(2022-01-27). Make the Whole World Know that the South Also Exists. dissidentvoice.org 
Shefa Salem (Libya), Life, 2019. On 19 January 2022, US President Joe Biden held a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. The discussion ranged from Biden's failure to pass a $1.75 trillion investment bill (the result of the defection of two Democrats) to the increased tensions between the …
(2022-01-27). Biden's approval rating plunges in key swing state. rt.com 
Support for President Biden has crumbled in Georgia, a state that could wrest control of the Senate from Democrats in this year's elections | A new poll out of Georgia shows troubling signs for Democrats heading into this year's midterm elections, as voters have soured on President Joe Biden and see America heading in the wrong direction under his party's leadership. | The
(2022-01-27). Stephen Breyer to Retire, Giving Biden Chance to Nominate First Black Woman Supreme Court Justice. democracynow.org 
Liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring after nearly three decades on the bench, giving President Biden a chance to fulfill a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman in history to serve on the high court. Those worried that identity politics will hinder the most qualified candidate should consider that 108 of 115 justices since the nation's founding have been white men, says Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation. Breyer's retirement comes as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell threatened to stall any nominations that Biden put forth later in the year. Breyer leaves "an i…
(2022-01-27). Pseudo-left National Educators United "understands" Biden's diktat that schools stay open. wsws.org Amid skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, a collapsing health care system and a horrifying death toll, the NEU has organized a petition to beg Biden and the Democrats for a bit more PPE.
(2022-01-27). Headlines for January 27, 2022. democracynow.org Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to Retire, Handing Biden Chance to Nominate Replacement, U.S. and NATO Offer No Concessions to Russia in Standoff over Ukraine, U.S. Approves $2.5 Billion Arms Sale to Egypt Despite Human Rights Abuses, House Democrats Demand End to U.S. Servicing of Saudi Warplanes Used in War Crimes, 180 Killed as U.S.-Backed Forces Retake Syrian Prison Where Children Are Imprisoned, U.N. Renews Calls to Free Up Aid for Millions of Afghans Facing Starvation, Extreme Poverty, Global COVID Cases Break New Record as COVAX Falls Short on Vaccine Delivery Goal, Spotify Sides with Joe Rogan in Vac…
(2022-01-27). Wall Street millionaire Jeff Zients directs Biden's policy of mass death. wsws.org In order to understand the catastrophic response of the Biden administration to the pandemic, it is necessary to examine the background and political career of the man quietly operating at the center of this response.
(2022-01-27). Fraud and violence threatening elections for Colombia's war victims. colombiareports.com Election observers warned that fraud and violence threatens elections in more than half of the towns where war victims can elect congressional representatives. The Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) issued a…
(2022-01-27). Is Something Rotten In The State Of Pacifica Elections? indybay.org Let the will of the members be heard and may democracy prevail.
(2022-01-27). Tariq Ali: 'Democracy is largely a set of rituals now'. canadiandimension.com 
Tariq Ali speaking at the 2013 Subversive Festival in Zagreb. Photo from Tariq Ali is an internationally known public intellectual, columnist and political activist. Born in pre-partition India in 1943, Ali studied at Oxford University and was elected as students' union president there. He has been involved in political activism since then. He was one of the most prominent figures of the civil society coalition against the United States' war in Vietnam. He was also there at the forefront of agitation against the war…
(2022-01-27). "The Lords of Easy Money": How the Federal Reserve Enriched Wall Street & Broke the U.S. Economy. democracynow.org 
As the Federal Reserve signals it will raise interest rates in March, we talk to Christopher Leonard, author of the new book "The Lords of Easy Money," about how the Federal Reserve broke the American economy. He details the issues with quantitative easing, a radical intervention instituted by the federal government in 2010 to encourage banks and investors to lend more risky debt to combat the recession. "The Fed's policies over the last decades have stoked the world of Wall Street," says Leonard. "It has pumped trillions of dollars into the banking system and thereby inflated these markets for stocks, for bonds.
(2022-01-27). Judge imposes strike ban on 17,000 BNSF railway workers. wsws.org While the United States never tires of lecturing other countries about their violation of "human rights" and "democracy," the US government regularly runs roughshod over the basic rights of workers, including their right to strike and their right to a safe and healthy work environment.
