(2021-10-06). Ticking Time Bombs: California Oil Spill Spurs New Calls to Ban Offshore Oil Drilling. democracynow.org 
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency after a devastating oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach sent up to 144,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. Investigators say a split in an underwater pipeline, likely damaged by a ship anchor, is the source of the oil spill. The pipeline owner, Texas-based Amplify Energy, didn't report the leak until 12 hours after the Coast Guard was first notified, and beaches in the area are expected to be closed for months as crews race to minimize the environmental damage. "California's offshore oil platforms are a ticking time bomb," say…
(2021-10-06). "The Harmful Behaviour od Facebook": Social Media Destabilizes Democracy and Harm Users' Mental Health. globalresearch.ca
(2021-10-06). "Washington for a Safe Return to Campus" Facebook group censors WSWS writers. wsws.org As the Delta variant continues to rip through Washington state while schools are open, the Facebook administrators for "Washington for a Safe Return to Campus" seek to censor any left-wing opposition to the Democratic Party and the teachers unions.
(2021-10-06). Whistleblower Warns Facebook a Threat to Children and Democracy. indybay.org
(2021-10-06). Facebook Whistleblower to Congress: Regulate Big Tech. Silicon Valley Can't Be Trusted to Police Itself. democracynow.org 
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified to Congress Tuesday, denouncing the company for prioritizing "astronomical profits" over the safety of billions of users, and urging lawmakers to enact strict oversight over Facebook. Haugen's testimony gave a rare glimpse into the secretive tech company, which she accused of harming children, sowing division by boosting hateful content, and undermining democracy. "Facebook wants you to believe that the problems we're talking about are unsolvable. They want you to believe in false choices," Haugen said at the hearing. Roger McNamee, a former mentor to Mark Zuckerber…
(2021-10-06). Headlines for October 6, 2021. democracynow.org Whistleblower Tells Lawmakers to Regulate Facebook Before It Causes More Harm, Schumer Sets Up Debt Limit Vote Amid Ongoing GOP Obstructionism, Voters Confront AZ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema over Reconciliation Bill as She Heads Back to D.C., Missouri Executes Man with Intellectual Disability Despite High-Profile Pleas, China-Taiwan Tensions Mount as Biden Reaffirms U.S.-Sino Commitment to Diplomatic Agreement, Amnesty Says Taliban Killed 13 Ethnic Hazaras After Taking Power; Kabul Faces Winter Power Outages, U.N. Rejects Expulsion of Top Officials from Ethiopia as Millions in Urgent Need of Humanitarian Assistance, Roma…
(2021-10-06). The Mounting Confusion of President Biden's National Security Policy. counterpunch.org It has been nearly 70 years since the United States elected a president with the foreign policy and national security experience that rivaled Joe Biden's. His only rival in this category, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, placed troglodytes in key positions such as the Dulles brothers (John Foster at State and Allen at the Central Intelligence Agency) and Vice President Richard Nixon, who were ideologically opposed to dealing diplomatically with the Soviet Union. As a result, Eisenhower missed a significant opportunity when the death of Joseph Stalin opened the door to possible negotiations with the new leadership…
(2021-10-06). France and the Fraying of NATO. counterpunch.org Biden has infuriated France by arranging the agreement to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. This replaces a contract to purchase a fleet of diesel-powered subs from France. Australia will have to pay penalties for breach of contract but the French capitalists will lose around 70 billion dollars. The perceived perfidy of both Canberra and Washington
(2021-10-06). Who's Running The Show? Kerry Tells French TV Biden 'Literally Not Aware' Of International Spat. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | Originally published on President Joe Biden was 'literally not aware' of the spat between the United States and France which was ignited by the Biden administration's tri-lateral agreement with the UK and Australia over the exchange of submarine technology, according to Climate Envoy John Kerry. | The spat was so bad that French President Emmanuel Macron briefly recalled his ambassador to the US. | "[Biden] asked me. He said, 'What's the situation…
(2021-10-06). Watch: Biden Seems to Invent 'Taiwan Agreement' With China in Press Comments. sputniknews.com US President Joe Biden left reporters puzzled on Tuesday after mentioning a supposed "Taiwan Agreement" with the People's Republic of China (PRC), since no such agreement by that name exists.
