(2021-02-23). EU imposes further sanctions on Venezuela as Maduro visits UN Human Rights Council. peoplesdispatch.org Venezuela has blasted the imposition of additional European Union (EU) sanctions against nineteen politicians, state officials and security chiefs. | According to an EU Similarly, the EU accused some of the targeted figures of "undermining the oppositions' electoral rights and the…
(2021-02-23). Caracas, a city without running water. laprensalatina.com Caracas, Feb 23 (efe-epa).- Jeanette Celis yearns for the rain to fall on the impoverished Caracas neighborhood of La Vega by the end of February in the hope that it could fill half a dozen containers she has around her house. Like many in Venezuela, she has been without running water for months. A sheet …
(2021-02-23). New European Union Sanctions on Democratic Elections: 30 Venezuelan Politicians to be Sanctioned. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The European Union (EU) announced this Friday, February 19, that the …
(2021-02-23). Over 33 Percent of Low-Paid Workers Lost Jobs During Pandemic. truthout.org 
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 February and May 2020, the number of unemployed workers soared more than threefold — from 6.2 million to 20.5 million. The jobless rate spiked in a similar fashion from 3.8% to…
(2021-02-23). UAE-backed STC forces accused of torturing Yemeni journalist. middleeasteye.net 
UAE-backed STC forces accused of torturing Yemeni journalist | Adel al-Hasani produced a CNN report critical of the UAE's activities in Yemen, which a source says is the reason behind his detention | Tue, 02/23/2021 – 12: 04 | Hasani is an investigative journalist, producer and fixer for international journalists, based in the southern Yemeni city of Aden (Social media) | Yemen's UAE-backed Southern Transition…
(2021-02-23). Ex-VP Pence snubs annual conservative conference where his former boss Trump is due to speak, prompting speculations. rt.com 
While ex-president Donald Trump will be speaking at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), he will not be joined by Mike Pence, a fact that has both sides of the political aisle talking theories as to why. | Matt Schlapp, one of the main organizers for the event, has said Pence's refusal to speak at the conference is a "mistake." | "His conservative record is well respected, and conservatives want to hear his take on the current threats posed by socialism and this radicalized Democrat party," he said. | Trump's speech will, meanwhile, be his most public event since leaving office. While…
(2021-02-23). Meghan McCain calls for firing of Fauci for 'inconsistent messaging' on Covid, gets roasted for calling vaccine rollout a disaster. rt.com 
Meghan McCain was taken to the woodshed online after demanding Anthony Fauci be fired for his "inconsistent messaging" on the Covid-19 pandemic, while complaining that she — a TV host — doesn't know when she'll be vaccinated. | The pundit took aim at Fauci during a Monday segment on 'The View' over a recent appearance on CNN, where the health expert suggested those who've received an immunization may still have to practice social distancing. | "I was very frustrated when I saw this clip," she said. "The fact that Dr. Fauci is going on CNN and he can't tell me that if I get the vaccine, if I'll be a…
(2021-02-23). Corporations, lawmakers collude in new multi-state 'right to work' offensive. peoplesworld.org 
Dave Dell Isola, the son and grandson of union members, grew up grateful for the family-sustaining wages and benefits that organized labor won for working people. But he never fully grasped the might of solidarity until he and his wife, Barbara, and their two sons lost everything in an apartment fire. Dell Isola's brothers and …
(2021-02-23). Massacres doubled last year in Colombia, UN says. laprensalatina.com Bogota, Feb 23 (efe-epa).- Colombia suffered 76 massacres resulting in 292 deaths last year, more than doubling the number in 2020 and the highest one-year total since 2014, according to a report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) presented here Tuesday. Though the Andean nation's homicide rate declined …
(2021-02-23). Republicans oppose the American Rescue Plan at their peril. peoplesworld.org 
With Republicans scrambling to block emergency economic assistance to millions, the Democratic-led House of Representatives is moving quickly to approve the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) this week. The measure, which links the pandemic, economic crisis, and racial justice, then goes to the Senate. The Democratic majority is expected to pass it via the …
(2021-02-23). 'Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me' at Pan African Film Festival. peoplesworld.org 
Undaunted, the pandemic can't stop the Pan African Film Festival. In that immortal show biz tradition, the show must go on! Albeit virtually, as this year, in order to stay cinematically safe, America's largest and best annual Black-themed filmfest since 1992 is moving online and starting later than usual, kicking off on the last day …
(2021-02-23). Amazon faces a day of reckoning for its treatment of workers. therealnews.com 
Amazon workers and their allies rallied last weekend to support the union drive at the Bessemer, Alabama, facility. Workers say the company has failed to protect worker safety or improve working conditions even while Amazon and Jeff Bezos profited from the pandemic.
