(2021-10-13). The sinister story of Kyrsten Sinema's turn to conservatism and political corruption. zcomm.org Sinema quickly joined other Democrats who'd followed the Citizens United path to the flashing neon lights of big money, joining the so-called "Problem Solvers" caucus that owes its existence in part to the Wall Street-funded front group "No Labels."
(2021-10-13). Regulating Big Tech is not enough. We need platform socialism. zcomm.org Facebook won't let state oversight trump shareholder interest, so alternatives — based on common ownership and community control — are needed…
(2021-10-13). El Comedor: Call for Support for Tijuana's Migrant/Refugee Mutual Aid Kitchen. itsgoingdown.org Call to support autonomous and self-organized mutual aid center, El Comedor, amidst a new wave of attacks on migrants along the so-called US and Mexico border. The crisis of borders continues in the "Americas." Xenophobic Trump era policies are still in operation stacked atop the older and fundamental necropolitical logic of the border. Those who make…
(2021-10-13). Austria gets a new chancellor but policies remain unchanged. wsws.org The abyss of ruthlessness, corruption and crime that has opened up with the recent government crisis in Vienna is symptomatic of the state of bourgeois democracy in all Western countries.
(2021-10-13). Progressives in Congress: Biden must do More to End Saudi War on Yemen, as Starvation Stalks its Children. juancole.com 
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — President Biden says he wants to end the Yemen war, but eight months in, he has not made a dent in it. The Saudi-led war on Yemen has involved the dropping thousands of pounds of bombs on that country, with up to a third of the buildings hit having been …
(2021-10-13). US observes first official Indigenous Peoples' Day. peoplesdispatch.org 
As the United States commemorates the Indigenous Peoples' Day for the first time in history, Indigenous activists are demanding it to officially replace Columbus Day as a federal holiday. President Joe Biden had issued a proclamation on Friday, October 8, to observe Indigenous Peoples' Day alongside the annual Columbus Day celebrations on the second Monday of October. | "I think it really recognizes that Indigenous people are still here," said Alannah Hurley, executive director of United Tribes of Bristol Bay. "We just have been struggling for so long for the vast majority of mainstream America and culture to rec…
(2021-10-13). Opposition builds as Washington state school reopenings fuel surge of COVID-19. wsws.org Nearly two months into the semester, the reality of high case rates, pediatric infections, and hospital capacity has exposed the so-called "safe" return promoted by the Democratic Party and teachers unions as a lie.
(2021-10-13). Build Back Better Legislation. popularresistance.org For more than a week the country has been caught up in the ongoing melodrama of the "Build Back Better" (BBB) legislation, the Democrat Party's "social investment" bill now languishing in the House because of the inability of the Democrats to come to an agreement. The fight is characterized by the corporate media as an intra-party struggle between the emerging "progressive/left" pole of the Party and the "center," represented by the recalcitrant neoliberal corporate Democrats in the persons of Senators Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona. | But the media's tendency to reduce this strugg…
(2021-10-13). DPRK accuses U.S. of inciting tensions. ecns.cn Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, accused the United States of inciting tensions on the Korean Peninsula and called for the boosting of self-defensive capability to counter "hostile forces".
