(2021-03-17). The Ongoing Calamity: US Collective Punishment of the Venezuelan People Must End. dissidentvoice.org 
Recent statements made by US officials suggest that Washington will continue to pursue a hardline policy on Venezuela. The new Biden Administration, however, needs to urgently rethink its approach. US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, remarked on February 3 that he "certainly" does not "expect this administration to be engaging directly with (President) Maduro." Namely, …
(2021-03-17). US intel report claims Russia 'probably' tried to sway 2020 election (as well as Iran, Venezuela & Cuba… but not China). rt.com 
The Joe Biden administration is reportedly preparing new sanctions against Russia after an intelligence assessment claimed to find attempts at interference by Moscow, Tehran and other usual suspects in the 2020 presidential race. | A
(2021-03-17). Blinken Talks the Talk, but Will He Walk the Walk? strategic-culture.org 
Secretary of State Antony Blinken's March 3 speech at the US State Department should be warmly welcomed around the world, especially in Caracas and Tehran… | (Click on the image to enlarge)…
(2021-03-17). Twitter Deletes QAnon to Protect US from Upheaval; Russia May Delete Twitter for the Same Reason. mintpressnews.com 
With American social media companies increasingly controlled by the national security state, Russia is considering bans on the likes of Twitter and YouTube.
(2021-03-17). 'Making it' in America as pure fantasy: Ayad Akhtar's 'Homeland Elegies: A Novel'. peoplesworld.org 
The book jacket describes Homeland Elegies as "art family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel." The decision to confuse these genres is both tantalizing and frustrating. Its subtitle identifies it as "a novel." This pre-pandemic text refers often to real-life events, such as to his own plays and to main actors in those plays …
(2021-03-17). Covid-19 and Ramadan: UAE issues strict social measures. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19 and Ramadan: UAE issues strict social measures | UAE said residents and citizens must avoid evening gatherings and the exchanging of food to break the fast, except for members of the same household | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 12: 17 | A man registers before receiving a Covid-19 vaccine at the Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE, 3 February 2021 (AFP) | The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday introduced a nu…
(2021-03-17). Documentary 'The Boys Who Said No!' recalls anti-draft, anti-war movement. peoplesworld.org 
A highly effective and moving new documentary about the young American men who refused to be sucked into the maw of the Selective Service System during the Vietnam War has just appeared. The Boys Who Said No!: Draft Resistance and the Vietnam War is featured in the Socially Relevant Film Festival online and is available …
(2021-03-17). John Locke and the Roots of White Supremacy in the US. counterpunch.org 
Ideas count — sometimes, they are even stronger than material interests. This is the case with the legacy of 17th century philosopher John Locke in the United States, which is central to explaining why class solidarity is so weak while white racial solidarity is so strong. Recent events have confirmed the unfortunate fact that there
(2021-03-17). False alarm or malicious rumor? Twitter account claiming to be Ecuadorian FM falsely announces death of Julian Assange. rt.com 
A Twitter account purporting to belong to Ecuador's newly promoted foreign minister has falsely reported Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's death, acknowledging the news is "unconfirmed." It's not clear who's behind the report. | A recently created Twitter account supposedly belonging to Ecuadorian FM Manuel Mejía Dalmau posted an "URGENT" message on Wednesday declaring "diplomatic sources in London" had reported "the news of the death of Julian Assange," the Wikileaks founder's partner Stella Moris revealed on Wednesday, posting a screenshot of the tweet that noted the report was "unconfirmed." | pic.t…
(2021-03-17). Philippine activists demand: 'Stop the killings and arrests!'. workers.org 
"Kill them all!" ordered Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, addressing the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines on March 5. Two days later, state forces following the dictator's edict carried out a deadly attack on progressive activists in the Southern Tagalog region. Protest against the March 7 massacre . . . |
(2021-03-17). Georgia mass shooting suspect may have 'SEX ADDICTION' and wanted to 'eliminate temptation' at massage parlors — police. rt.com 
