(2021-12-21). New Program Is Secretly Privatizing Medicare. popularresistance.org A new program is placing Medicare recipients into private health insurance plans without their knowledge or consent in a final effort to fully privatize our national Medicare system. Known as "Direct Contract Entities (DCEs)," this program is putting more of our healthcare system into the hands of private equity to generate enormous profits at the expense of our health. Clearing the FOG speaks about this with Kay Tillow, a long time health care, civil rights and union activist. Tillow explains what these entities are, why they threaten the future of our entire healthcare system and how they block our ability to a…
(2021-12-21). Senior Economist At Moody's, Mark Zandi: I'm Lowering My Economic Forecast For US Due To Omicron Variant. moguldom.com Moody's Analytics is expected to downgrade its U.S. economic forecast by as much as one percentage point in the coming days due to the double blow from the intensifying pandemic and Sen. Joe Manchin's opposition to President Joe Biden's signature Build Back Better legislation. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told CNN on Monday that …
(2021-12-21). The US Fights Asia, Not Just China. journal-neo.org 
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken cut short his tour of Southeast Asia due to concerns over COVID-19, the New York Times would report. The aborted trip comes at a time when the US finds itself struggling for relevance in a region it had once held considerably more sway over. This most recent turn for …
(2021-12-21). Want to Know How to Beat COVID? Look at China. orinocotribune.com By Scott Scheffer — Dec 17, 2021 | The world is now nearing the end of the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States has the highest death toll in the world — 823,390 as of Dec. 16. | With all the scientific resources available, and billions of dollars in the vaults of the richest capitalist class in history, the U.S. should have been able to succeed in a vaccination campaign and treat everyone before they were infected. Vaccines should have made their way throughout the world, including the global south where the challenges of poverty magnify the horrors of the pandemic. | Instead, the W…
(2021-12-21). As UK Omicron cases and deaths surge, Johnson government does nothing to protect population. wsws.org Despite warnings from his own advisers that the ineffectual "Plan B" measures currently in place will allow the population to be overwhelmed by an avalanche of COVID cases and deaths, Johnson announced no new measures yesterday after meeting with his Cabinet.
(2021-12-21). Brazil flying blind in Omicron surge as Bolsonaro attacks child vaccinations. wsws.org Preparing a response to the Omicron variant that will be a full-blown catastrophe, Bolsonaro announced plans to require medical prescriptions for child vaccinations.
(2021-12-21). Biden administration doubles down on "vaccine-only" strategy as Omicron emerges as dominant strain in US. wsws.org Biden is delivering a nationally televised address this evening that will be focused on reassuring Wall Street that no measures will be taken to stop the transmission of the Omicron variant.
(2021-12-21). Scientists warn European governments' inaction on Omicron variant threatens social collapse. wsws.org Warnings that unprecedented numbers of workers may fall ill, leading to mass deaths and infrastructure collapse, point to the urgent need to halt transmission of the virus.
(2021-12-21). French government rejects scientists' calls to limit spread of Omicron variant. wsws.org Health Minister Olivier Véran claimed the Omicron variant would only have a "fleeting" impact, although hundreds of cases have already been detected in France.
(2021-12-21). Headlines for December 21, 2021. democracynow.org WHO Urges Cancellation of Holiday Gatherings as Omicron Spreads at Record Pace, Omicron Variant Surpasses Delta, Now Accounts for Three-Quarters of U.S. Cases, New York Confirms Record Number of Coronavirus Infections for Fourth Straight Day, NHL Cancels Hockey Games Amid COVID Surge; Record Number of NFL Players Test Positive, White House to Make Half-Billion COVID-19 Home Test Kits Available for Free, Himalayan Glaciers Melt at Accelerating Rate as Climate Emergency Deepens, EPA Rule Would Require Gas-Powered Cars to Average 55 Miles Per Gallon by 2026, Burmese Military Massacred 40 Men and Buried Bodies in Mas…
(2021-12-21). Omicron surge threatens to overwhelm health systems across the United States. wsws.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday that the more transmissible variant now accounts for 73 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the United States.
(2021-12-21). Australian immunologist warns of Omicron "disaster" wsws.org Dr Dan Suan: "Unfortunately, the government has left the field, so it's up to us."
