The Socialist Program (2021-02-24). In the News: Capitalism Kills. liberationnews.org On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the COVID death toll in the United States topping 500,000, the winter storm that has left millions without power in zero degree temperatures in Texas, a new independent report that further exposes the police in Aurora Colorado for the brutal murder of Elijah McClain, and more.

Dean Baker (2021-02-24). The Green New Deal Threatens Republicans' Bread and Butter (It's not Just Competition in the Battle of Ideas). counterpunch.org Naomi Klein has an interesting piece in the New York Times on the implications of the Texas disaster. I would disagree with some parts, which attack the Texas approach to energy as "free market." To my view, this is far too generous. Even Texas' deregulated energy market is still highly regulated. It is possible to

Mirinda Crissman (2021-02-24). Texas freeze — Rich get richer, workers suffer. workers.org Houston An unprecedented winter storm hit Texas Feb. 15, bringing subfreezing temperatures. One week later, huge sections of the population are still without power, heat and/or water. Houston skyline glows, while millions suffer subfreezing temperatures without heat or water amidst preventable power outages, Feb. 15 Across major cities — such . . . |

Pam Martens, Russ Martens (2021-02-24). GameStop Hearing Exposes a Sick Business Model Destined to Exacerbate Wealth Inequality in America. counterpunch.org The most striking revelations in yesterday's House Financial Services Committee hearing on the wild trading action in New York Stock Exchange-listed shares of GameStop came when Congresswoman Cindy Axne of Iowa questioned Vlad Tenev, the CEO of Robinhood, the trading app being increasingly used by young people to trade stocks and options on their mobile

Frank Lara (2021-02-24). San Francisco teachers struggle for a safe reopening. liberationnews.org The following was a presentation at the Feb. 20, 2021, Reds in Ed webinar. Afternoon fellow educators, my name is Frank Lara and I am a public-school teacher of 10 years in San Francisco's historic Mission District. I am also on the Executive Board of our union, the United Educators of San Francisco, a 6,500-member …

John Wojcik (2021-02-24). In plain sight, GOP senators show sabotage is their game. peoplesworld.org Republican senators exposed their true colors at separate Senate hearings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, and those colors are not ones that would typically be shown by anyone interested in "bipartisanship." The nation was treated to the spectacle in hearings on the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol of Senate leaders of that right-wing insurrection …

Ben Slowey (2021-02-24). Milwaukee protesters demand real change from Biden administration. liberationnews.org Around 50 protesters congregated in the cold outside Milwaukee City Hall Feb. 16 to make their demands heard, as President Joe Biden arrived for a town hall conversation with CNN.

Chauncey K. Robinson (2021-02-24). Biden immigration bill has shortcomings, but shows promise on several fronts. peoplesworld.org The Biden administration has introduced a sweeping new immigration bill that stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump's four years of attacks on undocumented workers and their families. The new bill is being seen by many as a bold step in a better direction, but some immigrant rights activists are pointing out shortcomings in the …

Eds. (2021-02-24). Does the West repeating claims of China committing genocide in Xinjiang reify it? mronline.org The Jewish Virtual Library quotes Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels as having said: "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."

Royal Thomas II (2021-02-24). Rush Limbaugh and the rise of the far right. liberationnews.org Photo: Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump speaking at a 2019 event hosted by Turning Point USA. Credit — Gage Skidmore After more than three decades assaulting airwaves and television screens with his vicious right-wing rhetoric, Rush Limbaugh, the bigoted and imperialist radio personality, died last week from a year-long battle with lung cancer. With his …

Marlanna Bullock (2021-02-24). Tri-Cities, WA's Katie Barton: 'She wanted to see equal rights for the community, not just herself'. liberationnews.org This article is part of Liberation's commemoration of Black History Month, 2021. T…

David Rosen (2021-02-24). Confronting the Digital Divide: New York City vs. Verizon. counterpunch.org The United States is a divided nation, one expressed in all-too-many ways as evident by the 2020 presidential election and the failed January 6th insurrection. Unfortunately, one of its most telling expressions is the digital divide, in which more well-to-do urban and suburban locals get superior if over-priced telecom services while whole swaths of urban

