Daily Archives: March 26, 2021

2021-03-26: News Headlines

_____ (2021-03-26). China Issues Annual US Human Rights Report. popularresistance.org China published its annual US human rights situation report on Wednesday at a time when the US-led ideological battle against China has intensified, mainly over Xinjiang and other domestic issues. | By highlighting the COVID-19 turning into a human tragedy, disorder in American democracy vividly reflected in the Capitol riots, and recent growing discrimination against ethnic minorities including Asian-Americans, China slammed the US' terrible human rights record, which makes its remarks on other countries' human rights situation pure "hypocrisy and double standards."

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-03-26). Joe Biden and the Pentagon's "Ides of March 2021": Best Month to Go to War? globalresearch.ca or the Romans, the month of March (Martius) marked "the time to start new military campaigns." As in the heyday of the Roman Empire, the Pentagon has a mandate to plan and implement a precise "timeline" of military operations.

John Feffer (2021-03-26). How Biden Looks at the World. counterpunch.org In his first foreign policy speech as president, delivered at the State Department on February 4, 2021, Joe Biden laid out his vision of America's engagement with the world. In its conventional combination of the stick of military power and the carrot of diplomacy, Biden's address heralded a return to the foreign policy status quo of the

Gayle Greene (2021-03-26). The Country Moves Forward, Education Falls Back. counterpunch.org There's hope in the air, a scent of spring, anticipation of change, democracy may pull through. Why, then, with K-12 public schools, the broken promise, the disappointment? Biden raised hopes when he promised, Dec 16, 2019, that he'd "commit to ending the use of standardized testing in public schools," saying (rightly) that "teaching to a

Margaret Kimberley (2021-03-26). Freedom Rider: Establishment role in anti-Asian bigotry. mronline.org Joe Biden is no better than Trump in advocating de facto white supremacy with his foreign policy, and corporate media fan the flames of anti-Chinese racism. | Newswire…

Gayle Greene (2021-03-26). The Country Moves Forward, Education Falls Back. counterpunch.org There's hope in the air, a scent of spring, anticipation of change, democracy may pull through. Why, then, with K-12 public schools, the broken promise, the dismay? Biden raised hopes when he promised, Dec 16, 2019, that he'd "commit to ending the use of standardized testing in public schools," saying (rightly) that "teaching to a

Vijay Prashad (2021-03-26). Coup or no coup, Myanmar isn't moving into U.S. orbit. peoplesworld.org On Feb. 1, 2021, Myanmar's military—known as the Tatmadaw—invoked Article 417 of the 2008 constitution, dismissed State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, and arrested her and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Condemnation of the coup was swift, although there would be reason for hesitancy in the reaction: Aung San Suu …

Minnie Bruce Pratt (2021-03-26). March 20 solidarity with BAmazon Union No to Amazon union busting and racism! workers.org The historic union election sought by majority Black workers at a Bessemer, Ala., Amazon warehouse ends March 29. All indications are that the vote will be close, and the outcome could take weeks to determine. Monica Robinson, with Philadelphia Coalition for Labor Union Women, leads chants during March 20 protest. . . . |

Binoy Kampmark (2021-03-26). Confused in Afghanistan: the Biden Administration's Latest Trick. counterpunch.org The Biden administration continues to engage in that favourite activity White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki can only describe as "circling back". And much circling is taking place in the context of Afghanistan. The cupboard of calamities is well stocked, with the US facing an emboldened Taliban keen to hold Washington to its word in

Alberto López Girondo (2021-03-26). Biden contra Putin: El imperio contraataca. globalizacion.ca En solo dos meses de gobierno, Joe Biden regresó a la agenda belicosa que tanto gusta a la industria bélica. El foco se ubica en Rusia, lo que hace temer por una escalada entre dos potencias nucleares, al modo de…

Martin Jacques (2021-03-26). Estados Unidos todavía no acepta que ahora China es su igual. globalizacion.ca El Diálogo entre Estados Unidos y China en Anchorage, Alaska, ha sido muy revelador. Las fuertes críticas hechas a Estados Unidos por Yang Jiechi y Wang Yi, en presencia de los medios globales, sugieren un nuevo tipo de autoconfianza, en…

Karen J. Greenberg (2021-03-26). Two Decades on, can Biden End the War on Terror? juancole.com ( Tomidispatch.com ) — In the first two months of Joe Biden's presidency, you could feel the country holding its breath. Sheltered in place, hidden behind masks, unsure about whether to trust in a safe-from-pandemic future, we are nonetheless beginning to open our eyes collectively. As part of this reemergence, a wider array of issues …

