2021-03-04: News Headlines

IndustriALL (2021-03-04). Myanmar military coup leaders target trade unions for destruction. peoplesworld.org For weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have been participating in peaceful mass demonstrations across Myanmar in the wake of a coup led by the Army. As the peaceful civil disobedience movement continues to protest against the military takeover, authorities are resorting to violence and cracking down civilians—including trade unions and their leaders. Police have issued …

Brian Tokar (2021-03-04). 25 Years of GMOs, and Some New Insights from Argentina. counterpunch.org n the winter of 1996, Monsanto and a few other companies first began to sell genetically engineered seeds to commercial growers, and also mounted a massive public relations effort to convince people of their supposed benefits. They hyped their new GMOs as the answer to world hunger, a way to help troubled farmers stay on the land, and as a technology that would bring higher quality, more nutritious food to all. Skeptics in many countries responded swiftly: Greenpeace blockaded shipments and planted symbols in farmers' fields, while decentralized networks of activists organized Global Days of Action. Saboteurs in…

_____ (2021-03-04). Marshall Islanders Remember 'Castle Bravo' Nuclear Bomb. popularresistance.org Hawaii – Marshall Islanders living on O'ahu joined members of Veterans For Peace, Hawai'i Peace & Justice and Refuse Fascism on Monday, March 1st at Magic Island in Honolulu to remember the 1954 U.S. detonation of the "Castle Bravo" nuclear bomb on Bikini Atoll. After sharing words and song, five Bikinians went sailing on the historic Golden Rule anti-nuclear sailboat, a project of Veterans For Peace. | The Honolulu remembrance was part of the Golden Rule Project's educational program about the growing danger of nuclear war, and the great damage that has already been done by nuclear weapons. | At 15 megatons…

Prof. Joseph H. Chung (2021-03-04). The Dangers of A "Sino-American Hot War": Joe Biden's China Policy. Can He Stop the Shooting War Against China? globalresearch.ca The forty years of the Cold War have made us endure …

Alan MacLeod (2021-03-04). After years of propaganda, American views of Russia and China hit historic lows. mronline.org Both pro- and anti-war voices have stated that the U.S. is on the cusp of entering a second Cold War, and a new Gallup poll suggests that the groundwork for such a conflict has already been laid.

Stephen Lendman (2021-03-04). "Russiaphobia" Gets Tough: US and EU Coordinate Sanctions against Russia. globalresearch.ca Russophobic US-led Western actions continue sinking to new depths. | In short …

Mehr News Agency (2021-03-04). US to lift some sanctions if Iran fulfill its obligations. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 04 (MNA) — US Secretary of State claimed that the US will lift a number of sanctions against Tehran if Iran comes back into compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement.

Mehr News Agency (2021-03-04). Iran not to accept pressure, threat: AEOI spox. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Mar. 04 (MNA) — Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said that Iran will not accept pressure and threat, underling that such measures will only destroy the remnants of the Nuclear Deal.

Online News Editor (2021-03-04). Japan maintains plan to dump treated Fukushima plant water. laprensalatina.com Tokyo, Mar 4 (efe-epa).- Japan defended its plans Thursday to dump water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea after treating it to remove most radioactive elements, though they didn't say when this controversial measure would be carried out. The government and the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power, opted for this measure …

yenisafak (2021-03-04). Is Biden following Trump's path on Iran? yenisafak.com Less than six weeks into his term, US President Joe Biden appears to have embraced a radically different approach to Iran and the Middle East than what his campaign speeches suggested.From dragging his feet on rejoining the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, to ordering a military strike targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria, the Biden administration has already ruffled a few feathers in Tehran.Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh made his country's exasperation known on Monday, suggesting that some moves by Biden were "worse" than his predecessor Donald Trump, who in 2018 launched the "maximum pressur…

Jay August (2021-03-04). NYS politicians push bill to 'kill' rent cancellation movement, organizers fight back. liberationnews.org On Feb. 28, tenant organizers in New York City demonstrated outside the home of New York State Senator Brian Kavanaugh in Manhattan to protest his sponsorship of a bill which bails out landlords, not tenants.

Geoff Beckman (2021-03-04). Biden, Team D and the Dimming Prospects of Getting Anything Meaningful Through the Senate. counterpunch.org It's kinda touching that Team D imagines it will get anything through the Senate with: 1. A nominal 50-50 split, 2. Joe Manchin and Kysten Sinema enjoying the power that having a line-item veto provides, 3. Que Mala Harris's reluctance to do anything she thinks might jeopardize her chances at the presidency, 4. Crazy Uncle

Bruce Neuburger (2021-03-04). U.S. Agricultural System's Deadly Apartheid. counterpunch.org The NY Times of March 1, 2021 cited some chilling facts about agricultural workers and Covid 19: "In some areas, up to 40 percent of the workers tested for the virus had positive results. The Rev. Francisco Gómez at Our Lady of Soledad church in Coachella said his parish had been averaging 10 burials a