Liaquat Ali Khan (2021-02-24). First English, Then American, and Now Muslim Francophobia. counterpunch.org Francophobia has been a persistent part of French history, transmitted and modulated through several centuries. 17thcentury England constructed the first significant layer of Francophobia. The Americans may have borrowed Francophobia from England and then developed its version in the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Muslim world has begun to manufacture its variety of

Rajan Menon (2021-02-24). Covid-19 Demonstrated How This Country Fails Its Most Vulnerable: A Field Guide to Our Threadbare Social Safety Net. juancole.com ( Tomdispatch.com) — Economic crises shine a spotlight on a society's inequities and hierarchies, as well as its commitment to support those who are most vulnerable in such grievous moments. The calamity created by Covid-19 is no exception. The economic fallout from that pandemic has tested the nation's social safety net as never before. Between …

Elizabeth Keyes (2021-02-24). Compartmentalizing Woody Allen … or Not. counterpunch.org I missed the first round of talk about the New York Times' publication of a moving and forthright letter by Woody Allen's adopted daughter, Dylan, regarding his alleged sexual molestation of her over two decades ago. Woody Allen is an American icon as well as a human being capable of all things human, perhaps including

Jackie Fox (2021-02-24). How Capitalism Fails US. realprogressives.org Hello internet, I'm Jackie Fox and I'd like for you to join me in a thought experiment. Imagine an ideal world. What do you see? How do you know it's ideal? If you're anything like me, you're imagining a world without homelessness or hunger, where life expectancy increases along with quality of life, everyone has access to healthcare, the world is healthy and our ecosystem isn't on the verge of collapse. Following the logic of Capitalism though, you'd really just want a strong stock market and around three percent market growth per year; everything else is just icing on the cake. | The problem is that while th…

Editor (2021-02-24). FREEDOM HAS NEVER BEEN SO CLOSE. workers.org Join us Saturday, March 6, from 2-4 p.m. EST, for a Global Virtual Street Meeting for Mumia Abu-Jamal: FREEDOM HAS NEVER BEEN SO CLOSE. Join organizers, artists, supporters and educators as they shine a light on the important history of this international movement to #FreeMumia along with a summary . . . |

Michael Otto (2021-02-24). Ecuador elections — The calm before the storm. workers.org Ibarra, Ecuador Feb. 19 — Almost 10 million voters, a record 81% of those eligible, went to the polls Feb. 7, despite the pandemic, to choose among 16 candidates in Ecuador's presidential elections. The two top vote-getters will compete in the April 11 runoff elections. No candidate received enough . . . |

Berry Craig (2021-02-24). Republicans' working class hero re-branding isn't fooling anyone. peoplesworld.org So far, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Jim Jordan haven't taken up Chris Hayes's challenge. On his show a while back, the MSNBC host laughed out loud when Sen. Cruz—aka The Cancun Kid—Sen. Josh Hawley, and Rep. Jim Jordan claimed the GOP was the born-again blue-collar party. The host of "All in With Chris Hayes" dared the …

The Conversation (2021-02-24). Saving the Planet: Why a net-zero future depends on the ocean's ability to absorb carbon. juancole.com By Anya M. Waite, Brad deYoung, Chris Milley, and Ian G. Stewart | — Most of us growing up along Canada's East Coast never worried about hurricane season. Except for those working at sea, we viewed hurricanes as extreme events in remote tropical regions, seen only through blurred footage of flailing palm trees on the …

MBNJSD (2021-02-24). What Planet Is NATO Living On? dissidentvoice.org NATO headquarters in Brussels (Photo: NATO) The February meeting of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Defense Ministers, the first since President Biden took power, revealed an antiquated, 75-year-old alliance that, despite its military failures in Afghanistan and Libya, is now turning its military madness toward two more formidable, nuclear-armed enemies: Russia and China. This theme …