(2022-01-27). Morality Cannot Be Divided: How Netanyahu's Corruption has Exposed Israel's 'Democracy'. dissidentvoice.org 
Former Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his prosecutors are reportedly finalizing the details of a plea deal that would practically water down, shelve, or drop altogether all three major corruption cases that have led to his high-profile trial in May 2020. If such news actualizes, Israel would officially sink to a new low in terms …
(2022-01-27). Despite U.S. Embargo, Cuba Aims to Share Homegrown Vaccine with Global South. democracynow.org 
A 60-year U.S. embargo that prevents U.S.-made products from being exported to Cuba has forced the small island nation to develop its own COVID-19 vaccines and rely on open source designs for life-saving medical equipment such as ventilators. We speak to leading Cuban scientist Dr. Mitchell Valdés-Sosa about how massive mobilization helped produce three original vaccines that have proven highly effective against the coronavirus. "In a moment that the whole world was mobilizing to face this tremendous menace that was killing people around the world, the U.S. administration did not lift any of the 400 sanctions tha…
(2022-01-26). Biden Federal Judge Nominee Persecuted Steve Donziger on Behalf of Chevron. orinocotribune.com One of Joe Biden's latest federal judge nominees has environmental activists questioning the Democrat's connections to Big Oil. | US President Joe Biden nominated a list of judges last week, and one of the nominees has particularly stood out due to her history with the Republican Party, including Donald Trump, and her involvement in a lawsuit by Chevron against environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger. | "Outraged to learn that Biden has named Chevron lawyer Jennifer Rearden to be a federal judge," Donziger tweeted last Thursday, January 20, in reaction to the nomination, highlighting Rearden's work…
(2022-01-26). '45th and 47th': Trump Hints at Future Presidential Bid in Viral Golf Video. sputniknews.com While Trump did appear to suggest that he is going to become the next president after Joe Biden, he did not mention – not in the video in question, at least – when exactly it is going to occur.
(2022-01-26). US Companies Urge Biden to Consider 'Wind-Down Periods' to Dodge 'Spillover' From Russia Sanctions. sputniknews.com Amid heightened tensions between the US and Russia fuelled by unsubstantiated claims from America and its NATO allies that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is an increasing possibility, Joe Biden said he would consider sanctioning President Vladimir Putin directly, warning of "enormous consequences" in the event of an incursion.
(2022-01-26). Biden OK's $2.5 Billion Arms Sale to Egypt, Disregarding Government Oppression. truthout.org 
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday approved a sprawling $2.5 billion arms sale to Egypt even as the Biden administration continues to
(2022-01-26). Matt Taibbi: Let's Not Have a War. scheerpost.com 
Bad idea. | By Matt Taibbi / Joe Biden last week said the American response in Ukraine would be proportional to Vladimir Putin's actions. "It depends," the president posited, thoughts drifting like blobs in a lava lamp. "It's one thing if it's a minor incursion…" | Alarms sounded all over Washington. The rip in the national political illusion was…
(2022-01-26). US's Support for Invasions Should Disqualify It From Leading on Russia-Ukraine. truthout.org 
The United States and Russia are heading toward a dangerous showdown over Ukraine, as the U.S. has
(2022-01-26). Minneapolis protests Biden administration upholding Trump-era immigration policies. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On January 23, protesters marched in freezing temperatures to bring attention to the Biden administration's inhumane immigration policies. The march, organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), took place in a neighborhood with many immigrant families and received significant support from onlookers as protesters chanted about closing the camps, abolishing ICE, and supporting legalization for all. The protesters demanded that Biden and the Democratic-controlled Congress take immediate action to reverse all Trump-era anti-immigrant policies and act on their campaign promi…
(2022-01-26). Biden reaffirms "sacred obligation" to NATO's Article 5 war mechanism. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com 'We have a sacred obligation': Biden threatens to send troops to Eastern Europe During the commander-in-chief's trip to a gift shop. "I made it clear to President Putin that we have a sacred obligation, Article 5 obligation to our NATO allies. And that if, in fact, he continued to build up and/or was to move, …
(2022-01-26). Kremlin: US Calls for Anti-Putin Sanctions Are 'Politically Destructive'. sputniknews.com Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that President Putin would face "sanctions he has never seen" in the event that he decides to "invade" Ukraine.