The Conversation (2021-03-04). Pope's upcoming visit brings attention to the dwindling population of Christians in Iraq. juancole.com By Ramazan Kƒ±lƒ±nàß | — Pope Francis will arrive in Iraq on Friday in a first-ever papal visit to the country that is expected to raise awareness about the challenges facing Iraqi Christians — a majority of whom are Catholic. In the past two decades, the Christian population in Iraq has fallen by over 80%. …

Don Fitz (2021-03-04). From the Murder of Berta Cáceres to Dam Disaster in Uttarakhand. mronline.org March 2, 2021 was the five year anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras. That date was less than one month after the deaths of dozens of people from Tehri Dam disaster in Uttarakhand, India. The two stories together tell us far more about consequences of the …

Eds. (2021-03-04). Cornel West: Palestine is a "taboo issue among certain circles in high places" mronline.org Activist and scholar says he is being denied tenure at Harvard University because of his views on Israeli occupation.

teleSUR Desk (2021-03-04). Parliament rejects Moreno's privatization of Central Bank. mronline.org Parliament's Legislative Administration Council (CAL) reported that the project had 14 unconstitutional aspects. The bill presented 84 reforms to the Organic Monetary and Financial Code that would allow a $400 million loan from the International Monetary Fund.

Wayne Nealis (2021-03-04). Trial of Chauvin, George Floyd's murderer, pivotal to reforming racist policing. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS—The consensus among activists speaking at a recent press conference in Minneapolis is that it will take massive street protests to convict Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Frank Chapman, a spokesperson for the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which was founded in 1973, pointed to the national significance of the …

Alan Macleod (2021-03-04). Aurora Police Killed Without Consequence, Now Their Protestors Face 48 Years for "Kidnapping" Cops. mintpressnews.com The cops and the district attorneys want people to see what we are going through — the conditions of our arrests, our experiences in jail, and our legal battle — and to think that this is what you risk when you stand up against them. – Lillian House, Aurora Activist and Defendant…

Liberation Staff-Seattle (2021-03-04). In Renton, WA, unions, community come out to support 'Bamazon' union drive. liberationnews.org Despite the scattered showers and mid-30 ∞s weather close to 300 people showed up to voice their support.

Phil Mattera (2021-03-04). The Decades-Long Struggle Over Big Corporations and Poverty Wages. counterpunch.org The Senate Parliamentarian has dealt a strong blow to the Fight for $15 movement by ruling that a federal minimum wage increase cannot be included in the stimulus bill. Senator Bernie Sanders is pushing back with an amendment to take tax deductions away from large, profitable corporations that do not pay at least $15 an

Beau Peters (2021-03-04). Creating a Safe Space at Work for Discussing Social Justice Topics. dissidentvoice.org Image Source: Pexels There's a lot going on in the world at the moment, which means there's a lot we need to talk about. It seems as though every day there is another incident that raises issues related to the socio-economic imbalances in our society, systemic racism, or the political decisions that shape our lives. …

David Rosen (2021-03-04). Electricity vs. Broadband: Does History Repeat Itself? counterpunch.org Americans take household electric for granted, but this was not always the case. Millions of U.S. households have access to electricity to power water heating, lighting, refrigeration, TV, telephone and other products. And yet, according to one estimate, about 15,000 families — 60,000 people — are not connected to the electric grid; many are located on Native American reservations. (In addition, about 18,000 families don't have running water in their house.) |

Liberation Staff (2021-03-04). Texas winter storm crisis the fault of state leaders, big oil, protesters say. liberationnews.org Natural gas and fossil fuel executives, as well as officials in ERCOT and PUCT, should face criminal charges for their role in the deaths, injuries, and damages suffered during this crisis.

George Wuerthner (2021-03-04). Fire Suppression Hyperbole. counterpunch.org In almost all media reports about the recent fire seasons, one of the chief explanations given for the larger blazes is "fire suppression" and "fuel build-up." We hear that 100 years of fire suppression has contributed to the "unnatural" accumulation of fuels and is one of the primary reasons for large fires. The solution, we

teleSUR Desk (2021-03-04). Ecuador's leftist candidate ratified as first round winner. mronline.org Authorities officially confirmed that Andres Arauz and the banker Guillermo Lasso will compete for the presidency in the second round to be held on April 11.

Victor Grossman (2021-03-04). Germany's Linke (the Left Party) comes out of its convention united. peoplesworld.org BERLIN — Things worked out quite differently than many in the media here said they would at the congress of the LINKE, the country's left-wing party. The pandemic had forced postponements from June 2020 to October 2020 and from last October to last weekend, with most of the 580 delegates at home in front of …

Rosalind English (2021-03-04). Doctors acted unlawfully in deciding on eligibility for drug — Court of Appeal. ukhumanrightsblog.com Basma (suing by her mother and litigation friend Sara Basma) v Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & Anr [2021] EWCA Civ 278 Sophie Basma ("Sophie") is 10. She suffers from Type 3 Spinal Muscular Atrophy ("SMA"). SMA is a rare, genetic, neuromuscular disease which progressively leads to sufferers being unable to walk or sit …

Thomas Knapp (2021-03-04). Biden's Foreign Policy: No Joy in Mudville. counterpunch.org Well, at least he hasn't started any NEW wars! | For four years, that was the excuse I got from anti-war Donald Trump supporters every time he escalated one of the several wars he inherited from George W. Bush and Barack Obama. I expect to start hearing it from anti-war Joseph Biden supporters soon.

