Daily Archives: September 18, 2021

2021-09-18: News Headlines

WSWS (2021-09-18). Britain commits to anti-China axis led by US in AUKUS military pact. wsws.org There was no public discussion in the US Congress or the British and Australian parliaments on the new military pact. All three governments are escalating their war plans without even the pretence of democratic accountability.

Staff (2021-09-18). Ahead of Canadian Election, Bernie Sanders & Rashida Tlaib Endorse Jagmeet Singh. truthout.org After high-profile Democrats expressed

WSWS (2021-09-18). Biden administration detains more than 200,000 immigrants along US-Mexico border last month. wsws.org The Biden administration has started deporting families on "expulsion flights" to southern Mexico, where they are usually loaded onto buses by police and taken back to Central America.

scorinoco (2021-09-18). AMLO Urges Biden Once Again to Lift US Blockade Against Cuba. orinocotribune.com On Thursday, September 16, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico urged US President Joe Biden to act to end Washington's blockade and the policy of aggression against Cuba once and for all. | In a speech commemorating the 211th anniversary of Mexico's independence, with which AMLO opened the traditional military parade honoring the entrance of the Trigarante (Three Guarantees) army to Mexico City in 1821, he reiterated his opinion that he had expressed in June at the Chapultepec Castle regarding the dignity of the Cuban people. | In the presence of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, a special guest, who…

Danny Haiphong (2021-09-18). Austerity and Mass Murder: An American Pastime. orinocotribune.com By Danny Haiphong — Sep 15, 2021 | The race to the bottom is an imperative of austerity, which is foundational to the history of state violence in the US. | Not a month after the eviction moratorium was allowed to expire in the United States did the Biden administration do away with nearly all pandemic-related protections. The latest casualty in the U.S. race to the bottom is the

_____ (2021-09-18). Biden's Nuclear Weapons Commitments: Dangerous Continuities. commondreams.org The primary cause of the worsening situation is not the combustion of fossil fuels, but the massive political dereliction that has allowed the bonfire to go on after we knew that it posed a potentially lethal threat to humankind.

WSWS Repost (2021-09-18). Woodward revelations expose Democrats' calls for "unity" with Republican coup plotters. indybay.org The Biden White House and Democratic leaders in Congress see any investigation into the January 6 plots as an obstacle to bipartisan collaboration with the Republicans.

Dean Baker (2021-09-18). Roger Lowenstein on Share Buybacks: What About Taxes? cepr.net Roger Lowenstein had a piece in the NYT's DealBook section defending share buybacks. I actually agree with much of what he wrote (I can't see the virtues of paying out money as dividends rather than buybacks), but Lowenstein does miss an important point that can be used to justify the tax proposed by Democrats. There …

Staff (2021-09-18). Socialist India Walton Faces Treacherous Path in Buffalo Despite Court Victory. truthout.org Elements of Buffalo, New York's political establishment and business interests are intent on making it as difficult as possible for Democratic nominee and socialist India Walton to take mayoral office in November. From waves of suspiciously timed opposition media to

WSWS (2021-09-18). Australian postal workers support SEP campaign to defeat anti-democratic electoral laws. wsws.org A meeting of postal workers yesterday passed a resolution condemning the anti-democratic laws and called on workers to join the SEP as electoral members.

Tom H. Hastings (2021-09-18). Can we tell truth from buck-naked lies? nationofchange.org Trump and his lawless vigilantes attacking democracy are the opposite. "Proud Boys?" Proud of what? Nothing I can see.

khubaka, Michael Harris (2021-09-18). Sacramento County History in Transition. indybay.org 2021 California Admission Day pulled the covers off Sacramento County Historical Society in transition. Fall 2020 Sacramento County Board of Supervisors deemed Racism a Public Health Crisis as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight systemic structural inequalities as we Build Back Better. If history has value, let us explore with one standard for humanity beginning Fall 2021.

WSWS Repost (2021-09-18). Right-wing recall campaign defeated in California. indybay.org The vote was a blow to the Trump-style campaign waged by the recall supporters and the leading Republican candidate, Larry Elder.

