(2022-02-16). Biden's Russia speech: Hypocrisy, lies and warmongering. wsws.org On Tuesday, the day before the United States claimed Russia would launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden gave a speech in which he doubled down on his threats of a "bloody, destructive war" despite the fact that no Russian invasion was forthcoming.
(2022-02-16). No U.S. war with Russia, end U.S. intervention in Ukraine. fightbacknews.org Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) is opposed to the Biden administration's war preparations against Russia and U.S. intervention in the Ukraine. We urge all progressives and revolutionaries to help organize, promote and participate in anti-war protests. We are against imperialist wars. | In recent years the Pentagon has ranked Russia as a "strategic competitor," making it one of the main targets of U.S. war plans. Currently the U.S. is sending mountains of weapons to the reactionary Ukrainian government, deploying more troops in Eastern Europe, and is making threat upon threat. The constant barrage of a…
(2022-02-16). Pipeline Politics And The Ukraine crisis. popularresistance.org Amid escalating tensions between the United States, NATO and Russia, all eyes are on Ukraine. Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland describes it as "a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism." But Nord Stream 2, a pipeline built to bring Russian gas under the Baltic Sea directly to Germany, is an integral part of the story. | On January 27, US Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, asserted, "If Russia invades Ukraine one way or another … we will work with Germany to ensure it [the pipeline] does not move forward." Delayed by US threats and sanctions, Nord Stream 2 highlights…
(2022-02-16). US has no plans to deploy missiles in Ukraine — Biden. tass.com Neither the US nor NATO have missiles in Ukraine…
(2022-02-16). Headlines for February 16, 2022. democracynow.org NATO, U.S. Express Doubt over Russian Troop Pullback as Putin, Biden Say Diplomatic Path Still Open, Sandy Hook Families Reach Historic $73 Million Deal with Remington, Prince Andrew Settles Sexual Assault Lawsuit with Survivor Virginia Giuffre, Ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández Arrested for Drug Trafficking, U.N.: Pollution Causes More Premature Deaths Than COVID-19, U.S. Coastal Sea Levels Will Rise Another Foot by Mid-Century, Climate Change-Fueled "Megadrought" in Western U.S. Worst in 12 Centuries, Flooding and Mudslides Kill at Least 34 People in Petrópolis, Brazil, Israeli Forces Kil…
(2022-02-16). Ukrainian Pacifist's Message to the World: U.S., NATO & Russia Share Responsibility to Avoid War. democracynow.org 
NATO officials have joined the U.S. and other Western nations in saying they have yet to see evidence that Russia is pulling back some troops near the shared border with Ukraine, as Russia claimed earlier this week. We speak with Yurii Sheliazhenko, executive secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, who says, "Both great powers of the West and the East share equal responsibility to avoid escalation of war in Ukraine and beyond Ukraine."…
(2022-02-16). A new war with Russia? Absolutely not! cpusa.org 
The following statement was issued by the CPUSA Peace and Solidarity Commission. For the last two months the Biden administration has been shouting, "The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!" in a bold attempt to stifle public anger against suffocating policies by government and private enterprise. The Biden administration has dismissed Russia's insistence …
(2022-02-16). Biden, Macron discuss recent diplomatic contacts with Russia, Ukraine – White House. tass.com The US and French presidents reviewed their recent conversations with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, and affirmed their continued support for a diplomatic path forward…
(2022-02-16). Donor list leak exposes business and far-right forces sponsoring Canada's "Freedom Convoy" wsws.org According to the leaked data, $8.4 million had been raised from 92,844 donors, with the majority of funds being raised in Canada and the United States, including large donations from business owners and financial backers of the Republican Party.
(2022-02-16). Valentines Day Vigil To Promote Aid To Afghanistan. popularresistance.org With the UN reporting that hunger in Afghanistan could kill more civilians than the 20-year Afghanistan war, an international debate is raging over the policy by the U.S. and other governments about getting aid to that country. The president just announced a plan to confiscate $7 Billion in Afghan funds and set aside half of it for families of 9/11 victims and to create a "third-party trust fund" to pay for humanitarian aid with the other half. Critics of the decision, including those who worked for the former U.S.-backed Afghan government, lambasted Biden's decision saying that the currency reserves belong to th…
(2022-02-16). U.S. Sanctions on Afghanistan Could Be Deadlier Than 20 Years of War. fpif.org The collective punishment of Afghans is hideously wrong — and the Biden administration can ease it with the stroke of a pen.
