(2021-10-29). Headlines for October 29, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Unveils Stripped-Down Build Back Better Act After Sens. Manchin, Sinema Demand Cuts, Big Oil Executives Grilled by House Democrats over Deception on Climate Crisis, As Climate Crisis Worsens, 10 World Heritage Forests Become Net Carbon Emitters, China Won't Commit to New Emissions Targets Ahead of COP26 Climate Summit , Protesters at Site of COP26 Climate Summit Demand Real Action to Limit Warming to 1.5 ∞C, Ahead of G20, Protesters Demand Biden Make COVID-19 Vaccines Available to Poor Countries, Sudanese Protester Deaths Mount After Monday's Military Coup, Guantánamo Bay Prisoner Describes Surviving…
(2021-10-29). 'Childish Remarks': Iran Slams Israeli Envoy to India For Accusing It of 'Destabilising' West Asia. sputniknews.com Besides the UAE, Israel last year also normalised ties with Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. All the diplomatic agreements were mediated by the US under former President Donald Trump. Iran has labelled the so-called Abraham Accords as "strategic idiocy" and a "stab on the back" of Palestinian people.
(2021-10-29). US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh feigns support for Kellogg's strike in visit to picket line. wsws.org Walsh, the former mayor of Boston and ex-union bureaucrat, exemplifies the corrupt corporatist relations between the unions, the corporations and the capitalist state which Biden is seeking to develop in order to strangle the growing movement of the working class.
(2021-10-29). Biden's DOJ Dismissed Suicide Risk for Assange in Appeal of Extradition Denial. truthout.org 
The Biden administration asked two United Kingdom High Court judges to overturn the British district judge's denial of extradition of journalist Julian Assange this week during an October 26-27 appeals hearing in London. If extradited to the United States, the WikiLeaks founder would face 175 years in prison for
(2021-10-29). 'Meta as in METAstasizing': Democrats Dunk on Facebook Following Rebrand. sputniknews.com Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday that his company would be renamed 'Meta', ostensibly to bring the tech giant into line with its 'metaverse' concept — a vision of a futuristic online world accessible to users through virtual and augmented reality technologies.
(2021-10-29). Biden's incredible shrinking social "reform" bill. wsws.org The "Build Back Better" legislation has been reduced to a fig leaf of reformist pretense, without a single dollar of additional taxation on the wealthy.
(2021-10-29). The Centerpiece of the Build Back Better Climate Plan Has Been Stripped Out. truthout.org 
Months into the Democrats' messy, public internal debates on President Joe Biden's Build Back Better spending plans — and despite a massive effort by Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speak Nancy Pelosi to seal the deal this week — it is still far from clear whether the factions of the party will work out a way to pass the reconciliation bill, which has already been chiseled down beyond recognition. | In an effort to prevent the bill from being gutted even furth…
(2021-10-29). "A Pivotal Change": Economist Darrick Hamilton on What the Build Back Better Act Could Accomplish. democracynow.org 
Democrats in Washington remain divided over two key bills at the center of President Biden's domestic agenda: a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $1.85 trillion Build Back Better plan, which has been cut down from $3.5 trillion. Even though Biden's latest framework is almost half the size of the original proposal, conservative Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are still refusing to commit to its passage. The new proposal strips out several key provisions, including paid family leave, free community college, expanded Medicare coverage for dental and vis…
(2021-10-29). Blockade Against Venezuela Makes US Businesses Suffer: US Exports Dropped by 93% from 2012 to 2020. orinocotribune.com 
Nine months after Joe Biden's inauguration as the president of the United States, his government is at the center of international public opinion, with great expectations regarding its relations with Venezuela and different versions about the handling of illegal sanctions and the blockade affecting millions of Venezuelans. | In this situation, Venezuelan media recently published a journalistic investigation, according to which US business owners are currently exerting pressure on President Biden. These groups are also suffering the consequences of the unilateral coercive measures that are supposedly applied again…
(2021-10-29). Activists Stage All-Night Vigil at COVID Response Coordinator Zients' House in DC, Demand Action From Biden to Vaccinate the World. peoplesaction.org Days Before G20 Summit, Protesters Demand Vaccine Equity as Biden and Pharma-Friendly Politicians Prolong the Pandemic Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 202.660.0605 WASHINGTON, D.C.—Just days before the G20 Summit in Rome, a progressive coalition of public health, global justice, and faith advocates led by Justice is Global, a project of People's Action, staged an all-night vigil …
(2021-10-29). Virginia Governor's Race Tightens as Focus Grows on "Parents' Rights," Abortion & Trump. democracynow.org 
We look at the Virginia gubernatorial race, where former Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe is facing Republican Glenn Youngkin, the former CEO of a private equity firm. President Joe Biden, who has campaigned with McAuliffe, warns Youngkin is an extremist in the vein of former President Trump. A major point of contention is Youngkin's push for "parents' rights" — a catch-all phrase adopted by right-wing opponents of vaccine and mask mandates, transgender rights and critical race theory. Julia Manchester, national politics reporter for The Hill, says that Youngkin has essentially portrayed elected school b…