(2021-10-13). Wednesday 10/20: Support October 20 South Korean General Strike For Equality & Free KCTU President Yang Ky. indybay.org South Korean Consulate | 3500 Clay St., San Francisco…
(2021-10-12). Muqtada al-Sadr-led alliance set to emerge as single largest force in Iraqi parliament. peoplesdispatch.org The fifth elections since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country saw the lowest voter turnout (41%), amid growing discontent with the political system due to widespread corruption, inefficiency and government apathy…
(2021-10-12). USPS Begins Postal Banking Pilot Program. popularresistance.org The United States Postal Service (USPS) has taken the most dramatic step in a half-century to re-establish a postal banking system in America. In four pilot cities, customers can now cash payroll or business checks of up to $500 at post office locations, and have the money put onto a single-use gift card. It's the most far-reaching executive action that the Biden administration has taken since Inauguration Day. | The move puts the USPS in direct competition with the multibillion-dollar check-cashing industry, which operates storefronts to allow unbanked or underbanked residents to cash their paychecks. | Accordin…
(2021-10-12). This Is America #149: The Mask on Biden Slips. itsgoingdown.org Welcome, to This Is America, October 11th, 2021. On today's episode, we dive into headline and resistance news, before switching to our discussion, where we offer an anarchist critique and analysis of Biden's continuing attacks on migrants and push to expand industrial petrol-capitalism. There's a lot to cover, so let's get to the news! Living…
(2021-10-12). As Congress Holds the Line on Build Back Better, People's Action Celebrates Corporate Pushback Week of Action. peoplesaction.org Member Organizations Held Congress to Account; Hosted Direct Actions Targeting Corporations; Pushed to Pass Build Back Better Before Infrastructure Contact: Johanna Kichton, j.kichton@peoplesaction.org, 202.660.0605 WASHINGTON, D.C.—People's Action celebrated its National Week of Action where member organizations around the country held rallies targeting corporate entities and the organizations that represent them who are sabotaging President Biden's Build Back …
(2021-10-12). Poor People's Campaign petitions demand Build Back Better's passage. peoplesworld.org 
(2021-10-12). Who Will Step Up In Biden's DOJ To Save Julian Assange? popularresistance.org Last month Biden's Haitian envoy resigned on principle. Is there someone in Biden's Justice Department who would push the attorney general to drop the prosecution of Julian Assange? | Last month the U.S. special envoy to Haiti quit in protest over the Biden administration's decision to repatriate thousands of Haitian migrants from the United States. In his letter (pdf) of resignation to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Daniel Foote wrote, ""I will not be associated with the United States' inhumane, counterproductive decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and illegal immigrants to Haiti, a country wher…
(2021-10-12). President Biden reverses Trump cuts to national monuments sacred to Native Americans, restores Bears Ears. juancole.com 
By Diannie Chavez | — ( Cronkite News) — WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden restored Bears Ears National Monument to its previous 1.36 million-acres footprint Friday, reversing a Trump-era decision to cut as much as 85% of the southern Utah site valued for its environmental, archeological and tribal treasures. Bears Ears was one of three …
(2021-10-12). Hunter Biden Shows How to Become a Leading Artist in America. southfront.org 
Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden attend an NCAA basketball game between Georgetown University and Duke University in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2010 | Written by Eric Zuesse. | U.S. President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, is one of America's top artists. That means he has become able to sell his paintings to the largest number of America's richest people at the highest prices: his artistic patrons are millionaires, centi-millionaires, and billionaires, who know that
(2021-10-12). Vice-President Harris: It's Your Turn to Step Up for Immigrant Rights. zcomm.org More than at any time in the recent past, Congress and the Biden administration have the means to open a path to citizenship to millions of undocumented residents…
(2021-10-12). Another concession/capitulation: coup de maàÆtre's maàÆtresse de coup Nuland welcomed in Moscow. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ==== As Ukraine simmers, Victoria Nuland is now highest-ranking member of U.S. Foreign Service ==== Izvestia: Why Nuland was allowed to enter Russia and what to expect from talksUS Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was removed from the Russian sanctions lists because of her official post in the Biden administration, a high-ranking source told …
(2021-10-12). Omar Demands Release of Memo Detailing Biden's Authority to Cancel Student Debt. zcomm.org "With a single signature," the lawmaker and her colleagues wrote, "you can improve the economy, create new jobs, transform the lives of 45 million Americans, narrow the racial wealth gap, and maintain the trust of voters."
