(2021-02-18). How to Wear a Mask & When to Wear Two to Reduce COVID Transmission & Increase Vaccine Effectiveness. democracynow.org 
While COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations appear to be waning, the United States has a long way to go before people can safely return to everyday life without masks. Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, says it's vital to stay vigilant even as vaccinations ramp up. "If we can get our transmission down as low as possible, that is actually going to make the vaccines more effective."
(2021-02-18). "No Hate! No Fear!" Democracy Now! Co-Host Nermeen Shaikh Celebrates 10 Years Covering War & Peace. democracynow.org 
As Democracy Now! prepares to mark 25 years on air, we celebrate Nermeen Shaikh's 10th anniversary as a Democracy Now! co-host and feature a report she filed from protests at New York's JFK Airport against the Trump administration's Muslim ban, one of the many highlights from her time on the program.
(2021-02-18). Failed State: Texas Power Grid Collapse Impacts Millions. Black & Brown Communities Are Worst Hit. democracynow.org 
Millions of people in Texas were plunged into freezing cold and darkness as a major winter storm overwhelmed the state's power grid. More than 12 million Texans face water disruptions and have been ordered to boil tap water for safe consumption, and some parts of the state have no running water at all. The state is also running out of food as the storms disrupt key supply chains. Leading Republicans, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, falsely blamed renewable energy sources for the state's blackouts, warning against a shift to more green energy, but the state's own energy department said the outages were prima…
(2021-02-18). "Not Doing This Is a Choice": Biden Drags His Feet on Canceling Student Debt Despite Campaign Pledge. democracynow.org 
Students, campaigners and top Democrats have been pushing President Joe Biden to use executive authority to cancel at least $50,000 in student loan debt per person. Student loan debt in the U.S. stands at $1.7 trillion, with some 45 million people owing money. Filmmaker and organizer Astra Taylor, an author, documentary director and organizer with the Debt Collective, says Biden has clear legal authority to cancel student debt. "Not doing this is a choice," she says. We also speak with Braxton Brewington, a digital strategist with the Debt Collective, who says student debt cancellation is also politically smart.
(2021-02-18). Headlines for February 18, 2021. democracynow.org Texans Face Deadly Winter Storm with Ongoing Power Outages, Water Shortages, U.S. Life Expectancy Falls by 1 Year in 2020, Drops Nearly 3 Years for Black Americans, Florida Gov. DeSantis Prioritizes Vaccines for Rich White Residents, Then Threatens Critics, Mexico Denounces Vaccine Hoarding as U.N. Warns 130 Nations Have Yet to Receive Any Vaccines, Top Executives at Vaccine Manufacturers Sold $500 Million in Stocks Last Year, FBI Probes Cuomo over Nursing Home COVID Deaths; Cuomo Threatens to "Destroy" Critic, White House Unveils Immigration Bill with 8-Year Path to Citizenship, Burmese Anti-Coup Protests Contin…
(2021-02-18). Role of NGOs in promoting neo-Colonialism. mronline.org 
There are literally thousands of NGOs, the better known being Oxfam, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International.
(2021-02-18). George Shultz's Character Study of Robert Gates. counterpunch.org 
In January 1986, Shultz told Gates that he had no "confidence in the intelligence community" and that he "wouldn't trust anything you guys said about Iran no matter what." Shultz charged Gates with "trying to manipulate me" and accused him of trying to create an "alternate State Department with its own strong policy views." Shultz conceded that his department made mistakes, but that Gates' "assaults are almost joyful."
(2021-02-18). Soldiers Abduct Two Palestinian In Jerusalem. imemc.org 
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Wednesday night after midnight, two young Palestinian men in Shu'fat town, in the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem. Local sources said the two young men were walking near the main road of Shu'fat when the soldiers stopped them and took them to an interrogation facility in Neve Yaakov illegal colony. They added …
(2021-02-18). Stop blaming the Green New Deal for Texas blackouts. therealnews.com 
Republican politicians like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have cynically used overblown and patently false claims that renewable energy failures are responsible for millions losing power and heat during deadly Winter Storm Uri. Critics around the country are calling "BS."
(2021-02-18). Leonard Peltier Defense Committee urgently needs support. workers.org 
The International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee has launched an urgent appeal for funds to support legal efforts to free this Native political prisoner, who has been held in U.S. dungeons for nearly 45 years. Peltier is a leader of the American Indian Movement, who was framed and jailed for the . . . |
(2021-02-18). Famed Black journalist Joe Walker's fateful meeting with Malcolm X. peoplesworld.org 
Joe Walker was already a widely admired African-American journalist when he got a surprising invitation and an offer to become the New York editor of Muhammad Speaks, the Nation of Islam's newspaper. He was summoned to the Harlem Mosque of the Black Muslims for a private meeting. And who was the meeting with? Malcolm X. …
(2021-02-18). Nonviolent Noncooperation: Why Indian farmers' protests are being called a 'satyagraha' — which means 'embracing the truth'. juancole.com 
By Sumit Ganguly | — For the past few months, farmers protesting in India's capital, New Delhi, have been demanding the repeal of three farm laws that were passed last year. These largely peaceful protests have been referred to as a "satyagraha" by many in the Indian media, politicians and activists. As a political scientist …
(2021-02-18). Taxes on the rich: One-sixth of what they used to be. mronline.org 
A new IPS briefing paper highlights the unique role of tax policy in wealth concentration.