(2021-10-06). U.S. Senators Demand Biden Expels 300 Russian Diplomats. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On October 5th, U.S. Democratic and Republican senators urged President Joe Biden to expel 300 Russian diplomats from the United States. | This should be a tit-for-tat response if Moscow does not issue more visas for Americans to represent Washington in Russia. | Under a decree that was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in 2021, Moscow was authorized to restrict or ban employment contracts of Russian citizens with "state bodies and state instituti…
(2021-10-06). 45th Anniversary of Terrorist Bombing of Cubana Flight 455 in Barbados. libya360.wordpress.com Kawsachun News Left: Commander in Chief Fidel Castro embraces Carlos Alberto Cremata, son of one of the victims of the terrorist attack and president of the Committee of Relatives of the Victims of the Cubana 455 terrorist attack, in front of the monument commemorating the victims. Barbados, December 7, 2005. Photo: Ismael Francisco Today marks…
(2021-10-06). FRSO, Milwaukee Alliance, SDS, and others rally to defend reproductive rights. m.fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – On the afternoon of October 2, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Wisconsin held a demonstration to protest Texas' abortion ban. This was held in collaboration with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racial and Political Repression and Students for a Democratic Society, and with coordination from a couple of individual organizers. The demonstration consisted of a march through downtown from Planned Parenthood to the Milwaukee office of Senator Ron Johnson, a noted reactionary and proponent of the same ideas encompassed by the Texas law. Once outside Senator Johnson's office, organizers transitioned…
(2021-10-06). The political issues in the UAW election referendum. wsws.org While the present system by which the union's ruling faction maintains its hold on office is blatantly undemocratic, its replacement by direct elections would not fundamentally alter the pro-corporate character of the UAW.
(2021-10-06). The Heat: DPRK-ROK relations. america.cgtn.com 
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and South Korea resume communications in a push for an inter-Korea summit. Will that lead to a resumption of diplomatic talks — and maybe a peace treaty?
(2021-10-06). Want a Working Democracy? Try Democratizing Work. inequality.org
(2021-10-06). Private Democracy: Canadian Company Paid U.S. Police To Arrest And Spy On Protesters So It Completes Pipeline. southfront.org 
It was revealed that a Canadian company — Enbridge has "reimbursed" $2.4 million to US police for the arrests and…
(2021-10-06). "Becoming Abolitionists": Derecka Purnell on Why Police Reform Is Not Enough to Protect Black Lives. democracynow.org 
Derecka Purnell draws from her experience as a human rights lawyer in her new book, published this month, "Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom," to argue that police reform is an inadequate compromise to calls for abolition. Since the murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville in 2020, many states have passed laws aimed at reforming police, but congressional talks at the federal level have broken down. Purnell reflects upon her personal journey as a Black woman who believed in police reform before pivoting to abolition, saying, "I became a part of soci…
(2021-10-06). Forbes reveals why the U.S. Government is trying to extradite Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. mronline.org 
The U.S. would far prefer to just quietly extradite Saab to Miami, use whatever means necessary to extract sensitive information from him, and then warehouse him in the world's largest prison system.
(2021-10-06). Forbes Reveals Why the US Government Is Trying to Extradite Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab. counterpunch.org Alex Saab is "the key that unlocks the Venezuelan monetary mystery—that is, how a country facing sanctions from the US, the UK and the European Union—is still able to export things like gold and oil…and really the only man who can actually explain how the country [Venezuela] survives today," according to Forbes. The US would
(2021-10-06). 'Milestone Moment' for Labor as 98% of Major TV-Film Union Votes to Strike. zcomm.org "Exactly the kind of mass-movement organizing we need right now," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the move by IATSE members…
(2021-10-06). Florida's Republican Governor Awards Medal of Freedom to Che Guevara's Assassin. covertactionmagazine.com After Rodriguez ordered Che be shot, his hands were chopped off and shipped to Langley, but not before he stole …
(2021-10-05). Pandora Papers: Massive Leak Exposes How Elite Shield Their Wealth & Avoid Taxes in Colonial Legacy. democracynow.org 
The Pandora Papers, described as "the world's largest-ever journalistic collaboration," have revealed the secret financial dealings of the world's richest and most powerful people. "We've uncovered a system that benefits a few at the expense of the many," says Ben Hallman, senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, who details some of the project's main revelations so far. We also speak with Vanessa Ogle, professor of history at the University of California at Berkeley and an expert on tax havens, who says the growth of tax havens like the Bahamas and Switzerland is directly linke…
(2021-10-05). Manchin: Immigration Reform Likely 'Too Big' for Budget Reconciliation Bill. latinorebels.com Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) tells Latino Rebels that immigration reform is "too big" to fit into the massive social spending bill currently being negotiated by Congressional Democrats on Capitol Hill.
