(2021-12-30). CDC Director Walensky dismisses the seriousness of child COVID-19 hospitalizations. wsws.org Despite the rising number of pediatric cases and admissions, the Biden administration and its top health officials minimize the danger to ensure schools reopen on schedule when the winter break ends.
(2021-12-30). Biden administration withdraws federal COVID-19 safety standards for health care workers. wsws.org The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the expiration of its Emergency Temporary Standards, even as frontline health care workers risk their lives in overwhelmed hospitals and long-term care facilities.
(2021-12-30). Why Biden is Better for Russia than Trump. journal-neo.org 
During the previous US Administration we heard a lot of talk about connections with Russia, and Trump supposedly doing Putin's bidding. Trump was depicted as the most pro-Russian president in the land of the Alger Hiss spy scandal, Joe McCarthy and the Red Scare and Trygve Lie being forced out of the UN because he …
(2021-12-30). Biden's new COVID rules protect profits, endanger workers. liberationnews.org 
'Nurses hare not going to stand by while the government and our employers weaken protections. We are not going backward now."
(2021-12-30). Occupy Biden Activists Will Rally On January 1. popularresistance.org This week, environmental advocates addressed intensifying fossil fuel pollution, climate injustices, and the Biden administration's failure to take the lead on climate crisis solutions during the Occupy Biden protests near Joe Biden's Wilmington, DE home. Their goal remains to increase the pressure on the President to declare a climate emergency and end new fossil fuel projects. The actions are being led by local community leaders and supported by dozens of environmental and social justice groups from around the country, and have resulted in hundreds of people taking action. The Occupy Biden actions began on Chri…
(2021-12-30). Encampment Near Biden's Delaware Home Calls for Declaration of Climate Emergency. truthout.org 
A small group of climate activists has established an encampment near President Joe Biden's private home in Delaware where they are demanding he declare a national climate emergency and immediately order the end to fossil fuel development in the United States. | Establishing the camp on Christmas Day and sleeping overnight in tents or cars on a roadside area not far from the family's Wilmington residence, the campaigners operating under the "Occupy Biden" banner say if the president truly…
(2021-12-30). America's Malaise and Its 'Failure of National Purpose' — 'Things Are Not Getting Better'. strategic-culture.org Does Biden have a choice? Can he acquiesce to a negotiated settlement with all three of America's self-defined adversaries: Russia, China and Iran? | Former thrice-time U.S. Presidential candidate and now political commentator, Pat Buchanan,
(2021-12-30). Noam Chomsky on Rising Fascism in U.S., Class Warfare & the Climate Emergency. democracynow.org 
Noam Chomsky warns the Republican Party is "marching" the world to destruction by ignoring the climate emergency while embracing proto-fascism at home. Chomsky talks about the January 6 insurrection, how neoliberalism is a form of class warfare and how President Biden's climate plans fall short of what is needed.
(2021-12-30). Chomsky Blasts the "Torture" of Julian Assange & Biden's Provocative Acts Against China. democracynow.org 
Noam Chomsky decries what he calls the torture of imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He also critiques the Biden administration's reckless foreign policy. "The trajectory is not optimistic," Chomsky says. "The worst case is the increasing provocative actions towards China. That's very dangerous."