(2021-02-18). Capitalism in Crisis: An Absurd & Deadly System. liberationnews.org 
This interview is an episode of The Socialist Program with Brian Becker, a podcast providing news and views about the world for those who want to change it. You can follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss how deeply dependent big banks and corporations are on government assistance, the …
(2021-02-18). Video: The 2020 Worldwide Corona Crisis. globalresearch.ca 
We bring to the attention of our readers, the English version of this PANGEA TV program which was broadcast live in several regions of Italy. | Maya Nogradi of PANGEA TV interviews Prof. Michel Chossudovsky pertaining to his E-Book entitled: | |
(2021-02-18). Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Pt.2) — The Black Church. therealnews.com 
In the second part of our conversation, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. further explores his new documentary "The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song." The new series reveals the broad history and culture of the Black church and explores African American faith communities on the front lines of hope and change.
(2021-02-18). Fast food workers forced to walk out again for $15 and a union. peoplesworld.org 
ST. LOUIS (PAI)—For 40 years as a Black pastor in St. Louis, the Rev. Darryl Gray has seen the impact of low-wage jobs not just on his congregants, but on their kids. That's why he and a wide-ranging ministers' coalition support the Fight for $15 and a Union movement—and raising the federal minimum wage to …
(2021-02-18). Prisons Prime Testing Ground for Dehumanizing Hi-Tech "Advances" mintpressnews.com 
A new form of exploitation, known as "stakeholder capitalism," is already being tested in many places around the world and prisons are among the main targets for its implementation, as they provide an ideal and literally captive market for its proof of concept.
(2021-02-18). 'Only the strong will survive': Texas city mayor resigns for lashing out at residents asking for help during deadly storm. mronline.org 
The now former mayor of Colorado City, Texas, Tim Boyd, has resigned after two Facebook posts telling people needing help and without electricity that they are on their own.
(2021-02-18). George Schultz's Character Study of Robert Gates. counterpunch.org In January 1986, Shultz told Gates that he had no "confidence in the intelligence community" and that he "wouldn't trust anything you guys said about Iran no matter what." Shultz charged Gates with "trying to manipulate me" and accused him of trying to create an "alternate State Department with its own strong policy views." Shultz conceded that his department made mistakes, but that Gates' "assaults are almost joyful."
(2021-02-18). In Texas disaster, low-income people hit hardest. liberationnews.org 
Eyewitness: In the midst of the massive Texas storm, last night I was fortunate to stay in a shelter in Sealy, Texas, one hour west of Houston.
(2021-02-18). China avanza desde el mar de Sur hasta Medio Oriente y Europa. globalizacion.ca 
La disputa por el Mar del Sur de China se sigue intensificando, pero el Dragón va colocando sus fichas de forma gradual, implacable e incontenible, como lo muestran los recientes desarrollos de una estrategia largamente diseñada, que parece estar poniendo…
(2021-02-18). Palestinian Woman Dies Of Heart Attack After Soldiers Stormed Her Home. imemc.org 
A Palestinian woman suffered a fatal heart attack, on Wednesday at dawn, when Israeli soldiers stormed into her home in Abu Njeim village, east of Bethlehem, south of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank. Medical sources said the woman, identified as Rahma Khalil Abu 'Ahour, 67, suffered a heart attack when the soldiers invaded her …
(2021-02-18). Proponen manifestaciones en Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Bakersfield contra Trumpistas en Congreso. peoplesworld.org 
Se escala la oposición contra el dirigente Republicano congresista Kevin McCarthy del Distrito Congressional 23 y su co-representante Mike Garcia en el Distrito 25. Esto viene a consecuencia en que estos representantes se oponen a denunciar a Donald Trump por el atentado golpe de estado contra el electo presidente Joe Biden y la violencia ocurrida …
(2021-02-18). COVID + Capitalism: Life expectancy plunges and unemployment surges. liberationnews.org 
Data released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that following that report, life expectancy had dropped by a full year by June of 2020…
(2021-02-18). L.D. Barkley — A leader in the Attica uprising. workers.org 
L.D. Barkley, second from the right, and other Attica rebellion leaders negotiating with prison officials, Sept. 1971. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Attica Prison Uprising. The following slightly edited excerpt is from the book "A Time To Die: The Attica Prison Revolt" by the late New York . . . |