Ed Rampell (2021-02-24). 'Executive Order': A futuristic 'final solution' to the Brazilian 'race problem' at PAFF. peoplesworld.org Director/co-writer Lázaro Ramos's award-winning Executive Order (Medida Provisória) exemplifies what I love most about the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF): It gives movie buffs the opportunity to see films, often from far-flung destinations around the globe, that we might otherwise never have the chance to watch. Often these are worthy, well-made productions that PAFF is …

Rosalío Muñoz, Janice Rothstein (2021-02-24). Labor and allies pressure Congress to pass American Rescue Plan. peoplesworld.org LOS ANGELES—The urgency and historic significance of the American Rescue Plan are being amplified by the gamut of civic and community groups around the country, from labor to civil rights, health care, education, child, senior, unemployed, disability, homeless, and other advocacy groups. Momentum is building for mass public pressure to get the strongest measure passed …

W. Alphaeus Hunton (2021-02-24). Harlem's 1946 fight against South African starvation foreshadowed anti-apartheid struggle. peoplesworld.org People's World is happy to reprint below an article from the Jan. 3, 1946 issue of the Daily Worker by W. Alphaeus Hunton, then the educational director of the Council on African Affairs (CAA). Hunton, considered "one of the most neglected African-American intellectuals" in U.S. history, partly due to his membership in the Communist Party …

Dan Cohen (2021-02-24). The Empire's Hidden Hand: How The US Established, Sustains and Benefits From Morocco's Occupation of Western Sahara. mintpressnews.com Over the decades, the Moroccan settler population expanded while the United States and European Union have illegally exploited the Western Sahara's resources, mining phosphates, fishing in its waters, and in recent years, drilling for oil and gas.

Will Solomon (2021-02-24). Cuomo's Cover-up Will be Most Effectively Weaponized by the Right. counterpunch.org On February 11, news broke that the Cuomo administration intentionally hid data on COVID-related nursing home deaths from the federal government and New York state legislators, ostensibly for fear of a Department of Justice investigation and potential federal prosecution. The revelation was fairly shocking, but hardly out of character. Cuomo's mishandling of the pandemic—coupled with

Beau Peters (2021-02-24). The Ethics of Healthcare Marketing. dissidentvoice.org Spend an evening watching television on any network in pretty much any town in America and you'd probably think that Big Pharma had already created a pill for anything that might ail ya. And, of course, in some ways, that's not entirely wrong. Today we have a world of therapies to extend our lives and …

Eds. (2021-02-24). Medical racism has shaped U.S. policies for centuries. mronline.org The link between the 1793 yellow fever epidemic and the coronavirus.

United Health Professionals (2021-02-24). Mensaje de Alerta sobre la COVID-19. Profesionales de la Salud Unidos. globalizacion.ca Llamamos la atención de nuestros lectores, este importante comunicado internacional de profesionales de la salud, médicos y científicos, que ha sido enviado a los gobiernos de treinta países. | A continuación se muestra el texto completo que se envió a los…

MEE staff (2021-02-24). US to seek place on UN Human Rights Council, chief diplomat says. middleeasteye.net US to seek place on UN Human Rights Council, chief diplomat says | But Secretary of State Antony Blinken says body needs to eliminate agenda item on rights abuses in occupied Palestinian territories | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 19: 23 | Blinken said the US was seeking support for its election to the UNHRC for the 2022-2024 term (AFP) | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the Biden administration…

Alex MacDonald (2021-02-24). Syria: Government official Eyad al-Gharib sentenced in Germany in landmark torture verdict. middleeasteye.net Syria: Government official Eyad al-Gharib sentenced in Germany in landmark torture verdict | Intelligence officer sentenced to four and a half years in prison over complicity in crimes against humanity | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 09: 28 | Eyad al-Gharib, accused of crimes against humanity in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, arrives to hear the court's verdict on 24 Februar…

MEE staff (2021-02-24). Syria: Government official Eyad al-Gharib sentenced in Germany in landmark torture verdict. middleeasteye.net Syria: Government official Eyad al-Gharib sentenced in Germany in landmark torture verdict | Eyad al-Gharib was sentence to 4.5 years in prison over complicity in crimes against humanity in Syria | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 09: 28 | A court in Germany has sentenced a former Syrian government official to four and a half years in jail over complicity in crimes against humanity in his home country, in a landmark verdict.

