(2021-08-16). What Fidel Castro means to us. mronline.org 
In honor of Fidel Castro's birthday, Vijay Prashad writes about his legacy for the peoples of the Third World and his clarity in raising the primary crises facing humanity.
(2021-08-16). Imminent Collapse of U.S. Imperial project Afghanistan. indybay.org the 40+ year U.S. Imperial project in Afghanistan(started by the Carter administration back in 1979, with Uncle Sam's backing of Usama binLaden–UBL–and his band of jihadists) is now collapsing like a house of cards, sending shock waves in Washington and on the Public airwaves, especially in the NeoLiberal "Corprorate-bin-Laden" media. The rush is on to explain away the bloody hands of Uncle Sam in creating and maintaining the myth that the U.S. went in with good intentions to help "democratize" the Afghan people and, especially, to "liberate" Afghan women from oppression. The reality is almost 180 degrees from…
(2021-08-16). Taliban Seizes Control of Afghanistan; Chaos at Kabul Airport as Thousands Attempt to Flee. democracynow.org 
We go to Kabul, Afghanistan, for an update as thousands of Afghans have fled to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave the country a day after the Taliban seized control of the country. Taliban fighters entered the gates of Kabul Sunday and quickly took control of the presidential palace, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country for Tajikistan. Over the past 10 days, the Taliban has captured 26 out of the country's 34 provincial capitals, some of which fell without a fight after the Taliban reached deals with local warlords. The Taliban offensive came as the United States withdraws its troops from Afg…
(2021-08-16). Headlines for August 16, 2021. democracynow.org Taliban Takes Control of Afghanistan After 2 Decades of U.S. Occupation, Haiti's Earthquake Death Toll Soars to 1,300 as Tropical Storm Barrels Toward Stricken Island, U.S. Hospitalizations Are Younger Than Ever; Dallas Schools Defy High Court Ruling on Mask Mandate, Canada's Trudeau Calls Snap Election, Seeking Mandate and Legislative Majority, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin Steps Down Amid Criticism of Pandemic Response, Grenade Attack Kills 12 People in Karachi, Pakistan, Fuel Tank Blast in Lebanon Kills at Least 28 People, Nicaraguan Police Raid Offices of La Prensa, Arrest Editor Critical of Presi…
(2021-08-16). Bernie Sanders, Barbara Lee Call for Opening US to Refugees From Afghanistan. truthout.org 
Progressive lawmakers are calling on the U.S. to accept Afghan refugees as the Taliban has taken over the country, forcing at least thousands of residents to attempt to flee. | After the Afghanistan government collapsed, the Kabul airport has been flooded with Afghans desperate to flee the country. Particularly
(2021-08-16). Afghanistan: So What Do the Filthy Commie Peaceniks Say Now? zcomm.org The U.S. government, according to its own reporting, accounts for 66% of all the weapons exported to the least democratic quintile of nations on earth…
(2021-08-16). Bomber Biden Sends B-52s in Tantrum Over Taliban Advance. counterpunch.org In what can only be called a criminal and murderous tantrum by a loser, the United States, on the order of President Joe Biden, has begun dispatching B-52 Stratofortress bombers and AC-130 fixed-wing gunships equipped with large Gatling machine guns and a cannon to carpet-bomb and perpetrate mass killing on Taliban forces surging to victory across Afghanistan.