(2021-12-30). Libyan Elections Got Disrupted by the US and UK Intervention. journal-neo.org 
On 24 December 2021, Libya was scheduled to hold a popular vote for the country's first president, but it never took place: The Election Commission failed to publish the final list of candidates on time, and on December 21, the head of the Commission, Imad al-Saih, ordered the closing of polling stations. The vote was …
(2021-12-30). Left-Wing Victory in Chile. orinocotribune.com By Yanis Iqbal — Dec 25, 2021 | The 2021 presidential election in Chile has resulted in the
(2021-12-30). FBI is Recklessly Misusing Trump-Era Espionage Policy to Create "Climate of Fear" Among Scientists—Terrorizing Families and Ruthlessly Destroying Careers. covertactionmagazine.com The Justice Department's China Initiative Was Established by the Trump Administration to Crackdown on Chinese Economic and Scientific Espionage However, …
(2021-12-30). Trump Sues Jan. 6 House Committee Because Committee Might Find Trump Wrongdoing. truthout.org 
In June 2007, former Vice President Dick Cheney — already no stranger to wantonly abusing his power — became the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion of Chutzpah when he
(2021-12-30). Even With Trump Out of Office, the Far Right Continued to Mobilize in 2021. truthout.org 
Although Donald Trump has been out of power for nearly a year, the far right in the United States is still going strong. The January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol was easily the year's most important event, and its fallout has, in many ways, defined 2021. Arrests, lawsuits and congressional hearings are still ongoing. | Even without Trump's tweets to guide them, the far right failed to collapse, as many had hoped. Excepting a gruesome mass murder in Denver, Colorado, at the year's end, the bulk…
(2021-12-30). We Dance into the New Year Banging Our Hammers and Swinging Our Sickles. dissidentvoice.org 
P.S. Jalaja (India), We Surely Can Change the World, 2021. Bittersweet is the passage of this year. There have been some immense victories and some catastrophic defeats, the most terrible being the failure of the Global North countries to adopt a democratic attitude towards confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and creating equitable access to key resources, …
(2021-12-30). Oil Lobbyist Mary Landrieu's Foundation Connects Congress With Corporate Execs. truthout.org 
This article was produced by During her time in the Senate, Louisiana's Mary Landrieu was perhaps the oil and gas industry's strongest ally among the Democrats. Landrieu, who was chosen to…
(2021-12-30). Beyond Passive Resistance. zcomm.org Against Democratic Surrender in a Time of Fascitization…
(2021-12-30). Noam Chomsky: Corporate Patents & Rising Anti-Science Rhetoric Will Prolong Pandemic. democracynow.org 
Today, a special broadcast: an hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author, who just turned 93 years old. Chomsky spoke to Democracy Now! prior to the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant, but he predicted new variants would emerge. "If you let the virus run rampant in poor countries, everyone understands that mutation is likely, the kind of mutation that led to the Delta variant, now the Delta Plus variant in India, and who knows what will develop," Chomsky said.
(2021-12-30). Chomsky: Rising Anti-Science Rhetoric Feeds the Pandemic and Climate Crisis. truthout.org 
Today, a special broadcast: an hour with Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author, who just turned 93 years old. Chomsky spoke to Democracy Now! prior to the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant, but he predicted new variants would emerge. "If you let the virus run rampant in poor countries, everyone understands that mutation is likely, the kind of mutation that led to the Delta variant, now the Delta Plus variant in India, and who knows what will develop,"
(2021-12-30). British Columbia's New Democratic government intensifies policy of mass infection as Omicron spreads. wsws.org The Canadian province recorded five straight records for daily infections last week, culminating in over 2,500 cases on December 25. BC's 7-day rolling average of cases has more than doubled in a week.
(2021-12-30). Oklahoma Bill Would Empower Parents To Remove Books From School Libraries. popularresistance.org A bill proposed by a Republican state senator in Oklahoma would empower parents to have books that discuss gender identity removed from public school libraries—a measure that rights advocates warned could have life-threatening consequences for LGBTQ+ children across the state. | Under Senate Bill 1142, introduced earlier this month by state Sen. Rob Standridge, just one parent would have to object to a book that includes discussion of "sexual perversion, sex-based classifications, sexual identity, or gender identity" and other related themes in order to begin the process of removal.