(2022-02-16). Ucrania y la recomposición de los equilibrios. globalizacion.ca El presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, y el canciller de Alemania, Olaf Scholz, acaban de sostener una reunión en Washington con la intención aparente de enviar a Rusia y China en mensaje de "alianza confiable" en el caso de…
(2022-02-16). Biden's promise, "America's Back!" is delivered–on Steroids! indybay.org On at least one big item, President Biden's campaign promise, "America's Back!" has been resoundingly delivered! 2 decades ago, the United States went to war based on an outrageous lie, that Saddam Hussein had WMDs(Weapons of Mass Destruction) that were ready to launch in 90 minutes on allies of the U.S. That gigantic lie had no credible evidence(and over 10 million citizens across the Globe protested in the streets agianst the impending but illegal invasion.) But the lie was delivered in such melodramatic tones that the "Corporate-bin-Laden" media bought it, line, rod and sinker). The MSM not only parroted the U…
(2022-02-16). "45K People Died from Gun Violence on Your Watch": Parkland Survivors Demand More Action from Biden. democracynow.org 
Survivors and families of the victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida, have launched a new online tool called the "Shock Market" to track the occurrence of U.S. gun violence. This comes as Manuel Oliver, the father of 17-year-old victim Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, was arrested during a peaceful protest demanding the Biden administration take action to curb gun violence. "Very little has changed since the last four years," says Oliver. We also speak with David Hogg, survivor of the Parkland school massacre and a founder and board member…
(2022-02-16). Morrison's religious discrimination bill exposes political fault lines close to elections. peoplesdispatch.org With just a handful of months to go for the Australian general elections, prime minister Scott Morrison's aborted attempt to push through his religious discrimination bill exposes major weaknesses in his government…
(2022-02-16). Steinmeier, re-elected as German president, talks war. wsws.org The presidential election was not an expression of the "force of democracy." Rather, it revealed a ruling class which, confronting growing social and political opposition, is closing ranks.
(2022-02-16). Pat O'Shane inspires supporters at election launch. greenleft.org.au Kuku Yalanji woman Pat O'Shane's campaign for the seat of Leichhardt for Socialist Alliance in Far North Queensland was launched on February 13. Alex Bainbridge reports.
(2022-02-16). A billionaire's boast: $100 million to tip the next federal election. greenleft.org.au As the rich and powerful have always done, Clive Palmer is boasting he will spend $100 million on influencing the outcome of the federal election. Peter Boyle reports.
(2022-02-16). Unite our class to fight COVID-19. workers.org 
Private industries in the imperialist countries of North America and Europe have superexploited the COVID-19 crisis. And the governments have managed it so poorly that the disaster created an opening for ultraright groups to mobilize. The so-called truckers' revolt in Canada illustrates the danger. In the U.S., the pro-Trump gang . . . |
(2022-02-16). Trump Administration Discussed Plans to Kidnap or Assassinate Julian Assange. projectcensored.org In late 2017, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), then under the direction of Mike Pompeo, seriously considered plans to kidnap or assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to a Yahoo…
(2022-02-16). Ex-Honduran President Hernández Arrested on Drug Charges; U.S. Backed His Narco-State for 8 Years. democracynow.org 
Authorities in Honduras have arrested former President Juan Orlando Hernández for allegedly smuggling over 1 million pounds of cocaine into the United States since 2004. Hernández, who now faces extradition to the United States, was a longtime U.S. ally, in power from 2014 until January 27 of this year, when he was succeeded by Xiomara Castro, Honduras's first female president. We speak with Castro's deputy minister of foreign affairs, Gerardo Torres Zelaya, who calls the U.S. extradition a step in the correct direction and a dramatic shift from prior U.S. administrations that condoned Hernández’…
(2022-02-16). Democrats, The More Effective Evil. popularresistance.org When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are less than 5% of the world's population — when the stock market fluctuates on wild rollercoaster rides of highs and lows, when what little help the government offered to the labor force — half of…
(2022-02-16). Unions And Worker Co-Ops: Economic Justice Requires Collaboration. popularresistance.org Unions and worker cooperatives have a lot in common when it comes to passions and principles for democratic workplaces. Where they differ is in strategy and tactics. At this moment in history, it is clear to many that much needs to be torn down and much needs to be built up. To face this challenge and change our economic system to achieve genuine workplace democracy requires new ways of doing business and a multi-pronged approach. | To explore these issues in greater depth, the Community and Worker Ownership Project at the City University of New York (CUNY) published a report titled A Union Toolkit for Cooperativ…
(2022-02-16). The criminal role of the Swedish government in the pandemic: Testimony from anti-COVID activist Keith Begg. wsws.org This is the first of a two-part interview on the experience of the pandemic in Sweden, the birthplace of the homicidal "herd immunity" strategy which the Social Democratic government has ruthlessly pursued since March 2020.