(2022-01-26). Biden Urged to Nominate Black Woman to Supreme Court as Breyer Says He'll Retire. scheerpost.com 
By Brett Wilkins / Common Dreams Reports that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire prompted progressives Wednesday to urge President Joe Biden to fulfill a campaign promise and nominate a progressive Black woman who will counter the high court's right-wing supermajority and protect democracy, human rights, and the climate. CNN reports a "well-placed" unnamed source said …
(2022-01-26). Erdogan Works Up a Plan to Mend Ties with the US/EU. journal-neo.org 
Even though the Biden administration did not invite Erdogan to the "democracy summit", changing geo-political circumstances — in particular, the West (EU and the US) vs. Russia tensions around the former's bid to expand NATO to Ukraine — seem to have changed, at least in Turkey's eyes, Ankara's importance for the West. From being a …
(2022-01-26). Headlines for January 26, 2022. democracynow.org U.S. Says Personal Sanctions Against Putin Possible If Russia Invades Ukraine, Aid Ship to Tonga Reports 23 COVID Cases; China Tries to Contain Omicron Ahead of Olympics, Biden Admin Pulls Business Vaccine Requirement; Judge Stays Decision Blocking NY Indoor Mask Mandate, Pfizer Starts Testing Omicron Vaccine; FDA Halts Use of 2 Antibody Therapies | , Leonard Peltier Calls Prison Conditions "Torture" Amid COVID Lockdowns and Neglect, Colombian Indigenous Leader José Albeiro Camayo Killed by Armed Group, Pataxó Protesters in Brazil Launch Blockade, Demand Justice 3 Years After Deadly Vale Dam Disaster, Seven Bangl…
(2022-01-26). Where Is The 100,000-Strong Public Health Corps Biden Promised Us? popularresistance.org A year after Joe Biden's inauguration, things seem bleak. Despite the existence of life-saving vaccines, tests and masks, on January 21, more than 3,000 people were reported to have died of Covid-19, and the last time daily deaths were below 1,000 was in August. With the more transmissible Omicron variant spreading like wildfire, and only 63% of the country with two doses of the vaccine (only 43% of adults with their booster), things may continue to get worse before they get better. Hospitals are filled to the brim while schools and industries deal with absences. Clearly, we need a policy reset. We need to provid…
(2022-01-26). Qatar Reportedly Has 'Little Spare Capacity' for EU Amid US Search for Alternatives to Russian Gas. sputniknews.com On Tuesday, Biden press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the White House was "working to identify additional volumes of gas" for Europe from North Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the United States in the event of a drop in Russian supplies amid the Ukraine crisis.
(2022-01-26). Sudan's Revolution Enters Its Second Phase: Disrupting The State. popularresistance.org A few hours after the military coup in Sudan on 25 October 2021, its leader, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, appeared on television to announce the dissolution of the Sovereign Council, the governmental body composed of military and civilian representatives, which had been formed in the wake of the 2018 revolution. In a typical justification for coups in the country, Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency, describing the takeover as a "corrective step". | The 2018 revolution was the third in Sudan's modern history. They have all followed a pattern of ousting a dictator, followed by a transitional period, elections, and…
(2022-01-26). Barbados: The Labor Party Wins all the Seats in the First Republican Parliament. orinocotribune.com
(2022-01-26). Socialist Alliance maintains electoral registration. greenleft.org.au The Socialist Alliance has managed to remain a registered political party, able to run in the federal elections with its party name and logo. Alex Bainbridge reports.