(2021-10-29). Iraq: Elections are Over; What's Next? journal-neo.org 
Iraqis voted for a new parliament in the October 10 election, but it could be weeks or months before a viable new government takes office. This is why locals didn't go dancing in the streets at all after the last election. Still, a healthy democratic process seems to have resulted in the best possible outcome, …
(2021-10-29). Indigenous Leaders in Nicaragua Speak Out Against Western Media and NGOs. dissidentvoice.org 
Nicaragua has an election to choose their president and national assembly on November 7. According to polls, the Sandinista Front (FSLN) currently in government is expected to win the presidency and a majority of seats in the assembly. At the same time, the Sandinista government is intensely disliked by Washington and there has been a …
(2021-10-29). CNE President Meets with Head of EU Election Observation Mission. orinocotribune.com This Thursday, October 28, the president of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), Pedro Calzadilla, received Isabel Santos, head of the Election Observation Mission (EOM) of the European Union (EU), and Xabier Melián, Santos' attaché in the presidency of the team that will survey municipal and regional elections scheduled for November 21. | The meeting was reported by the electoral authority through its Twitter account, @cneesvzla, where it was explained that the meeting was the first point on Santos' agenda to define the details regarding the deployment of the mission during the upcoming electoral proces…
(2021-10-29). GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Suspended from Twitter after Posting Bounty on a Critic. itsgoingdown.org 
Support: CashApp/Venmo: $vishalsinghfilms A failed candidate for governor of California was suspended from Twitter for making "violent threats" after posting a $2,500 bounty; specifically asking for the name and address of a critic from Twitter. Anthony Trimino ran a failed campaign for governor of California during the recall special election this year. As a Republican…
(2021-10-29). Campaign for Venezuela's 21N Regional Elections Begins: How Many Candidates are There? orinocotribune.com According to the schedule established by Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), the campaign for Venezuela's November 21 regional and municipal "mega-elections" officially began today. Venezuelans will select governors, mayors, city councilors, and regional legislators during the process. | It is an event that brings together almost 68,000 male and female candidates from the different opposition groups against 3,072 candidates nominated by the Great Patriotic Pole (GPP). This last alliance, that of Chavismo, has as its strength the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Venezuela's leading party since…
(2021-10-29). EU Election Observers Arrive In Venezuela, Legitimizing Upcoming Vote. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The European Union has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Venezuela to observe the regional and local elections. | Campaigning has kicked off for regional and municipal elections scheduled for November 21, which are set to include opposition candidates as well. | More than 3,000 positions — including governors, mayors and municipal councillors — are up for grabs next month, according to Venezuela's elections authority. Some 21 million voters are eligible to…
(2021-10-29). Meadows's Delay to Comply With Jan. 6 Subpoena May Lead to Contempt Charges. truthout.org 
Members of the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building are growing weary with Mark Meadows, a former Trump aide who has delayed sending key documents and submitting testimony. | Meadows, who served as Trump's chief of staff during the Capitol attack,
(2021-10-29). Review: The Alienation of Love. mronline.org 
More than just bear it, capitalists today demand we love our exploitation. Sara Bennett reviews a new book on the new emotional demands on workers, arguing it aid us in our understanding of modern class relations.
(2021-10-29). The 'Smoke And Mirrors' Billionaires Tax. popularresistance.org With the introduction of these two 'smoke and mirrors' tax measures, negotiations enter the 'end game' phase of the corporate strategy to beat back the two stimulus bills—the traditional Infrastructure Bill (now $0.55T new spending reduced from $2.3T) and the Human Infrastructure/Reconciliation Bill (now $1.75T reduced from $3.5T). | The strategy to slash the level of spending in both bills has been driven behind the scenes by the corporate wing of the Democrat party, with Senators Manchin and Sinema as their negotiating 'point persons'. The strategy has always been to cut the magnitude of spending on both…
(2021-10-29). Peru: Democracy under attack from right-wing forces. greenleft.org.au Pedro Castillo, leader of the left-wing Peru Libre party, was sworn in as Peru's president on July 28, reports Ben Radford. Since then, his government has faced a campaign of destabilisation from the right-wing opposition.
(2021-10-29). Australia: University of Newcastle Student Association promotes management, defends anti-democratic guidelines. wsws.org The new clubs and societies guidelines serve the purpose of suppressing left-wing student opposition to militarism, inequality and a sweeping pro-business restructure of the university.