(2021-10-12). Demonstrators Call on Biden to Show Leadership on Vaccine Patent Waivers. truthout.org 
Public health campaigners rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in South Africa on Tuesday to criticize the Biden administration's passivity in ongoing negotiations over a patent waiver for coronavirus vaccines, a proposal that remains deadlocked at the World Trade Organization more than five months after the White House "The U.S. made a big, bold de…
(2021-10-12). The Taliban has many suitors lining up to help. asiatimes.com 
The Taliban have been getting many suitors lately. They are far from the "pariah" that the Biden administration thought they were destined to be. During the past month alone, the Taliban received six suitors from the region and beyond offering courtship — the foreign minister of Qatar; the special envoys of Russia, China and Pakistan; …
(2021-10-12). US War In Afghanistan Is Over, Says Biden. But US Remains At War. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image20 years after 9/11, the US still is at a global war against terror. | Written by Uriel Araujo, researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts. | In the aftermath of Afghanistan withdrawal, the US still has around 750 military bases abroad in at least 80 foreign countries, according to an estimate by David Vine, a political science professor at the American University in Washington, DC. First of all, the very pr…
(2021-10-12). Building Back Better and the September Jobs Report. counterpunch.org If President Biden was designing a jobs report to advance his Build Back Better agenda, he could not have done better than the September jobs report. (No, he didn't manipulate the data.) It shows the need for improving our caring infrastructure to make it possible for more women to work. It also shows the need
(2021-10-12). Indigenous People Lead White House Protest. popularresistance.org "Joe Biden, you have been making false promises. You stopped Keystone XL — what about DAPL, Line 5, MVP?" said Joye Braun of Indigenous Environmental Network, who was arrested at today's action. "This is indigenous land. Indigenous Peoples will be here for 1000s of years. Biden, can you hear us now?" | The demonstrations marked the first day of "People vs. Fossil Fuels," a week of demonstrations and civil disobedience organized by Build Back Fossil Free, a coalition of hundreds of Indigenous and climate, social, economic and racial justice organizations. More protests are planned at the White House each day…
(2021-10-12). Mack Trucks subsidiary announces plans to build new military truck for Pentagon. wsws.org The unveiling of the new vehicle occurred less than two months after Democratic President Joseph Biden visited the Mack Trucks facility in Macungie.
(2021-10-12). NATO holds Intermarium cyber warfare event in Georgia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ==== New Intermarium: Biden, NATO pledge support to NATO's nine-nation Eastern Flank ==== The Minister of Defense of Georgia has opened the " Intermarium Cyber Security Forum 2021″. In his speech, Juansher Burchuladze stressed the importance of cooperation with international partners in the field of cyber security against the background of existing cyber threats . …
(2021-10-12). Mexican President AMLO Pleads with Biden to End Failed Trillion Dollar "War on Drugs" libya360.wordpress.com Jeremy Kuzmarov In June 2021, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) told U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Mexico City that he wanted to end military cooperation in fighting drug trafficking and to instead promote economic development. "We don't want military cooperation," he said, "we don't want it to be like it was before when they…
(2021-10-12). "NATO's southern flank at risk": report says Biden backs $6 billion F-16 deal with Turkey. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Biden administration reportedly backs Turkey's $6B F-16 deal request Turkey's request for Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits to upgrade its existing warplanes is valued at $6 billion (TL 54.02 billion), according to Turkish sources who spoke to two different media organizations Tuesday. Considering U.S. Congress' opposition to Ankara purchasing arms due to …
(2021-10-12). As CIA Warns China "Most Important" Threat to U.S., Is Biden Pursuing a "New Cold War"? democracynow.org 
We look at growing tensions between China and Taiwan as China's military said Monday it had conducted beach landing and assault drills in the province across from Taiwan. Taiwan's president responded on Sunday saying Taiwan would not bow to pressure from China. This comes as The Wall Street Journal has revealed a small team of U.S. special operations forces and marines have been secretly operating in Taiwan for at least a year to help train Taiwanese military forces for a possible conflict with China. We speak with Ethan Paul of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who warns U.S. interference could ca…
(2021-10-12). 'To change course of history,' U.S. climate movement takes aim at Biden White House. mronline.org 
Five days of direct action and civil disobedience are planned this week to denounce "broken promises" and demand ambitious action against the planetary threat.