(2021-12-30). Warren Slams Grocers for Raising Prices While Raking In Profits. zcomm.org As the company hailed its grocery workers as "heroes," it cut hazard pay early in the pandemic while pursuing over $1 billion in stock buybacks in 2020…
(2021-12-29). Occupy Biden — Day 3 — Demanding Executive Action. popularresistance.org I live in the shale fields of western Pennsylvania. Butler County is one of the most heavily fracked counties in one of the most heavily fracked states in the country. We have fence line communities that have suffered health and financial hardship due to the industry. | My friends in the Woodlands have been without water since Rex Energy poisoned their water in 2010 during a frack job gone bad. For almost 11 years, up to 60 families from the Woodlands have gone every week to White Oak Springs Presbyterian Church to a water bank called Water for Woodlands to get 20-25 gallons of water per family. These people have…
(2021-12-29). Alternate Reality Traps Democrats in World of Dumb. strategic-culture.org Elect us to save democracy, say the delusional Democrats, ignoring the reality that democracy is bumbling along pretty much as it was intended to do. The Dem line would all make more sense if Trump had appeared bare chested at the Biden inauguration atop an M1 tank or something, but that is the nature of delusion.
(2021-12-29). China-U.S. relations in 2021. america.cgtn.com 
See how China-U.S. relations are in the Biden era in 2021. Where Is the relationship heading in 2022?>
(2021-12-29). Biden's Dithering in the Middle East Is Forcing Old Enemies to Mend Broken Bridges. strategic-culture.org In recent weeks, Arab countries, Iran and Turkey have all been working out how they can move forward and get along with each other, all due to "sleepy Joe" Biden being asleep at the wheel. Where's all this heading? | In recent weeks, Arab countries, Iran and Turkey have all been working out how they can move forward and get along with each other, all due to "sleepy Joe" Biden being asleep at the wheel. Where's all this heading? | Barely a year in office and what has Joe Biden done in the Middle East? Could it be an after dinner game, like what Europhiles in Brussels play ('Name five famous Belgians')? Name five d…
(2021-12-29). It Is 'Strange,' Says Greta Thunberg, That Biden Is Seen as a Climate Leader. zcomm.org "I've met so many people who give me very much hope and just the possibility that we can actually change things."
(2021-12-29). Historians Warn the GOP Is Pushing Nation Toward Trump-Based Authoritarianism. truthout.org 
Two historians in Kentucky have vociferously expressed their concerns over the future of democracy in the United States and the possibility that Trumpism will make a return after either the 2022 midterms or the 2024 presidential election. | "This is real, this is serious and it's frightening," Brian Clardy, professor of history at Murray State University, said regarding the potential for the nation to descend into a far right authoritarian state focused on white supremacy. | The solution to…
(2021-12-29). Latin America: The Continent that Never Ceases to Amaze Us. libya360.wordpress.com Hussam AbdelKareem With such leaders that the continent of Marquez produces, the poor would not have to steal in order to feed the children. Latin America never ceases to amaze us. Its ability to "produce" "extraordinary" leaders continues across generations. Guevara and Castro are the most famous in the twentieth century, and before them, Simon…
(2021-12-29). American Gulag: Inside The US' Massive Prison System. popularresistance.org For a supposedly developed, democratic nation, the United States locks up an extraordinary number of its citizens. Close to one quarter of the world's prison population is in the United States. Even on a per capita basis, only El Salvador and Turkmenistan come close to America's preponderance for incarceration. | In a country with a rising population and a falling demand for labor, the government decided to solve this problem by simply locking up millions of its poorest citizens, in the process allowing corporate America to make billions from their suffering. The prison industry is booming: between 1990 and 2005,…
(2021-12-29). Bitcoin Is No Democratic Breakthrough Of Finance: Less Than 1% Of Investor Wallets Control A Third Of BTC In Circulation. moguldom.com The top 10,000 investors control more than 33 percent of the Bitcoin supply, weakening the argument that cryptocurrency will democratize finance. It can be difficult to determine who owns the most Bitcoin because many of the largest addresses — the unique identifiers that serve as a virtual location where the cryptocurrency can be sent — …