John Wojcik (2021-03-04). National Guard commander charges Pentagon delayed sending troops to Capitol Jan. 6. peoplesworld.org By the day, facts uncovered in the ongoing Senate hearings on the security failings connected to the Trumpite attack on the Capitol are raising concern that there may have been, at the least, advance knowledge and, possibly worse, collaboration involving officials on various levels. Testimony Wednesday added the Pentagon leadership to the list of top …

Jarvis Tyner (2021-03-04). 'We're Not Going Back': New York celebrates Black History Month. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK—Last Sunday night after watching Trump's recycled demagogy at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), I thankfully had the uplifting experience of viewing the "We're Not Going Back" celebration of the African American people's long march to freedom. We're Not Going Back is an annual event initiated by the New York Bureau of People's …

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2021-03-04). Saudi Arabia 'fears defeat of Netanyahu' in upcoming Israeli election. middleeasteye.net Saudi Arabia 'fears defeat of Netanyahu' in upcoming Israeli election | The kingdom sees prime minister as a 'spearhead' against Iran, Saudi sources tell an Israeli TV channel | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 14: 00 | Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP/file photo)
| Saudi Arabia is concerned about a possible election defeat for Israeli…

Sophia Purdy-Moore (2021-03-04). Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah sparks controversy, and it hasn't even aired yet. thecanary.co Meghan Markle and Harry duke of Sussex's What's race got to do with it?: | The Times published a story accusing Markle of "

MEE, agencies (2021-03-04). Yemen's Houthis claim missile strike on Saudi Aramco plant in Jeddah. middleeasteye.net Yemen's Houthis claim missile strike on Saudi Aramco plant in Jeddah | Houthi military spokesman said attack took place at dawn using a winged Quds-2 missile and had struck its target | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 08: 26 | The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have struck other Saudi energy assets in the past (Reuters) | Yemen's Houthi forces fired a cross-border missile at a Saudi Aramco facilit…

CP Editor (2021-03-04). Suzanne Vallie — Ocean Cliff Drive. counterpunch.org

Ragip Soylu (2021-03-04). Libya's Dbeibah made secret visit to Turkey. middleeasteye.net Libya's Dbeibah made secret visit to Turkey | Interim prime minister designate met Erdogan in Ankara days after his election in bid to maintain ties with the Turkish leadership | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 14: 00 | Libyan Prime Minister Dbeibah met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on 11 February, 2020. This picture has been circulating on social media since 18 February (Twitter) | Libya's prime minister designate…

Shatha Hammad (2021-03-04). Covid-19: Palestinian Authority criticised for VIP vaccine distribution. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Palestinian Authority criticised for VIP vaccine distribution | A significant proportion of the first batch of vaccines have gone to PA government figures and their allies
| Thu, 03/04/2021 – 14: 45 | An UNRWA employee prepares a shot of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine for medical staff at UNRWA's al-Sheikh Redwan clinic in Gaza City, on 25 February 2021 (AFP) | Political and security…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-04). Yemen: Car bomb kills southern separatist fighters in Aden. middleeasteye.net Yemen: Car bomb kills southern separatist fighters in Aden | Southern Transitional Council forces said Brigadier General Mohsen al-Wali had survived an attack on a convoy | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 12: 37 | Video footage shared by STC activists on social media showed a white four-wheel-drive vehicle with extensive damage (Twitter) | A car bomb killed and injured a number of fighters travelling in…

MEE staff (2021-03-04). Houthis call on Yemenis to donate funds for ballistic missile programme. middleeasteye.net Houthis call on Yemenis to donate funds for ballistic missile programme | Embassy of Yemen's internationally recognised government in Washington slams crowdfunding campaign as 'brazen' political move | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 16: 20 | A fighter loyal to Yemen's Houthi rebels guards a stack of bills in Sanaa on 24 September 2020 during ceremony to collect cash, food and other donations for fighters (AFP/File photo)…

Suadad al-Salhy (2021-03-04). Iraq's Nasiriyah calmed by Kadhimi for pope's visit – but violence likely to return. middleeasteye.net Iraq's Nasiriyah calmed by Kadhimi for pope's visit – but violence likely to return | With Francis set to lead an interfaith service 17km away at the ancient city of Ur, protests in Dhi Qar's capital threatened to derail visit | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 12: 44 | Anti-government protesters clash with riot police in front of the Dhi Qar Municipal council in Iraq's southern city of Nasiriyah on 27 Febr…

