Daily Archives: March 7, 2021

2021-03-07: News Headlines

Mehr News Agency (2021-03-07). US must lift all sanctions prior to returning to JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 07 (MNA) — Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister said that the US must first lift all sanctions against the Islamic Republic if Washington is determined to return to the Nuclear Deal.

Joseph Thomas (2021-03-07). France Joins America's South China Sea Adventurism. "Provoking China" globalresearch.ca France has recently sent one of its nuclear attack submarines over …

The Tricontinental (2021-03-07). Dossier No. 38: Uncovering the crisis: Care work in the time of Coronavirus. mronline.org The pandemic has sharpened and transformed pre-existing inequalities, reconfiguring the processes that sustain and guarantee life.

Tina Ngo, Wai Lee Chin Feman, Bethie Wang (2021-03-07). Why are hate crimes against Asian Americans on the rise? liberationnews.org Over the past year, we have seen an alarming surge in racist violence directed toward Asian Americans.

The Conversation (2021-03-07). The Byzantine Empire was Multicultural, So why are QAnon and White Supremacists Idolizing it? juancole.com By Roland Betancourt | — From Charlottesville to the Capitol, medieval imagery has been repeatedly on show at far-right rallies and riots in recent years. Displays of Crusader shields and tattoos derived from Norse and Celtic symbols are of little surprise to medieval historians like me who have long documented the appropriation of the Middle …

International Workers Committee (2021-03-07). Mumia's COVID-19 infection has been confirmed by prison doctors after initial denial. mronline.org Mumia Abu-Jamal must be hospitalized. He has tested positive for COVID-19 and isbeingwarehoused in a completely inadequate prison infirmary. Given his age, 67, his liver disease, and his blood-pressure challenges, Mumia's life is seriously in danger.

Jack Delaney (2021-03-07). Civil War 2.0. counterpunch.org On May 29, 2020, in the wake of the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstration marched about a half-mile from Oakland's Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building. Around ten o'clock at night outside the federal building, as the protest continued close by, bullets spewed from a moving vehicle

Eds. (2021-03-07). COVID-19: Social murder, they wrote—elected, unaccountable, and unrepentant. mronline.org Murder is an emotive word. In law, it requires premeditation. Death must be deemed to be unlawful. How could "murder" apply to failures of a pandemic response? Perhaps it can't, and never will, but it is worth considering.

RT (2021-03-07). New York Times falsely claims last year's BLM violence was 'misinformation'. rt.com The New York Times has been lambasted online for bizarrely claiming that violence surrounding Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 was merely "misinformation" and likening it to Deep State conspiracy theories. | The Gray Lady's Jennifer Medina sought to unravel the mystery behind Latinos in the US voting Republican, in a Friday Medina teased out the motivations of Latino Republicans through a series of interviews, before attempting…

RT (2021-03-07). New York Times mocked for attempting to downplay 2020 BLM protest violence as 'misinformation'. rt.com The New York Times has been lambasted online for bizarrely claiming that violence surrounding Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 was merely "misinformation" and likening it to Deep State conspiracy theories. | The Gray Lady's Jennifer Medina sought to unravel the mystery behind Latinos in the US voting Republican, in a Friday Medina teased out the motivations of Latino Republicans through a series of interviews, before attempting…

RT (2021-03-07). Mumford & Sons banjo player deemed a 'Nazi sh**bag' for praising book condemning Antifa. rt.com The battle lines of the culture war get redrawn every day. In the latest development, Mumford & Sons banjo player Winston Marshall has now been deemed a "nazi," because he read, and enjoyed, a book critical of 'Antifa.' | Famed for their radio-friendly folk, Mumford & Sons seem a long way from jackbooted Nazis, but a tweet from banjo player Winston Marshall on Saturday changed that, at least in the minds of online leftists. Posting a photo of Portland journalist Andy Ngo's book 'Unmasked,' Marshall congratulated Ngo on his "important book," and called the independent reporter "a brave man." | Congratulations <...

RT (2021-03-07). New York State legislative leaders say Cuomo 'MUST RESIGN' after embattled governor brands such demands 'ANTI-DEMOCRATIC'. rt.com Leaders of New York's Assembly and Senate called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign just hours after he said stepping down because of rising sexual-harassment allegations by former staffers would be "anti-Democratic." | New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who like Cuomo is a Democrat, said Sunday that with new accusers of Cuomo stepping forward seemingly every day and the governor embroiled in multiple scandals, focus is being drawn away from the business of government. "We need to govern without daily distraction," she said. "For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign." | @Andre…

RT (2021-03-07). 'Used & betrayed': Pro-life Biden backers say he broke promise to hear them, ramrodded Covid bill with taxpayer-funded abortion. rt.com Pro-life Christians who chose to support Democrat Joe Biden in last November's election said they're feeling "betrayed" after the new president rammed through Covid-19 relief legislation that includes taxpayer-funded abortion. | The $1.9 trillion stimulus package that was passed on Saturday in a party-line vote by the US Senate would allow for billions of dollars to be spent on abortion. Democrats rejected a Republican effort to include the Hyde Amendment, as in previous Covid-19 relief bills, breaking with a 44-year-old policy of giving pro-life taxpayers the solace of knowing their tax dollars weren't spent…