(2021-02-23). Matt Hancock's audacity is off the scale as he refuses to apologise for breaking the law. thecanary.co 
It should no longer come as a surprise, watching Matt Hancock give himself a pat on the back for how he's handled the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. It should also come as no surprise that he accepts zero responsibility for almost But Hancock's audacity flew off the chart on 23 February when he insisted that his team should be thanked, and that there had been no national shortage of PPE. Does Hancock think that a successful roll-out of vaccines…
(2021-02-23). 'The containers offer privacy!' Biden under fire for opening child detainment center, but some liberals jump to defend him. rt.com 
The first child immigration detainment facility under President Joe Biden opened this week, prompting Democrats who had attacked former President Donald Trump for maintaining similar facilities to go on the defensive. | A former oil field worker camp in Carrizo Springs, Texas, it was briefly used as a detainment facility by the Trump administration in 2019 before being closed down, but is now back in operation to hold "up to 700 children," with the Biden administration saying it was needed since capacity has been cut at other facilities due to the Covid-19 pandemic. | Immigration activists were saddened to hea…
(2021-02-23). Amazon mysteriously pulls book critical of transgender movements, gets accused of 'digital book burning'. rt.com 
Author Ryan T. Anderson has blasted Amazon for removing his latest book on the rise of the transgender movement without explanation, a move that has many criticizing the company for playing politics and accusing it of censorship. | "I hope you've already bought your copy, cause Amazon just removed my book 'When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment' from their cyber shelves…. my other four books are still available (for now)," Anderson 'When Harry Became Sally' had p…
(2021-02-23). Capitol Riots were a Dark Day for American Journalism. counterpunch.org 
What is reported matters and particularly so when it risks exaggerating violence or deepening fear and a sense of threat. If the US government really was the target of an armed insurrection, then this will be used to justify repression, as it was after 9/11, and not just against right wing conspiracy theorists. By becoming partisan instruments for spreading fake news, the media undermines its own credibility.
(2021-02-23). Covid-19: Israel donates vaccines to countries that moved embassies to Jerusalem. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Israel donates vaccines to countries that moved embassies to Jerusalem | Czech Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, and Palestinian Authority will receive symbolic amount of vaccines, local media report | Tue, 02/23/2021 – 16: 57 | Israel is facing mounting criticism for not inoculating Palestinians in occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip (AFP) | The Czech Republic, Guatemala and Honduras, which have all move…
(2021-02-23). Crediting Xenophobia—rather than organizing—with raising workers' wages. mronline.org 
The Economist (2/15/20) ran a brief article last year with a startling headline: "Immigration to America Is Down. Wages Are Up. Are the Two Related?" Maybe, the article's anonymous author answered, at least for the short term.
(2021-02-23). Notes on Black History Month, 2021: No More Black Messiahs, Please. counterpunch.org 
The sign in the window of my neighborhood food store reads, "Black Lives Matter." I have shopped there at least once a week over the past year. I have never seen a Black person in the store or a Black person working there. That is not strange or unusual. There aren't many Black people in all of northern California. Indeed, there are fewer Blacks in the Bay Area than there were in the 1940s and 1950s. They've been pushed out.