The suspect behind a string of shootings at massage parlors in Georgia has told police he wanted to "eliminate" sexual temptation and the massacre was not racially motivated. | Robert Aaron Long, 21, told police he was trying to eliminate the temptation of the spas, which he allegedly visited, and claimed he had an addiction to sex. | "He gave indications that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction," Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds told reporters, adding that Long "may have frequented some of these places in the past" and could have been "lashing out." | Eight people were killed in the shootin…
(2021-03-17). Asian Americans Reel in Response to Gun Attack on Massage Parlors in Georgia. truthout.org 
A 21-year-old white man was taken into custody Tuesday night as the primary suspect in three metro Atlanta massage parlor shootings that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent. | While law enforcement officials have yet to determine suspected gunman Robert Aaron Long's motive, advocacy groups and lawmakers feared that the massacre was an anti-Asian hate crime given the establishments targeted and the victims, which also included a white man and woman. | Stop AAPI Hate, a…
(2021-03-17). Headlines for March 17, 2021. democracynow.org Gunman Kills 8 People, Almost All Women of Asian Descent, at Three Atlanta Spas, Report Finds a Third of COVID Deaths Tied to Lack of Insurance as Dems Reintroduce Medicare for All, WH to Increase Vaccines for COVID Hot Spots; Tribal Groups Open Up Inoculations for All Oklahomans, WHO Urges Against "Vaccine Passports" Due to Widespread Inequality in Access, New Report Details Horrific Blaze That Killed Dozens of Refugees at Yemeni Migrant Jail, Colombian Journalist Accuses Paramilitaries of Rape, Torture in Testimony to Inter-American Court, U.K. Lifts Cap on Nuclear Arsenal as U.S. Considers Plan for $100 Billio…
(2021-03-17). CNN ripped for article admitting anti-lockdown Florida is 'booming' but implying Gov. DeSantis shouldn't be 'taking credit'. rt.com 
Critics are accusing CNN of playing politics and spinning the success of 'booming' Florida, which defied typical Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, as having nothing to do with Gov. Ron DeSantis. | "Everyone told me I was wrong," DeSantis said this week at a fundraiser about pandemic lockdowns. "I faced continued pressure from radical Democrats and the liberal media, but I refused to back down. It's clear: Florida got it right." | While many states are just beginning the process of reopening businesses and rolling back pandemic-era restrictions, Florida has been open for the better part of the last year — an…
(2021-03-17). IDB chief: Latin America at crossroads due to pandemic. laprensalatina.com Barranquilla, Colombia, Mar 17 (efe-epa).- Latin America and the Caribbean are at a crossroads as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and the only way forward is to pursue "a sustainable recovery," the president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Mauricio Claver-Carone, said Wednesday at the opening of the annual meeting of the boards of governors …
(2021-03-17). Covid-19: West Bank receives first Covax vaccine doses. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: West Bank receives first Covax vaccine doses | World Health Organisation's vaccine-sharing initiative adds 62,000 doses to the occupied West Bank's struggling inoculation programme | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 18: 00 | A worker unloads a refrigerated truck carrying the first Covax delivery to a Palestinian Authority storage facility in the West Bank city of Nablus on 17 March (AFP) | The Palestinian Authority…
(2021-03-17). Nepal probes Bahraini prince's 'gift' of 2,000 vaccines to Himalayan village. middleeasteye.net 
Nepal probes Bahraini prince's 'gift' of 2,000 vaccines to Himalayan village | Nepal's medicines regulator said vaccine doses were brought into the country without a licence or prior knowledge of the health ministry | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 19: 32 | Sheikh Mohamed Hamad Mohamed al-Khalifa (second right) poses for pictures upon arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (AFP) | An investigation has bee…
(2021-03-17). Selected Articles: COVID — Bioethics, Eugenics and "Death Panels": "A Warning" globalresearch.ca 
By 193 UN member countries, in unison and lockstep, closed their borders, economies and live-societies. It marked the beginning of the planet's economic and societal …
(2021-03-17). The EU's Vaccination Lag. counterpunch.org 
The advanced industrial countries are now inoculating their populations with the Covid-19 vaccines. A Vaccine Tracker provided by Bloomberg indicates that of the following three countries, the UK's rollout has been the most effective (36.03 doses per 100 people), followed by the US at 28.83 doses per 100 people (as one would expect, the US's individual state variation is considerable—extending from North Dakota (36.84) to Georgia at 13.4), while the EU is far behind at 10.64 doses per 100 people.
(2021-03-17). The Heat: COVID-19 in Brazil. america.cgtn.com 
Brazil is fighting to control a devastating COVID-19 outbreak while it tries to save its economy.