Rayhan Uddin (2021-03-04). Saudi youth take to social media to complain about unemployment. middleeasteye.net Saudi youth take to social media to complain about unemployment | Young Twitter users break the silence on lack of opportunities, as under 30s and university grads make up majority of kingdom's jobless | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 14: 50 | Saudi students take exams at a workshop in the Higher Institute for Plastics Fabrication in Riyadh (AFP/File photo) | Saudi youths, including many university graduates, have…

MEE, agencies (2021-03-04). Palestinian election: Israel 'intimidating Hamas supporters' to stop them running. middleeasteye.net Palestinian election: Israel 'intimidating Hamas supporters' to stop them running | Soldiers reportedly deliver Shin Bet message to Palestinian doorsteps, while others asked to report at stations for interrogation | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 16: 16 | An Israeli soldier gestures in front of a Palestinian man following a protest (AFP/file photo) | Israel's internal intelligence agency Shin Bet is in…

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-04). Smugglers threw scores of people into the sea en route to Yemen, UN says. middleeasteye.net Smugglers threw scores of people into the sea en route to Yemen, UN says | International Organisation of Migration says five bodies have been retrieved from Djibouti's Red Sea coast so far | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 11: 45 | Thousands risk their lives crossing the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to reach Yemen to cross into Saudi Arabia for work. Wrecked ship on a beach in Obock in 2015 (AFP) | Smugglers threw sco…

Paul Cochrane (2021-03-04). Red Sea cables: How UK and US spy agencies listen to the Middle East. middleeasteye.net Red Sea cables: How UK and US spy agencies listen to the Middle East | An expanding network of undersea fibre optic cables from the Mediterranean to the Gulf has made surveillance of regional communications easier than ever | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 23: 23 | A view of the Strait of Tiran from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh in 2014. The Red Sea is an important route for undersea cables (AFP) | The growth of Midd…

MEE correspondent (2021-03-04). Iranian press review: Conservative media says pro-Iran fighters were behind Israeli boat attack. middleeasteye.net Iranian press review: Conservative media says pro-Iran fighters were behind Israeli boat attack | Meanwhile, Iranian analyst suggests Biden unlikely to reach out to Iran before elections, and school dropout rates increase sharply in Iran's poor regions | Thu, 03/04/2021 – 14: 37 | A view of the Israeli-owned Bahamian-flagged MV Helios Ray cargo ship docked in Dubai's Mina Rashid (Port R…

RT (2021-03-04). 'Where's our restitution?' Ferguson activists & Mike Brown Sr. demand BLM cough up $20 MILLION, a fraction of its global donations. rt.com A Ferguson, Missouri activist group and Michael Brown Sr. are demanding that Black Lives Matter shell out $20 million to local organizers, accusing the org of abandoning "freedom fighters" while it basks in the public spotlight. | Tory Russell, who co-founded Ferguson's International Black Freedom Alliance, appeared in a video alongside the father of the late Michael Brown on Tuesday, calling on BLM's national leadership to send a cool $20 million to the IBFA and other community groups. | "Today, we hold Black Lives Matter accountable. The movement that has catapulted into the limelight has forgotten about Fer…

Staff (2021-03-04). Vaccine Apartheid: Marc Lamont Hill, Mitchell Plitnick on Israel's "Indifference to Palestinian Health" democracynow.org Israel has had the fastest vaccination rollout in the entire world, with 40% of Israelis already fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but Palestinians in the Occupied Territories have received almost no doses — a situation critics call "vaccine apartheid." By one count, just 34,000 vaccine doses have been administered to Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, which has a population of over 4.5 million. "What we're seeing right now is a gross injustice," says Marc Lamont Hill, author and professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University. We also speak with Mitchell Plitnick, political anal…

Staff (2021-03-04). COVID Deaths Soar in Brazil as Bolsonaro Blasts Lockdowns. Experts Warn It Will "Get Worse." democracynow.org Brazil's COVID-19 death toll has now topped nearly 260,000, the world's second worst after the United States, as hospitals are overwhelmed with new cases. International concern is also growing about the P1 variant of the virus, which overwhelmed the Amazonian city of Manaus and caused its hospitals to run out of oxygen. Less than 4% of Brazil's population has been vaccinated. Marcia Castro, demography professor at Harvard University, says the crisis in Brazil is due to "a combination of inaction and also wrongdoing" by officials, including President Jair Bolsonaro, who has opposed lockdowns, masks and other publi…

Staff (2021-03-04). Marc Lamont Hill & Mitchell Plitnick on ICC Probe & the "Palestine Exception" in Progressive Politics. democracynow.org Israel and the United States blasted the International Criminal Court's decision to open a probe into Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories, as well as crimes committed by Palestinian militant groups. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that the Biden administration "firmly opposes" an investigation. Mitchell Plitnick and Marc Lamont Hill, co-authors of "Except for Palestine," say it's an illustration of the "Palestine exception" that makes even supposedly progressive people unwilling to criticize Israel's human rights abuses and its ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories. "We are at…