(2021-08-16). Journalist Ahmed Rashid on the Taliban's Return to Power & What Comes Next for Afghanistan. democracynow.org 
As the Taliban says it will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after seizing control of the country, we discuss their history with award-winning journalist Ahmed Rashid, author of several books, including "Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia." "These militants have become very well integrated into Afghan society and into Taliban society," Rashid notes, and if the U.S. wants to capture them, "it's going to be extremely difficult." Rashid also looks at the Taliban's relationship with China, history of human rights abuses against women and whether they will be allowed to cont…
(2021-08-16). Haiti: 1,300 Die in Earthquake as Nation Is Still Recovering from 2010 Quake & Killing of President. democracynow.org 
We go to Haiti for an update on the humanitarian situation after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country's southwestern peninsula Saturday. The government has declared a state of emergency and says nearly 1,300 people have died and more than 5,700 are injured. Rescue workers are scrambling to find survivors as Tropical Storm Grace is expected to bring heavy rains to the island. Tens of thousands of people in devastated areas are now sleeping on the streets due to unstable buildings that could still collapse amid aftershocks. "It's just one more item in a very, very long list of traumatic events that the people…
(2021-08-16). Life at the Bottom in Joe Biden's America. cepr.net 
With the economy facing substantial bottlenecks, and the continuing spread of the pandemic, it is worth taking a quick look at how lower paid workers have been faring. Nominal wages have been rising rapidly for workers at the bottom of the pay ladder in recent months. This has allowed workers in the lowest paying jobs …
(2021-08-16). Is the End of the Blockade Against Venezuela Here? orinocotribune.com As the process of dialogue between Venezuelan government delegations and opposition factions advances, support increases for lifting illegal sanctions imposed against Venezuela by the White House and European Union, even within the centers of North American power, the United States Congress. | In support, congresspeople from the Democratic Party, the party to which President Joe Biden belongs, sent a letter formally asking the president of the United States to end unilateral coercive measures against the South American country. | The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza Montserrat, reported publication of t…
(2021-08-16). Deb Haaland: Diversifying the established imperialist order. mronline.org 
On Dec. 17, 2020, Deb Haaland was appointed by Joe Biden as Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI). Celebratory headlines proclaimed it a "historic moment" and the identity politics-influenced left was quick to defend the appointment from questioning. Immediately, Haaland's nomination was touted as a "victory for Indigenous movements." As Indigenous and other colonized revolutionaries, we offer a materialist antidote to the narrow and superficial narrative that has been put forward by corporate, non-profit, and even, left-media sectors.
(2021-08-16). Biden Admin Announces Largest Increase to Food Stamps in Program History. truthout.org 
The Biden administration announced on Monday that benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), sometimes called food stamps, will increase for all 42 million participants, amounting to the largest expansion in the program's history. | Payments will go up by
(2021-08-16). Biden's America Is Back — To Somalia. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size imageWhile Biden keeps pushing his human rights narrative, his latest airstrikes are part of a great power competition. | Written Uriel Araujo, researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts. | On July 20, the US carried out an airstrike in Somalia against al Shabaab militants — the first one in Somalia under President Joe Biden. It struck again on July 23 and August 1. Last week, it was reported Biden seeks to host a "Summit for Democracy". | According to a…
(2021-08-16). The Infrastructure and Budget Bills Are a Watershed in US Economic Doctrine. cepr.net In These Times See full article on original site Deficit demagogy has (finally) become a fringe position in American politics—just look at the massive bills moving through Congress. Democrats in Congress are now on the verge of enacting two huge expansions of non-defense spending, though serious challenges remain. The first is a $1.2 trillion package of …
(2021-08-16). Reimagining the left in times of crisis. canadiandimension.com 
Challenging the Right, Augmenting the Left: Recasting Leftist Imagination: | Edited by Robert Latham, A. T. Kingsmith, Julian von Bargen and Niko Block | Fernwood, 2020 | It is a commonplace on the left to speak of the crisis of capitalism, often claimed to be terminal. What is less obvious is how the left can take advantage of such crises to bring the predatory beast to ground. Even rarer is the admission that there is also a crisis in socialism. Sectarian denunciations of this or that trend—social democracy, Trotskyism, anarchism—is frequent enough, but acknowledging that what passes…
(2021-08-16). Perú — La derecha quiere gobernar por las buenas o por las malas. globalizacion.ca Cada gobierno ha tenido un plazo prudente de gracia -"tregua política"- de parte de sus adversarios, es una tradición en cualquier democracia el poder dar la oportunidad al ganador de las elecciones de implementar sus políticas y juzgar los resultados…
(2021-08-16). Democratic Leaders Are Finger-Wagging Over the IPCC Report. zcomm.org If Democrats really heeded the warning of the IPCC report, they'd end the fossil fuel industry…
(2021-08-16). Jayapal Slams Conservative Democrats Over Threats to Reconciliation Bill. truthout.org 
Addressing the nine conservative House Democrats
(2021-08-16). GPI vs. GDP: Does Size Matter More Than Substance? counterpunch.org U.S House Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) recently introduced a bill in Congress to overhaul GDP, the nation's most watched economic indicator. July 30th she introduced the Genuine Progress Indicator ("GPI") Act. It would be a significant change for the trajectory of the socio-economic system. GPI is a new way to calculate GDP, but passage of
(2021-08-16). Why do Republicans want children to die? zcomm.org Why Republican voters want people to die—kids especially—is unfathomable. The vitriol, the venom, feels practically psychotic…
(2021-08-15). Trillions Spent on Disastrous Afghan War vs. Just $25 Billion to Vaccinate World's Poor. commondreams.org "This is the Democratic agenda, it's the president's agenda, and it's what we promised people across America. Now we must deliver."