(2021-12-29). Building Collective Power Within Our Organizations. popularresistance.org As we imagine an alternative society, we should think about how we will create something more collective, something where all people have a voice. Most of us come from a tradition where a select few make large impactful decisions for social justice organizations. Organizations have practices that at times feel inadequate and inaccessible for all. How do we move more towards a democratic collective process? | These questions come to mind as many movement organizations are wrestling with creating collective democratic power internally. How can processes be more transparent in the organization—and how do we ba…
(2021-12-29). Headlines for December 29, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Infections Hit All-Time High, Omicron Drives Record Rates of Infection in Several European Countries, Taliban Fire Warning Shots at Dozens of Women Protesters in Kabul, U.N. Envoy Warns of Civilian Toll as Saudi-Led War on Yemen Escalates, Mahmoud Abbas Meets Israeli Defense Minister, Death Toll from Brazil Flooding Rises to 20, Kodiak, Alaska, Hits 67 ∞F as Climate Emergency Fuels Extreme December Weather, Climate Emergency Cost Global Economy Nearly $200 Billion in 2021, South African Court Halts Shell Oil's Offshore Oil Exploration Plans, Russia Shutters International Memorial, Which Chr…
(2021-12-29). Arundhati Roy Talks Media, Authoritarianism in India and Challenging US Wars. truthout.org 
We go to New Delhi, India, to speak with acclaimed Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy about the pandemic, U.S. militarism and the state of journalism. Roy first appeared on Democracy Now! after receiving widespread backlash for speaking out against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. At the time, her emphatic antiwar stance clashed with the rising tides of patriotism and calls for war after 9/11. "Now the same media is saying what we were saying 20 years ago," says Roy. "But the trouble is, i…
(2021-12-29). Surveillance Concerns: The Good, the Bad, and the Xenophobic. warisacrime.org 
By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 28, 2021 Thom Hartmann has written an enormous number of great books, and the latest is no exception. It's called The Hidden History of Big Brother in America: How the Death of Privacy and the Rise of Surveillance Threaten Us and Our Democracy. Thom is not the least …
(2021-12-29). One of Harry Reid's Last Wishes Was to End the Filibuster. truthout.org 
Harry Reid, who served five terms as a Democratic senator from Nevada, including four stints as Senate Majority Leader, died on Tuesday at the age of 82, after four years of treatment for pancreatic cancer. | Reid's legacy includes major pieces of legislation,
(2021-12-29). Poet Martín Espada on "Floaters," the Dehumanization of Refugees, Puerto Rico & His Father. democracynow.org 
Acclaimed poet Martín Espada recently won the National Book Award for Poetry for his anthology "Floaters." He became just the third Latinx poet to win the award. "Floaters" is titled after the photo of the Salvadoran father and daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande in June 2019 trying to cross into the United States, one that sparked outrage at the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border. Espada discusses U.S. immigration policy and reads the poem "Letter to My Father: October 2017," which looks back at his father's native Puerto Rico.
(2021-12-29). Arundhati Roy on the Media, Vaccine Inequity, Authoritarianism in India & Challenging U.S. Wars. democracynow.org 
We go to New Delhi, India, to speak with acclaimed Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy about the pandemic, U.S. militarism and the state of journalism. Roy first appeared on Democracy Now! after receiving widespread backlash for speaking out against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. At the time, her emphatic antiwar stance clashed with the rising tides of patriotism and calls for war after 9/11. "Now the same media is saying what we were saying 20 years ago," says Roy. "But the trouble is, it's too late."
(2021-12-29). Oklahoma Republican Wants to Deputize Private Citizens to Sue School Districts. truthout.org 
The country by now is well acquainted with S.B. 8, the draconian new Texas "The new law in Texas effectively banning most abortions h…
(2021-12-29). MTG Attacks African American Festival Kwanzaa. telesurenglish.net Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene commented on her latest foray into American culture that the African American Festival Kwanzaa was "a fake religion created by a psychopath," attacking the festival and people of a conservative political group who posted about it. | RELATED: | On December 26, the first day of the festival, the College Republicans official Twitter account sent a message for the festival participants: "Wishing you a h…
(2021-12-29). At Least 13 Republicans Who Participated in Jan. 6 Attack Are Running for Office. truthout.org 
At least 13 Republicans who are running for public offices have been identified as participants in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. | Newsweek Mark Midd…