Rosalind English (2021-03-04). Doctors acted unlawfully in deciding on eligibility for drug — Court of Appeal. ukhumanrightsblog.com Basma (suing by her mother and litigation friend Sara Basma) v Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & Anr [2021] EWCA Civ 278 Sophie Basma ("Sophie") is 10. She suffers from Type 3 Spinal Muscular Atrophy ("SMA"). SMA is a rare, genetic, neuromuscular disease which progressively leads to sufferers being unable to walk or sit …

2021-03-03: News Headlines

Jamal Rich (2021-03-03). Solidarity rallies call for end to U.S.-backed dictatorship in Haiti. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON——On the morning of March 1 at the Embassy of Haiti, local D.C. organizers with Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) held a solidarity rally with the people of Haiti who are rising up against a U.S.-backed dictator. Jovenel MoàØse's term of office ended Feb. 7, but he has so far refused to relinquish power. MoàØse, …

Clare Daly (2021-03-03). The EU's Participation in the New Cold War against Russia. globalresearch.ca The European Union faces multiple challenges as it progress into 2021. …

Mandy Smithberger (2021-03-03). The Pentagon, First, Last, and Always. zcomm.org Focusing on the Wrong Threats, including a New Cold War with China, Is the Last Thing We Can Afford Now…

teleSUR (2021-03-03). Russia Rejects New US-EU Sanctions Package. telesurenglish.net The Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and the European Union (EU) over the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny. | RELATED: | "They are nothing but meddling in Russia's internal affairs," Peskov said, stressing that the sanctions are "unacceptable." | On Tuesday, the White House announced sanctions against seven Russian officials, including the Federal Security Serv…

MEE staff (2021-03-03). Biden State Department nominee suggests some sanctions against Iran will remain. middleeasteye.net Biden State Department nominee suggests some sanctions against Iran will remain | Deputy Secretary of State nominee says she agrees that US should keep some sanctions on Iran, regardless of nuclear deal talks | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 18: 50 | Serving as Under Secretary of State for political affairs in 2015, Wendy Sherman helped negotiate the nuclear deal with Iran (Reuters/File photo) | Wendy Sherman, US President…

PAI (2021-03-03). Biden inaction on Saudis' Khashoggi assassination angers News Guild. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON (PAI)—Democratic President Joe Biden's decision to take no action, including no sanctions, against Saudi Arabia's de facto supreme ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, for ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is angering The News Guild. A Bin Salman-sent hit squad murdered and dismembered Khashoggi, a contributing writer for The Washington Post, when …

Staff (2021-03-03). Biden's Appointments on Energy and the Environment Are at Best a Mixed Bag. truthout.org Four major appointments offer a telling roadmap of the Biden administration's positions on energy and the environment. They range from the very green to the nuclear awful. In Biden's appointments to top environmental positions, he has done well overall. But in his appointments to top energy posts, he has selected nuclear power devotees. | Deb Haaland Will Make History : | Excellent, indeed extraordinary, is the choice of Rep. Deb Haaland to be secretary of the interior. Now facing stiff…

Paul Street (2021-03-03). Ruling Class Joe and the Essence of American Politics. counterpunch.org It's a damn good thing that the demented pandemo-fascist oligarch Donald Trump no longer sits in the White House and that his Republifascist Party no longer holds the majority in the U.S. Senate. But make no mistake: Americans continue to live under an unelected dictatorship of money and empire. Just because that class dictatorship isn't quite ready for Door #1, open fascist rule, don't look for Door #2, neo-New Deal reformist social democracy, anytime soon. No, we are still getting slammed in the face with Door #3, a neoliberal corporate-imperial authoritarianism that cancels #2 while setting us up for a harsher…

Staff (2021-03-03). Latinx Farmworkers Risk Their Lives During Pandemic. Many Now Struggle to Access Vaccines. democracynow.org There are about 2.5 million farmworkers around the U.S., many of them undocumented immigrants working under dangerous and exploitive circumstances without sick leave or healthcare. Despite their status as essential workers, however, many farmworkers are facing an uphill battle to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Estella Cisneros, legal director of the Agriculture Worker Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, says an uneven rollout in California as well as technical barriers have left many farmworkers unvaccinated. "There's been a lot of inequities that we've seen," she says. We also speak with Mary Jo Dud…

Staff (2021-03-03). Latinx Farmworkers Risk Their Lives During Pandemic. Many Now Struggle to Access Vaccines. democracynow.org There are about 2.5 million farmworkers around the U.S., many of them undocumented immigrants working under dangerous and exploitive circumstances without sick leave or healthcare. Despite their status as essential workers, however, many farmworkers are facing an uphill battle to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Estella Cisneros, legal director of the Agricultural Worker Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, says an uneven rollout in California as well as technical barriers have left many farmworkers unvaccinated. "There's been a lot of inequities that we've seen," she says. We also speak with Mary Jo Du…

Staff (2021-03-03). Cuomo Must Go: Calls Grow to Remove NY Governor over COVID Nursing Home Cover-up & Sexual Harassment. democracynow.org New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing mounting calls from fellow Democrats and progressive organizations to resign or be impeached over sexual harassment allegations and his cover-up of thousands of COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes. New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched an investigation after three women — two former aides and a woman who met Cuomo at a friend's wedding reception — accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. "Credible accusations of sexual harassment made by these courageous women coming forward show a clear pattern of Cuomo's abuse of power," says New York Assembly…