(2021-12-21). The Omicron Shame: Why is the World Punishing Instead of Helping Africa? orinocotribune.com By Ramzy Baroud — Dec 13, 2021 | The The swiftness of choking off some of Africa's poorest countries, including Botswana, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, is particularly disturbing if placed within a prop…
(2021-12-21). 2022 Must Be the Year the Left Proactively Shapes the COVID Agenda. truthout.org 
As we head into the winter holidays nervously checking news about the Omicron variant and rising COVID-19 case numbers, let's take a moment to think of how a more just society might handle the coming weeks. | Schools and many workplaces would offer remote options for the final week before Christmas to slow the spread just before people gather with older relatives and immunocompromised loved ones. Airports and bus stations would have free rapid tests for all passengers traveling for the holidays. Finall…
(2021-12-21). Retail pharmacy workers speaking out after nationwide walkout action to oppose unsafe working conditions. wsws.org While it is unknown how many total pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy clerks walked off the job, social media postings make clear a determination to fight against intolerable conditions.
(2021-12-21). Global Study: 4 In 10 With Covid Are Spreading It Unknowingly. moguldom.com Four out of 10 people who are infected with covid-19 are spreading the disease unknowingly, according to a global study. Findings of a study by researchers from Peking University showed that more than 40 percent of the tested population confirmed to be infected with coronavirus were asymptomatic, exhibiting no symptoms of the disease. The study, …
(2021-12-21). Price increases for food and other basic necessities to squeeze Canadian workers' already hard-pressed incomes. wsws.org The rising cost of foodstuffs is especially devastating for workers and their families, many of whom struggle to put food on the table, never mind the foods necessary for a healthy and balanced diet.
(2021-12-21). We Temporarily Interrupt this Blog. cepr.net Hi everyone, this is Dean's colleague Dawn, CEPR's Development Director. I am hijacking Dean's blog as I do on occasion to make sure you saw this post I wrote about Dean's work on vaccines and intellectual property and to point out why that work is worthy of your support. I was thinking as I began …
(2021-12-21). In a Pennsylvania prison, a COVID-19 related death. workers.org 
A 52-year-old man, Melvin James Anderson IV, died while incarcerated in the Chester County Correctional Complex and Youth Center in Pocopson, Pennsylvania, Dec. 7. He was jailed while waiting to be tried for a charge of burglary, which he may or may not have committed. How did he die? He . . . |
(2021-12-21). Over 1,000 children have died from COVID-19 in the United States. wsws.org Despite staggering levels of infections and deaths among children in the US, the Biden administration has doubled down on keeping schools open.
(2021-12-21). German elderly care workers report dramatic pandemic experiences. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site spoke with caregivers in nursing and retirement homes as part of the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic.
(2021-12-21). Mack Trucks and UAW continue to push for profits at Macungie, Pennsylvania plant after worker dies of COVID-19. wsws.org Mack and the United Auto Workers have continued with operations even after William Domitrovitsch Jr., who had an elderly parent and young child, died on December 15 after catching COVID-19.
(2021-12-21). Michigan legislature passes bill that would keep kids in schools without teachers. wsws.org The bipartisan legislation is a blatant attempt to undermine teachers' recent successful efforts to force the closure of schools to stop the spread of COVID-19.
(2021-12-21). COVID-19 explodes in Spain as PSOE-Podemos government refuses action. wsws.org The surge in infections in Spain is a warning of the dangers posed by the virus, which the Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government has let spread unchecked.
(2021-12-21). UK Tesco workers—reject USDAW-Unite pay sellout! wsws.org USDAW and Unite are recommending workers call off their offensive and accept an effective pay cut in conditions in which they occupy a powerful economic position and confront the serious dangers of COVID-19 in the workplace.
(2021-12-21). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org Teachers in two districts are planning walkouts over stalled contract talks while London, Ontario city workers are discussing work refusals amidst the latest COVID wave.