_____ (2021-09-17). Biden-Backed Aukus Deal Could Spell 'Disaster' for Climate Cooperation With China. commondreams.org "By failing to extend unemployment benefits, Congress and the White House will harm working people struggling in the pandemic."

sputniknews (2021-09-17). US Will Boost Military Presence in Australia as China Slams 'Irresponsible' AUKUS Pact. sputniknews.com On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson unveiled the AUKUS security alliance "to protect and defend" the three countries' "shared interests in the Indo-Pacific".

Mark Gruenberg (2021-09-17). So-called Dem 'moderates' sabotage Medicare power to bargain drug prices. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Three so-called House Democratic moderates, two of whom have received thousands of dollars in campaign cash from Big Pharma, voted this week to sabotage Medicare's power to bargain drug prices down. And their votes drew the ire of both the longtime champion of bargaining prescription drug prices down, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., and of Big …

Dean Baker (2021-09-17). Saving $3.5 Trillion on Prescription Drugs to Pay for Bernie Sanders's Big Agenda. counterpunch.org According to a draft document being circulated, the Democrats are looking to save $600 billion over a decade by negotiating lower prescription drug prices. The basic story here is that the United States pays more than twice as much, on average, for prescription drugs than Germany, France, Canada, and other wealthy countries. If we paid

Joe Sims (2021-09-17). Stopping the new Cold War with China, before it's too late. peoplesworld.org The Biden administration has been described as potentially transformative, equaling Lyndon B. Johnson's years and possibly even rivaling Franklin D. Roosevelt's tenure. While it's still early, such comparisons may not be far off, considering the possible impact of pending environmental, infrastructure, voting, and labor rights legislation. If they become law (and at this stage that's …

WSWS (2021-09-17). As Democrats shield wealth of billionaires, Biden pleads with super-rich to pay their "fair share" wsws.org More significant than the minor tax increases on the wealthy that are contained in the House bill is what is omitted.

_____ (2021-09-17). Anti-War Voices Blast Biden Over 'Absurd' $500 Million Saudi Military Contract. commondreams.org

Staff (2021-09-17). Headlines for September 17, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Resumes Deportation Flights to Haiti as 10,000 Haitian Asylum Seekers Cross Rio Grande, Haitian Prime Minister, Accused of Aiding President's Murder, Sacks Justice Minister, Federal Judge Bars Biden Administration's Use of Trump-Era Rule to Fast-Track Deportations, U.N. Warns Time Is Rapidly Running Out to Limit Global Heating to 1.5 Degrees Celsius, U.S. Reports 3,400 COVID Deaths in One Day; One-Quarter of ICU Beds Are At or Near Capacity, France, China Blast U.S.-U.K.-Australia Nuclear Partnership, Biden Calls for Corporations and Super Wealthy to Pay Fair Share of Taxes, Police Put Fence Around Capitol A…

_____ (2021-09-17). 100% Renewable Energy Is Possible: A Plan for Africa. commondreams.org "This breaks the Biden administration's promise to end U.S. support for the tragic war in Yemen," said one prominent peace campaigner.

Brian Cloughley (2021-09-17). Railways and Pipelines are Preferable to Nuclear Submarines. counterpunch.org On September 16 the media carried the news that the US, Britain and Australia are banding together to increase pressure on China by arranging for Australia to buy and operate nuclear-powered submarines. Strategically, this is of little significance, and it will take years for the vessels to enter service, but the video conference involving President Biden and Prime

J. D. Heyes (2021-09-17). Biden's Federal Vaccine Mandate Doesn't Really Apply to Everyone: Members of Congress, Staff, Postal Workers Are Exempt. globalresearch.ca

John Feffer (2021-09-17). The Handcuffing of Joe Biden. counterpunch.org The far right would like to impeach Joe Biden, kick him out of the White House, perhaps even throw him in jail. "Lock him up" has been a predictable chant at Trump rallies going back to before the 2020 election. Even Republicans in Congress have joined this chorus. Bipartisanship? As Donald Trump would say in

Guest Contributor (2021-09-17). OPINION: Biden-Harris Justice Department Embraces Racist Insular Cases. latinorebels.com One week after members of Congress called on the Biden-Harris Department of Justice to condemn the racist Insular Cases, the Department has instead doubled down to argue based on the Insular Cases that people born in U.S. territories have no constitutional right to U.S. citizenship.

sputniknews (2021-09-17). 'Cut Him Off Now!': Newsmax Host Loses Cool After US Vet Critiques Trump Over Afghan Withdrawal. sputniknews.com Although the process to remove American troops began under former US President Donald Trump, backlash stemming from the exit has largely consumed the Biden administration, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle lashing out. The president has stood firm that the pullout was necessary to bring the near 20-year occupation to a close.

