(2021-12-05). Talk World Radio: They're Privatizing Medicare While Your Eyes Are on a Democracy Summit. warisacrime.org Talk World Radio is recorded as audio and video on Riverside.fm. Here is this week's video and all the videos on Youtube. We're using only the guest video and not the host this week, because Riverside is getting them out of synch when combining. This week on Talk World Radio, the sneaky and sleazy bipartisan …
(2021-12-05). Will Ethiopia Become Biden's Libya 2.0 or a Driver for an African Renaissance? strategic-culture.org 
The situation in Ethiopia is rather simple to understand as long as you don't believe western media spin doctors, Matthew Ehret writes. | Many westerners trying to make sense of the events in the "dark continent" of Africa have many barriers standing in the way of their minds and reality. This must be the case, for without such filters of spin proclaiming Africa's problems to be self-induced (or the consequence of Chinese debt slavery), we in the west, might actually feel horrified enough to demand systemic change. We might come to recognize that the plight of Africa has less to do with Africa and more to do with…
(2021-12-05). Which Side Are You Democrats On? zcomm.org Even the friendliest Democratic officials are cowards. The labor movement needs to save itself…
(2021-12-05). Progressive Lawmakers to Biden: 'Cancel Student Loan Debt.' All of It. Now. zcomm.org "Student loan payments resume in 61 days. Borrowers are NOT ready or able to restart them," said Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal…
(2021-12-05). The Socialist Leader America Loves to Hate Wins Again. What now? orinocotribune.com By Dakotah Lilly — Nov 26, 2021 | Recent elections in Venezuela saw Nicolás Maduro's leftist ruling party win 20 out of 23 governorships. The US predictably cries foul, but I witnessed voting that was perfectly free and fair. | Western This smear is in direct contradict…
(2021-12-05). Recall Campaign Against Socialist Kshama Sawant Is Backed by Billionaires. truthout.org 
An unusual special election in Seattle's District 3 on December 7 will decide whether avowedly socialist City Councilor Kshama Sawant will be recalled from her position. The fact that Sawant's seat is under dire threat is indicative of the contempt that Seattle's business interests hold for her and her policies: The considerable victories Sawant has won for working people have made her the target of some of Seattle's most powerful forces. | Despite protestations to the contrary, it's eminently c…
(2021-12-05). Pentagon: NATO trumps Congress over missiles. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The Navy should experience no difficulty with this ploy. In 2019 the House voted for the unprecedented NATO Support Act by a margin of 357-22. The dissenting votes were all cast by Republican members. Missile contract with NATO allies at risk over House spending cuts: Navy A House bill cuts about $118 million earmarked for …
(2021-12-05). If Trump Voters Lived in Germany, They'd Be in the Fascist Party. zcomm.org There is a deep desire within the political Establishment to believe control of the Republican party remains in the hands of responsible small-d democrats. But every day provides fresh evidence to the contrary…
(2021-12-05). Bennett blesses street executions of Palestinians. electronicintifada.net Border Police officers hailed as heroes after shooting prone assailant.