(2021-10-12). 'Bird Union' times two: CWA, OPEIU win recognition votes at conservation groups. peoplesworld.org 
Call the election wins at noted wildlife groups "Bird Union" victories, times two. That's because staffers at the Audubon Society headquarters, split between New York and D.C., call themselves the "Bird Union," and they voted in a 90-14 landslide on Sept. 23 to join the Communications Workers. And the day before, the four professional employees …
(2021-10-12). The People of South Carolina Deserve Fair Maps — And a Fair Process to Get There. aclu.org As redistricting ramps up nationwide following the U.S. census, the state of South Carolina has not been forthcoming about its schedule for drawing new electoral lines. In fact, even though this process only happens once a decade and determines the political power of millions, the legislature just adjourned for the fall, delaying the process by months as the 2022 election cycle fast approaches. And we don't know when they are coming back. That's why the ACLU and NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a federal lawsuit demanding that the state establish a concrete, transparent redistricting schedule. South Carolinians…
(2021-10-12). Castillo Struggles to Implement Promised Change. orinocotribune.com A controversial cabinet reshuffle this week has served to show just how difficult it can be to implement radical and redistributive change. President Pedro Castillo won Peru's June 6th elections in the second round. His flagship policies were; a new constitution and the nationalization of natural resources. The expulsion of US forces (military bases, USAID, DEA) was also part of the winning manifesto. However, all those promises have run up against corporate interests, which appear to have forced the government into a corner following the controversial cabinet reshuffle. | When President Castillo was officially s…
(2021-10-12). Epitaph for a Failed US Occupation: The Late Gen. Odierno's Arch-Nemesis Muqtada al-Sadr wins Iraq. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The elections in Iraq have brought it briefly back into U.S. headlines, though it is a long time since Americans have given the mess they made there any thought. The late Gen. Ray Odierno, the former head of the 8.5-year-long occupation of Iraq who died on Saturday, once fingered a …
(2021-10-12). Who Won Germany's Election in 2021? counterpunch.org rmany's recent election had a few surprises and will lead to a new government. Overall, Germany's recent election, held on 26th September 2021 had a participation rate of 76,6% compared to 76.2% in 2017. In other words, æ of Germans voted. All in all, 25.7% voted for the center-mildly-progressive social-democratic party SPD. With that, the SPD overtook Germany's conservatives and strong-state favoring CDU — Angela Merkel's political party — sitting at 24.1%.
(2021-10-12). Iraqi Cleric Sadr's Bloc Performs Well in Vote, Emerges as Kingmaker. news.antiwar.com Final results for this weekend's Iraq election are still a day away, but the direction is shaping up, with influential Shi'ite cleric and nationalist Moqtada al-Sadr's party, Sairoun, Sadr's faction had 54 seats in the outgoing government, and early estimates give them 73 this time. That's a lot, but not enough to govern alone, meaning the party will either need allies or will, as has been the case in the past, serv…
(2021-10-12). Iraqi Journalist: Amid Low Election Turnout, "Iraq's Streets Littered with the Memories of Our Dead" democracynow.org 
Voter turnout at the fifth parliamentary election in Iraq hit an all-time low, with many Iraqis refusing to vote as widespread faith in the democratic process and politics falters. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been a vocal opponent of foreign invasion, won the most seats. He has also been accused of kidnapping and killing his critics. "The election has more to do with making this regime and this system look good than responding to the demands of the people," says Nabil Salih, Iraqi journalist and photographer, who also discusses protests that sped up the election and conditions in Iraq's hospitals. His…
(2021-10-12). Anti-democratic election laws in Australia were passed to "make sure that the working class can't voice its opposition" wsws.org One electoral member of the SEP noted that in the pandemic, "The working class is being told that the people around them, family, friends, caregivers, are going to die and to just accept their deaths."