Eds. (2021-03-03). The class character of the expansion of COVID-19: The case of Peru's Capital City Lima. mronline.org At the end of December 2019, the world was notified about the existence of a new coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in China. This virus, SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19), rapidly spread and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

Tomdispatch (2021-03-03). The Real Threats to America are the Pandemic and Poverty; why Give Ever More Money to the Pentagon? juancole.com By Mandy Smithberger | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — This country is in a crisis of the first order. More than half a million of us have died thanks to Covid-19. Food insecurity is on the rise, with nearly 24 million Americans going hungry, including 12 million children. Unemployment claims filed since the pandemic began have …

Joseph Grosso (2021-03-03). Andrew Cuomo: Legend of a Fall. counterpunch.org Future historians will have a field day examining the daily commentary of the COVID pandemic. Early on there was Madonna sitting nude in a marble bathtub filled with rose petals proclaiming COVID 'the great equalizer.' Trump of course supplied his daily dose of schizophrenic fare so incoherent that even conservative TV hacks were unable to morph it into a convincing picture of brave leadership. Yet nothing tops the spectacle of Ellen Degeneres and Trevor Noah actually declaring themselves to be 'Cuomosexuals', in honor of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a term that was immediately plastered on various merchandise…

Joseph Grosso (2021-03-03). Andrew Cuomo: Legend of a Fall. counterpunch.org Future historians will have a field day examining the daily commentary of the COVID pandemic. Early on there was Madonna sitting nude in a marble bathtub filled with rose petals proclaiming COVID 'the great equalizer.' Trump of course supplied his daily dose of schizophrenic fare so incoherent that even conservative TV hacks were unable to morph it into a convincing picture of brave leadership. Yet nothing tops the spectacle of Ellen Degeneres and Trevor Noah actually declaring themselves to be 'Cuomosexuals', in honor of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a term that was immediately plastered on various merchandise…

Mohammad Ayesh (2021-03-03). Arabic press review: Egypt tries to boost human rights credentials for Biden. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Egypt tries to boost human rights credentials for Biden | Meanwhile, Jordan has reportedly received $1bn from the European Union to fight the pandemic, and Iraq's PM vows to crack down on militias | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 15: 03 | Watchtowers at the notorious Tora prison on the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo on 11 February 2020 (AFP) | Egypt concerned by US…

RT (2021-03-03). Can we kick out immigrants like Denmark does? Critics snicker after AOC lauds McDonald's workers' wages in European nation. rt.com A time-tested talking point about wages of McDonald's workers in Denmark was invoked by AOC in a call for a minimum wage boost in the US. Her opponents asked if Washington should also adopt Copenhagen's harsh immigration policies. | The fact that paying workers a living wage is even up for debate is "embarrassing," progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) tweeted on Tuesday as she called to override the Senate parliamentarian and push forward with the $15/hour minimum wage. The official ruled last Thursday that the proposal cannot be included in President Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus bill…

Staff (2021-03-03). GOP Lawyer Admits to SCOTUS That Voting Rights Disadvantage Republican Party. truthout.org An attorney representing the Arizona Republican Party on Tuesday helpfully admitted outright what has long been obvious to observers of the GOP's decades-long assault on the franchise: Easier voting makes it harder for Republicans to win elections. | Asked by right-wing Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett to explain the Arizona GOP's interest in upholding a state law that disqualifies ballots cast in the wrong precinct — a restriction that voting rights advocates say discriminates a…

Staff (2021-03-03). Democratic Women's Caucus Members Propose Monument Honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg. truthout.org Several Democratic lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation that seeks to honor the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg The bill is sponsored by several members of the Democratic Women's Caucus, and was introduced this week to highlight March as Women's History Month. The proposal's introduction at thi…

Russell Mokhiber (2021-03-03). Defend the Guard Act Stirs Debate in West Virginia Over Military Industrial Complex. counterpunch.org A debate over the military industrial complex is raging in West Virginia. The debate was kicked off in the West Virginia legislature again this year by Patrick McGeehan, a Republican member of the House of Delegates from the northern panhandle. McGeehan has introduced House Bill 2138 — the Defend the Guard Act. It's a short

Raul Diego (2021-03-03). The Bits and Bytes of The Great Reset: COVID-19 and the Scaling Up of Data-Capitalism. mintpressnews.com The so-called Great Reset amounts to little more than a campaign to turn humanity into datasets, which the world's most powerful hedge funds and transnational corporations can use to create more profits for themselves and their clients.

