(2021-12-22). Crucial social spending bill in the US blocked by Democratic Party Senator Joe Manchin. peoplesdispatch.org Senator Joe Manchin went on Fox News last Sunday to announce that he "cannot vote" for the widely popular Build Back Better Act.
(2021-12-22). Two Olympic boycotts: Human rights in the service of imperialist gangsterism. wsws.org The 1980 boycott of the Moscow games was bound up with the US agenda of weakening and fracturing the former Soviet Union, which is precisely the Biden administration's strategy toward China in its boycott of the Beijing Olympics.
(2021-12-22). The Omicron surge: Scientific facts vs. Biden's fictions. wsws.org Beyond telling the unvaccinated to get inoculated, Biden advanced no plan to stop the ongoing massive spread of the Omicron variant and the infection of millions of people in the coming weeks.
(2021-12-22). Trump announces event to celebrate one-year anniversary of the violent January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. wsws.org In a brief statement, the former president reiterated his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged" and that the storming of Capitol by fascist militia members was a "completely unarmed protest."
(2021-12-22). Nicaragua's evidence-based democracy threatens U.S. oppression domestically and abroad. mronline.org 
Despite Washington's best effort to derail Nicaragua's electoral process through hybrid warfare, strong voter turnout resulted in a decisive victory by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), and the reelection of President Daniel Ortega with 75.92% of the votes cast. Nicaragua's non-partisan, independent Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) reported on Monday, November 8th that 65.23% of …
(2021-12-22). Progressive campaigns influence City of Sydney election results. greenleft.org.au Long-term Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has been returned to the position in the local government elections, along with four others from her Independent Team. Andrew Chuter reports.
(2021-12-21). Next Phase In US Economic And Political Crisis Begins. popularresistance.org Months ago this writer predicted that Senator Manchin would never support Biden's 'Build Back Better' Bill and was simply engaging in 'bad faith bargaining' to string the Democrats along. Manchin's goal was to get the Democrat leadership—Biden, Pelosi, Durbin, Shumer et. al.—to reduce their proposals, which they conveniently did, on repeated occasions. | But Manchin's real objective has always been to shit can the bill, in order to prevent the necessity of raising taxes on corporations and investors in order to pay for it. To borrow a phrase: "It's the Tax Cuts, Stupid!". | The taxes involved in the B…
(2021-12-21). As Omicron Is Expected To Overtake Delta, Democrat Senators Cory Booker And Elizabeth Warren Announce They Have Covid Virus. moguldom.com The coronavirus variant omicron accounted for 73 percent of new infections during the week of Dec. 13, and among the newly infected are Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey. Along with Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, all three announced they have tested positive for coronavirus, have received covid-19 booster shots and are having mild …
(2021-12-21). New Program Is Secretly Privatizing Medicare. popularresistance.org A new program is placing Medicare recipients into private health insurance plans without their knowledge or consent in a final effort to fully privatize our national Medicare system. Known as "Direct Contract Entities (DCEs)," this program is putting more of our healthcare system into the hands of private equity to generate enormous profits at the expense of our health. Clearing the FOG speaks about this with Kay Tillow, a long time health care, civil rights and union activist. Tillow explains what these entities are, why they threaten the future of our entire healthcare system and how they block our ability to a…
(2021-12-21). Despite Manchin's blow to Build Back Better, Biden boosts fuel economy standards to fight climate change. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major step to fight climate change, the Biden administration is raising vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, reversing a Trump-era rollback that loosened fuel efficiency standards. A final rule issued Monday would raise mileage standards starting in the 2023 model year, reaching a projected industry-wide target of …