_____ (2021-09-17). Children Around the World Are Suffering From Climate Anxiety. commondreams.org Tragically, despite widespread high hopes for change, in the existential realm of potentially omnicidal nuclear war preparations, the Biden administration has signaled more continuity than change.

Eric Zuesse (2021-09-17). Pentagon Lobby Is Pushing Biden into Game of "Chicken" Over Taiwan That Could Lead to WW III. covertactionmagazine.com Why Isn't the Whole World Screaming "STOP!"? Right now, the neocons that Biden has surrounded himself with are threatening to …

_____ (2021-09-17). Critics Warn Biden That 30% Methane Reduction by 2030 Not Good Enough. commondreams.org "Whatever our so-called 'leaders' are doing," said Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, "they are doing it wrong."

Walker Bragman (2021-09-17). "Does Not Present Sufficient Cause" dailyposter.com

_____ (2021-09-17). Australia Continues Its Plunge Into Authoritarianism and Military Brinkmanship. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | reports: | President Biden and the leaders of Australia and the UK US officials

John Wojcik (2021-09-17). A question for so-called Democratic 'moderates': Have you no shame? peoplesworld.org Speaker Nancy Pelosi has only a three-vote Democratic margin in the House, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has no margin in the 50-50 Senate—meaning Vice President Kamala Harris to break any tie vote when it comes to passing progressive legislation. The result, understandably, is that the Democrats have to use the reconciliation process to get …

_____ (2021-09-17). Australia Continues Plunge Into Authoritarianism And Military Brinkmanship. popularresistance.org People who just started paying attention to Australian authoritarianism during Covid often get the impression that it's entirely about the virus, but as we discussed previously the actual fundamental problem is that Australia is the only so-called democracy without any kind of statute or bill of rights to protect the citizenry from these kinds of abuses. This is why Australia is looked upon as so freakish by the rest of the western world right now: because, in this sense, it is. People call it a "free country", but there has never been any reason to do so. | Covid has certainly played a major role in the exacerba…

Liz Theoharis (2021-09-17). The Land of the Free, Where So Many of the Brave Are Homeless: Resisting Evictions Amid a Pandemic. juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com) — Over the past weeks, multiple crises have merged: a crisis of democracy with the most significant attack on voting rights since Reconstruction; a climate crisis with lives and livelihoods upended in the Gulf Coast and the Northeast by extreme weather events and in the West by a stunning fire season; and an …

_____ (2021-09-17). Patient Group Targets Pair of Democrats for 'Selling Us Out to Drug Companies'. commondreams.org Despite its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the U.S. military maintains an "over-the-horizon capability," which allows it to continue launching airstrikes.

Anonymous669 (2021-09-17). Suspected Russian Airstrike Hit Northeastern Syria (Photos). southfront.org A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti | On September 17, an unidentified warplane carried out an airstrike on an empty field near the town of Abu Khashab in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which is held by the US-Backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). | The remains of what appears to be a Soviet-made cluster bomb were found at the scene of the strike. No casualties or material losses were reported. | An unidentified war…

Staff (2021-09-17). "Systemic Failure": Top Gymnasts Blast FBI for Bungling Sexual Abuse Probe of Dr. Larry Nassar. democracynow.org This week some of gymnastics' biggest stars shared scathing testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the FBI's failure to stop Larry Nassar, the USA Gymnastics doctor and serial sexual abuser. ‚Ä®‚Ä®Lawyers say that after the FBI was first told of Nassar's crimes, he abused another 120 people before his 2016 arrest. We feature the testimony of Simone Biles, the four-time Olympic gold medalist, who is widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time, and speak with gymnast Rachael Denhollander, who was the first to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual abuse and says the c…

Robert Koehler (2021-09-17). A National Rite of Passage: Beyond War. counterpunch.org A recent New York Times op-ed was perhaps the strangest, most awkward and tentative defense of the military-industrial complex — excuse me, the experiment in democracy called America — I've ever encountered, and begs to be addressed. The writer, Andrew Exum, was an Army Ranger who had deployments in the early 2000s to both Iraq and Afghanistan,