Special to People's World (2021-03-03). The devastating, irreparable death of Aruká Juma. peoplesworld.org Manaus, Amazonas — The death of the last survivor of the Juma people, the warrior Amoim Aruká, from complications linked to COVID-19, is an incalculable tragedy. The Juma people suffered innumerable massacres throughout their history. There were 15,000 of them at the turn of the 20th century and by 2002 there were only five Jumas …

Staff (2021-03-03). Latinx Farmworkers Risking Their Lives During COVID Struggle to Access Vaccines. truthout.org There are about 2.5 million farmworkers around the U.S., many of them undocumented immigrants working under dangerous and exploitive circumstances without sick leave or healthcare. Despite their status as essential workers, however, many farmworkers are facing an uphill battle to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Estella Cisneros, legal director of the Agriculture Worker Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, says an uneven rollout in California as well as technical barriers have left…

Kareem Chehayeb (2021-03-03). Covid-19 in Lebanon: Health workers yet to receive vaccines as MPs jump the queue. middleeasteye.net Covid-19 in Lebanon: Health workers yet to receive vaccines as MPs jump the queue | After Lebanese lawmakers were controversially inoculated, half of the country's overwhelmed medical workers anxiously await their turn | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 10: 58 | A medic prepares a dose of the Covid-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at Lebanon's American University Medical Centre in the capital Beirut, on 14 Februa…

Global Research News (2021-03-03). Selected Articles: C.Y.A. and "Fraudulent Marketing": The Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine is an "Unapproved Product" globalresearch.ca By Pfizer Inc…

teleSUR (2021-03-03). Brazil: Senate Pass Bill to Allow Companies to Buy Vaccines. telesurenglish.net Brazil's Senate Tuesday passed a bill that allows the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines by private companies and subnational governments before the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) registers the immunizers. | RELATED: | Buying drugs without Anvisa's approval will allow the country to purchase India's Covaxin vaccine and the Russian Sputnik V. The rule, however, establishes that the immunizers can be adminis…

RT (2021-03-03). You're not supposed to say that out loud! Covid-19 vaccines & 'return to normal' might hurt Facebook's bottom line, CFO admits. rt.com Facebook's CFO is concerned that as more people get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, they'll be less likely to click on Facebook ads and more likely to seek out travel and non-sedentary pursuits. | CFO David Wehner Speaking at the Morg…

Martha Grevatt (2021-03-03). Support keeps building for #BAmazon union drive, Biden feels pressure. workers.org A people's movement against an anti-people corporation has intensified, backing the union drive at Amazon's Bessemer, Ala., warehouse. The courageous Southern union warriors are finally starting to get the support they need and deserve. People's Organization for Progress rally to support Amazon workers outside Whole Foods, Newark, N.J., Feb. 27. . . . |

Stephen Lendman (2021-03-03). Biden Administration Escalates "War on Russia by Other Means". On the Target for "Regime Change" globalresearch.ca The US is implacably hostile toward nations free from its control. …

Howard Lisnoff (2021-03-03). What We Got in Biden. counterpunch.org The wrenching appeals by some on the political left to vote for Biden must sting for some of those who actually did cast their vote for him, or at least against Trump in November 2020. This is the game that plays itself out again and again and again, ad nauseam, in US politics, the politics

Areeb Ullah (2021-03-03). ICC prosecutor opens investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas. middleeasteye.net ICC prosecutor opens investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas | Fatou Bensouda formally begins her investigation after the International Criminal Court ruled it had jurisdiction in the Palestinian territories | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 14: 26 | Bensouda said the decision to begin an ICC investigation comes after a five-year preliminary inquiry (Reuters) | The International Criminal Court's pros…

Kenneth Surin (2021-03-03). Policing Universities by Neoliberal Governments in the UK And France. counterpunch.org The respective motivations, and their specific underlying conditions, are of course different in the UK and France, but both culminate in plans for universities to curb the expression of leftist points of view. In the UK this gives a potential pulpit to "maverick" speakers on the right, such as Steve Bannon, who (facetiously?) approved the delivery of pipe bombs to critics of Trump, and who lost his book deal for having a favourable view of underage sex.

Lambert Strether (2021-03-03). CDC school reopening guidance suppresses aerosols based on thin evidence and driven by budgetary concerns. mronline.org For a period of time after this article was originally published (February 18, 2021) it was scrubbed from Google's search index. When the author, Lambert Strether, realized the piece had been "censored," it was published a second time on March 1, 2021 with an analysis of the purging. Subsequently, the article magically reappeared in the search …

John Wojcik (2021-03-03). Republicans make the FBI look like the good guys. peoplesworld.org Not too many years ago, it would have been unthinkable that at a congressional hearing on right-wing terror the FBI would be defending left and progressive demonstrators, saying that it was not them but rather white supremacists that were the real threat to security in the U.S. At the obvious displeasure of Republican senators Tuesday, …

ProPublica (2021-03-03). How Facebook Suppressed Kurdish Site for sake of its Business in Turkey. juancole.com By Jack Gillum and Justin Elliott | — ( ProPublica ) — As Turkey launched a military offensive against Kurdish minorities in neighboring Syria in early 2018, Facebook's top executives faced a political dilemma. Turkey was demanding the social media giant block Facebook posts from the People's Protection Units, a mostly Kurdish militia group the …