(2021-02-18). 'Leaving Aside' International Law: Democrats are as Dangerous as Republicans to Peace in Palestine. mintpressnews.com 
It's easy to discredit the foreign policy agenda of Trump, Pompeo, and other Republicans as their aggressive, dismissive language and action are unmistakably objectionable. The Democratic discourse, however, cannot be as easily censured,…
(2021-02-18). Colombian students demand free higher-education for 2021. peoplesdispatch.org 
Students from different public universities of Colombia have been demonstrating to demand that the national and municipal governments guarantee free tuition for all students across the country this year…
(2021-02-18). Cuomo and Newsom Symbolize the Rot of Corporate Democrats and the Dire Need for Progressive Populism. counterpunch.org 
The governors of New York and California — the most populous states led by Democrats — now symbolize how slick liberal images are no substitute for genuinely progressive priorities. After 10 years as New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo is facing an uproar over revelations that his administration intentionally and drastically undercounted the deaths from COVID in nursing homes. Meanwhile,
(2021-02-18). "Leaving Aside" International Law: Why Democrats are as Dangerous as Republicans to a Just Peace in Palestine. dissidentvoice.org 
Motivated by their justifiable aversion to former US President Donald Trump, many analysts have rashly painted a rosy picture of how Democrats could quickly erase the bleak trajectory of the previous Republican administration. This naivety is particularly pronounced in the current spin on the Palestinian-Israeli discourse, which is promoting, again, the illusion that Democrats will …
(2021-02-18). West Virginia workers keep pressure on Manchin for $15 wage. peoplesworld.org 
CHARLESTON, W. VA. (PAI)—Pam Garrison, of Fayette County, W. Va., has toiled at minimum wage jobs her whole life. She calls it "getting us for slave wages." The minimum wage is "the only thing that hasn't doubled and tripled" since she first started working years ago, says Garrison, co-chair of the New Poor People's Campaign …
(2021-02-18). "Our Indifference To Ourselves": Beyond The "Virtue" Of Self-Sacrifice (Part 2). dissidentvoice.org 
As we saw in Part 1, in 1914 and again in 1939, millions of men and women welcomed war. Arnold Ridley and his pals did make this choice, but in reality the choice had been made for them by decades and centuries of the relentless 'patriotic' propaganda described by Tolstoy, which most people were powerless …
(2021-02-18). California Republicans Kevin McCarthy and Mike Garcia face opposition. peoplesworld.org SANTA CLARITA, Calif.—From the 'burbs of Los Angeles County to the sandy hills of Antelope Valley to Bakersfield, the fightback against the Congressional Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of the 23rd Congressional District and his colleague Mike Garcia, Representative from California's 25th C.D., continues to escalate. Fed by the refusal of McCarthy and Garcia to meet …
(2021-02-18). 'The Mandalorian' season two: Not cancel but carnivore culture. peoplesworld.org 
One of the surprise hits of the contemporary streaming era is The Mandalorian, the first original series on Disney+. A surprise not because it was a hit—any Star Wars spinoff is guaranteed to have a wide audience—but because of the magnitude of its popularity and the way it has penetrated the culture. This space Western …
(2021-02-18). 'Release Mumia NOW!' was the cry in Philadelphia. workers.org 
Pam Africa (right), speaking at rally, Feb. 15. Philadelphia On less than 24 hours' notice, more than 40 people came out on Feb. 15 to show their opposition to a Feb. 3 legal brief by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a so-called "progressive." It denies Mumia Abu-Jamal the right to . . . |
(2021-02-18). Surge of Anti-Asian hate crimes spurs communities to action. peoplesworld.org 
OAKLAND, Calif.—As the start of the Lunar New Year approached last week, concern was growing over a surge in hate crimes being experienced by Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area, including several victims who were over 60 years of age. One attack last month in San Francisco was widely publicized when a local …
(2021-02-18). If It Were a Narco Lab, It Would be Working. counterpunch.org 
On the day he was inaugurated, Joe Biden halted the construction of Trump's Mexican border wall. A few days earlier, 1500 miles to the south, a new 'caravan' of at least eight thousand Honduran migrants had set off northwards, partly in the hope that by the time they tried to cross into Texas, Biden's promised softening of immigration policy might have taken effect.