(2021-02-23). The Fake Debate Over a Minimum Wage. counterpunch.org 
Capitalism's "conservative" defenders yet again oppose raising the minimum wage. They fought raising it in the past much as they tried to prevent the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) that first mandated a U.S. minimum wage. The major argument opponents have used is this: setting or raising a minimum wage threatens small employers. They may collapse or else fire employees; either way, jobs are lost. What is conveniently assumed here is a necessary contradiction between minimum wages and small business jobs. That assumption enables opponents to claim that not setting a legal minimum wage, like not raising it, saves…
(2021-02-23). Bhima Koregaon: Varavara Rao gets bail on medical grounds for six months. mronline.org 
Just as the Bombay HC pronounced the verdict, the additional solicitor general sought a stay on the order for three weeks. However, the court rejected it.
(2021-02-23). Mourning Dr. Agha Saeed, Celebrating his Life. counterpunch.org 
Dr. Agha Saeed , a towering American-Muslim figure has passed away today in a nursing home at the age of 72, due to complications from Covid-19. He had also been silently suffering from Parkinson's for over eight years. The history of American Muslims will be incomplete and extremely inadequate without recognizing Dr. Saeed's life achievements
(2021-02-23). India's Farm Crisis: "They Sell Our Wheat to Us at Thrice the Price" counterpunch.org 
Laxmibai Kale has been losing a portion of her harvest every year. That's not been due to excessive rainfall or drought or poor farming techniques. "Our crops are destroyed," said 60-year-old Laxmibai, "because thepanchayat allows animals to graze on the land. I've lost count of the losses we've suffered." The five-acre plot in Mohadi village
(2021-02-23). Demographic characteristics of people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States. mronline.org 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with states to provide more information on the demographic characteristics of vaccinated people.
(2021-02-23). Plutonium in Space: What Are the Odds of a Catastrophe? counterpunch.org 
With all the media hoopla last week about the Perseverance rover, going almost totally unreported was that its energy source is plutonium—considered the most lethal of all radioactive substances—and nowhere in media that NASA projected 1-in-960 odds of the plutonium being released in an accident on the mission. "A '1-in-960 chance' of a deadly plutonium release
(2021-02-23). What coronavirus taught us about the ruling class. mronline.org 
If half a million people in the United States were murdered by an evil cult, the leaders of which said that they would keep killing thousands a day to satisfy their rapacious urge for power and money, what do you think the response would be?>
(2021-02-23). Rohingya: The Sufis of Arakan. counterpunch.org 
'It was absolutely shocking, how children aged five or six were hunted down and had their throats slit. I was thinking 'this is ISIS-type stuff'. I told Aung San Suu Kyi 'you have moral standing in this country. You have to stop this. Why are you hiding it?' She said [the United Nations] needed to
(2021-02-23). The Race to Save the Vaquita Porpoise From Extinction. counterpunch.org 
San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. The long-running global struggle to prevent extinction of the world's most endangered marine mammal claimed its first human life here on Jan. 2, in the conflict between illegal fishing and conservation of the vaquita porpoise. Fisherman Mario Garcia Toledo, 56, died after suffering massive injuries when his skiff collided with
(2021-02-23). Biden and the Iran nuclear deal: what to expect from the negotiations. juancole.com 
By Ali Bilgic | — As Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, speculation was rife that one of the first things his administration would do would be to seek re-entry to the Iran nuclear deal that had been quit by his predecessor in the White House. The Joint …
(2021-02-23). From the People's World archives: W.E.B. DuBois joins the Communist Party. peoplesworld.org 
Editor's Note: Dr. William E. Burghhardt DuBois was born Feb. 23, 1868. Near the end of his life, in 1961, he applied for membership in the Communist Party USA. His letter, and the response from Gus Hall, leader of the party at that time, were published for the first time in the pages of The …
(2021-02-23). FBI, NYPD exposed: Deathbed confession shines new light on assassination of Malcolm X. liberationnews.org 