(2022-02-16). EU nations lose legal battle in bloc's top court. rt.com 
The European Court of Justice has ruled that the EU may cut funding to member states that violate its 'rule of law' standards | The EU's top court has dismissed a complaint filed by Poland and Hungary against a mechanism allowing Brussels to punish member states it deems 'rule-of-law violators.' The so-called "conditionality mechanism" gives the bloc the right and power to withhold aid funding from a member that is found to be failing to adhere to the union's democratic principles. | "The court dismisses the actions brought by Hungary and Poland in their entirety," the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a…
(2022-02-16). Peru: Right wing continues destabilisation campaign. greenleft.org.au Since Peruvian president Pedro Castillo's electoral victory in June last year, right-wing and anti-democratic forces have continued to campaign to destabilise the Peru Libre government and remove Castillo from office, reports Ben Radford.
(2022-02-16). The path toward an Official California Juneteenth Paid Holiday. indybay.org The legacy of "Chattel Slavery of people of African Descent" in California may originate in legendary battles with Queen Califia. Spanish Military led by Hernan Cortez, with ships full of Conquistadors including reinforcements of over 300 free and enslaved men of African Descent in 1535 began a new paradigm along western coast of the Pacific Ocean.
(2022-02-15). Biden's $7 billion Afghan heist. dissidentvoice.org With his Executive Order redefining Afghanistan's Fiscal Reserve as a slush fund to be disbursed on his whim and with the stroke of his pen, President Biden has taken what may well be the final step in an experiment gone amok. The U.S. first attempted to make Afghanistan into a Western democracy, instead installed a …
(2022-02-15). US Robbery of Afghan Assets Tantamount to Silent Massacre. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to divert billions of dollars in frozen Afghan assets to the families of 9/11 victims is rubbing salt into the wounds of millions of suffering Afghan people. | RELATED: | Couching the theft as "aid" in a self-righteous statement, the White House claimed the haul is "to be used to benefit the Afghan people," and that the U.S. is "committed to supporting the Afghan people" and conti…
(2022-02-15). Pipeline ploy: How U.S. natural gas interests are fueling the Ukraine crisis. peoplesworld.org 
Along with trying to militarily absorb Ukraine into NATO, another major factor that's becoming more apparent in the Biden administration's unceasing talk of war with Russia is the desire of U.S. energy producers to invade European markets with fracked natural gas. Though the mainstream press is saturated with talk of a forever-imminent Russian assault on …
(2022-02-15). Blackwater is in Donbas with the Azov Battalion. orinocotribune.com By Manlio Dinucci — Feb 1, 2022 | The CIA and MI6 are reorganizing NATO stay-behind networks in Eastern Europe. If after the Second World War they relied on former Nazis to fight the Soviets, they still support neo-Nazi groups against the Russians. There is no obvious reason for this. The Nazis were omnipresent in the 1940s, but they are very few today and only exist thanks to the help of the Anglo-Saxons. | The phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky "did not go well," wrote CNN in its headlines. "Biden warned his Ukrainian counterpart that a Russian attack may be imminent, sayin…
(2022-02-15). Nel Donbass la miccia è accesa. globalresearch.ca Mentre la situazione nel Donbass diviene sempre più incandescente, Biden, alla vigilia del colloquio con Putin, ha convocato l'11 febbraio quello che di fatto è il consiglio di guerra della Nato e dell'Unione Europea: il segretario generale della Nato Jens …
(2022-02-15). An Off-Ramp from War? Russia Says It Pulled Back Some Troops from Ukraine Border as Talks Continue. democracynow.org 
Russia has announced plans to pull back some troops from the Ukrainian border in a possible effort to deescalate the standoff over Ukraine but still intends to continue with military exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated on Monday the country may drop its bid to join NATO and the U.S. continues to urge U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine, warning a Russian invasion could come as soon as Wednesday. We speak with Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, who says the U.S. is continuing to escalate the crisis by directing U.S. funds to weapons and loans for U…