(2021-10-05). Progressives Respond to Facebook Outage With Simple Call: 'Break Them Up'. zcomm.org "It's almost as if Facebook's monopolistic mission to either own, copy, or destroy any competing platform has incredibly destructive effects on free society and democracy"
(2021-10-05). "Appalling and Unacceptable": Leak Shows Facebook Knew Its Algorithms Spread Hate & Harmed Children. democracynow.org 
An unprecedented leak at Facebook reveals top executives at the company knew about major issues with the platform from their own research but kept the damning information hidden from the public. The leak shows Facebook deliberately ignored rampant disinformation, hate speech and political unrest in order to boost ad sales and is also implicated in child safety and human trafficking violations. Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen leaked thousands of documents and revealed her identity as the whistleblower during an interview with "60 Minutes." She is set to testify today before the Senate Commerce Subco…
(2021-10-05). Facebook Outage Bolsters Calls to Break Up Big Tech. truthout.org 
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among the progressives calling for government action to break up Facebook after the company and its family of apps — including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp — experienced a massive outage on Monday, rendering inaccessible services that billions of people worldwide use to communicate. | "It's almost as if Facebook's monopolistic mission to either own, copy, or destroy any competing platform has incredibly destructive effects on free society and democracy," the Ocasio-…
(2021-10-05). Headlines for October 5, 2021. democracynow.org Hollywood Crew Workers Vote to Authorize Strike, Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen to Urge Congress to Take Action, Johnson & Johnson Seeks FDA OK for Booster Shot, New York Healthcare Provider Fires 1,400 for Refusing to Get Vaccinated, Biden Accuses GOP of Playing "Russian Roulette" with U.S. Economy, Activists Confront Sen. Sinema in Arizona Bathroom, State Department Lawyer Blasts Biden for "Inhumane" Expulsions of Haitians, California Declares State of Emergency After Offshore Oil Pipeline Spill, Biden Administration to Open Up 80 Millions of Acres for Drilling in Gulf of Mexico, Report: 14% of World's C…
(2021-10-05). When they say, 'The Reds are coming!'. workers.org 
In the course of the battle over Biden's "build back better" bill, the ugly specter of anti-communism has raised its head, most prominently in the U.S. Senate and from the right-wing media. No doubt this poison is also being spread in less open forums. Senator Marco Rubio infamously tweeted, "The . . . |
(2021-10-05). More of the Same: Private Prison Corporations and Immigration Detention Under the Biden Administration. aclu.org Over the last three decades, the federal government has largely outsourced immigration detention to private prison companies. Today, private prison corporations like the GEO Group, CoreCivic, LaSalle Corrections, and the Management and Training Corporation (MTC) own or operate facilities that hold the During the Trump administration, ICE expanded the immigration detention system by over 50 percent, signing cont…
(2021-10-05). Cubans Demand Reestablishment of US Consular Services in Havana. telesurenglish.net Gathered in front of the diplomatic headquarters, they asked Washington to resume the family reunification program, damaged by the policies of the former U.S. president and whose pause continues with current president Joe Biden. | According to Twitter, the hashtag #ConsularServicesinCuba is trending in the Caribbean nation, with more than 13,000 tweets. | RELATED: | "They are our family in front of the embassy to…
(2021-10-05). China, US Representatives To Hold Bilateral Meeting in Zurich. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet China's Foreign Affairs Minister Yang Jiechi in Zurich this week to follow up on the telephone conversation between U.S. President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping held on Sept. 9. | RELATED: | This meeting is aimed at negotiating a possible virtual summit between Biden and Xi, who have not met since the former came to power in January. "We wi…
(2021-10-05). Shouldn't Biden Be Thanking China for Not Following Through on the Purchase Commitments in Its Trump Trade Deal? cepr.net With widespread supply chain problems due to the pandemic and unusual weather conditions, additional sales to China might well have caused even greater bottlenecks in the effort to meet domestic demand.