(2021-12-05). Sanders Calls on Congress to End Filibuster If Needed to Protect Abortion Rights. truthout.org 
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday called it unacceptable to sit back and watch the U.S. Supreme Court possibly end the right of women to access abortion care and said his colleagues in the Senate should act urgently to end the filibuster and codify into federal law the protections afforded by Roe v. Wade — the historic ruling now under the most severe threat since it was first decided in 1973. | In an email to supporters, the Independent from Vermont and former presidential candidate…
(2021-12-05). German coalition government: new Drang nach Osten NATO command, old U.S. nuclear bombs, black T-shirts and white sneakers. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The first and previously only Social Democratic Party-Green Party coalition government no sooner came to power in 1998 than it, in the person of Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schrà∂der and Green Party Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, gave Germany its first air war in 1999 (against Yugoslavia) and its first ground war in 2001 …
(2021-12-04). Claims of Russian Interference in Ukraine Reek of Hypocrisy. dissidentvoice.org 
The Russians are up to no good and we must prepare to protect Ukraine. Moscow interferes in US and Canadian elections. That's what Washington, Ottawa and their media sycophants claim. But is this just another case of accusing others of doing the things you do? An age-old propaganda technique designed to deflect attention away from …
(2021-12-04). An Obscure Agency Is Threatening To Hand Medicare Over To Wall Street. popularresistance.org In the face of massive support for Medicare for All and the failure of the U.S.'s for-profit health care system, the inevitable fall of the medical-industrial complex can be predicted, if not with precision, with certainty. Everyone is aware of the impending demise, none more so than those in charge of the for-profit health care system and their supporters in Congress, as evidenced by the frenetic activity at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to transfer the traditional Medicare program to the insurance industry as fast as humanly possible. Given this urgency, physicians representing Physicians…
(2021-12-04). Controversial Alzheimer's Drug Behind About Half of Medicare's Yearly Price Bump. truthout.org 
When Biogen's new Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, was officially approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in June, it was a decision that flouted
(2021-12-04). The Heat: U.S. President Biden's Challenges. america.cgtn.com 
U.S. President Joe Biden faces new challenges over the Omicron variant, and the tiny island nation of Barbados becomes the world's newest republic.
(2021-12-04). Fidel Castro: How Cuban working people made a socialist revolution. themilitant.com U.S. imperialism will never forgive working people in Cuba for overthrowing the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, replacing capitalist rule with a government of workers and farmers, nationalizing U.S. and Cuban companies and opening the first socialist revolution in the Americas. | That revolution was a product of the operations of capitalism, but it could not have charted a path to victory without the political leadership of Fidel Castro. The U.S. rulers hoped when he died Nov. 25, 2016, the revolution would die with him. But five years later, his ideas and example are looked to by millions in Cuba…
(2021-12-04). Presidential victory in Honduras represents another loss for U.S. imperialism. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – In the early hours of June 28, 2009, Honduran soldiers snatched President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya from his home and removed him from power in a coup d'état with tacit support from the U.S. What followed was a brutal dictatorship that murdered, disappeared and oppressed Hondurans. In close collaboration with criminal cartels, the Honduran power elite implemented neoliberal policies, while violence and drugs plagued the country. It should come as no surprise that waves of Hondurans poured out into caravans headed north to seek asylum in the U.S. only to be met by the cruel denial of President Trump and U.S…
(2021-12-04). Backed By AFRICOM, Corporations Plunder DR Congo. popularresistance.org Cobalt, A Key Metallic Element Used In Lithium Batteries And Other "Green" Technology, Is Sourced From Slave Labor In The Democratic Republic Of Congo. As The West Points The Finger At China, The US Africa Command Is Indirectly Policing Mining Operations That Profit US Corporations.
(2021-12-04). Major Union Passes Historic Reform for Democracy Years After Corruption Scandal. truthout.org 
This article was first published by The members of the United Auto Workers have voted overwhelmingly to move to a direct voting system for choosing their union leadership — "one member, one vote." With all votes counted as of December 2, direct elections had the support of 63.6 percent of voters. | It's a historic win for reformers in one of the nation's most important unions, whe…
(2021-12-04). Xiomara Castro and the Rebirth of Honduras. orinocotribune.com By Ilka Oliva Corado — Nov 29, 2021 | The humiliations suffered by undocumented Central American migrants who try to cross Mexico to reach the United States, seeking to save themselves from the institutional violence of the narco-state, in the case of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, have hurt a lot. The famous northern triangle that is so much present here and there in discourses of politicians, in the discourse of transnational corporations that in exchange for a crumb that they throw from the rocking chair where they rock, placid and pompous; they take the entrails of the land that they are drying, be…
(2021-12-04). Cheap Fun Saturday: Job Growth Under Biden and Trump. cepr.net 
The November jobs report left a number of people, including me, somewhat confused. The data from the survey of households was great. The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 4.2 percent, with over 1.1 million more people reporting that they were employed. This was far better than the consensus forecast, which put the drop at 0.1-0.2 percentage points. (My number was 4.3 percent.) | It's worth noting that 4.2 percent is a very low rate of unemployment by historical standards. The unemployment rate did not get this low from 1970 until 1999. Then, after the recession in 2001, it didn't again fall to 4.