(2022-02-15). Headlines for February 15, 2022. democracynow.org Russia Withdraws Some Troops from Ukraine Border, Says It's Open to More Diplomacy, California Will Keep Mask Mandate for Schools as Universal Mask Mandate Ends, Canadian PM Invokes Emergency Powers as Police Say Anti-Vaccine Protesters Plotted Violence, Thousands of Nurses Go on Strike as Australia Suffers Its First COVID-19 Surge, Civil Society Groups Demand Moderna Drop Vaccine Patent Filings in South Africa, Sudanese Forces Kill Two More Protesters Demanding End to Military Rule, Israeli PM Meets Bahrain's Crown Prince in First-of-Its-Kind Visit, Mexican Media Workers Demand End to Impunity for Th…
(2022-02-15). The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Calls for Escalating US Aggression against Russia. dissidentvoice.org The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists emerged after World War II as a voice for peace by some of the scientists who developed the then ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Now, its mission has drifted into being an echo chamber for the US imperial project urging President Biden to take even more destabilizing actions against …
(2022-02-15). With Its Doomsday Clock at 100 Seconds to Midnight, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Calls for Escalating US Aggression against Russia. mintpressnews.com The Bulletin emerged after World War II as a voice for peace, but has since drifted into being an echo chamber for the US imperial project.
(2022-02-15). America's Cold War on China. Uyghurs: To Put an End to Fake News. southfront.org 
Written by Roger Keeran. Originally appeared at Global Research The United States government is ratcheting up a cold war against China. The Biden…
(2022-02-15). The Covid Regime Has Fooled Us All. libya360.wordpress.com Jacob Siegel Did mass formation psychosis make us easy to deceive? In the late stages of the American Covid regime, "The Science" has become dramatically less important to the ruling class. Notably missing from a new debate about masking policy, in which President Biden has cast doubt on the recent decision by seven Democratic governors…
(2022-02-15). "Adding Insult to Injury": Afghan Activist & 9/11 Mother Condemn Biden's Seizure of Afghan Funds. democracynow.org 
President Biden is facing mounting criticism for seizing $7 billion of Afghanistan's federal reserves frozen in the United States. Biden is giving half of the money to families of September 11 victims while Afghanistan faces a humanitarian catastrophe. We speak to two of the founders of a new campaign called Unfreeze Afghanistan, a women-led initiative to lift sanctions and other economic restrictions on Afghanistan, and a woman who lost her son in the World Trade Center attack, who says the money should stay in Afghanistan. "The suffering of the Afghan people at the hands of the United States and its…
(2022-02-15). Report: Israel Lobbying Biden to Redesignate Yemen's Houthis as Terrorists at UAE's Behest. news.antiwar.com Israel is pressing the Biden administration to redesignate Yemen's Houthis as a "foreign terrorist organization" at the behest of the UAE, Abu Dhabi has asked President Biden to redesignate the Houthis after the Yemeni group launched attacks on the UAE. The Times report said that the UAE has enlisted the help of Israel. | The Trump administration designated the Houthis as terrorists as one of its last foreign policy moves. The desig…
(2022-02-15). Confronting Right-Wing Attacks On Racial Justice Teaching. popularresistance.org As of the middle of August, more than two dozen states have introduced — and 11 states have enacted — bills or rules to restrict the teaching of history and contemporary social realities. Right-wing activists have mounted similar attacks at school board meetings throughout the country. This stunning barrage of legislation and policies aims to ban teaching critical race theory (CRT), and supposedly "divisive topics" in the curriculum. | But the real target is the truth. | The anti-CRT campaign echoes the Big Lie that Trump won the election. It is the curricular counterpart to the wave of voter suppress…
(2022-02-15). A Chronicle of the Pre-election Race in ROK: Yoon Suk-yeol's Dirty Laundry. journal-neo.org 
After describing the Conservatives' internal party problems, it is time to talk about the scandals accompanying Yoon, because as the election nears, the author gets the impression that the 2022 election is unprecedented in terms of mudslinging by the candidates on each other. On the one hand, Yoon and his family have been spared a …
(2022-02-15). Sharp swings in Australian by-elections underscore political instability. wsws.org The by-elections were the first electoral test of the government decisions made to scrap most pandemic safety restrictions.