(2021-02-18). Why Politicians and Doctors Keep Ignoring the Medical Research on Vitamin D and Covid. counterpunch.org 
It is probably not a good idea to write while in the grip of anger. But I am struggling to suppress my emotions about a wasted year, during which politicians and many doctors have ignored a growing body of evidence suggesting that Vitamin D can play a critically important role in the prevention and treatment
(2021-02-18). Leader of Neo-Nazi Group Previously Worked for Department of Homeland Security. truthout.org 
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Wednesday that the neo-Nazi leader of The Base, a white nationalist and accelerationist paramilitary group recently designated a terror group by the Canadian government, worked within their ranks for several years, coordinating efforts to combat terrorism. | According to a
(2021-02-18). Black Revolutionary Love Reimagines Democracy. truthout.org 
Given the long history of U.S. volatility and racist violence, those attentive to white supremacist and fascistic ideologies were dismayed but not surprised at the January 6 breach of the Capitol. A militarized mob endeavored to block the certification of the Biden/Harris election and harm, if not kill, elected officials seeking to uphold constitutional norms. The following month, the Senate acquitted Donald Trump for inciting sedition that inflicted trauma, injuries and the loss of life. | I never consi…
(2021-02-18). COVID Deaths in the US Lead to Biggest Drop in Life Expectancy Since WWII. truthout.org 
Life expectancy in the United States has dropped by a full year, according to new figures released on Thursday. | The current life expectancy of an individual in the U.S. While there have been drops in life expectancy in recent years due to increases in drug overdoses, the decline over the past year, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic, is the biggest drop i…
(2021-02-18). Billionaire Dallas Cowboys Owner and Oil Man Cashes in on Texas Blackout Crisis. truthout.org 
While citizens of Texas are facing a crisis of massive proportions brought on largely by the failures of natural gas companies to Demand for what little natural gas the state can access has soared amid the crisis as mil…
(2021-02-18). More Policing Is Not the Solution to Anti-Asian Violence. truthout.org 
Asian Americans are crying out against an escalation of anti-Asian attacks in San Francisco, San Jose, New York, and all across the United States. In light of the scant media coverage,
(2021-02-18). Ted Cruz Jets Off for Mexican Vacation While Texas Endures Unprecedented Crisis. truthout.org 
This week, while millions of his constituents in Texas suffered under conditions that some have likened to Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Ted Cruz decided to fly to Cancun with his family for a vacation. | After pictures appeared on social media Wednesday night showing Cruz
(2021-02-18). Biden Has the Power to Cancel Student Loan Debt Now. What's Stopping Him? truthout.org 
Image Credit: Facebook: Debt Collective | Students, campaigners and top Democrats have been pushing President Joe Biden to use executive authority to cancel at least $50,000 in student loan debt per person. Student loan debt in the U.S. stands at $1.7 trillion, with some 45 million people owing money. Filmmaker and organizer Astra Taylor, an author, documentary director and organizer with the Debt Collective, says Biden has clear legal authority to cancel student debt. "Not doing this is a choice," sh…
(2021-02-18). Biden Plans to Use "Inclusive" Language in Future Discussions on Immigration. truthout.org 
The Biden administration announced this week that federal agencies will use "more inclusive" language when it comes to discussing issues relating to immigration. | A memo from Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Tracy Renaud
(2021-02-18). Profiles in cowardice: Mitch McConnell. peoplesworld.org 
Mitch McConnell and 42 fellow Republicans who acquitted Donald Trump Saturday earned their niche in history, right next to Georg Neithardt and his four fellow jurists. Georg who? Neithardt headed the five-judge panel that twisted the law into a Bavarian pretzel and all-but exonerated Adolf Hitler over the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler and his armed …
(2021-02-18). How the Gates Foundation seeded America's COVID-19 policy catastrophes. strategic-culture.org 
The nursing home death warrants were signed by panicked governors using Gates-funded forecasting. | By Jordan SCHACHTEL | New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is finally facing the heat for his botched and criminally negligent coronavirus response policies, yet no one seems to be asking why Cuomo and select governors made the fateful decisions that led to the excess deaths — and the coverup campaigns — of tens of thousands of senior citizens in New York and elsewhere across the United States. | After being awarded an Emmy and writing a book on his supposedly heroic response to the pandemic, Cuomo is finally…
(2021-02-18). Rising Inequality: the 'Pre-Existing Condition' That Doomed the U.S. COVID Response. counterpunch.org 
Back in April 2017, only a few months after Donald Trump's inauguration, one of world's most prestigious medical journals, the London-based Lancet, established a special commission to keep tabs on "Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era." The panel's 33 commissioners — medical professionals of all sorts, along with assorted notables in legal and
(2021-02-18). US initial jobless claims rise more than expectation. yenisafak.com Analysts expected 765,000 for the week ending Feb. 13, while the previous week was revised up 55,000 from 793,000 to 848,000.Despite the fall in claims, there are 10.1 million jobless Americans since the coronavirus pandemic-hit US economy shed 22 million positions in March and April.President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion relief plan, which includes $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals and aid for vaccine distribution efforts, still faces opposition from Republicans.The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives plans to pass the bill before the end of the month but are likely to try to push it through the Senat…