Mirinda Crissman (2021-03-03). Congelación de Texas: los ricos, más ricos mientras obreros sufren. workers.org Houston Una tormenta invernal sin precedentes azotó a Texas el 15 de febrero y trajo temperaturas bajo cero. Una semana después, grandes sectores de la población siguen sin electricidad, calefacción y/o agua. El horizonte de Houston brilla, mientras millones sufren sin calefacción ni agua en medio de cortes de energía . . . |

Joe Piette (2021-03-03). Community demands Sanctuary Schools in Philadelphia, a 'sanctuary city'. workers.org Erika Guadalupe Nuñez speaking, March 1. "Philadelphia has declared itself a 'sanctuary city,' but how can it be a sanctuary city without its schools being sanctuaries for all students?" asked Erika Guadalupe Nuñez of Juntos at a well-attended March 1 press conference outside the School District of Philadelphia headquarters. . . . |

Liberation Staff-Yakima (2021-03-03). Richland, Washington protesters demand 'No kids in cages'. liberationnews.org Facilities used to cage children that were closed under Trump's administration are being reopened under Biden's administration.

Ted Kelly (2021-03-03). Biden pick for Secretary of Agriculture no friend of farmworkers or small farmers. workers.org President Joe Biden nominated former Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a job he held for the entire Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. Vilsack testified before the Senate on Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — and was confirmed a few weeks later. . . . |

Gloria Rubac (2021-03-03). Solitary confinement abuse sparks hunger strike in Louisiana's Angola Prison. workers.org Incarcerated workers in Louisiana's notorious Angola Prison began a hunger strike early Feb. 17. The reason: Prison officials refused to release them back into the prison population after they served their sentence in solitary for a rule infraction. Angola State Prison was the 18,000-acre Angola Plantation before the Civil War, . . . |

teleSUR Desk (2021-03-03). Ecuador: Indigenous organizations announce national strike. mronline.org Supporters of Indigenous presidential candidate Yaku Perez demand the recount of electoral records due to alleged electoral fraud.

The Conversation (2021-03-03). A common soil pesticide cut wild bee reproduction by 89% — here's why scientists are worried. juancole.com By Philip Donkersley | — When you think of bees, a hive humming with activity probably comes to mind. But most of the world's 20,000 bee species don't call a hive home. These wild species lead solitary lives instead, and around 70% of them build nests underground where they raise their offspring on the nectar …

Ed Rampell (2021-03-03). 'Back of the Moon': A Noirish apartheid-era South African film. peoplesworld.org Director/co-writer and Oscar nominee Angus Gibson's Back of the Moon is another example of why I love PAFF—the Pan African Virtual Film + Arts Festival. If not for this festival film buffs like moi probably would never have heard of, let alone had the opportunity to see, this highly entertaining South African movie. Moon is …

Liberation Staff-Yakima (2021-03-03). Richland, Wash., protesters demand 'no kids in cages'. liberationnews.org Facilities used to cage children that were closed under Trump's administration are being reopened under Biden's administration.

Melvin Goodman (2021-03-03). Biden's Quandry: Proxy Wars and Endless Wars. counterpunch.org From the end of the Second World War until the administration of Ronald Reagan, there were very few American battlefield deaths in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and Southwest Asia. Since the administration of George H.W. Bush, however, most American battlefield deaths have taken place in those regions. The turning point took place in 1979 with the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Eds. (2021-03-03). Ecuador: from horror to electoral debate. mronline.org Amidst denunciations and accusations the campaign for the April 11 runoff begins.

Joyce Chediac (2021-03-03). 7 lies Amazon tells about the union. liberationnews.org In a historic development, 5,800 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, are right now voting on whether to be represented by the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union.

Karen Conner (2021-03-03). Workers Should be Wary Now that Private Equity Is Going Retail. cepr.net Eight years after passage of the 2013 JOBS Act that let private equity firms market directly to individuals to solicit their investments, retail investors — largely high net worth individuals — finally account for a significant share of assets under management (AUM) at some of the largest PE firms. Apollo claims to be "among the …

Jenny Farrell (2021-03-03). Rosa Luxemburg at 150: Toward 'a social order worthy of the human race'. peoplesworld.org On March 5, 2021, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rosa Luxemburg's birth. No one who wishes to get a sense of Rosa Luxemburg as a person, both political and private, will regret watching Margarethe von Trotta's meticulously researched 1986 film of the same name. It is available with English subtitles. The film begins on …

Staff (2021-03-03). Asian American Communities Organize Against Rise in Hate Crimes, Say More Policing Is Not the Answer. democracynow.org Anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked across the U.S. over the past year, fueled in part by Donald Trump's racist rhetoric about the coronavirus. One recent study found a 150% increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in 2020, even though overall hate crimes fell last year. Ron Kim, member of the New York State Assembly representing the 40th District in Queens, New York, says anti-Asian sentiment tends to flare up during times of crisis. "There's a long history of Asian Americans in this country feeling targeted and scapegoated whenever we experience economic downturns," says Kim. We also speak with Kim Tran…