(2021-12-21). Joe Biden Fails To Win Over Powerful Democrat Joe Manchin, Stocks And Crypto Tank. moguldom.com Investors on Tuesday shook off three days of losses over fears about the omicron variant and Sen. Joe Manchin's rejection of the Joe Biden Build Back Better Act, sending stocks and crypto higher. Bitcoin was up about 4 percent, trading at $48,643 and Ether's price rose above $4,000 to trade at $4,016.04 as of this …
(2021-12-21). Is Killing the Build Back Better Act Part of Manchin's Run for President? truthout.org 
I've spent the last several months trying to settle on a straightforward explanation for why Joe Manchin decided to attack, denude and ultimately destroy the centerpiece of President Biden's domestic agenda on the cusp of what already looks to be a brutal midterm season for the Democrats. | Manchin loves his coal, sure, so the clean energy provisions at the core of the Build Back Better Act (BBB) were poison to his own personal fortune. He's a Democrat from a bright red state, and so must cleave a…
(2021-12-21). Senior Economist At Moody's, Mark Zandi: I'm Lowering My Economic Forecast For US Due To Omicron Variant. moguldom.com Moody's Analytics is expected to downgrade its U.S. economic forecast by as much as one percentage point in the coming days due to the double blow from the intensifying pandemic and Sen. Joe Manchin's opposition to President Joe Biden's signature Build Back Better legislation. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told CNN on Monday that …
(2021-12-21). Rally for Amazon workers! Dec. 22, New York City. workers.org 
New York City Amazon union organizing is accelerating, as Staten Island Amazon workers refile for union election. On Dec. 22 the Amazon Labor Union will resubmit its petition for a union vote at the facility, known as JFK8, to the National Labor Relations Board. Workers will hold a lunchtime walkout . . . |
(2021-12-21). Democratic Progress in Honduras, Setbacks in El Salvador. fpif.org With the election of Xiomara Castro as their next president, the Honduran people can hope that the state of terror they've lived in since the coup d'état in 2009 is a matter of the past. However, their neighbors in El Salvador are facing a different fate as president Nayib Bukele unleashes his dictatorial ambitions, plunging the country into a nightmare. | The two countries have taken a 180-degree turn and are now immersed in very different political trends. | During the past decade, El Salvador and Honduras went in opposite directions. | With the progressive Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) takin…
(2021-12-21). After Biden's 'You Ain't Black' Comment, Kamala Harris Accuses Charlamagne Of Talking Like A Republican. moguldom.com Popular radio show host Charlamagne Tha God continues to butt heads with President Joe Biden's administration. First, there was the infamous May 2020 campaign interview with Biden on an episode of The Breakfast Club. When Charlamagne questioned whether the Dems deserved the Black vote, Biden quipped, "You Ain't Black" (if you have a problem deciding …
(2021-12-21). Joe Manchin's War Against Workers. liberationnews.org 
After months of talking, begging and offering concessions the Biden administration's dead-end strategy of appeasing right wing Democrat Joe Manchin has gone up in flames.
(2021-12-21). Biden administration doubles down on "vaccine-only" strategy as Omicron emerges as dominant strain in US. wsws.org Biden is delivering a nationally televised address this evening that will be focused on reassuring Wall Street that no measures will be taken to stop the transmission of the Omicron variant.
(2021-12-21). Over 1,000 children have died from COVID-19 in the United States. wsws.org Despite staggering levels of infections and deaths among children in the US, the Biden administration has doubled down on keeping schools open.
(2021-12-21). Tentative agreement to end Massachusetts nurses strike after intervention of Biden administration. wsws.org The Massachusetts Nurses Association is quick to explain that the deal contains "necessary" compromises. According to one of these, Tenet will reportedly allow the scabs it began hiring in May to permanently replace workers to remain on the job.