(2021-12-04). Russia Is Primed for a Persian Gulf Security 'Makeover'. strategic-culture.org By Pepe ESCOBAR | It's impossible to understand the resumption of the JCPOA nuclear talks in Vienna without considering the serious inner turbulence of the Biden administration. | Everyone and his neighbor are aware of Tehran's straightforward expectations: all sanctions — no exceptions — must be removed in a verifiable manner. Only then will the Islamic Republic reverse what it terms 'remedial measures,' that is, ramping up its nuclear program to match each new American 'punishment.' | The reason Washington isn't tabling a similarly transparent position is because its economic circumstances are, biza…
(2021-12-04). Near-Octogenarian Joe Biden Taps Teen Spirit to Snub China and Russia. strategic-culture.org Biden is trying to foist an anachronistic dichotomy on the world whereby geopolitical rivals China and Russia can be cast as malign. | Inviting some while not inviting others to your party is usually a ploy one associates with petulant, insecure teenagers. It's my party, so there! U.S. President Joe Biden turned 79 last week — near enough an octogenarian — and in the same week announced the invitation list for a so-called "democracy summit" to be held on December 9-10. | China and Russia aren't on the list. Neither are a lot of other countries many of whom happen to be on U.S. blacklists for sanctions…
(2021-12-04). Trump hid positive coronavirus test prior to presidential debate with Joe Biden last year. wsws.org Eschewing public health protocols and knowingly risking the lives of those attendance, Trump and his inner circle hid the results of the test and refused to wear masks during the debate.
(2021-12-04). Biden administration resumes Trump's "Remain in Mexico" immigration policy. wsws.org The White House announced a deal with Mexico to reinstate a former Trump-era policy whereby asylum seekers will be forced to stay in that country until their US immigration court date.
(2021-12-04). CNE Discusses Procedure to Include Venezuelan Migrants in Electoral Registry. orinocotribune.com Ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela has started to discuss how to incorporate Venezuela's migrant population into the electoral registry. | At a conference held on Friday, December 3, CNE rector Roberto Picón explained that the incorporation of migrants into the registry involves a series of technical and political procedures ranging from the normalization of consular relations with some countries, and the updating of host country immigration records, to an actual voter registration. | In his opinion, the first step need to be taken within the political a…
(2021-12-04). [Comment] Offline: Is democracy good for your health? thelancet.com What is the best political system to protect and advance health? In 2019, Thomas Bollyky, who directs the Global Health Program at the US Council on Foreign Relations, and colleagues reported evidence in The Lancet suggesting that democracies are better than autocracies for delivering gains in health. Advantage America, he seemed to be saying. The argument is superficially convincing. Democracies sharpen the accountability of governments to their citizens. Free and fair elections create incentives for political leaders to pay serious attention to the wellbeing of voters.
(2021-12-04). Chile's election: Boric and pseudo-left offer no defense against threat of fascism. wsws.org International and historical experience demonstrates that once in power, the pseudo-left abandons all pretense of reform, bowing to the international financial and corporate elite.
(2021-12-04). Critical Exposés Everywhere as the Corporate State Worsens. dissidentvoice.org Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his 1938 message to Congress warned that when private power becomes stronger than the democratic state itself, we have Fascism. There are many ways to witness the intensifying domination toward a corporate state. One way is to compare exposé books in the 1960s and the present. Within a span of five years, there were …
(2021-12-04). Rejecting self-defense claim, jury convicts killers of Ahmaud Arbery. themilitant.com ATLANTA — Three men involved in the vigilante-style entrapment and killing of 25-year-old African American jogger Ahmaud Arbery last year were found guilty Nov. 24 in a unanimous verdict by a nearly all-white jury. | Arbery was chased and gunned down by Travis McMichael while his father, Gregory McMichael, a retired county investigator, drew down on the youth with his pistol from the back of their truck. They were joined in the assault by William Bryan, a neighbor who used his truck to help the McMichaels trap Arbery "like a rat," the elder McMichael told investigators. | Only after protests swelled in the…