Fifty-six years after the assasination of Malcolm X, new details from a former New York Police Department officer's deathbed confession has further implicated the NYPD and FBI in the killing. Raymond Wood, the former NYPD officer, requested the letter be publicized only after his death due to fears of retaliation. Wood's cousin, Reggie Wood, read …
(2021-02-23). Erdogan slammed, will open a fascist 'Grey Wolves' school in occupied Artsakh. peoplesworld.org 
Anti-fascist forces in Turkey blasted authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's links to right-wing paramilitary death squads today after reports that he will open a new Grey Wolves school in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. He will lay the foundation for the building alongside Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev in the city of Shushi, which was taken by Azeri forces …
(2021-02-23). Welcoming a Return to Sanity. counterpunch.org 
In the old days, specifically during the presidency of another actor, Ronald Reagan, Republican falsehoods seemed so quaint that Americans dismissed them as such, relegating them to sloganeering. "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem," the conservative president charged during his first inaugural address in 1981. Nonsense. Reagan's phrase was
(2021-02-23). Conservative Democrat Joe Manchin playing a dangerous game. peoplesworld.org 
The press is talking about how a conservative Democratic senator from West Virginia is now allegedly one of the most powerful movers and shakers in the nation's capital. Sen. Joe Manchin has been an enormous headache for President Joe Biden by threatening to sink the $15 minimum wage and by promising to vote down Biden's …
(2021-02-23). Student activists in Weymouth, Mass. vs the cult of 'blue lives matter'. liberationnews.org 
The rhetoric surrounding "blue lives matter" isn't new. Similar dogwhistles have been used to defend hate symbols such as the confederate flag, the Gadsden flag, and even the swastika.
(2021-02-23). Killer cop still not on trial almost 3 years after killing Daniel Hambrick in Tennessee. liberationnews.org 
As made clear by the video footage, when Delke was unable to catch his victim on foot, he stopped running, assumed a firing position, and shot Hambrick three times, including once in the back of the head.
(2021-02-23). The Heat: China-U.S. relations. america.cgtn.com 
Putting relations back on the right track. China makes the case for cooperation, instead of confrontation, with the United States.
(2021-02-23). Trump Attacks Supreme Court for Allowing Probe Into His Tax Returns. truthout.org 
On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed a New York prosecutor to obtain Donald Trump's tax returns, marking a fatal blow for his legal effort to block an accelerating criminal investigation into his business dealings. In turn, the former president lashed out at and attacked the justices, including the three nominated to the bench by him, who rebuffed his attempt to block the probe without comment. | "This investigation is a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our Country,"
(2021-02-23). "What Are We Going to Do About It?" Mariame Kaba Talks Abolition in Action. truthout.org 
In the wake of the uprisings following the highly publicized murder of George Floyd, new attention has been paid to campaigns to defund and abolish police and policing, and imagine new ways of existing in a world where safety, justice and healing can — and should — exist independently of the carceral state. In this atmosphere of heightened excitement about abolition, Mariame Kaba has delivered the timely collection We Do This 'Til We Free Us. A perennial organizer and prison industrial…
(2021-02-23). GOP Senator on Investigations Committee Blames "Fake Trump Supporters" for Jan 6. truthout.org 
During a hearing on Tuesday examining the attack on the Capitol building that took place early last month, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) read into the record a widely debunked conspiracy theory, falsely alleging that the attacks themselves were incited not by former President Donald Trump, but by members of the crowd who were there to …
(2021-02-23). Trump Salary Donation Was 0.1 Percent of Reported $1.6 Billion He Made in Office. truthout.org 
According to a review of Donald Trump's financial disclosures by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Trump reported at least $1,613,583,013 in revenue from outside sources during his presidency. | Trump famously touted
(2021-02-23). Progressives Vow to Fight Manchin and Sinema Holding Up Stimulus Over $15 Wage. truthout.org 