RT (2021-03-07). New York State legislative leaders say Cuomo 'MUST RESIGN' after embattled governor brands such demands 'ANTI-DEMOCRATIC'. rt.com Leaders of New York's Assembly and Senate called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign just hours after he said stepping down because of rising sexual-harassment allegations by former staffers would be "anti-Democratic." | New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who like Cuomo is a Democrat, said Sunday that with new accusers of Cuomo stepping forward seemingly every day and the governor embroiled in multiple scandals, focus is being drawn away from the business of government. "We need to govern without daily distraction," she said. "For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign." | NEW: B…

RT (2021-03-07). Democrats turn on Arizona Sen. Sinema after her office frames criticism of her vote against $15 minimum wage as 'sexist'. rt.com Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) has been raked over the Twitter coals after her spokesperson argued that it was sexist to ridicule her theatrical 'no' vote against hiking the minimum wage. | The lawmaker came under fire after she and seven of her Democratic colleagues voted with Republicans to shoot down an amendment to the recently-passed Covid-19 relief bill that would have increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour. | Sinema claimed she voted against the measure because she thought the issue should be more thoroughly debated in the Senate before being put to a vote. However, the way in which she voted dow…

RT (2021-03-07). Ex-Republican Senate candidate Witzke banned from Twitter after calling trans activist 'DEMONIC'. rt.com Lauren Witzke, a hardline right-winger who ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2020, has been banned from Twitter. Her ban came after she called a trans activist "demonic" for suggesting that "little girls" can be "kinky." | Witzke's account was suspended on Sunday evening, and in a post to Telegram shortly afterwards, the former Senate candidate from Delaware revealed that her account had violated Twitter's rules against "hateful conduct." | Witzke's last tweet before her suspension was only one word long. Retweeting a post by an anti-trans feminist group that contained a quote by self-described "gender n…

RT (2021-03-07). 'Biden showers money on Americans'?! WaPo mocked for 'Dear Leader' vibes in Covid stimulus story. rt.com Washington Post has been mocked for an overly enthusiastic headline that called the coronavirus relief bill a "defining move" of Joe Biden's presidency, poised to "sharply" cut poverty by "showering money" on Americans. | After the Senate narrowly passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill on Saturday, and President Joe Biden promised that eligible Americans will start receiving their $1,400 stimulus checks from this month onwards, the Washington Post tried to explain that the massive rescue package is more than just about this modest handout. | t.co/pAsCyogPJv

RT (2021-03-07). 3 Alabama professors suspended amid probe into their 'racially insensitive' 2014 Halloween costumes with NOOSE & WHIP. rt.com The University of South Alabama has placed three professors on leave and appointed a former federal prosecutor to investigate their wearing of allegedly racist costumes to a 2014 Halloween party on campus. | University President Tony Waldrop The three…

RT (2021-03-07). Fraternity hazing victim's organs are being donated after extreme incident at Ohio university. rt.com The family of a 20-year-old Ohio university student has begun the process of donating his organs after an alleged hazing incident involving alcohol forced the young man onto life support. | The student has been identified as 20-year Stone Foltz who was hospitalized after an off-campus Pi Kappa Alpha event Thursday near Bowling Green State University. Foltz remains in critical condition and on life support having been airlifted to ProMedica Toledo Hospital. | "Not all the facts are out yet, the investigation is obviously ongoing. I'm sure the university and police are doing their investigations which takes time…

RT (2021-03-07). TWO MORE former aides accuse New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct. rt.com Two more women have come forward with allegations of inappropriate workplace treatment by Governor Andrew Cuomo, bringing the total number of accusers in the escalating sexual misconduct scandal to five. | Ana Liss, 35, who served as Cuomo's policy and operations aide between 2013 and 2015,

RT (2021-03-07). US will strike 'at a time and place of our choosing' after rocket attacks on bases in Iraq, Defense Secretary Austin says. rt.com US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin won't say who was behind a recent rocket attack on an American airbase in Iraq, but his eyes are on Iran, and he says the US will strike again "at a time and place of our own choosing."

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2021-03-07). This SNP claim may be electioneering, but it highlights the deplorable state of UK pensions. thecanary.co Believe in Scotland ( t.co/QZf1iAUoFg

Steve Topple (2021-03-07). Marr just witnessed a car crash. It was a Tory minister on NHS pay. thecanary.co The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday 7 March An insult?: | BBC News

Andrew Stewart (2021-03-07). Biden's Commerce Secretary is Pure Clintonism. counterpunch.org Last Sunday, Marie Franco stood at the rear of a Rhode Island state prison building, cradling the portrait of her son Jose, who died needlessly while incarcerated due to contracting COVID-19. As we consider the well-manicured, PR-friendly profile of the subject at hand, keep in mind that Franco's death was caused by this politician's decisions,

_____ (2021-03-07). #BlackLivesMatter — But to Whom? strategic-culture.org Western "big pharma" profit imperative and patent controls inevitably mean that poor countries will always be last on the list to receive supplies of vaccines on a consumer-commodity basis. The wealthier nations are as usual taking the lion's share. Some estimate that at present rate, it won't be until 2024 when African nations will be fully inoculated.

