme Court Orders 'Remain in Mexico' Policy Reinstated. latinorebels.com WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a court ruling ordering the Biden administration to reinstate a Trump-era policy that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S.
(2021-08-25). 9 House Dems Who Threatened Biden's Bills Get Accolades From Pro-Business Groups. truthout.org 
The House passed a $3.5 trillion budget framework Tuesday, but not before a group of centrist Democrats backed by big money groups tried to stall the vote in an effort to scuttle the unprecedented spending package. | Democrats can now move forward with votes on both the larger $3.5 trillion bill as well as a more focused $1.1 trillion infrastructure bill without the votes of Republicans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was first forced to scrap a planned vote on Monday to advance the…
(2021-08-25). Trump's Favorite Pesticide Banned! counterpunch.org The Biden EPA has put a stop to use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on food crops, thereby reversing a decision by the Trump administration to allow it to continue to be sprayed on vegetables and fruit in spite of an Obama administration order in 2015 to ban the pesticide for public health reasons. This is
(2021-08-25). Biden Boosted Food Stamps. Let's Do the Same to All US Anti-Poverty Programs. truthout.org 
The
(2021-08-25). Fidel y los grandes temas nacionales de hoy. globalizacion.ca Hace unos días conmemoramos el aniversario 95 del natalicio de quien ha sido una de las personalidades políticas más relevantes del siglo XX: Fidel Castro. Y aunque se celebra justamente su impronta en la historia, apenas comienzan a fluir ideas…
(2021-08-25). Jorge Rodríguez: The Right Wing Was Forced to Resume the Path of Dialogue. orinocotribune.com Deputy Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, expressed that the political sectors of the right, which had specific weight in the early years of the 21st century, have been characterized by their historical record of violence exercised over the past 20 years since "they abandoned the constitutional and democratic political path and, instead, opted for the shortcuts of violence, aggression and fake news." However, now the opposition sectors have been forced to resume the path of dialogue because of the defeat that the Venezuelan people and the Bolivarian Revolution have inflicted on them. | R…
(2021-08-25). Saving Democracy by Destroying It. ips-dc.org Arizona's Maricopa County is ground zero in the continuing debate over election integrity in the United States. The so-called audit of the 2.1 million votes cast in that county in last year's presidential election—by the almost comically inept firm Cyber Ninjas—was supposed to arrive at the Arizona Senate this week. But delivery was once again delayed as three members of the five-person Ninja team The Maricopa "audit" has…
(2021-08-25). Progressives Vow to 'Hold the Line' on Democrats' Bold Agenda. commondreams.org For the health of our democracy, we need to disarm the war on knowledge and reason that was inspired by the 'Powell Memo' and carried out by the Koch network and its right-wing army.
(2021-08-25). Will Senate Democrats Stoop to Confirming Rahm Emanuel as Ambassador? indybay.org Senators of good conscience must not vote to confirm him…
(2021-08-25). 'Unprecedented': Madagascar on Verge of World's First Climate-Fueled Famine. commondreams.org "Monopoly is a threat to representative democracy—and that protecting our democracy requires effective antitrust."
(2021-08-25). US House vote to move forward on budget framework heralds major cuts in $3.5 trillion price tag. wsws.org To overcome the opposition of the Democratic holdouts, Pelosi made a significant concession, incorporating into the procedural rule a pledge to bring the infrastructure bill to a vote in the House by September 27, regardless of whether the "human infrastructure" budget bill had passed in the Senate.
(2021-08-25). 'Democracy for Sale': Analysis Ties Corporate Consolidation to Increased Lobbying. commondreams.org A major report on climate says both greenhouse gas concentrations and global sea levels hit record highs in 2020.
(2021-08-25). Michigan Governor Whitmer proposes to use federal pandemic relief money to fund the police. wsws.org Leading Democrats from Detroit and across the state joined together with the governor to call for $75 million of the federal funds from the American Rescue Plan to be used for beefing up police departments across the state.
(2021-08-25). Senate Democrats fighting to tax billionaires and pass bill to invest in working families. nationofchange.org "The unconscionable growth in billionaire wealth through the misery of the pandemic is the clearest case I can imagine for the progressive tax reform working its way through Congress."
(2021-08-25). John Lewis Voting Rights Bill Passes House With Zero Republican Votes. truthout.org 
The House passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act on Tuesday evening. The bill would empower nonwhite voters and enable the federal government to move against racial discrimination in voting. | The bill, named for the late Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat from Georgia and civil rights advocate who died last year, passed the House
(2021-08-25). 'Monstrous Human': Erik Prince Reportedly Charging $6,500 for Seats Out of Kabul. commondreams.org The extraordinary lengths to which the Court has shown it will go to enable the rich to effectively buy elections with its blithe disregard for the rights of people should terrify all those concerned with the survival of our extremely weakened and problematic democracy.
(2021-08-25). Will America Break? Largest Public School System Says All Teachers And Staff Must Take Jabs, Boosters, Potentially In Perpetuity. moguldom.com New York City, which boasts America's largest public school system, is mandating all teachers and staff to get vaccinated against covid-19 or face consequences. The city made the announcement on Monday, Aug. 24, that all 148,000 of its public school employees would need to get at least their first vaccine dose by Sept. 27. "We're …
(2021-08-25). The Biggest Gamble of Nancy Pelosi's Life. zcomm.org "The American people expect us to deliver on child care, paid leave, housing, healthcare, climate action, and more — and we must."
(2021-08-25). The Fix Is In on Fixing Things. otherwords.org America's economic and political inequality has led workaday Americans to exclaim: "The system is broken. Let's fix it!" | But there's another version of this protest that I'm hearing more frequently these days: "The system is fixed. Let's break it!" That certainly applies to such rigged systems as money in politics and voter suppression, but it's also relevant to seemingly mundane matters that restrain our personal freedoms. | One of the insidious "fixes" we need to break is the claim by brand-name corporations that we consumers must be banned by law from repairing the products they sell to us. | The weak batter…