(2022-01-01). [Comment] Offline: The origin story—towards a final resolution? thelancet.com WHO has been a particular casualty in the dispute about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Former US President Donald Trump's verbal attacks and his decision to defund the agency drew blood in Geneva—and the wounds are still visible. The allegation that WHO shared responsibility for the pandemic by adopting a policy of appeasement towards China has proven impossible to refute. As a member-state organisation, WHO's staff are constitutionally bound to heed the instructions of the governments they serve. Only former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland had the courage to defy countries when she was WHO Direc…
(2022-01-01). Brazil, Amazon, World: Sociopathy vs Democracy. zcomm.org The person of Jair Messias Bolsonaro, who neatly fits the definition of a sociopath, tells us a lot about the sociopathic political system that has thrown him up, and which he embodies…
(2022-01-01). [Correspondence] Brazilian science under continuous attack. thelancet.com Despite the resistance of Brazilian scientists, science in Brazil has been undermined by measures implemented by the federal government in the past 3 years, such as increasing budget cuts, attacks on the autonomy of universities, and a general policy of denial of science. A recent budget cut of US$110 million to the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovations budget, in addition to the withholding of $490 million from the National Scientific and Technological Development Fund, not only represents an enormous impediment to conducting research at universities and research institutes, but also jeopardises the fut…
(2022-01-01). The Insufferable Hypocrisy of Western Governments Hell-bent on Destroying Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org Much of the independent media have provided coverage of the horrendous plight suffered by WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. Some corporate media have even pointed out how five purported democracies conspired to entrap Julian Assange and, with the acquiescence of most of the western monopoly media, are complicit in the slow-motion assassination of the brave journalist.
(2022-01-01). [Correspondence] COVID-19 ARDS: getting ventilation right — Authors' reply. thelancet.com We thank Xosé Pérez-Fernández and colleagues for their thoughtful Correspondence regarding our study of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in COVID-19.1 We agree that our study does not provide evidence that forms of non-invasive ventilation (NIV), such as high-flow nasal cannula and mask or helmet ventilation, might be deleterious compared with other strategies. Our observational study was not designed to make causal inferences regarding the potential superiority of ECMO or any pre-ECMO support strategy.
(2022-01-01). [Correspondence] COVID-19 ARDS: getting ventilation right. thelancet.com We read with special interest the Article by Ryan Barbaro and colleagues,1 describing the evolving outcomes of patients with COVID-19 who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) during 2020. We were sad to corroborate the same increased mortality we had observed in our own patients. However, we wish to clarify two key aspects that we hope will supplement the conclusions of this important Article.
(2021-12-31). 2021 Latin America and the Caribbean in Review: The Pink Tide Rises Again. dissidentvoice.org US policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean continued in a seamless transition from Trump to Biden, but the terrain over which it operated shifted left. The balance between the US drive to dominate its "backyard" and its counterpart, the Bolivarian cause of regional independence and integration, continued to tip portside in 2021 with major …
(2021-12-31). 2021 Latin America and the Caribbean in Review: The Pink Tide Rises Again. dissidentvoice.org US policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean continued in a seamless transition from Trump to Biden, but the terrain over which it operated shifted left. The balance between the US drive to dominate its "backyard" and its counterpart, the Bolivarian cause of regional independence and integration, continued to tip portside in 2021 with major …
(2021-12-31). Catastrophic wildfire rips through Boulder, Colorado suburbs. liberationnews.org 
The fire is the harsh reality of climate change on full display — but instead of watching the flames, we should fight for a better world than the one…
(2021-12-31). Biden's 'Diplomacy Is Back' Falls Flat As 2021 Middle East Policy A Miserable Flop. popularresistance.org Despite President Joe Biden having claimed earlier this year that "diplomacy is back" and that he would end the war in Yemen, revive the Iran Nuclear Deal and settle several other issues, in reality his Middle East foreign policy has been just as detrimental to the region as was that of his predecessor. | "This war has to end…we're ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales," Biden said in early February during his first address to the U.S. public on his administration's foreign policy approach. It was a speech that saw him showered with the praise of…
(2021-12-31). Pressure Grows On Biden To Shut Down Trump-Era Medicare Privatization Scheme. popularresistance.org Calls are mounting for President Joe Biden to terminate an under-the-radar Trump-era pilot program that—if allowed to run its course—could result in the complete privatization of traditional Medicare by the end of the decade. | A petition recently launched by Physicians for a National Program (PNHP) has garnered more than 10,000 signatures as doctors and other advocates work to raise public awareness of the Medicare Direct Contracting program, which the Trump administration rolled out during its final months in power.