Staff (2021-03-26). Headlines for March 26, 2021. democracynow.org:443 Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Signs Sweeping Bill to Suppress African American Vote , Georgia Lawmaker Arrested on Felony Charges for Knocking on Governor's Office Door in Protest, President Biden Says U.S. Unlikely to Honor May 1 Afghanistan Withdrawal Deadline, U.S. COVID-19 Cases Rise as Biden Doubles Vaccine Goal to 200 Million Shots in 100 Days, Mexico's Official COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 200,000; True Toll Could Be 50% Higher , ISIS-Linked Prisoners in Syria Face Conditions That Amount to Torture, Says Human Rights Watch , Netanyahu Fails to Clinch Israeli Election as Extreme-Right Party Gains Seats, Suez Canal Bl…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-03-26). Benjamin Netanyahu fails to get majority yet again, deadlock in Israel continues. peoplesdispatch.org In the results announced today, no party or coalition, even after the fourth election in two years, has reached the majority mark of 61 seats in the 120 member Israeli parliament Knesset…

Robin Savannah Carver (2021-03-26). I Want Civil Rights. They Want to Talk About Sports. zcomm.org Republicans are leveraging public ignorance about trans people to deny Queer Americans basic civil rights…

Dave DeCamp (2021-03-26). Senators Pressure Biden Not to Return to Original Iran Deal. news.antiwar.com A group of 43 Senators The letter called on Biden to address not only Iran's nuclear program but also Tehran's activity in the Middle East and its ballistic missile program, a common talking point from Iran hawks and opponents of the JCPOA. | The letter reads: "Looking ahead, we strongly believe t…

Dave DeCamp (2021-03-26). Pentagon Official Says Moving Troops Out of Somalia Had 'Significant Downsides'. news.antiwar.com On Thursday, "From my perspective, there is probably significant downsides to the pullout from the perspective of cost and effectiveness," Christopher Maier, the acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. | The Biden…

Dave DeCamp (2021-03-26). Biden Vows to Stop China From Becoming the World's 'Leading' Country. news.antiwar.com President Biden vowed that he would "leading" country during his "I see stiff competition with China," Biden said. "China has an overall goal … to become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in t…

Staff (2021-03-26). Evanston, Illinois, to Pay Reparations to Black Families Harmed by Decades of Racist Housing Policies. democracynow.org:443 Evanston, Illinois, has become the first city in the United States to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery. The Chicago suburb's City Council voted 8 to 1 to distribute $400,000 to eligible Black households, with qualifying residents receiving $25,000 for home repairs or down payments on property. The program is being funded through donations and revenue from a 3% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana, and the city has pledged to distribute $10 million over 10 years. "There's no way to express how significant this is," says Danny Glover…

Staff (2021-03-26). Danny Glover on Amazon Union Drive, the Power of Organized Labor & Centuries of Resistance in Haiti. democracynow.org:443 As workers in Bessemer, Alabama, continue to vote on whether to establish the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the United States, we speak with actor and activist Danny Glover, who recently joined organizers on the ground to push for a yes vote. "This election is a statement," says Glover, one of the most high-profile supporters of the closely watched union drive. Nearly 6,000 workers, most of them Black, have until March 29 to return their ballots. If workers successfully unionize, it could be a watershed moment for the U.S. labor movement, setting off a wave of union drives at Amazon facilities across the co…

Staff (2021-03-26). Jim Crow Redux: Georgia GOP Governor Signs "Egregious" Voter Suppression Law Targeting Black Voters. democracynow.org:443 Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp has signed a sweeping elections bill that civil rights groups are blasting as the worst voter suppression legislation since the Jim Crow era. The bill grants broad power to state officials to take control of election management from local and county election boards. It also adds new voter ID requirements, severely limits mail-in ballot drop boxes, rejects ballots cast in the wrong precinct and allows conservative activists to challenge the eligibility of an unlimited number of voters. Since the 2020 election, Republican state lawmakers have introduced over 250 bills in 43…

_____ (2021-03-26). Blinken Threatens Germany With Sanctions. popularresistance.org While meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the US's opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will connect Russia to Germany and warned Berlin about possible sanctions over the project. | "President Biden has been very clear in saying that he believes the pipeline is a bad idea; it's bad for Europe, bad for the United States," Blinken said. "Ultimately, it's in contradiction to the EU's own energy security goals. It has the potential to undermine the interests of Ukraine, Poland, a number of other close partners or allies."

WSWS Repost (2021-03-26). Biden silent on rise in COVID-19 cases, justifies attacks on immigrants. indybay.org Seasoned Political analyst Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Web Site describes Biden's first press conference as president.

WSWS repost (2021-03-26). Biden administration to use San Diego Convention Center to detain 1,400 migrant children. indybay.org The opening of a detention center in downtown San Diego is an attempt to give the US government's anti-immigrant policies a facelift as more than 14,000 children remain in federal custody.

khubaka, michael harris (2021-03-26). 2021 Congressional Black Farmer Hearings and California Black Agriculture Summit. indybay.org &nbsp…

Aída Chávez (2021-03-26). Biden's New Foreign Policy Hire Considers Sanctions an Art Form. thenation.com Biden's New Foreign Policy Hire Considers Sanctions an Art Form…

William D. Hartung (2021-03-26). In Yemen, 6 Years of Suffering and Death in an Ill-Fated War. thenation.com In Yemen, 6 Years of Suffering and Death in an Ill-Fated War…