(2021-12-21). Green Party Assembles Circular Firing Squad With its Support of Mandated COVID-19 Jabs. covertactionmagazine.com On December 8th the Green's nine-member Steering Committee, its administrative arm, released a press statement in support of mandatory Covid-19 …
(2021-12-20). Yemen and Afghanistan Face Unprecedented Famine — Crimes of Mass Starvation. journal-neo.org 
Sounding the alarm this December Nicholas Papachrysostomou, MSF head of mission in Yemen made clear that well beyond the many casualties War claimed over the past seven years, famine weighs much heavier on the war-torn nation, a fate Afghanistan unfortunately shares. "A nearly seven-year long conflict has badly affected the country's economy and weakened an …
(2021-12-20). Headlines for December 20, 2021. democracynow.org Build Back Better in Jeopardy After Sen. Joe Manchin Announces He Will Not Vote in Favor, Federal Company Vaccine Mandate Reinstated; New Data Show Moderna Booster Helps Fight Omicron, Southwest CEO Tests Positive After Senate Hearing; Sens. Booker and Warren Announce They Have COVID, Omicron Sends COVID Cases Surging, Prompts New Restrictions in Israel, U.K., the Netherlands, 35-Year-Old Progressive Activist Gabriel Boric Will Be Chile's Next President, Death Toll from Super Typhoon Rai Rises to 375 in Philippines; Floods Kill 8 in Malaysia, Hong Kong's "Patriots Only" Election Sees Record Low Turnout, Hundreds…
(2021-12-20). The Biden administration is lying: Scientists warned about Omicron threat. wsws.org The claim by Vice President Kamala Harris that "We didn't see Omicron coming" is a lie aimed at evading responsibility for the catastrophic outcome of a policy of sacrificing human life for private profit.
(2021-12-20). Outgoing NIH director warns that Omicron variant means "a million cases a day" by February. wsws.org Dr. Francis Collins, who is leaving the National Institutes of Health after 12 years, made the warning in an interview Sunday with National Public Radio.
(2021-12-20). US Health Infrastructure Once Again Unprepared for COVID-19 Surge. libya360.wordpress.com Natalia Marques New Yorkers are now having to face hours-long lines in the cold for COVID-19 testing, potentially exposing themselves to others carrying the virus. In the nation with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, people in the US are confronting a third wave of coronavirus cases as the Omicron variant surges through the country….
(2021-12-20). Thailand eases restrictions despite Omicron warnings. wsws.org Thailand joined a rapidly growing list of countries when it first detected an imported case of the more transmissible and vaccine-resistant Omicron variant on December 6.
(2021-12-20). World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2022 Deferred. moderndiplomacy.eu The World Economic Forum will defer its Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in the light of continued uncertainty over the Omicron outbreak. The Annual Meeting was scheduled to take place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland between 17-21 January, 2022. It is now planned for early summer. Participants will instead join a headline series of State of the …
(2021-12-20). Emerging Omicron Variant Has Health Officials Urging World Vaccination. truthout.org 
With the emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the United States is now averaging over 130,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, and health officials warn the U.S. could see a million new cases a day by February. We speak with health expert Dr. Carlos del Rio, who says that vaccination complemented by booster shots is the best defense against severe illness. "Everybody's going to get infected. You're going to be exposed to this virus because it's essentially going to be everywhere," says del…
(2021-12-20). Omicron: School closures must be 'avoided whenever possible'. moderndiplomacy.eu COVID-19 cases are spiking all over the world, but the Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday that despite the rise of the highly transmissible Omicron variant "nationwide school closures should be avoided whenever possible." "When COVID-19 community transmission increases and stringent public health measures become a necessity, schools must be the …
(2021-12-20). Socialist Equality Party (Australia) holds health workers' forum on the Global Workers' Inquest into the COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org Speakers outlined the necessity for the Workers' Inquest to cut through the cover-ups and falsifications being used to justify the removal of even the most basic measures to halt the worsening of the pandemic fuelled by the Omicron variant.
(2021-12-20). US Fed chief worried about "wages push" in coming year. wsws.org The head of the US central bank, Jerome Powell, said the major threat to the economy was not the Omicron variant but "briskly" rising wages, which could continue into 2022.
(2021-12-20). Support the #pizzaisnotworking walkouts by pharmacy workers! Trillions for public health, not pandemic profiteering! wsws.org The actions taken by pharmacists in the US are an early sign of a new phase in the growth of working-class resistance, driven by the deadly winter surge and the emergence of the hyper-infectious Omicron variant.
(2021-12-20). Death toll rises in Germany even before Omicron variant takes hold. wsws.org With about 2,000 COVID-19 deaths per week, more people are currently dying than at the peak of the third wave in spring 2021. The situation threatens to worsen with the spread of the even more infectious Omicron variant.