(2022-01-26). UK politics labeled a 'presidential system'. rt.com 
Jacob Rees-Mogg says if Boris Johnson is toppled as Tory leader, his successor should call a general election | As Boris Johnson loyalists circle their wagons around the embattled prime minister, the leader of the party's parliamentary faction has argued the UK's political system is not what it seems on paper. The nation is actually closer to having a US-style arrangement, Jacob Rees-Mogg says, so if Johnson is removed as the leader of the Conservative Party, his successor should seek a new mandate to govern from the public through a general election. | The top MP made his case during an interview with BBC Two…
(2022-01-26). 'Millions have their hopes set on a Bolsonaro defeat': An interview with Brazilian socialist Roberto Robaina. greenleft.org.au Green Left speaks to Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) leader Roberto Robaina about Jair Bolsonaro's extreme right project, the upcoming elections and how Brazil might fit into the new wave of left governments in the region.
(2022-01-26). Cuba Congratulates Prime Minister of Barbados for Victory in General Elections. orinocotribune.com On Thursday, January 20, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel as well as other Cuban authority figures congratulated the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, for the victory of her party in the general elections in Barbados held last Wednesday, January 19. | After Barbados became a republic last year, the parliament was dissolved and early elections were called, to renew the 30 seats of the House of Assembly. As expected, Prime Minister Mottley 's Barbados Labour Party (BLP) won the first general election in Barbados' republican history, winning all the seats. On January 20, after the results were released, Mott…
(2022-01-26). Honduras: Leftist Xiomara Castro to be sworn in as president. greenleft.org.au Leftist Libertad y Refundación (Libre) party candidate Xiomara Castro de Zelaya won November's presidential elections in Honduras with 51% of the vote — the highest proportion of votes for a presidential candidate in Honduran history, reports Ben Radford.
(2022-01-26). A warning from Mark Twain. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ==== Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts American writers on peace and against war Mark Twain: Selections on war ==== Mark TwainMember of the Anti-Imperialist LeagueFrom The Mysterious Stranger (posthumous) I did not like to hear our race called sheep, and said I did not think they were. "Still, it is true, lamb," said Satan. …
(2022-01-26). Pelosi Announces Another Run for Congress, Doesn't Discuss Speaker Role. truthout.org 
On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) announced that she will run for another term in Congress — without specifying whether she will seek to remain leader of the Democratic caucus in the House beyond this year's midterms. | "I am running for reelection to Congress," Pelosi said that this ye…
(2022-01-26). Pelosi fast-tracks bill to funnel more weapons to Ukraine. peoplesworld.org 
U.S. officials are planning to rush through a major bill that will dramatically bolster weapons allocations for Ukraine and increase funding for anti-Russian propaganda and intelligence, it was announced on Tuesday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was fast-tracking the bill, called the "Defending Ukraine Sovereignty Act of 2022," straight to the House of Representatives. …
(2022-01-26). The Neocons' Primary War Tactic: Branding Opponents of U.S. Intervention as Traitors. scheerpost.com 
Former Bush White House speechwriter David Frum speaks to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough about Russia, Nov. 30, 2021 | By Glenn Greenwald / One of the most bizarre but important dynamics of Trump-era U.S. politics is that the most fanatical war-hungry neocons, who shaped Bush/Cheney militarism, have become the most popular pundits and thought leaders in American liberalism. They have not changed in the slightest — they are employing the same tactics they have always invoked, and for the same causes — but they…
(2022-01-26). Nina Turner Announces Run for Congress in Likely Rematch Against Shontel Brown. truthout.org 
Nina Turner has announced that she will be running to represent Cleveland in the House of Representatives after her campaign against Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) fell flat in the primaries last year. | Turner, who formerly served as an Ohio state senator and as campaign co-chair for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont),
(2022-01-26). Conozca las metas del Gobierno de Xiomara Castro en Honduras. telesurtv.net Empoderar a la mujer y defender los Derechos Humanos de toda la ciudadanía, así como generar empleos, estarán entre las prioridades gubernamentales.