(2021-03-17). 'The only acceptable treatment for Mumia Abu-Jamal is his freedom!'. workers.org 
Organized in less than 24 hours, around 50 supporters of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal rallied outside Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office March 12. They demanded Krasner immediately release 66-year-old Abu-Jamal, who has tested positive for COVID-19. At a protest outside DA Larry Krasner's office, Pam Africa compares photos of . . . |
(2021-03-17). "Suave": New Podcast Follows One Man's Journey to Freedom After a Life Sentence Without Parole at 17. democracynow.org 
A new Futuro Media podcast, "Suave," tells the story of one person's journey to freedom after receiving a life sentence without parole at the age of 17. David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez met journalist Maria Hinojosa in 1993 during a talk at the prison in Pennsylvania where he was serving a sentence for first-degree homicide. For years, Gonzalez and Hinojosa stayed in touch through letters, visits and phone calls that Hinojosa recorded. The seven-part podcast series chronicles Gonzalez's experience as he is eventually given the opportunity to experience life on the outside for the first time, after the 2016 Supreme Cou…
(2021-03-17). With First Native Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, Hope Grows U.S. Will Confront Toxic Uranium Legacy. democracynow.org 
Deb Haaland, a tribal citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, is being sworn in as secretary of the interior and will be the first Native American ever to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet. Just four Republicans joined Democrats in voting to confirm Haaland, who will manage 500 million acres of federal and tribal land. Haaland will also oversee government relations with 574 federally recognized tribal nations and is expected to address the legacy of uranium mining on Indigenous land and other areas. Leona Morgan, a Diné anti-nuclear activist and community organizer, says that while it's "impossible to expect one person…
(2021-03-17). Jackson Mayor Demands Help After Month-Long Water Crisis Amid Pandemic, Racism, Broken Infrastructure. democracynow.org 
Residents in Jackson, Mississippi, have been facing a water crisis over the last five weeks, with many people lacking reliable access to clean drinking water after deadly February winter storms caused pipes and water mains to burst. While water delivery has largely been restored, "boil water" orders remain in effect for most people. The city estimates it could cost $2 billion to fix the city's water system. The crisis in Jackson, which is 82% Black, highlights how climate catastrophe threatens much of the nation's aging infrastructure. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says while the city "contributes millions of dollar…
(2021-03-17). Biden administration 'tackling' difficult border situation, progressives say step up the pace. peoplesworld.org 
In its attempts to deal with rising numbers of immigrants at the southwest border, the Biden administration is facing strong criticism from many different sources, some of it legitimate but much of it outrageously hypocritical. The administration's head of Homeland Security insisted yesterday that the situation is "under control." He made that assertion during a …
(2021-03-17). Biden tells migrants 'Don't come over,' downplays own DHS chief's warning of biggest immigration surge in 2 decades & blames Trump. rt.com 
US President Joe Biden has urged migrants and refugees to stay home, telling them not to attempt to cross the US border, even as his own officials sound alarms over what they say is the largest influx of immigrants in two decades.
(2021-03-17). With US immigration crisis escalating, Biden administration attempts to ban Border Patrol agents from talking to media — reports. rt.com 
One of President Joe Biden's latest tactics in dealing with a growing flood of illegal aliens — especially unaccompanied child migrants — is reportedly to muzzle Border Patrol agents, banning them from speaking to reporters. | Biden's administration has verbally passed down an unofficial
(2021-03-17). Yemen's Houthis express 'deep regret' for Sanaa migrant centre fire. middleeasteye.net 
Yemen's Houthis express 'deep regret' for Sanaa migrant centre fire | Houthis said 44 people died, as evidence grows that the rebels caused the fire | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 12: 53 | East African refugees wait for then-head of UNHCR Antonio Guterres in 2010 when he visited a refugee camp in Djibouti (AFP) | The Houthi rebel movement in Yemen expressed "deep regret" on Wednesday for the deaths of dozens of mig…
(2021-03-17). Pandemic NHS workers should be granted indefinite leave to remain — Aaron Gates-Lincoln. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Migrant workers have been essential to the operations of the NHS ever since its inception in 1948. Over the decades, many programmes have been used to encourage and find overseas workers and help them migrate to the UK to be employed in the healthcare system, demonstrating our governments acknowledgment of how important they are. As …
(2021-03-17). California rally: 'Union busting is disgusting!'. workers.org 
San Francisco, March 12 San Francisco March 12 — Labor union and community members rallied today in front of the offices of Morgan Lewis, a law firm with offices in 31 cities around the world with a sordid history of union busting. Morgan Lewis was recently hired by Amazon to . . . |
(2021-03-17). Amazon Is Hiring Aggressive Firms to Bust Union Efforts. truthout.org 
Since the start of the year, Amazon has subjected its almost 6,000 warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, to a relentless and
(2021-03-17). Federación mundial del trabajo respalda a sindicato #Bamazon. workers.org 
La Federación Sindical Mundial (FSM) emitió el siguiente comunicado el 3 de marzo. EE.UU.: FSM en solidaridad con los trabajadores de almacén de Amazon en Alabama La Federación Sindical Mundial, que es la voz militante de 105 millones de trabajadores de 132 países de todo el mundo, extiende su solidaridad . . . |
