(2021-12-19). Manchin Rejects Build Back Better Bill, Likely Killing Social and Climate Agenda. truthout.org 
"I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation," Mr. Manchin said on "Fox News Sunday, "I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there. This is a no." | The comments from Mr. Manchin dealt a fatal blow to the legislation that is central to President Joe Biden's agenda. | "I think he's gonna have a lot of explaining to do to the people of West Virginia," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union." | Sanders said Manchin "doesn't have the…
(2021-12-19). Venezuela: What Country Will it Be? orinocotribune.com By Marco Teruggi — Dec 8, 2021 | The economic and financial catastrophe that relentlessly devastated the Venezuelan population during the last few years seems to be easing, while the government of Nicolás Maduro encourages the return of the old entrepreneurial forms of accumulation. Harassed by the imperial powers, the recent elections revealed a decrease in the hard core of the Chavista hardliners and at the same time revealed the fragmentation of the opposition. From Caracas, a chronicle brimming with questions, about the country that mocks forecasts and closed conclusions. | "This was the richest country,…
(2021-12-18). Hedges: The Execution of Julian Assange. orinocotribune.com By Chris Hedges — Dec 13, 2021 | He committed empire's greatest sin. He exposed it as a criminal enterprise. He documented its lies, callous disregard for human life, rampant corruption and innumerable war crimes. And empires always kill those who inflict deep and serious wounds. | Let us name Julian Assange's executioners. Joe Biden. Boris Johnson. Scott Morrison. Theresa May. Lenin Moreno. Donald Trump. Barack Obama. Mike Pompeo. Hillary Clinton. Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett and Justice Timothy Victor Holroyde. Crown Prosecutors James Lewis, Clair Dobbin and Joel Smith. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser.
(2021-12-18). Child Tax Credit Set to End, Potentially Pushing Millions of Kids Into Poverty. truthout.org 
Child advocates kicked off a grim countdown Friday as Democrats appeared unable to find a way of passing an extension of the child tax credit, without which With talks regarding Build Back Better
(2021-12-18). China Rescues Myanmar From Dangerous Dollar-Dominated Waters. newatlas.report December 18, 2021 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — For nearly a year now the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar has been racked by US-sponsored terrorism attempting to reinstall Washington's client regime of choice headed by Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Compounding the daily violence carried out by the US-sponsored …
(2021-12-18). Biden Backs Out of Negotiations to Compensate Separated Migrant Families. truthout.org 
Human rights advocates were incensed Thursday after lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice informed representatives for hundreds of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border that they were walking away from talks over compensating the families, as President Joe Biden had promised. | Instead of settling more than 900 claims, the administration
(2021-12-18). Despite His Promises, Biden Is Still Serving Fossil Fuel Interests. zcomm.org While he is no Donald Trump, Biden has been revealed in this oil lease fiasco as yet another lying politician willing to eat dirt for the fossil fuel industry…
(2021-12-18). Nicaragua: Chronicle Of A Slandered Election. popularresistance.org On November 7, Nicaragua held elections in which current president Daniel Ortega received 75% support and, as a result, begins a new term of office in January. Not surprisingly, the US government described the election as a "sham." Of more concern is that many on the left seem to agree. William Robinson's NACLA article, Nicaragua: Chronicle of an Election Foretold, is a scathing critique, repeated in an interview with The Real News. | In this article, we will show that Robinson's claims are based on falsehoods and elite bias. He appears to be out of touch with the reality faced by most Nicaraguans. Prior to the e…
(2021-12-18). How Can Some Progressives Get Basic Information about Nicaragua so Wrong? dissidentvoice.org 
On November 7, Nicaragua held elections in which current president Daniel Ortega received 75% support and, as a result, begins a new term of office in January. Not surprisingly, the US government described the election as a "sham." Of more concern is that many on the left seem to agree. William Robinson's NACLA article, "Nicaragua: …
(2021-12-18). Bessemer Amazon workers headed for new union election. zcomm.org The landscape is clearly shifting and Amazon has already shown how scared they really are…
(2021-12-18). Joà£o Pedro Stedile on Bolsonaro and Brazilian elections in 2022. mronline.org 
Brazilian peasant leader Joà£o Pedro Stedile discusses the different dimensions of the worst crisis in the country's recent history, as well as the priorities for movements in 2022.
(2021-12-18). Kshama Sawant Emerges Victorious From Disingenuous Recall Attempt. truthout.org 
The corporate-backed campaign to recall Seattle's socialist City Councilor Kshama Sawant, which stretched on for a contentious 16 months, has concluded with a victory for Sawant, who will remain in her seat as the lone leftist of the council. It was a fight so sharply contested and mobilizing that District 3 turnout, in this unusual December special election,
(2021-12-18). 'Progressive in Name Only'. zcomm.org "By exposing their actual records, we hope to spur primary challengers, especially in thoroughly Blue districts where the primary is the only competitive election."
(2021-12-18). Donald Trump invokes antisemitic tropes in interview with Israeli journalist. wsws.org In newly-aired clips from an audio interview by an Israeli journalist, Donald Trump articulated a series of antisemitic tropes including that Jews control the US Congress and media and have "dual loyalty" to both Israel and America.
(2021-12-18). Israel pushes U.S. into 'aggressive posture toward Iran that could spiral into war' — but mainstream press is indifferent. mronline.org 
Trump says, Netanyahu was 'willing to fight Iran to the last American soldier.' That ought to be big news, as Israel's defense minister gets unrivaled access in D.C. to threaten war and block the U.S. path to a new Iran deal.
(2021-12-18). Chile: Choice between far-right or leftist presidential candidates. america.cgtn.com 
Chileans go to the polls on Sunday to decide their next president. The run-off is between ultra-conservative candidate Jose Antonio Kast and 35-year-old leftist Gabriel Boric. It's the first time since the return to democracy in 1990 that Chileans will vote for candidates outside …
(2021-12-18). Democrats allow child tax credit to lapse as Omicron surges. wsws.org The elimination of the last social support measures implemented during the pandemic threaten destitution to working class families facing dislocation as a new, deadly wave of the virus gathers force.
(2021-12-18). As COVID-19 cases skyrocket in New York City, schools, offices remain open. wsws.org The rapid growth in infections this week have not deterred the Democratic mayor and governor of New York from keeping schools, government offices and other public institutions open.
(2021-12-18). Only One Chávez and Only One Salvador. orinocotribune.com By Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein — Dec 15, 2021 | From Venezuela to Chile, from Caldera to Boric | The current situation in Chile seems to me more and more strikingly similar to that of the early 90's in Venezuela. At that time, here—just as in Chile today—30 years of post-dictatorship were being experienced. Both countries—at the time—were presented as a "model of democracy to follow" and "example for the world" based on the "success" of the two-party representative democracy system in which the economy was put at the service of a minority of the population. | "It is not thirty pesos,…
(2021-12-18). Right-Wing Authoritarianism and the Crisis of Education. zcomm.org The future of democracy in the US will be decided by the increasing collapse of conscience, the undermining of truth, and a mass consciousness that supports violence as a central weapon for social change…
(2021-12-18). [Correspondence] Another public health catastrophe. thelancet.com The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is considering prescription of e-cigarettes on the National Health Service.1 This consideration heralds the next big revenue stream for big tobacco, whose lobbyists have campaigned for the prescription of e-cigarettes as UK smoking rates dwindle. We absolutely disagree that "doctors, medical leaders and health campaigners welcomed the move".2…