(2022-01-26). Opinion: Embrace MLK, Reject Barack Obama. Why Leftists Need To Challenge The Scourge Of Black Neoliberalism. moguldom.com Black Boomers have led our generation off a cliff by embracing neoliberalism MLK day is now time for the Black Congressional Caucus, Democratic Party, and many in our political establishment to pretend that MLK represents everything they stand for. This holiday serves as a day for our media class to continue to whitewash MLK and …
(2022-01-26). In OtherWords: January 26, 2022. otherwords.org For millions of American families, this January meant financial strain. | Why? Because Republicans, together with Democrat Joe Manchin, have stalled the renewal of the expanded Child Tax Credit. That credit reduced child poverty by 30 percent in December alone, but in January — the first month without payments — the rate is expected to climb to its highest point in a year. | This week in OtherWords, Clara Moore explains how those monthly payments changed her life — and her child's life — for the better. Don't miss it! | Meanwhile, Martha Burk marks another sober January milestone: Roe v. W…
(2022-01-26). The Filibuster Is Busted. Time to Scrap it. otherwords.org If you're under the impression that the filibuster is an important tool in the toolbox of American democracy, you've been misled. | The filibuster is a made-up Senate convention that lets a minority of senators block votes on bills that have majority support. Under current rules, just 41 senators can sink legislation this way. | In the past, filibusters were used only rarely. But with Republicans filibustering virtually everything these days, it now takes 60 Senate votes to pass anything at all. That's a tall hurdle in our polarized age. | The main argument for the filibuster is that it promotes bipartisanship an…
(2022-01-26). DPKK will not give up right to self defense. fightbacknews.org According to a January 14 report from the Korean Central News Agency, the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said that that north Korea would continue to take measures to defend itself against the U.S. and other hostile powers. | The DPRK Foreign Ministry said, "The U.S. is coming out provocative again, finding fault with the DPRK's exercise of its right to self-defense. The DPRK's recent development of new-type weapon was just part of its efforts for modernizing its national defense capability. It did not target any specific country or force and it did not do any harm…
(2022-01-26). Africa CDC Director: Vaccine Inequity Prolongs the Pandemic. Global Cooperation Can Stop New Variants. democracynow.org 
As new cases of the highly infectious Omicron variant continue to climb in undervaccinated parts of the world, we speak to the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about how vaccine inequity could lead to even more variants of the coronavirus. Dr. John Nkengasong says only 10% of the population is fully immunized in Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people, and millions of vaccines donated by COVAX went unused because of their short shelf life. Meanwhile, several countries in Africa have begun manufacturing their own vaccines. "We have to shift our focus to vaccinating — that is, m…
(2022-01-26). India's Role in Washington's Myanmar Meddling. newatlas.report January 26, 2022 (Brian Berletic — NEO) — The Southeast Asian country of Myanmar continues to suffer from ongoing political violence which began in February 2021 after the nation's military ousted the government of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Remnants of the ousted government are now reorganized as …
(2022-01-26). 76 pro-democracy protesters killed in three months since the coup in Sudan. peoplesdispatch.org Three more protesters were shot dead and dozens were wounded by the security forces during the country-wide demonstrations against the coup on January 24. Protesters continue to barricade several neighborhoods and main roads.
(2022-01-26). Democrats rush through bill to make Ukraine third-largest recipient of U.S. military aid in the world. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Abridged version of a report by Sara Sirota in The Intercept. Democrats Are Rushing Through a Massive Ukraine Defense Bill The House of Representatives is looking to skip markup and hold a floor vote as soon as next week. Democrats in the House of Representatives are planning to expedite a massive bill that would dramatically …
(2022-01-26). "Gangsters of Capitalism": Jonathan Katz on the Parallels Between Jan. 6 and 1934 Anti-FDR Coup Plot. democracynow.org 
We speak to award-winning journalist Jonathan Katz about his new book "Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire." The book follows the life of the Marines officer Smedley Butler and the trail of U.S. imperialism from Cuba and the Philippines to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Panama. The book also describes an effort by banking and business leaders to topple Franklin D. Roosevelt's government in 1934 in order to establish a fascist dictatorship. The plot was exposed by Butler, who famously declared, "War is a racket." The far-right conspira…
(2022-01-26). SDF Says Al-Hasakah Prison Battle Is Over, 1,600 ISIS Terrorists Surrendered (Videos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image, source: sdf-press.com | The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which has been battling ISIS terrorists for control of Geweran prison in the northeastern Syrian city of al-Hasakah announced on January 26 that it had retaken the whole complex. | The terrorists launched a