(2022-02-15). Walden Bello: Why democratic socialism is the answer. greenleft.org.au The Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Labouring Masses, PLM) and Laban ng Masa (Fight of the Masses) are jointly fielding a slate of candidates in the May 9 national elections in the Philippines. Vice presidential candidate and Laban ng Masa (Fight of the Masses) chairperson Walden Bello spoke at the election platform launch on February 8.
(2022-02-15). As Early Voting Begins, Texas Sees Spike in Rejected Ballots Due to Sweeping New Voter Restrictions. democracynow.org 
Early voting in the first 2022 primary elections kicked off Monday in Texas with extreme new anti-voter laws in effect. The Republican-enacted restrictions have already caused Texas voters issues, with some 40% of ballots in Houston rejected. We speak with Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, one of 30 civil rights groups who sent a letter to the Texas secretary of state on Monday calling for stronger action to ensure voters have access to the ballot leading up to the state's March 1 primary. He describes how the laws are also facilitating right-wing efforts to intimidate Black and B…
(2022-02-15). Backed by AOC & Bernie, House Candidate Greg Casar Says "Big Progressive Change" Is Possible in Texas. democracynow.org 
Two competitive congressional races are heating up in Texas. Former labor organizer Greg Casar and immigrant human rights lawyer Jessica Cisneros have both gained national endorsements from progressive lawmakers like New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who traveled to the state to campaign for them this past weekend. "We have a real opportunity for big progressive change here in the heart of the state where we've seen so many oppressive laws be pushed through the pandemic," says Casar, who is running in Texas's 35th Congressional District, which covers eastern Austin and east…
(2022-02-15). New York AG James discloses more Trump frauds. peoplesworld.org 
NEW YORK—When Donald Trump's accountants disavowed 10 years' worth of financial statements from the mogul's company—saying in essence their client lied—it turned out to be only the tip of the legal iceberg the former GOP White House occupant faces. The reason? Trump's accountants were replying to a detailed 113-page record of facts of fraud committed …
(2022-02-15). How a Fringe in Canada caught the Far Right Trump Disease, fueled by US Money and Fox. juancole.com Chicago (Special to Informed Comment) — Using behemoth-sized vehicles as weapons, truckers shut down Canada's capitol city Ottawa and blocked several bridges to the United States, including the Ambassador Bridge responsible for a quarter of the trade — 360 million dollars per day — between the United States and Canada. Car manufacturers including Toyota and …
(2022-02-15). Tomgram: William Astore, Is Democracy Going Down? warisacrime.org This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here. Thought about a certain way, most of my adult life has been spent at war. No, I've never been to war myself, although I was swept away by the antiwar movement of the Vietnam era. My country, on …
(2022-02-15). The Fraud of Capitalist Democracy. liberationnews.org 
The panel discusses Johnson & Johnson's decision to halt vaccine production, the attempted lynching of a Black FedEx driver, more racist disenfranchisement, and other stories showing the hollow nature of so-called democracy under U.S. capitalism…