Daily Archives: February 20, 2022

2022-02-20: News Headlines

Rick Rozoff (2022-02-20). Munich: Russiagate ringleaders Pelosi, Schiff add voices to war chorus. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATOFebruary 19, 2022 NATO Secretary General meets world leaders at the Munich Security Conference NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the critical security situation in Europe caused by Russia's military build-up in and around Ukraine and the implications for European and international security in a series of bilateral meetings at the Munich Security Conference on …

sputniknews (2022-02-20). Indian PM Modi Calls Upon Youth to Vote in Large Numbers as Third Phase of Assembly Election Begins. sputniknews.com Over 20.16 million voters in Uttar Pradesh state and 20.14 million voters in Punjab will be casting their votes on Sunday in the third phase of the seven-phase Assembly elections in India. The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur states will take place on 10 March.

Staff (2022-02-20). Donald Trump's 'truth-telling' app set for debut — media. rt.com The former US president is expected to make a comeback in the world of social media after being barred from Twitter and Facebook | After more than a year off major social media platforms, former US President Donald Trump could potentially be back as early as Monday, with the expected launch of his own network, 'Truth Social', Reuters has learned. | The media outlet cites an online Q&A session that Truth Social's chief product officer, Billy B., held late Friday with people who had already been invited to test out the app. When asked by one of the Beta-testers when Truth Social would be available for the genera…

John Pilger (2022-02-20). Western democracies have mutated into propagandists for war. asiatimes.com Marshall McLuhan's prophecy that "the successor to politics will be propaganda" has happened. Raw propaganda is now the rule in Western democracies, especially the US and Britain. On matters of war and peace, ministerial deceit is reported as news. Inconvenient facts are censored, demons are nurtured. The model is corporate spin, the currency of the …

Chris Hedges (2022-02-19). Hedges: Democrats, the More Effective Evil. orinocotribune.com By Chris Hedges — Feb 14, 2022 | The US is a de facto one-party state where the ideology of national security is sacrosanct, unsustainable debt props up the empire and the primary business is war. | 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 les…

Rick Rozoff (2022-02-19). Harris threatens Russia with unprecedented sanctions, further military buildup on its border. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Anadolu AgencyFebruary 19, 2022 US warns Russia of 'unprecedented' sanctions over Ukraine The US still seeks a diplomatic solution with Russia, but will impose severe and swift sanctions if Moscow launches a military offensive against Ukraine, US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday. "If Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States together with our …

Rick Rozoff (2022-02-19). VP Harris said U.S. mulling reinforcements in Baltic States — Lithuania. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com ReutersFebruary 18, 2022 U.S. is discussing reinforcement of Baltic States — Lithuanian president U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told Baltic leaders that Washington is considering reinforcing their states militarily as the Ukraine-Russia crisis grows, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Friday. "We were told that yes, at this moment they are discussing the question of …

WSWS (2022-02-19). Biden threats over Ukraine roil markets. wsws.org There have been warnings of a "perfect storm" that could hit, resulting from a combination of rising geo-political conflicts and increased interest rates.

WSWS (2022-02-19). Biden administration and Republicans use war crisis to push phony "national unity" wsws.org The foreign policy aim is to accomplish American imperialism's decades-long goal of subjugating Russia. The domestic aim is to protect corporate profits and suppress social opposition amid the country's political crisis.

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2022-02-19). As U.S. Threatens War with Russia, Biden Administration Unveils Imperial Strategy for Indo-Pacific That Could Lead to War with China. covertactionmagazine.com Already threatening war with Russia, the White House this month has unveiled a new imperial grand strategy for the Indo-Pacific …

Staff (2022-02-19). Over 1000 people already support #Palestine2022 campaign in France. samidoun.net In just a few weeks after its launch, the #Palestine2022 campaign, highlighting Palestine in the French presidential elections, has already received the support of more than 1000 people for its demands and its objectives. The campaign aims to denounce the collaboration of French governments with Israeli apartheid and introduce the subject of the Palestinian cause …

The Lancet (2022-02-19). [Editorial] Power and bullying in research. thelancet.com Eric Lander, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and science adviser to US President Joe Biden, resigned on Feb 7, after an internal review found that he had bullied staff members. The investigation was concluded weeks before but only came to light following reporting by Politico. This event is emblematic of research's failure to rein in workplace bullying and of a research culture that remains in thrall to big names and bigger egos.

Susan Jaffe (2022-02-19). [World Report] Biden's science adviser resigns over bullying. thelancet.com Experts say that Eric Lander's resignation should not affect the President's plans to reboot the cancer moonshot project. Susan Jaffe reports.

sputniknews (2022-02-19). Biden Extends State of Emergency in US Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – US President Joe Biden has announced his decision to extend the state of emergency, which was declared in the country almost two years ago, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has been causing significant risk to the public health.