(2021-10-29). Democrats' Budget Deal Will Collect Billions from the Wealthy to Invest in Human Needs. inequality.org
(2021-10-29). GOP Efforts to Ban Toni Morrison's "Beloved" Now at Center of Virginia Governor's Race. democracynow.org 
Virginia's Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin caused public uproar this week when he released a political ad featuring a white mother who advocated banning Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved" from schools. The woman, Laura Murphy, describes the book as "some of the most explicit material you can imagine." In 2013, Murphy fought to have the "Beloved bill" passed, which was eventually vetoed by Governor Terry McAuliffe, who is running again for governor against Youngkin in the current race. Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells the story of a family of former enslaved people set after the America…
(2021-10-29). "Shadow Units": How Secretive Border Patrol Teams Shield Agents from Accountability. democracynow.org 
A human rights network of 60 organizations working along the U.S.-Mexico border released a letter to Congress on Wednesday urging them to investigate "shadow police units" that have helped cover up beatings and killings by Border Patrol agents for more than three decades. The shadow units, identified in the letter as "Border Patrol Critical Incident Teams," are said to possibly be "the largest and longest standing shadow police unit that is operating today in the federal government." New details came to light when attorneys investigating the 2010 Border Patrol killing of Mexican father Anastasio Hernández Rojas f…
(2021-10-29). Video: The social crisis facing young people and the fight against Australia's anti-democratic electoral laws. wsws.org IYSSE members say, "Students and youth the world over are bearing the brunt of a social crisis brought on by the pro-business official response to the pandemic."
(2021-10-29). Democrats Will Subpoena Big Oil to Force Disclosure of Climate Denial Campaigns. truthout.org 
In a historic hearing on Thursday, House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) announced her plan to subpoena documents from oil and gas companies to discern their role in spreading climate denial and disinformation. | Oil giants Exxon, BP, Chevron and Shell, as well as the trade association American Petroleum Institute and the lobbying group Chamber of Commerce
(2021-10-29). Efforts to Ban Toni Morrison's "Beloved" Are at Center of Virginia Governor Race. truthout.org 
Virginia's Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin caused public uproar this week when he released a political ad featuring a white mother who advocated banning Toni Morrison's novel Beloved from schools. The woman, Laura Murphy, describes the book as "some of the most explicit material you can imagine." In 2013, Murphy fought to have the "Beloved bill" passed, which was eventually vetoed by Governor Terry McAuliffe, who is running again for governor against Youngkin in the current ra…
(2021-10-28). Tariq Ali: WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Must Not Be Extradited for Exposing War Crimes in Afghanistan. democracynow.org 
As an appeals court in London is deciding whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to the United States for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes, we go to London to speak with British writer and activist Tariq Ali. Assange faces up to 175 years in prison in the U.S. under the Espionage Act for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ali calls the case "a political trial" and a "punitive attempt by the British government … to try and punish Julian on behalf of the United States." We also discuss the significance of Wiki…
(2021-10-28). China Blasts US-Taiwan Military Contacts After President Tsai Confirms American Presence on Island. sputniknews.com Tensions over the Taiwan issue have escalated over the past month, as Beijing deployed around 150 military aircraft into Taiwan's air defence zone for drills. In the meantime, Taipei has warned that mainland China may be fully prepared to attack the island by 2025, while US President Joe Biden pledged to defend Taiwan from Beijing, if necessary.
(2021-10-28). People's Action: Progressives Should Hold the Line and Refuse to Pass BIF without BBB. peoplesaction.org Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 202.660.0605 WASHINGTON, D.C.—People's Action today released the following statement by Campaigns Director Sondra Youdelman after President Biden announced a new and reduced Build Back Better Act: "We have a once-in-a-generation moment to pass the boldest vision to build a multi-racial democracy. President Biden was elected on the back of a popular Build Back Better …
(2021-10-28). Democrats abandon plans to tax corporations and the wealthy. wsws.org The collapse of various tax plans demonstrates the absolute power of the financial aristocracy over Congress and the White House.
(2021-10-28). US Tries to Persaude Saudi Arabia to Normalize Relations with Israel. journal-neo.org 
While it is impossible to make at least any positive dynamics on the Israeli-Palestinian track, President Joe Biden Administration has recently been actively seeking to expand the Abraham Accords to confirm its still remaining, albeit small, influence in the Middle East. To that end, Washington has been pushing hard in recent months for Saudi Arabia …
(2021-10-28). NATO Deputy Secretary General for Defense at Bucharest 9 meeting: "Russia's actions are too aggressive towards its neighbours — Ukraine and Georgia" antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO Deputy Sec. Gen. for Defense: 'Russia's actions are too aggressive towards Ukraine, Georgia' ==== New Intermarium: Biden, NATO pledge support to NATO's nine-nation Eastern Flank ==== "Russia's actions are too aggressive towards its neighbours — Ukraine and Georgia", NATO Deputy Secretary General for Defense and Police, Patrick Turner, said at a meeting of the …
(2021-10-28). The Heat: U.S. politics & economy. america.cgtn.com 
As political divisions still persist, will U.S. President Joe Biden's efforts to overhaul infrastructure and social welfare ever get done?