(2021-12-31). Biden, "Build Back Basic", and Our Ongoing Struggles. anchor.fm In this episode I discuss a few things that are happening contextually here in the contemporary US empire as well as some of the things happening worldwide and how we can begin to build a class struggle. I'm not married to any of these ideas, but this is what I think at this point in time in my life. Hope you enjoy it!
(2021-12-31). One Year in, Biden's Nuclear Policies Look a Lot Like Trump's. truthout.org 
Speaking at a New Hampshire campaign event in 2019, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden
(2021-12-31). Biden's COVID Pivot Is Pure Politics. strategic-culture.org By Tom LUONGO | If you thought the worst screenplay you'd have to endure this winter was anything written by a Wachowski sister, boy howdy are you wrong. | A couple of weeks ago I told you that And it's coming this spring. | The problem for Bidenwood is Omicron spreads quickly…
(2021-12-31). Biden's First Year Foreign Policy Record May Be Worse than Trump's. covertactionmagazine.com His administration has escalated dangerous conflicts with Russia and China while increasing the military budget, expanding deadly sanctions and sustaining …
(2021-12-31). Another Nail in the U.S. Empire's Coffin… Biden Signs $770 Billion War Budget. strategic-culture.org Three decades after the Cold War officially ended, the U.S. is setting a new record high for annual expenditure on its armed forces. | As this year ends, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law military spending of $770 billion. That's just for the next year alone. The scale of wastefulness and bloated corruption is eye-watering. It eclipses what the United States is willing to invest for overhauling its badly neglected civilian infrastructure and for combating the coronavirus pandemic that has killed far more people in the U.S. than in any other nation. | If there is one thing that portends a historic collapse…
(2021-12-31). Legislative Election Held in Hong Kong. journal-neo.org 
Election to the Legislative Council, the local parliament in Hong Kong, was held on December 19 of this year — an event that observers outside China should be interested in from an academic point of view. It is always curious to see how one of the two leading world powers solves its internal problems, which …
(2021-12-31). Modi ignores Court request to postpone elections as Omicron surges in India. wsws.org The Modi government's response to the pandemic over nearly two years has shown that the Indian ruling elites prioritize corporate profits over human life.
(2021-12-31). Deere CEO John May brought onto Ford board of directors. wsws.org The election of May to the Ford board of directors has drawn favorable notice from business analysts due to his confrontational stance against Deere workers.
(2021-12-31). Neoliberalism, fascism, or socialist breakthroughs? cpusa.org 
The Trump administration's fascistic response to the 2020 #BlackLivesMatter uprising, the U.S. government's deadly, incompetent response to COVID, and the sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan reflect a long-term structural crisis in U.S. imperialism and democratic legitimacy. Over the past two decades, that crisis has been marked by general economic decline, the failures of endless war, …
(2021-12-31). House Panel Asks Judges To Deny Trump's Bid To Shield Records. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, the U.S. House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot asked the Supreme Court to reject former President Donald Trump's bid to block the release of his White House's records requested in the ongoing probe. | RELATED: | Lawyers for the select committee in a brief filed with the high court argued against Trump's claim of executive privilege over a trove of records that the panel considered to be…
(2021-12-31). Why Trump's legal bills are costing the GOP a fortune: "There is no precedent for this" salon.com "He could afford this, but they are paying his bills anyway"
(2021-12-31). Donald Trump and his family fleeced America: Why aren't they being held accountable?>. salon.com Pulitzer-winning reporter David Cay Johnston on the criminal Trump regime: "This was thievery, plain and simple"
(2021-12-31). As Covid Deaths Hit 800k, Sanders Says Medicare for All Needed to End 'Vulgarity' of US Health System. scheerpost.com 
A long Covid-19 testing line at Rivergreen Park in Everett, Massachusetts on December 28, 2021. (Photo: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | By Julia Conley / Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday said that nearly two years after the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the public health crisis that shows no sign of coming to a swift end has brought into stark relief "the vulgarity" of the U.S. healthcare system, suggesting the political establishm…
(2021-12-31). Fact Check: 60 Percent Of Republicans Are Unvaccinated, 17 Percent Of Democrats Refuse To Take Jabs. moguldom.com The unvaccinated U.S. population is disproportionately made up of those who identify as Republican or Republican-leaning — six in 10, or 60 percent — according to polling data from the October 2021 KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor. By comparison, about four in 10 of the U.S. total adult population make up the unvaccinated population …
(2021-12-31). United Auto Workers prepares another sellout contract at Columbia University. wsws.org The ongoing struggle at Columbia has thus far, under the criminal leadership of the UAW and with support from the Democratic Party and the pseudo-left, been implementing a strategy of defeat for workers.