(2021-03-17). Egypt's mass demolitions of Sinai homes 'likely war crimes'. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt's mass demolitions of Sinai homes 'likely war crimes' | Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 12,350 buildings have been demolished by the Egyptian military in the restive Sinai | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 11: 32 | Image grab, taken from a video released by the official Facebook page of Egypt's military spokesman on 8 December 2020, shows Egyptian army vehicles driving in the desert (Screengrab)
| The…
(2021-03-17). Spain Plans to Begin Experimenting With a Four-Day Workweek. truthout.org 
As the coronavirus pandemic changes the way societies around the world view work, Spain has announced it will begin a limited trial of a four-day workweek in a bid to boost productivity, mental health, and the environment. | The Guardian
(2021-03-17). The University Deception: Rankings and Academic Freedom. counterpunch.org 
Forget the global university rankings of any list. The global university promotion exercise is filled with snake oil and perfumed refuse, an effort to corrupt the unknowing and steal from the gullible. The aim here is to convince parents, potential students and academics that their institutions of white collar crime are appealing enough to warrant
(2021-03-17). Bust the filibuster! Pass the PRO Act! workers.org 
On March 9 the House of Representatives passed the Protect the Right to Organize Act, the most sweeping amendment to the 1935 National Labor Relations Act since the notorious, union-busting Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Unions are now demanding the Senate pass the PRO Act, which undoes parts of Taft-Hartley and . . . |
(2021-03-17). On January 6th, the U.S. Became a Foreign Country. juancole.com 
By Kevin Tillman | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — Just about everyone was shocked by what happened at the Capitol building on January 6th. But as a former soldier in America's forever wars, horrifying as the scenes were, I also found what happened strangely familiar, almost inevitable. I thought that, if only we had taken our …
(2021-03-17). The Impossible Peter Oborne. dissidentvoice.org 
On the face of it, Peter Oborne is impossible. It's not possible to be educated at Sherborne independent school, at Cambridge University, to work as political editor of the Spectator, as chief political commentator of The Daily Telegraph, as a journalist at the Evening Standard, as a commentator at the Express, to make nearly 30 …
(2021-03-17). India's Farm Crisis: "How Long Will the Lies Work?" counterpunch.org 
If it weren't for the violent blows of police lathi s, the farmers protesting in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district would not have left their protest site on January 27. "The protest had been going on for 40 days," says Brijpal Singh, 52, a sugarcane farmer from Baraut town, where the sit-in was held. "It was not
(2021-03-17). °Que se abran las fronteras! workers.org 
Muertes de migrantes: øQuién es el VERDADERO culpable? No tenía por qué suceder. Pero, trágicamente, así pasó. Y lo más probable es que no sea la última vez. El 2 de marzo, 12 personas murieron instantáneamente cuando la camioneta en la que viajaban fue golpeada de costado por un camión . . . |
(2021-03-17). Racial Justice and Civil Liberties: An Inseparable History at the ACLU. aclu.org 
After World War I, it quickly became clear that the war to make the world "safe for democracy" had not made America safe for equality. Anti-Black race riots ripped through Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and even Elaine, Arkansas. In October 1919, after Black sharecroppers in Elaine convened a union meeting, newspapers labeled the effort a "Negro uprising." The state mobilized troops and mobs to quell the rebellion. The result was "possibly the bloodiest racial conflict in the history of the United States," concluded the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. | The American Civil Liberties Union's origin…
(2021-03-17). 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.
(2021-03-17). Killings of Korean women reflects U.S. misogyny and racism. workers.org 
Demonstrators at "Love Our Communities: Build Collective Power" rally to raise awareness of anti-Asian violence in Los Angeles, March 13. Atlanta Beginning at 5 p.m., March 16, the first horrific news of the murders of four people and the wounding of a fifth at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, a . . . |
(2021-03-17). Pittsburgh's city budget works for the police but not for the people. liberationnews.org 
The Pittsburgh city budget is a further entrenchment of the same capitalist status quo…
(2021-03-17). The watchdogs of imperialism and the Uyghur genocide slander. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-17). Diversity and False Dichotomies at Smith College. counterpunch.org 
Can exchanges between individuals always unproblematically be characterized as either racist or not racist? Bret Stephens appears to think so. Smith College hired an independent law firm to investigate what a student argued was a racist incident on campus back in 2018. The investigation ended with a finding of "no persuasive evidence of bias." This
(2021-03-17). Magellan, inquisition and globalisation. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-17). Trigger words and the duty of revolutionaries in the Internet era. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-17). One year later: Don't forget about Breonna Taylor. peoplesworld.org 
Her death sparked a movement for change. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to demand accountability for months following the killing of Breonna Taylor and other African Americans at the hands of police. On the one-year anniversary of Taylor's death, there is still justice to be fought for. The fight goes beyond a trending …
(2021-03-17). Every day is war' — a decade of slow suffering and destruction in Syria. juancole.com 
By Ammar Azzouz | — Abduljalil sent me a photo of his ruined home in Homs, Syria. "It is the third floor", he told me over WhatsApp. The building still stands but it looks like an empty skeleton. Most of its facade has been destroyed, while piles of debris surround it. Residents have not been …