(2021-10-28). Headlines for October 28, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Set to Announce "Framework" for Revised Social Spending and Climate Bill, Iran to Rejoin Talks to Restore Nuclear Deal Abandoned by Trump, Top U.S. General Compares Chinese Hypersonic Missile Test to "Sputnik Moment", U.S. Voices Rare Criticism as Israel Announces Plans to Further Expand Illegal Settlements, COVID-19 Sickened Nearly 60,000 Meat Industry Workers During Pandemic's First Year, Inexpensive Antidepressant Fluvoxamine Shows Promise as COVID-19 Therapeutic, Merck to Allow Generic Manufacturing of Pill That Reportedly Can Cut COVID-19 Deaths by Half, Nor'easter Rips Through New England, Cutting Pow…
(2021-10-28). Venezuela's Minister for Information: Public Media at the Disposal of Democracy as 21N Electoral Campaign Starts. orinocotribune.com This Wednesday, October 27, Venezuela's Minister for Information and Communication, Freddy àëáñez, said that all state-owned public media in the country is at the disposal of over 70,000 candidates from the political parties participating in Venezuela's upcoming mega-elections. | "We want to make public the invitation to all political organizations to reach out to public media," stated àëáñez. "They can count on us to carry out their campaigns." | These statements were presented after the head of the communications portfolio held a working meeting with the president of the National Electoral Council (CN…
(2021-10-28). Honduran Campesino Leader Explains the ZEDEs. orinocotribune.com 
A wide range of sectors in Honduras are continuing to mobilize against the Economic Development and Employment Zones (ZEDEs) with the general election now one month away. Campesino, indigenous and
(2021-10-28). The Only Honorable Move For Congressional Progressives, Now, Is To Join Republicans To Block Passage Of Democrats' Proposed Compromises On Budgets And Taxes. southfront.org 
Written by Eric Zuesse For once, the progressive thing for congressional progressives (if they exist) to do is to vote…
(2021-10-28). Shell CEO Refuses to Recognize Climate Crisis as "Existential Threat" in Hearing. truthout.org 
House Democrats held a landmark hearing on Thursday, forcing leaders of big oil and gas corporations to testify, for the first time before Congress, on the extent to which they lied to the public about the climate crisis in previous decades. | During
(2021-10-28). Taiwan's President Admits U.S. Trainers Present As She Claims "Threat From China" Increasing Every Single Day. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On October 27th, Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen gave an exclusive interview to CNN, saying that the "threat from China" is increasing every single day. | She also admitted that US military trainers are present on the island. | "Here is this island of 23 million people trying hard every day to protect ourselves and protect our democracy and making sure that our people have the kind of freedom they deserve," she said. | "If we fail, then that means people that believe in these values wou…
(2021-10-28). Why is the pseudo-left silent on Australia's anti-democratic electoral laws? wsws.org The pseudo-lefts have mounted no campaign because they are tied by a thousand threads to the very political establishment that the anti-democratic electoral laws seek to defend.
(2021-10-28). South Korean KCTU union confederation holds phony general strike. wsws.org The KCTU rally last week was designed to limit the impact on big business while serving as a safety value for the anger of workers and directing them behind the Democratic Party.
(2021-10-28). Texas Senate Committee Investigates School Libraries' Books on Racism and Sexuality. sputniknews.com The news has caused anger and indignation among Democratic lawmakers as well as teachers, who accused the committee of attempting to whitewash US history and censor the voices of people of colour. The probe comes a month after the Lone Star State passed legislation that restricts how teachers can discuss racism in schools.
(2021-10-28). Vaccine Inequity: Meet the Doctor Refusing a Booster as Rich Nations Get 16x More Doses Than Poor. democracynow.org 
Wealthy nations have received over 16 times more COVID-19 vaccines per person than poorer nations dependent on the COVAX program backed by the World Health Organization, according to a new Financial Times analysis. COVAX, which was set up to ensure global equitable access to vaccines, has delivered only 400 million doses after promising 1.4 billion this year. Higher-income countries struck separate vaccine deals with manufacturers, leaving COVAX with less negotiating power. While the United States rolls out booster shots and stockpiles six vaccines per person, less than 3% of people in low-income countries have r…