_____ (2021-03-07). This Is Who Democrats Are. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | * | This is who the Democrats are. It's who they always will be. They let you have your Bernies and AOCs to create the illusion that progressives can win if they just vote a little harder, but the corporate elites will always have enough of a congressional majority to kill progress. Don't let them spin this as some sort of freakish anomaly, as the result of not having the right kind of Democrats in office. This is the only way the Democratic Party will ever operate. It's not broken, it's working exactly as it's meant to. | * | Left-wing Democrats who give the party the illusion of legitimac…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer. middleeasteye.net British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer | Aid worker has electronic ankle tag removed after end of five-year sentence | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 12: 01 | An undated handout image released by the Free Nazanin campaign in London on 10 June 2016 shows Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe posing for a photograph with her daughter Gabriella (AFP) | Iran has released British-…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer. middleeasteye.net British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran, says lawyer | Aid worker has electronic ankle tag removed after end of five-year sentence as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demands she 'be released permanently' | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 12: 01 | An undated handout image released by the Free Nazanin campaign in London on 10 June 2016 shows Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe posing f…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran. middleeasteye.net British-Iranian prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe freed in Iran | Lawyer for aid worker says she walked free after end of five-year sentence | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 12: 01 | Iran released British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, her lawyer Hojjat Kermani told Iranian website Emtedad on Sunday, after her five years sentence for plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. | "

Katherine Hearst (2021-03-07). Covid-19: Britain's Muslims in the eye of the pandemic storm once again. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Britain's Muslims in the eye of the pandemic storm once again | Muslim institutions in the UK struggle to survive a disproportionate death toll and lockdown-induced financial troubles | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 08: 06 | A member of mosque staff prays in the otherwise empty Noor Ul Islam Mosque on the day before Ramadan commences in the UK, in Bury, Greater Manchester (AFP) | On the firs…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Covid-19: Israel begins loosening restrictions with 40 percent of country vaccinated. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel begins loosening restrictions with 40 percent of country vaccinated | Restaurants, bars and cafes are set to open to vaccinated 'green pass' holders | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 11: 30 | Attendees prepare to present their "green passes" (proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19) on arriving at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on 5 March 2021 (AFP) | Israel began loosening Cov…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa and niqab in public spaces. middleeasteye.net Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa and niqab in public spaces | Referendum denounced by rights group as 'needlessly fueling division and fear', after Swiss right-wing party had framed it as verdict on the role of Islam in public life | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 19: 27 | People protest in Bern, Switzerland, after a narrow majority of Swiss voted in favour of the so-called 'burqa ban', wh…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Saudi-led coalition bombards Yemeni capital after Houthi drone attacks. middleeasteye.net Saudi-led coalition bombards Yemeni capital after Houthi drone attacks | Coalition backing recognised government said it intercepted 12 drones launched by Houthis | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 14: 16 | Smoke rises over Sanaa after air strikes "on military targets" by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen (AFP) | Explosions rocked the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, as the Saudi-led coalition targeted Houthi rebel…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Iraq: Pope Francis celebrates largest mass of historic trip. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Pope Francis celebrates largest mass of historic trip | In the final event of his visit, in Iraqi Kurdistan's capital Erbil, Francis tells worshippers that 'Iraq will always remain in my heart' | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 18: 19 | Pope Francis blesses worshippers as he arrives to conduct mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, 7 March 2021 (Handout/AFP) | Pope Francis vo…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). US says it will do what is necessary to defend itself after attack in Iraq. middleeasteye.net US says it will do what is necessary to defend itself after attack in Iraq | Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said his country would act to counter attacks on American interests | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 15: 28 | US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during President Biden's visit at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia (Reuters) | The US has said it will do what "we need to do" to protect its i…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa or niqab in public spaces. middleeasteye.net Switzerland votes to ban wearing of the burqa or niqab in public spaces | Referendum denounced by rights group as 'needlessly fueling division and fear', after Swiss right-wing party had framed it as verdict on the role of Islam in public life | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 19: 27 | People protest in Bern, Switzerland, after a narrow majority of Swiss voted in favour of the so-called 'burqa ban', whe…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-07). Yemen's Houthis target Saudi oil facilities in new escalation. middleeasteye.net Yemen's Houthis target Saudi oil facilities in new escalation | Houthis claim to have fired drones and missiles at Ras Tanura, one of the world's biggest oil ports, and military targets in the eastern area of Dammam | Sun, 03/07/2021 – 22: 49 | Smoke rises over Sanaa after air strikes 'on military targets' by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen (AFP) | A missile and drone attack targeted the…

Inequality (2021-03-07). If We Want to Renew Democracy, We Need to Tax the Ultra-Wealthy. juancole.com By Madeleine Johnsson | — ( Inequality.org ) — Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal's Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act of 2021, introduced March 1, could not be a more timely reminder that the United States needs serious policy changes to address massive wealth and income inequality. While eight million Americans slipped into poverty and half …