(2021-10-05). Black America Withdraws Support For Joe Biden, New Poll Shows 20 Percent Crash. moguldom.com Black voters helped catapult President Joe Biden into the White House last November but Biden's support from Black America is waning. While Biden's approval ratings are down overall, they have dropped significantly with Black voters. Since July, Biden's approval rating has dropped among Democrats from 92 percent to 85 percent and among Independents who don't …
(2021-10-05). Appeals Court Blocks Judge Order, Allows Deportation Of Families. popularresistance.org In a setback to migrant rights advocates in the United States, a federal appeal court has allowed the forcible expulsion of apprehended undocumented migrant families to continue. The ruling was passed by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on Thursday, September 30. It was a last minute ruling which blocked a prior ruling by a federal judge against the expulsions before it went into effect. | Thursday's ruling was in response to the appeals filed by the administration of president Joe Biden against the order by district judge Emmet Sullivan of the US District Court for DC (District of Columbia) on Septembe…
(2021-10-05). What Biden Told the Indians. asia-pacificresearch.com
(2021-10-05). Democrat Senator Sinema accosted by protesters after Biden calls stalking of defiant lawmakers 'part of the process'. rt.com 
After President Joe Biden seemed to approve of harassing Democrat senators opposed to his spending plan, activists continued to badger Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) on her flight back to Washington and at the airport. | A woman named Karina approached Sinema on board the flight from Arizona to DC on Monday, and demanded the senator's commitment to amnesty for illegal immigrants. She was filmed by someone from the Arizona Dream Act Coalition (ADAC), a group advocating for granting citizenship to people brought into the US illegally as children. | Message from Karina – I am a DACA recipient from Arizona who…
(2021-10-05). "Strategic competitors and transnational threats": Biden vows undying fealty to NATO. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Biden reaffirms 'strong' US support for NATO in meeting with chief President Joe Biden reaffirmed the US's "strong" support for NATO on Monday during a meeting with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Biden emphasized "the importance of bolstering deterrence and defense against strategic competitors and transnational threats," the White House said in a statement following the conclusion …
(2021-10-05). Biden's Expulsion of Haitian Migrants Is Racist, Illegal — and Trumpian. zcomm.org Since the horrific photos of mounted Border Patrol agents menacing Black migrants with whips became public, voices against the Biden administration's cruel, racist and illegal policies have reached a crescendo…
(2021-10-05). Biden administration confirms oil and gas lease auction set for Nov. 17. nationofchange.org The Biden administration's decision to hold the lease sale is being challenged in federal court.
(2021-10-05). Trump-era "domestic gag rule" reversed thanks to Biden administration. nationofchange.org "The end of the Title X gag rule is a major victory for patients, access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, and health equity."
(2021-10-05). Biden Says 'Reckless and Dangerous' Republicans Risking Disastrous Default Amid Debt Ceiling Debate. sputniknews.com On Monday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) suggested that Republicans would likely support a debt ceiling hike in exchange for Democrats nixing US President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. The offer is unlikely to be entertained by Democrats.
(2021-10-05). Iran: Biden aides to tell Israelis that US will pursue 'other avenues' if diplomacy fails. middleeasteye.net 
Iran: Biden aides to tell Israelis that US will pursue 'other avenues' if diplomacy fails | Remarks comes as Israel's national security adviser Eyal Hulata on visit to Washington to share latest intelligence | Tue, 10/05/2021 – 08: 26 | Under a 2015 deal, Iran curbed its uranium enrichment programme, a possible pathway to nuclear arms, in return for the lifting of economic sanctions (AFP)…
(2021-10-05). Joe Biden, o aprendiz de feiticeiro nuclear. globalresearch.ca O Presidente Biden anunciou o nascimento da AUKUS, uma parceria estratégico-militar entre os Estados Unidos, a Grà£-Bretanha e a Austrália, com "o imperativo de assegurar a paz e a estabilidade a longo prazo no Indo-Pacífico", a regià£o que, na geopolítica …
(2021-10-05). NATO chieftain in D.C., speaks with Biden, Blinken, Brookings at al. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO Secretary General visits Washington D.C. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is visiting Washington D.C. to meet senior United States officials and lawmakers. On Monday (4 October 2021), Mr. Stoltenberg met President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss how to further strengthen the transatlantic bond and prepare the NATO Summit in Madrid next …
(2021-10-05). White House pledges to defend US "interests" against China "to the hilt" wsws.org Against the backdrop of a deepening military standoff over Taiwan, the Biden administration doubled down on Trump's trade war policies against China Monday.