(2021-12-21). 2021 Year in Review: U.S. Capitol Riot. america.cgtn.com 
It's nearly been a year since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, an attempt to overturn the election results that made Joe Biden President. Hundreds of rioters and demonstrators have been arrested while some are already in prison. CGTN's Nathan King takes a look back …
(2021-12-21). External pressure intensifies uncertainty over elections in Libya days before scheduled vote. peoplesdispatch.org The much awaited presidential elections in Libya scheduled for December 24 will most likely be postponed. The uncertainty is exacerbated by external pressures by countries such as Imad al-Sayeh, head of the High National Election Comm…
(2021-12-21). Trump to Mark Anniversary of Capitol Attack With News Conference at Mar-a-Lago. truthout.org 
Former President Donald Trump plans to mark the anniversary of the day a mob of his own loyalists attacked the United States Capitol building by continuing to perpetuate false claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. | Trump announced on Tuesday that
(2021-12-21). President Maduro Congratulates Chile's Next President Gabriel Boric. orinocotribune.com 
Gabriel Boric was elected as president of Chile by the Apruebo Dignidad coalition. The 35-year old former student leader is the youngest president in the history of the country. In his term as a deputy, and during his campaign, Boric raised the issues of inclusion, decentralization and equal rights as cornerstones of his electoral campaign but questioned Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, repeating a familiar US and European imperialist narrative. | When the results were announced, Boric was immediately congratulated by his counterparts through the region. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro celebrated the election…
(2021-12-21). Retired US generals warn of 2024 election coup. wsws.org The three generals urged the Pentagon to begin planning now for a post-election conflict that could split the military.
(2021-12-21). Chilean people reject fascist candidate Kast in presidential election. liberationnews.org 
Jose Antonio Kast — avowed supporter of the fascist Pinochet regime and son of a Nazi military officer — was defeated by progressive candidate Gabriel Boric in Sunday's runoff election to become the next president of Chile.
(2021-12-21). In the Great Tradition of Populist Leaders, Boris Johnson can no Longer Tell Truth From Falsehood. strategic-culture.org By Patrick COCKBURN | When Donald Trump won the US presidential election while lying about almost everything, Boris Johnson expressed deep interest in his success. "He was fascinated by it," an official in constant contact with Johnson at the time told me. "He kept asking how on earth Trump had got away with it." | Johnson required no tuition in mendacity since he had Johnson's own record of dup…
(2021-12-21). Help It's Going Down Continue and Grow Into the New Year. itsgoingdown.org DONATE HERE 2022 will mark the 7 year anniversary of the launch of It's Going Down. Since we first began, IGD has been quoted in everything from The New York Times to Teen Vogue and demonized by pro-Trump think-tanks in Congress, a host of Fox News career hucksters, and too many far-Right trolls to keep…
(2021-12-21). Trump Booed After Telling MAGA Soldiers He Received Booster Vaccine Jab. moguldom.com Former U.S. President Donald Trump was recently booed by his own supporters after telling them he received a vaccine booster shot — and he didn't like it. Trump was given the not-so-warm reception on Sunday in Dallas, Texas during a conversation with journalist and former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly as a part of a …
(2021-12-21). The End of Neoliberalism in Latin America?: Return of the Left. orinocotribune.com 
Without seeming like déjà vu, presidential candidates supported by progressive and left-wing parties and movements are regaining power on the Latin American continent. Everything indicates that it may be the end of neoliberalism once again. | The domino effect has reached Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, and more recently Chile, where the people have placed their hopes of progress on the new leftist presidency of Gabriel Boric, despite the hesitation by many on the left towards his statements on foreign policy. | Commander Hugo Chávez, alongside Fidel Castro, managed, at the beginni…
(2021-12-21). An Ohio College Privatized Its Energy And Built A Gas Plant On Campus. popularresistance.org About 40 students and activists march to the office of Ohio State University President Kristina Johnson on Sept. 24, 2021, demanding a halt to the construction of a $278 million gas power plant. "We will not give up," Chandler Rupert, leader of the campus chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, blasts over a megaphone. | Columbus is Ohio's capital and the fastest-growing city in the Midwest. And its climate action plan is aggressive. In 2020, the mayor announced a goal to go carbon neutral by 2050, and voters passed a Sierra Club-backed plan for 100% renewable energy by 2024. Some of Columbus' large compani…