Staff (2022-02-19). 'Naive' govt policy poses 'catastrophic' security risk — media. rt.com Interviews for 'top secret' UK jobs are being done by video call, whistleblowers warn | British military personnel, civil servants, and private contractors applying for positions with access to "top secret" information are no longer automatically vetted in person, whistleblowers have revealed to The Telegraph. The UK risks a "catastrophic security breach" due to this shift toward virtual vetting, they warned. | Officers in the UK Security Vetting Department (UKSV) have raised concerns with the Cabinet Office over retaining online interviews via phone and video conferencing as part of the selection process, the…

WSWS (2022-02-19). Victoria Nuland in Colombia: Is Washington plotting another coup? wsws.org In Bogota, Nuland warned against foreign subversion of upcoming elections, an area in which she has ample on-hand experience.

Staff (2022-02-19). This is How I See It Coming. orinocotribune.com Luis Fuenmayor Toro — Feb 18, 2022 | Editorial note: Luis Fuenmayor Toro (born July 10, 1945, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a physician and surgeon, and a university professor, based in Venezuela. He was rector of the Central University of Venezuela from 1988 until 1992. Fuenmayor Toro was a Chavista sympathizer until 2009 when he joined the opposition. | We are at least two years and nine months away from the next presidential elections. I say "at least" because these can be done at any time in the year 2024, without necessarily having to wait until the first days of December. If the government feels ready for…

ecns.cn (2022-02-19). HKSAR chief executive election postponement necessary, sensible, legitimate: mainland. ecns.cn

Staff (2022-02-19). Classified docs found at Trump's resort. rt.com Items marked as 'classified national security information' have been discovered in boxes kept at the former US president's mansion | A total of 15 boxes recently returned to the US National Archives from Donald Trump's private residence in Florida contained items marked as classified, the agency revealed on Friday. A letter sent to a House of Representatives committee, which is investigating Trump's alleged mishandling of presidential records, says the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) discovered some classified data and has been in communication with the Department of Justice on the matter.

scorinoco (2022-02-19). A Weapon Against Radicalism: Debunking the Myth of the Conservative Black Voter. orinocotribune.com By Eugene Puryear — Feb 15, 2022 | Nina Turner's loss, the primary results of Bernie Sanders, India Walton's win—and then loss—the victory of Eric Adams, and the triumph of Cori Bush's sit-in once again ignited the political discussion around the political make-up of the Black electorate. The general trend has been a strengthening of the view that Black voters are "more conservative" and that more progressive Black voters and those they elect are unrepresentative, out-of-step and, as elected officials, actually backed by white middle-class people at the ballot box rather than working-class Blacks…

_____ (2022-02-19). Lessons From January 6th: An Inside Job. popularresistance.org Over a year after the harum-scarum storming of the U.S. Capitol, there is ample evidence that it was an inside job. Not only was the security detail intentionally minimized to the extreme, but decisions were made at the highest levels of the chain of command to allow a right-wing mob to rampage through the building. At the forefront of this antidemocratic horde, as we shall see, there were fascist or semi-fascist organizations whose leadership has multiple direct ties to the military and intelligence agencies. All of this raises fundamental questions regarding the true nature of the U.S. government and its relati…

Anonymous669 (2022-02-19). US-led Coalition, SDF Held Live-Fire Drills In Northeastern Syria (Videos). southfront.org Click to see full-size image, source: sdf-press.com | On February 18, the US-led coalition and its proxy, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), held live-fire drills near Abu Khashab road in the northern countryside of Syria's Deir Ezzor. | M2A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) of the coalition took part in the drills side by side with IAG Guardian and Humvee armored vehicles of the SDF. | In a statement, the SDF said that the drills were held to test new tactics to counter ISIS cells as well as to demonstrate…

Fight Back (2022-02-19). Florida activists fight the HB5 anti-abortion bill. fightbacknews.org Tallahassee, FL – On February 16, organizations from around the state came to Tallahassee to stand up for reproductive rights and against HB5. On that day, the Florida House debated the unconstitutional and restrictive anti-abortion bill, HB5. | HB5 would eliminate any abortions after 15 weeks, with no exception in cases of rape, incest or human trafficking, and criminalize medical professionals who provide abortions. | | Standing against this bill are organizations from around the state including FSU/UNF/USF Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Bay Community Action Committee (TBCAC), Tallahassee Communit…

Fight Back (2022-02-19). Students march for justice for Amir Locke, demand community control of the police. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On February 16, Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota rallied and marched to demand justice for Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man murdered by the Minneapolis police in a relative's apartment earlier this month. | 200 people gathered outside the Student Union on Washington Avenue, chanting "What do we want? Justice!" and "Say his name! Amir Locke!" A banner reading "Justice for all stolen lives" was at the front, along with signs demanding justice for Amir Locke and community control over the Minneapolis Police Department. Signs announced SDS's own referendum campaign…

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2022-02-19). 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.

Khubaka, Michael Harris (2022-02-19). 2022 California Juneteenth – American River Parkway – Introducing the California Gold Book. indybay.org In 1844, the Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr., "African Founding Father of California," seized the opportunity and stipulated in his unique Mexican Land Grant, Rancho Rio De Los Americanos, not to interfere with the Indigenous population who remain the sacred stewards of the land.

WSWS (2022-02-19). Virginia's Republican Governor signs law banning school mask mandates with bipartisan support. wsws.org Governor Glenn Youngkin has banned mask mandates even at the local level throughout the state.

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