(2021-12-20). Dr. Carlos del Rio on Omicron Surge, COVID Testing Crisis & the Need to Vaccinate the World. democracynow.org 
With the emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the United States is now averaging over 130,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, and health officials warn the U.S. could see a million new cases a day by February. We speak with health expert Dr. Carlos del Rio, who says that vaccination complemented by booster shots is the best defense against severe illness. "Everybody's going to get infected. You're going to be exposed to this virus because it's essentially going to be everywhere," says del Rio.
(2021-12-20). Bombshell Document Dump on Pfizer Vaccine Data. globalresearch.ca What is contained in Pfizer's confidential report is detailed evidence on the impacts of the "vaccine" on mortality and morbidity. This data which emanates from the Horse's Mouth can be used to confront as well formulate legal procedures against Big Pharma, the governments, the WHO and the media.
(2021-12-20). CEPR Spotlight: Vaccines, Patents and Copyrights. cepr.net CEPR Co-founder and Senior Economist Dean Baker has written extensively on how government-granted patent monopolies allow pharmaceutical companies to extract billions from everyday people using drug research that is already publicly funded at a fraction of the cost. He has long been a critic of patents and copyrights, pointing to other incentives and means of …
(2021-12-20). Pharmacists Stage Walkout In Early Unionization Effort. popularresistance.org Today, a fledgling independent union of pharmacists is launching the first-ever nationwide walkout of these critical health care workers. | After being forced to work on the pandemic front lines distributing medicines to millions of sick COVID patients, including hundreds of millions of vaccines, pharmacists have had enough, and are fighting back in unprecedented ways.
(2021-12-20). Inmate Sues California Prison System Following Targeted Raid Against Black People. scheerpost.com 
Talib Williams performing one of his spoken word poems at his Defy Ventures graduation in 2019. | By Claude Marks / Original to ScheerPost | California prisoner, Talib Williams, is bringing a class action lawsuit on his behalf as well as other Black incarcerated people who were targeted by a July 20, 2020 raid at Soledad, California's Correctional Training Facility (CTF). The suit seeks a reprieve from the state-sponsored terror that is their norm. Injunctive and declaratory relief, among other remedies, are necessary to stop the violence, change CDCR policy, and compensate the prisoners for the degradation t…
(2021-12-20). Prisoners Sue California Prison System Following Targeted Raid Against Black People. scheerpost.com Talib Williams performing one of his spoken word poems at his Defy Ventures graduation in 2019. | By Claude Marks / Original to ScheerPost | California prisoner, Talib Williams, is bringing a class action lawsuit on his behalf as well as other Black incarcerated people who were targeted by a July 20, 2020 raid at Soledad, California's Correctional Training Facility (CTF). The suit seeks a reprieve from the state-sponsored terror that is their norm. Injunctive and declaratory relief, among other remedies, are necessary to stop the violence, change CDCR policy, and compensate the prisoners for the degradation t…
(2021-12-20). The Prevailing Corona Nonsense Narrative. globalresearch.ca There has been no epidemic of COVID-19 of national scope in any country, no pandemic internationally, for the general population SARS-CoV-2 is not a killer virus, and it is the same in every country.
(2021-12-20). COVID-19: WHO urges Europeans to be smart and safe this holiday season. moderndiplomacy.eu The World Health Organization (WHO) is reminding Europeans to remain vigilant against COVID-19 spread as they round out the year with friends and family. In a message on Thursday, WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge urged Europeans to "be smart, be kind, be safe this holiday season." The COVID-19 threat remains high across the continent, which …
(2021-12-20). Video: Digital Tyranny and the Rockefeller-Gates WHO "Vaxx-Certificate Passport": Towards a World War III Scenario. globalresearch.ca It's an electronic ID-program using the Covid-19 "vaccine as a platform for digital identity, linking everything to everything of each individual (records of health, banking, personal and private, etc.), managed by a state agency or in extremis, by the private sector.
(2021-12-20). UK trade unions betray National Health Service workers pay struggle. wsws.org That the government has been able to enforce a pay cut is entirely down to the trade unions' suppression of mass opposition in the million-strong National Health Service workforce.