(2021-08-15). US Reportedly Begins Kabul Embassy Evacuation as Biden Sends 5,000 Troops for 'Safe Drawdown'. sputniknews.com In recent weeks, the situation in Afghanistan has completely changed, as the Taliban* wages offensives across the country, seizing over half of the nation's provincial capitals, and coming close to Kabul, prompting the mass evacuation of diplomats from the city.
(2021-08-15). Afghan Lesson For Uncle Sam's Running Dogs. strategic-culture.org Afghanistan is the most glaring proof of the American treachery. It's a cautionary tale for others who incredibly still seem trusting in hitching their wagon to a U.S. alliance. | U.S. President Joe Biden said this week that he has "no regrets" about pulling American forces out of Afghanistan as the Taliban militants look set to over-run the entire Central Asian country. The lesson here is: anyone acting as a running dog for Washington does so at the peril of ultimate U.S. betrayal. | The U.S.-backed puppet regime in Kabul has done Washington's bidding for nearly two decades. After 20 years of futile war at the c…
(2021-08-15). Earthquake Devastates Haiti. dissidentvoice.org 
With "friends" like Canada, Haiti is in deep trouble. Justin Trudeau's statement that this country was "standing ready" to assist after a massive earthquake rocked the western part of Haiti Saturday is not reassuring. Over the past two decades Canada has done too much to undermine Haitian sovereignty, democracy and living standards to be considered …
(2021-08-15). Earthquake Devastates Haiti: Canada Shouldn't Make it Worse. libya360.wordpress.com Yves Engler With "friends" like Canada, Haiti is in deep trouble. Justin Trudeau's statement that this country was "standing ready" to assist after a massive earthquake rocked the western part of Haiti yesterday is not reassuring. Over the past two decades Canada has done too much to undermine Haitian sovereignty, democracy and living standards to…
(2021-08-15). 5 Ways Paid Hacks of the Cuban-American Exile Lobby try to Mislead us About Cuba. orinocotribune.com By Peter Bolton — Aug 13, 2021 | In the month that has now passed since protests erupted across Cuba, much media commentary has focused on how President Biden would react. Earlier this year Biden's press secretary had said that "a Cuba policy shift is not currently among President Biden's top priorities." However, the Biden administration is now clearly shifting policy, but not in the direction that Cubans in Cuba and US progressives had been hoping. On August 10, The New York Times published an article titled Biden Ramps Up Pressure on Cuba, Abandoning Obama's Approach. The article states that, far from piv…
(2021-08-15). US Congressman Jesús 'Chuy' García Asks Biden Government to Lift Blockade Against Venezuela (Grijalva, AOC, Omar and More). orinocotribune.com On Friday, August 13, US congressman for the Democratic Party, Jesús "Chuy" García, reported that, together with 18 other legislators, he has sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asking Joe Biden's administration to lift the illegal sanctions imposed against Venezuela. | The members of the Congress have also asked the US government to participate in a direct dialogue with Caracas and to stop politicizing "humanitarian assistance" around the Venezuela, urging to "strongly consider conducting a prompt review of our government's current policy towards Venezuela." | Our policy towards Venezuela prom…
(2021-08-15). In Somalia, The US Is Bombing The Very 'Terrorists' It Created. popularresistance.org This July, the Biden administration picked up where Trump left off and began bombing Somalia, a country with a gross domestic product of less than $6 billion and a poverty rate of 70 percent. But why? | The official reason provided by the Pentagon was that the Somali National Army needed air support in its operations to counter al-Shabaab. But the actual reason was that Somalia is geo-strategically important to US empire. | Successive US administrations have cycled through a myriad of excuses to either bomb the country or to arm its dictators: Cold War politics, "humanitarian intervention," anti-piracy, and more…