MEE staff (2021-02-24). Ahmad Erekat: Killing of Palestinian by Israel was 'extrajudicial execution'. middleeasteye.net Ahmad Erekat: Killing of Palestinian by Israel was 'extrajudicial execution' | New investigation also denounces the lack of medical treatment given to the Palestinian man and the degrading treatment of his body | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 14: 35 | Ahmad Erekat was killed at an Israeli checkpoint on his sister's wedding day last year (Facebook) | The killing of Palestinian Ahmad Erekat at an Israeli checkpoint on his s…

Yossi Melman (2021-02-24). Israel is worried about the Palestinian elections. It believes Abbas is too. middleeasteye.net Israel is worried about the Palestinian elections. It believes Abbas is too | The Israeli security services have no wish to rock the boat, but they have few measures to influence the upcoming polls | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 14: 17 | An electoral worker leaves the Palestinian Central Elections Commission's office in Gaza City (Reuters) | From the perspective of the Israeli security establishment, it would ha…

MEE staff (2021-02-24). UN rights experts urge Biden to address rights violations at Guantanamo Bay prison. middleeasteye.net UN rights experts urge Biden to address rights violations at Guantanamo Bay prison | A panel of rights experts welcome administration's goal of closing prison, but say it must ensure 'crimes committed there will not remain unpunished' | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 16: 41 | There are currently 40 detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison (AFP/File photo) | A panel of UN rights experts said the Biden administration's current rev…

MEE staff (2021-02-24). Pope's visit to Iraq will send message of coexistence, says Iraqi president. middleeasteye.net Pope's visit to Iraq will send message of coexistence, says Iraqi president | Barham Salih says meeting between Pope Francis and Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani will be 'profound statement about moderation in religion' | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 21: 11 | Pope Francis is set to visit Iraq on 5 March, and travel to areas previously under the control of the Islamic State group (AFP/File photo) | Iraqi President Barham Salih ha…

Ali Harb (2021-02-24). Top US lawmaker links Palestinians to antisemitism and hate crimes. middleeasteye.net Top US lawmaker links Palestinians to antisemitism and hate crimes | Gregory Meeks, chair of House Foreign Affairs Committee, ruled out conditioning aid to Israel even if annexation proceeds | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 19: 43 | Congressman Gregory Meeks vowed to be a 'strong voice against antisemitism' when dealing with Palestinians (AFP/File photo) | Congressman Gregory Meeks, a key Democrat, linked Palestinians to the…

Betsey Piette (2021-02-24). COVID-19 vaccine patents: Private property vs. public health. workers.org Among the many controversies surrounding vital COVID-19 vaccines, the issue of patent bans gets far less attention than how vaccines are being distributed or who is able to receive them. Yet the patent laws protecting intellectual property (IP) in the U.S. and European Union give the world's wealthiest countries unfair . . . |

Mike Walter (2021-02-24). The Heat: Afghanistan-What's next? america.cgtn.com The war in Afghanistan rages on as a major deadline looms for U.S. forces to leave the country.

MEE staff (2021-02-24). Khashoggi killers used planes seized by Saudi crown prince: Report. middleeasteye.net Khashoggi killers used planes seized by Saudi crown prince: Report | In recent court filings, documents reveal that two of the jets used by Saudi hit squad belonged to a company seized by MBS months earlier, CNN reports | Wed, 02/24/2021 – 22: 02 | Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 (AFP/File photo) | Two private jets used by the Saudi hit squad that killed journalist…

CP Editor (2021-02-24). Fossil Fuel Shock Doctrine. counterpunch.org …

RT (2021-02-24). US Federal Reserve investigating disruptions to Fedwire payment system and other services. rt.com The US Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it is investigating a disruption to services including Fedwire, which facilitates trillions of dollars in wire transfers between institutions every day. | According to updates from the Federal Reserve, the massive disruption to services was caused by an "operational error". | "We acknowledge that payment deadlines are impacted and will communicate remediation efforts to our customers when available. Thank you for your patience while we work to resolve the issue," the institution said in an update on the situation. | As of 2.30pm Eastern Time Wednesday, almost all serv…