(2021-12-31). Democracy Now! at 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Independent News on the Frontlines. democracynow.org 
Democracy Now! first aired on nine community radio stations on February 19, 1996, on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary. In the 25 years since that initial broadcast, the program has greatly expanded, airing today on more than 1,500 television and radio stations around the globe and reaching millions of people online. We celebrate 25 years of The War and Peace Report with an hour-long retrospective, including highlights from the show's early years, some of the most controversial interviews, and groundbreaking reports from East Timor, Standing Rock, Western Sahara and more.
(2021-12-31). Using and abusing Djibouti: How the US transformed a tiny African state into a hub of imperial aggression. thegrayzone.com From Djibouti, the US trains proxies and bombs strategically-important countries in the name of democracy and counterterrorism. To justify the country's militarization, Washington hypes fears over China's regional ambitions. In a blatant threat to China's presence, Djibouti recently hosted the US-led "Allied Appreciation Day," in which Britain, France, and Japan showcased "a variety of equipment that is part of their military operations in the Horn of Africa" (HOA). The Pentagon's Combined Joint Task Force-HOA reported that the events fused Armistice, …
(2021-12-31). Chris Hedges: PEN America and the Betrayal of Julian Assange. mronline.org 
Careerists and Democratic Party apparatchiks successfully leverage corporate money and backing to seize and deform historic rights organizations into appendages of the ruling class.
(2021-12-31). Democracy Now! at 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Independent News on the Frontlines. democracynow.org Democracy Now! first aired on nine community radio stations on February 19, 1996, on the eve of the New Hampshire presidential primary. In the 25 years since that initial broadcast, the program has greatly expanded, airing today on more than 1,500 television and radio stations around the globe and reaching millions of people online. We celebrate 25 years of The War and Peace Report with an hour-long retrospective, including highlights from the show's early years, some of the most controversial interviews, and groundbreaking reports from East Timor, Standing Rock, Western Sahara and more.
(2021-12-31). Argentina — La gran apuesta de Juntos: Dividir el peronismo. globalizacion.ca Por primera vez en mucho tiempo el poder concentrado dominante de nuestro país parece apostar a la democracia y pretende construir una mayoría sólida que le permita gobernar por décadas. La cooptación de algunos dirigentes en el pasado reciente le…
(2021-12-31). We Dance Into The New Year Banging Our Hammers And Swinging Our Sickles. popularresistance.org Bittersweet is the passage of this year. There have been some immense victories and some catastrophic defeats, the most terrible being the failure of the Global North countries to adopt a democratic attitude towards confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and creating equitable access to key resources, from life-saving medical equipment to vaccines. Tragically, by the end of this pandemic, we will have learnt the Greek alphabet from the variants named after its letters (Delta, Omicron), which continue to emerge. | Cuba leads the world with the highest vaccination rates, using its indigenous vaccines to protect its popu…
(2021-12-31). The historic assault on university education and Australia's anti-democratic electoral laws. wsws.org The deep hostility among university staff and students is part of the rising political discontent that drove the Liberal-National and Labor parties to rush through new electoral laws in August.
(2021-12-31). Steve Wasserman: Remembering Joan Didion, a 'Singular' California Writer and a 'Helluva Lot of Fun'. scheerpost.com "Joan Didion" [Art by Mr. Fish] | Click to subscribe on: Joan Didion's obituaries are brimming with accolades the 87-year-old undeniably earned over the many decades her career as a novelist, essayist, and journalist spanned. Soon after the