(2021-10-05). Los infames muros de Joe Biden. globalizacion.ca "Lo que hemos visto nos remonta a cientos de años atrás. Lo que presenciamos es peor que lo que pasó durante la época de la esclavitud: otra vez vaqueros azotando a personas negras —haitianas— con las riendas de sus caballos,…
(2021-10-05). Bickering Democrats Hurting Themselves. counterpunch.org "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." — Martin Luther King Jr. The Democrats are feuding over $3.5 trillion legislation that may derail President Joe Biden's huge social spending legacy aimed at winning voters in midterm elections to thwart radicalized Republican efforts to get control of the House and Senate. This tumultuous
(2021-10-05). Trump, Twitter and the Digital Town Hall. dissidentvoice.org The merits are hard to stomach for partisans long jaundiced by presumption and dislike, but the cheer at the deplatforming of Donald Trump by a range of social media platforms said as much about the nature of any sentiment about democracy as it did about those claiming to defend it. For one, it shut off …
(2021-10-05). Romanian Gov't Collapses in Censure Motion. telesurenglish.net Romania's coalition government led by Prime Minister Florin Citu collapsed on Tuesday after it lost a no-confidence vote initiated by the main opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) and supported by all opposition parties in Parliament. | The motion was passed by 281 votes, much more than the required minimum of 234 or 50 percent plus one in the 467-seat bicameral Parliament. | RELATED: | Citu's cabinet was toppled ten days after he wa…
(2021-10-05). Wall Street Stooges in Congress. liberationnews.org 
Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how the battle in Congress over the fate of major social programs to address the needs of the people and the planet continues after the House progressive caucus blocked passage of a physical infrastructure bill to counter efforts by right wing Democrats to kill the much larger budget and social infrastructure bill.
(2021-10-05). The Fear Pandemic and the Crisis of Capitalism. dissidentvoice.org In October 2019, in a speech at an International Monetary Fund conference, former Bank of England governor Mervyn King warned that the world was sleepwalking towards a fresh economic and financial crisis that would have devastating consequences for what he called the "democratic market system". According to King, the global economy was stuck in a …
(2021-10-05). 1,000 in Columbus, Ohio, stand up for reproductive rights. liberationnews.org 
On Oct. 2, more than 1,000 people came to the Columbus, Ohio, State House to demand legal abortion now, an end to the war on the right to choose, and access to safe, accessible and affordable reproductive care. The action was organized by the Women's March, with participation from the Democratic Socialists of America, Planned …
(2021-10-05). Bolivian Right-Wingers Prepare National Strike. telesurenglish.net During a meeting carried out in Santa Cruz, "New Group of Unity for Freedom and Democracy" anounced a nationwide strike on Oct. 11. This right-wing organization rejects the Law Against the Legitimization of Illicit Earnings. | Related | The Group also demanded the restitution of police officers involved in the 2019 coup d'etat and the cessation of the "political persecution" against the Cochala Youths Resistance, which i…
(2021-10-05). Hillary Clinton says she's AFRAID of 'minority rule,' claims Republicans are threat to US democracy. rt.com 
The real problem with the US is the conspiracy-mongering by Republicans, whose hopes of winning elections endanger democracy itself… at least that's according to former first lady and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. | Clinton has struggled to remain in the political limelight after her 2016 wipeout to Donald Trump in the presidential election the corporate media overwhelmingly favored her to win. Even as a special counsel
(2021-10-05). California Democrats pass toothless law against work quotas at Amazon warehouses. wsws.org The legislation is a toothless measure, which allows California's Democrats to posture as defenders of workers' rights while doing nothing to seriously challenge the regime of electronically-enforced speedup, which is pervasive in Amazon warehouses.
(2021-10-05). German Politics: Confused, but Self-Righteous. strategic-culture.org 
Diana Johnstone assesses the recent German election, the decline of the traditional left, and its implications for relations with the U.S. and Russia. | By Diana JOHNSTONE | There was no clear winner in Germany's Sept. 26 elections. No party has a strong majority, no strong leader is in sight. Weak national leadership has become the model for liberal Western democracy. And weak leadership is unlikely to resist powerful established interests. | To put it more clearly, the forthcoming German government, to be formed by a coalition of parties, is not very likely to rebel against the influence of the pro-U.S. Atlanti…
(2021-10-05). German elections: Winners, losers, soul-searching for the left. greenleft.org.au The German social democrats' platform to raise the minimum wage and for universal health insurance clearly resonated with voters, and contrasted with the left's failure to present a coherent alternative to neoliberalism, reports Sibylle Kaczorek.
(2021-10-05). A Declaration of Independence. indybay.org Utopia resolutely in sight | But all those pillars of a free democratic basic order must have stood on feet of clay anyway, must have been more dummies than real basic pillars, otherwise they could not have been washed away so quickly, easily and thoroughly. We are now called upon to tread truly new paths…
(2021-10-05). Texas Parole Board Recommends Posthumous Pardon for George Floyd – District Attorney. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has recommended that George Floyd be posthumously pardoned for a 2004 drug conviction, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
(2021-10-05). 2021 California Maafa Awareness Month Kicks Off in a good way. indybay.org
(2021-10-05). Warren Calls for Insider Trading Investigation at Fed After Scandal Emerges. truthout.org 
In wake of a stock trading scandal at the Federal Reserve, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) has called for an investigation into the agency's officials to probe whether or not they were involved in insider trading. | Warren called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to look into reports that