(2021-08-15). WEEKEND READER: Calling Out Climate Denial. dailyposter.com 
| This week's Weekend Reader includes a look at the Democratic Party's climate denial, from President Joe Biden to former President Barack Obama, to Congress, who say they believe in science but keep backing continued fossil fuel development.As The New Republic writes, Democrats "don't dispute that the climate is changing, but they are absolutely in denial about what curbing it would entail." Biden and lawmakers need to start working to decarbonize the planet while we still have tim…
(2021-08-15). We Must Fight Privatization of Medicare and Medicaid to Win Single-Payer. truthout.org 
Right now, there are essentially two approaches to improving our health care system. Either we expand the Affordable Care Act, or we expand Medicare. So far, President Joe Biden has pushed for the former with his administration's expansion of insurance subsidies in the American Rescue Plan. Neither approach, however, will get us to what we need if the privatization of Medicare and Medicaid continues unchecked. | The threat is real. Private health insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceuticals…
(2021-08-15). Venezuela: Huge election turnout for Maduro's PSUV. fightbacknews.org Acarigua, Portuguesa state, Venezuela – Long lines, including a lot of red-clad United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) supporters of the Chavez/Maduro party, wrapped around the block until 1 a.m. on August 9, waiting to vote for the tens of thousands of new candidates running in the primary regional elections. Polls were to close at 6 p.m. August 8, but Venezuelans felt energized to participate in the democracy and vote to continue the revolutionary policies of PSUV. | "75% of the candidates running are new candidates. Everyone knows that they can participate in our democratic elections and lead the country.
(2021-08-15). Dennis Kucinich and Chris Hedges on the American Coup d'etat. scheerpost.com Watch the second installment of Chris Hedges' two-part interview with former Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich in the video player above. Dennis Kucinich served as a U.S representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, losing his seat after the state Democratic Party machine redrew Ohio's 10th Congressional district, a redistricting designed expressly to oust him, although …
(2021-08-15). At the brink of a new world system: imperialism, race and caste. mronline.org 
The U.S. has degenerated to such an extent that is probably one of the least democratic countries in the world. It is ruled by an extremely powerful and undemocratic billionaire class, buttressed by an entrenched bureaucracy and intelligence apparatus, and legitimized by an obsequious media which does not even pretend to be neutral.
(2021-08-15). El gran capital no distingue entre derecha y extrema derecha. globalizacion.ca La guerra contra la democracia, es la opción del capitalismo para enfrentar y desarticular los proyectos populares. Mencionar políticas afincadas en el cobro de impuestos progresivos o la intención de regular el mercado encienden las alarmas del complejo industrial militar…
(2021-08-15). Brazil: A Coup in the Making and the Paralysis of Democratic Institutions. orinocotribune.com By Fernando de la Cuadra — Aug 10, 2021 | There is no longer any doubt that Bolsonaro is plotting a coup in the increasing probable scenario that his chances of being reelected in next year's elections are very remote. After the successive and innumerable attacks made by Bolsonaro to democratic institutions, nothing indicates that he is going to stop, and that, on the contrary, he has already crossed a long time ago a behavior tolerable and worthy of his presidential credentials. In one of his latest appearances, he threatened to suspend the Constitution if the electronic ballot was not eliminated and replac…
(2021-08-15). We Must Defeat the California Recall. zcomm.org With a mobilized anti-immigrant anti-Mexican campaign, a majority of California voters could turn Republican once again…