Jonathan Smucker (2021-09-17). Happy Birthday, Occupy Wall Street. zcomm.org Ten years later, the Democratic Party ignores Occupy Wall Street's warnings at its own peril…

Staff (2021-09-17). "Another World Is Possible": How Occupy Wall Street Reshaped Politics & Kicked Off New Era of Protest. democracynow.org On the 10th anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, we examine the legacy of the historic protests with three veterans of the movement: Nelini Stamp, now the director of strategy and partnerships at the Working Families Party; Jillian Johnson, a key organizer in Occupy Durham who now serves on the Durham City Council and is the city's mayor pro tempore; and writer and filmmaker Astra Tayor, an organizer with the Debt Collective. Occupy Wall Street "broke the spell" protecting the economic status quo and marked a major shift in protests against capitalism, Taylor says. "Occupy kind of inaugurated this social movement r…

Adam Tooze, Elmira Bayrasli (2021-09-17). Economic Crisis in the Anthropocene. indybay.org I think it's a full embrace by the Democratic Party of the reality that they are in a life-and-death struggle for the future of American democracy and from their point of view — and I happen to share this view — that depends on their not losing the congressional majority to the GOP in 2022, which doesn't necessarily end American democracy, but it takes us in a direction which is really bad.

Staff (2021-09-17). Patient Advocacy Group Calls Out 2 Dems for "Selling Us Out to Drug Companies" truthout.org A national patient organization launched new ads on Friday targeting Reps. Scott Peters and Kathleen Rice for opposing a plan to let Medicare directly negotiate prescription drug prices, a centerpiece of the Democratic Party's popular agenda to lower sky-high medicine costs. | In the two 30-second spots — titled "Sellout" and "Patients Over Profit" — multiple sclerosis patient Therese Ball slams Peters (D-Calif.) and Rice (D-N.Y.) for prioritizing the interests of the pharmaceutical ind…

Richard Falk (2021-09-17). The Bipartisan Demise of American Democracy. zcomm.org Perhaps it is time to try something different, starting by ending the three-ring circus of private funding of political campaigns…

Howie Hawkins (2021-09-17). Freedom to Vote Act—For Capitalist Parties Only. counterpunch.org The Freedom to Vote Act, the pared down voting rights legislation that Democratic Senators unveiled on September 14, must be supported to preempt GOP state laws for partisan gerrymandering, voter suppression, election subversion, and intimidation of voters and election administrators. Yet this bill also deserves vigorous protest from the Left for its public campaign financing

Anonymous669 (2021-09-17). Escalation In Northeastern Syria: Four Civilians Killed In Turkish Shelling On SDF-Held Village (Video). southfront.org Image: aa.com.tr | On September 17, four civilians were killed when the Turkish military shelled the village of al-Dibs in northeastern Syria. | The village is located to the west of the town of Ain Issa, in a part of the northern countryside of Raqqa that's held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). | The Hawar News Agency, which is affiliated with the SDF, identified the four victims as Malik al-Muharib al-Hamid, 25, Idan Hamad al-Amiri, 40, Hamad al-Khunais al-Jarbou, 20, and Khmus a…

Liz Theoharis (2021-09-17). Resisting Evictions Amid a Pandemic. counterpunch.org Over the past weeks, multiple crises have merged: a crisis of democracy with the most significant attack on voting rights since Reconstruction; a climate crisis with lives and livelihoods upended in the Gulf Coast and the Northeast by extreme weather events and in the West by a stunning fire season; and an economic crisis in which millions are being cut off from

Isheka N. Harrison (2021-09-17). Report: China Has Fully Vaccinated More Than 1 Billion People. moguldom.com China has fully vaccinated more than 1 billion people against covid-19, according to recent reports. The statistics, which were released by the Chinese government, have also been reported in several U.S. publications including Bloomberg and the New York Times. With some of the most extensive restrictive measures to combat the deadly coronavirus, the communist nation …

Matt Sedlar (2021-09-17). Billions of People Who Need the Most Help Can Also Benefit — as Americans Have — from Changes in Economic Policy. cepr.net There has to be at least one Republican senator who will have the fortitude to support something that will create jobs in the US, save lives all over the world, and is costless to the US government.

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