(2021-12-21). Unions Are Not Only Good For Workers. popularresistance.org We know that unions promote economic equality and build worker power, helping workers to win increases in pay, better benefits, and safer working conditions. | But that's not all unions do. Unions also have powerful effects on workers' lives outside of work. | In this report, we document the correlation between higher levels of unionization in states and a range of economic, personal, and democratic well-being measures. In the same way unions give workers a voice at work, with a direct impact on wages and working conditions, the data suggest that unions also give workers a voice in shaping their communities. Wher…
(2021-12-21). The Totalitarian Moment: Woke Democrats are establishing "Social Justice" despotism. globalresearch.ca The Democrats have held the presidency and a majority of both houses of Congress for only eleven months, but they have already put their stamp on the transformation of the United States from top to bottom. In reaction to those …
(2021-12-21). "Shut Down Those Tanks": Anger Grows in Hawaii After U.S. Navy Fuel Site Contaminates Water. democracynow.org 
The United States Navy is facing growing calls to permanently shut down one of their fuel storage facilities in Hawaii after a petroleum leak contaminated the water supply that serves over 90,000 families around the naval base of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. The storage site, called the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, has long been protested by environmental activists in part because of its location just 100 feet above the primary groundwater aquifer for Honolulu and the rest of Oahu. We speak with two Native Hawaiian guests: civil rights lawyer Camille Kalama and Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a former comm…
(2021-12-21). Gabriel Boric Win in Chile Is "Huge Victory" for Social Movements That Fought Off Far-Right Threat. democracynow.org 
Former student activist and leftist Gabriel Boric will become Chile's youngest president after easily defeating the far-right candidate José Antonio Kast with over 55% of the vote. Boric has vowed to fight for progressive social reforms and overhaul the neoliberal economic policies left by the U.S.-backed dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. We speak with Chilean writer Pablo Abufom and feminist activist Javiera Manzi, who say Boric's victory signals an opening for progressive policy in Chile and Latin America more broadly.
(2021-12-21). Democratic legislators send scathing letter to Amazon inquiring about employee deaths. nationofchange.org "Amazon has proven time and time again that it views workers as disposable means to achieving greater profits."
(2021-12-21). Cyprus: Turkish Occupation and Unpunished Crimes Against Women and Children. moderndiplomacy.eu On December 16 and 17, Democracy Today, an NGO that focuses on human rights issues, organized its annual international conference in Armenia's capital of Yerevan. This was part of a cooperation with the Working Group (WG) on women and gender realities in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) region. This year's agenda …
(2021-12-21). 5 Years for a Retweet: Egyptian Rights Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah Sentenced by Emergency Court. democracynow.org 
An emergency court in Egypt has sentenced leading human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah to an additional five years in prison on the charge of "spreading false news undermining national security" for sharing a post on Twitter. El-Fattah has been imprisoned since his arrest in September 2019, just six months after he was released following a five-year prison term for his role in the peaceful demonstrations of 2011 that led to the fall of Egypt's longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. "Alaa wasn't even in the courtroom," says El-Fattah's aunt, the acclaimed Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif, who was in the courtroom at t…
(2021-12-21). Headlines for December 21, 2021. democracynow.org WHO Urges Cancellation of Holiday Gatherings as Omicron Spreads at Record Pace, Omicron Variant Surpasses Delta, Now Accounts for Three-Quarters of U.S. Cases, New York Confirms Record Number of Coronavirus Infections for Fourth Straight Day, NHL Cancels Hockey Games Amid COVID Surge; Record Number of NFL Players Test Positive, White House to Make Half-Billion COVID-19 Home Test Kits Available for Free, Himalayan Glaciers Melt at Accelerating Rate as Climate Emergency Deepens, EPA Rule Would Require Gas-Powered Cars to Average 55 Miles Per Gallon by 2026, Burmese Military Massacred 40 Men and Buried Bodies in Mas…
(2021-12-21). CDC: Omicron Variant Caused More Than 70 Percent Of Recent Covid-19 Cases In US. moguldom.com The Omicron variant of covid-19 is raging abroad and in the United States, and accounts for more than 70 percent of new cases, according to the U.S. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC). For the week ending Dec. 18, the CDC reported that Omicron made up 73 percent of covid cases, a tremendous increase …