RT (2021-02-24). Twitter called out for 'double standards' after it singles out report on UK influence op in Russia with 'hacked materials' label. rt.com Twitter has added a warning to a bombshell expose revealing a covert UK program to plant pro-government narratives in foreign media, telling users the piece may be based on "hacked material," despite letting similar stories slide. | A

RT (2021-02-24). Grand jury refuses to indict officers in Daniel Prude case, whose death in police custody sparked protests & resignations. rt.com A grand jury in Rochester, New York has decided not to indict seven police officers, including the one who placed a hood on Daniel Prude's head and contributed to his death. The black man's demise spurred protests last year. | The police officers were suspended in the wake of Prude's death on March 23 last year, which came as a result of an altercation between Prude, a black man, and a group of responding officers as they attempted to take him into custody. | Announcing the jury's verdict, New York AG Letitia James said that she was "extremely disappointed" by the outcome, arguing that Prude's race played a ro…

RT (2021-02-24). Neera Tanden's quest for OMB post hits another roadblock as crucial step postponed indefinitely — reports. rt.com The confirmation of Neera Tanden, Biden's polarizing pick for head of the Office of Management and Budget, has been further derailed after Republicans suggested they'd vote against it, insider sources told the media. | Both the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Budget Committee postponed meetings set for Wednesday in which they were scheduled to vote on Tanden's confirmation, according to sources cited in several US outlets. | White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to say whether the Biden administration was planning to withdraw Tanden, instead gushing over her "broad s…

RT (2021-02-24). Conservative host posts about his investigation into voter fraud claims, gets blocked, challenges Twitter to disprove his findings. rt.com BlazeTV host Steven Crowder had his Twitter account restricted after posting about a video investigative piece claiming numerous voter addresses in the 2020 presidential election were faked. | "DOZENS of voter names, addresses, and pictures proving they don't exist. Period. Today I'm tired of this s**t. Mass voter fraud is real and I can prove it," Crowder Twitter quickly restricted the tweet and did not allow anyone to like, retweet, or respond to it "due to a risk of violence." Twitter also temporarily locked Crowder'

RT (2021-02-24). What about student loans, water or the homeless? Outrage follows report $1.7 trillion F-35 program is now considered a failure. rt.com A tacit admission by the US Air Force that the F-35 has failed its main mission has triggered an outpouring of outrage from Americans who think the stealth fighter's gargantuan budget could have been better spent on other things. | Frustration with Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation stealth jet flooded Twitter on Wednesday, after Forbes magazine published a story about how USAF commissioning a study into a new, cheaper and lighter fighter amounts to "a tacit admission that the F-35 has failed." | | t.co/fDhBTf4Cyd RT (2021-02-24). 'The war continues': Small investors up in arms after GameStop stock trades halted amid price surge & reports of Reddit outages. rt.com GameStop shares have again soared, surging by more than 100 percent until a trading halt slowed the rally before markets closed, stoking suspicions among small investors, some pointing to mysterious Reddit issues during the spike. | $GME was up by Observers online noted that while halts are typically short-lived and last onl…

RT (2021-02-24). US seeking re-election to UN Human Rights Council after Trump withdrawal, Blinken calls for expulsion of other members. rt.com The US wants to retake its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in a video message to the body, during which he also called for the removal of other nations. | "I'm pleased to announce the United States will seek election to the Human Rights Council for the 2022-24 term," Blinken declared on Wednesday. "We humbly ask for the support of all UN member states in our bid to return to a seat in this body." | Former President Donald Trump's administration

Staff (2021-02-24). Pro-Fossil Fuel Senators Grill Deb Haaland as She Bids to Become First Indigenous Cabinet Secretary. democracynow.org Indigenous communities across the United States are closely following the Senate confirmation hearings of Congressmember Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Interior Department, who would become the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary if she is confirmed. Haaland is a tribal citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, and the prospect of an Indigenous person leading the federal department with broad oversight of Native American affairs has galvanized support for her in Indian Country. Several Republican senators have grilled Haaland over her past comments opposing fracking, the Keystone XL oil…