On Wednesday, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough is set to meet with Democrats and Republicans as they argue their case on whether or not to keep the $15 federal minimum wage proposal in the stimulus. MacDonough's decision, which could come soon after the meeting, on what's known as the "
(2021-02-23). Unrepentant About His Cancún Trip, Ted Cruz Blames Media for Publicizing It. truthout.org 
After attempting to do significant public relations damage control over his jaunt to Mexico while Texas was in a deep crisis caused by Winter Storm Uri, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is now trying to suggest he's being victimized by the media. | Speaking during an appearance on conservative radio host Dana Loesch's program Monday, Cruz, who had left the state with his family to travel to Cancún, Mexico, as millions of residents suffered extreme temperatures without heat, electricity and running water…
(2021-02-23). Texas Companies Are Forcing Employees to Use Vacation Time for Winter Storm. truthout.org 
Dozens of employers in Texas are forcing their employees to dig into their vacation time to account for days they didn't work due to the winter storm, or else go without pay for those days, The Daily Beast reports. | Last week, millions of Texans were left without power, some for days, as a winter storm hit the state and
(2021-02-23). Al Jazeera to launch new platform targeting US conservatives. middleeasteye.net 
Al Jazeera to launch new platform targeting US conservatives | Journalists expressed outrage over launch of Rightly, saying digital platform deviated from network's stated mission of giving a voice to the voiceless | Tue, 02/23/2021 – 17: 43 | Al Jazeera briefly launched an American news channel and website in 2013 but it was forced to shut down (AFP) | The Al Jazeera news network is launching a new digital pl…
(2021-02-23). UAE-owned arms company wants to help produce F-35 fighter jets. middleeasteye.net 
UAE-owned arms company wants to help produce F-35 fighter jets | Biden suspended the sale of weapons to the United Arab Emirates approved by Trump in his final days of office | Tue, 02/23/2021 – 10: 32 | EDGE CEO Faisal al-Bannai said his company was ready to produce missiles and parts for the F-35 fighter if sales of the warplane to the UAE were approved (AFP) | The United Arab Emirate's…
(2021-02-23). Outcry in Kuwait over suicide of stateless Bidoon child. middleeasteye.net 
Outcry in Kuwait over suicide of stateless Bidoon child | Thousands of people are highlighting the case online and demanding an end to the community's marginalisation | Tue, 02/23/2021 – 14: 07 | An illustration of the child has been shared online with the caption 'you have returned to God, the most merciful, Ali' (Screengrab/Twitter) | Reports of a 12-year-old child's suicide from Kuwait's stateless pop…
(2021-02-23). Saudi Arabia to allow women to join military for first time. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia to allow women to join military for first time | The move is the latest in a series of policy changes designed to change the image of the ultra-conservative kingdom | Tue, 02/23/2021 – 11: 15 | Saudi women watch golfers compete in the Saudi Ladies International golf tournament (AFP) | Saudi Arabia has announced it will allow women to apply for the military for the first time in its…
(2021-02-23). Reviving Iran deal is 'most urgent' priority, says EU's Josep Borrell. middleeasteye.net 
Reviving Iran deal is 'most urgent' priority, says EU's Josep Borrell | Top European official rejects push to expand nuclear deal beyond its current scope to address other issues with Iran | Tue, 02/23/2021 – 18: 46 | Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) welcomes EU's Josep Borrell in Tehran on 3 February 2020 (AFP/File photo) | Top EU foreign policy official Josep Borrell has called reviving the Iran nuclear deal "th…
(2021-02-23). 'Publish your emails instead': Hillary Clinton's plans to pen 'political thriller' met with groans on social media. rt.com 
An announcement that former presidential candidate and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is planning to write a "political thriller" with author Louise Penny has been met with groans and eyerolls on social media. | Axios reported on Tuesday that the book, to be titled 'State of Terror', will be published in October by Simon & Schuster and St. Martin's Press. | The story will follow a "novice Secretary of State" who "joins the administration of her rival" a president who was inaugurated "after four years of American leadership that shrank from the world stage" — perhaps a not-so-thinly-veiled reference…