(2021-10-12). Headlines for October 12, 2021. democracynow.org WHO: Climate Change Is "The Single Biggest Health Threat Facing Humanity", Heavy Flooding in China Kills 15, Destroys 20,000 Homes, 135 Arrested in Indigenous Peoples' Day Climate Action Outside White House, Greenpeace Installs Statue of Boris Johnson Splattered in Oil Outside 10 Downing St., Wealthy Nations Denounced for Hoarding COVID-19 Vaccines, Parliamentary Report: COVID-19 Response Was One of Biggest Public Health Failures in U.K. History, Gov. Greg Abbott Bans All Entities in Texas from Enforcing Vaccine Mandates, Iraqi Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Sees Biggest Gains in Parliamentary Election, U.N. Urges World…
(2021-10-12). Muqtada The Conqueror gains ground in Iraqi poll. asiatimes.com 
It would be tempting to picture the Iraqi parliamentary elections last Sunday as a geopolitical game-changer. Well, it's complicated — in more ways than one. Let's start with the abstention rate. Of the 22 million eligible voters able to choose 329 members of Parliament from 3,227 candidates and 167 parties, only 41% chose to cast …
(2021-10-12). Voter Turnout in Iraq Hits All-Time Low as Faith in Democratic Process Falters. truthout.org 
Voter turnout at the fifth parliamentary election in Iraq hit an all-time low, with many Iraqis refusing to vote as widespread faith in the democratic process and politics falters. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been a vocal opponent of foreign invasion, won the most seats. He has also been accused of kidnapping and killing his critics. "The election has more to do with making this regime and this system look good than responding to the demands of the people," says Nabil Salih, Iraqi j…
(2021-10-12). NATO Honors Nancy Pelosi with First-ever "Women for Peace" Award. globalresearch.ca
(2021-10-12). From the archives of NATO's peace award recipient Nancy Pelosi. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Subject: [stopnato] Afghanistan: New US House Speaker Pledges Support For Expanded War Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 17: 13: 58 -0800 (PST) From: Rick Rozoff <@yahoo.com> Reply-To: stopnato@yahoogroups.com To: Stop NATO
(2021-10-12). NATO Nan: If I ruled the world. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com As in her unbridled grandiosity she no doubt believes she does. Her maunderings on navigation, time and stars alone ("counting time," "clocks" to measure latitude) should have her certified and petitioned to the nearest dementia unit and pumped full of Aricept. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) accepted the inaugural Women For Peace and Security Award …
(2021-10-12). NATO Parliamentary Assembly condemns Russia's "occupation" of Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ==== NATO Parliamentary Assembly honors Nancy Pelosi with first-ever "Women for Peace" award ==== NATO Parliamentary Assembly condemns Russia's ongoing violation of the territorial integrity of Georgia The NATO Parliamentary Assembly condemns Russia's violation of the territorial integrity of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, according to a resolution drawn up by the NATO General Assembly. "We …
(2021-10-12). Trump declares January 6 insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt a martyr of his fascist attempt to seize power. wsws.org In a pre-recorded video, former president Donald Trump and Arizona Representative Paul Gosar demanded "justice for Ashli," the Air Force veteran who was killed by Capitol Police during the January 6 attack on Congress.
(2021-10-12). Trump's Cryptic Comment From 2017 May Have Foreshadowed His Coup Attempt. truthout.org 
I keep a "Don't Forget This" file in a little corner of my computer, and it is by nature a confused and jumbled mess. Order and direction are not on the menu. What goes in there are articles that appear to be important but have no immediate place in whatever I'm working on. Like a person who has bought a Christmas ornament in June, I stick the story in the file with the idea that maybe a tree will come along I can hang it on. | Rifling through the file some days ago, I came across a true doozy of…
(2021-10-12). How Trump might save the Democrats. nationofchange.org Trump may have given Democrats more leeway to do what Americans — including most Trump supporters — need them to do.