2022-02-09: News Headlines

WSWS (2022-02-09). White House seeks to fabricate lower COVID-19 hospitalization numbers. wsws.org The Biden administration is moving to slash the official number of COVID-19 hospitalizations by 50 percent or more by changing the standard for who is counted as a COVID-19 patient, implementing a central demand of Donald Trump and other advocates of "herd immunity."

WSWS (2022-02-09). Growing concern about New Zealand government allowing Omicron to spread. wsws.org There is growing concern and opposition to the Labour Party-led government's decision to reopen schools and businesses and allow masses of people to become infected with Omicron.

Staff (2022-02-09). Alzheimer's may be prevented with toothpaste, researchers suggest. rt.com A protein present in human gums may help combat a bacterium causing neurodegenerative diseases, particularly if added to a toothpaste, Canadian researchers say | A protein called SCPPPQ1 that normally makes gums adhere to teeth may prove effective in combating a bacterium called P. gingivalis, which could cause Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, a research team from the University of Montreal, Canada, has The study led by…

CalRedBerets (2022-02-09). Saturday 2/19: The People's Rally for Healthcare. indybay.org Lake Merritt, Oakland, by the Lake Merritt Amphitheater, the corner of 12th Street and Lake Merritt Blvd.

Staff (2022-02-09). WHO wants rich states to contribute to Covid-19 plan. rt.com ACT-Accelerator initiative requires $16 billion to end the pandemic | The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed to the leaders of the world's richest countries, asking them to pay their fair share of the funding needed for the agency's program to end the global Covid-19 pandemic as soon as possible. | The body announced on Wednesday that it needed more than $16 billion to bridge the funding gap for its ACT-Accelerator program, and said it could end the pandemic as a global emergency in 2022. | The Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) is the WHO-led initiative that unites leading agencies in a bi…

WSWS (2022-02-09). Australia: New South Wales nurses vote for statewide strike. wsws.org The union is doing everything to isolate and divide up action which expresses immense anger among not only nurses and other health staff, but broad sections of the working class.

Preston Wood (2022-02-09). Ontario under right-wing occupation: Progressives push back. liberationnews.org For more than 10 days, truckers opposed to vaccine mandates at the Canadian and U.S. borders have mobilized thousands of supporters to disrupt and terrorize the people of Ottawa.

WSWS (2022-02-09). Virginia public universities drop vaccine mandates. wsws.org Amidst threats from state Republicans, the school system dropped vaccine requirements despite the current caseload being at a pandemic high.

Mei Mei Chan (2022-02-09). Oakland students fight for COVID safety in schools. liberationnews.org On Friday, Jan. 21, striking students in the Oakland Unified School District held a public town hall to address the urgent COVID safety needs of school communities. Less than a week later, the Oakland Education Association and the OUSD came to a tentative agreement in support of all of the students' demands.

teleSUR- hvh, JCM (2022-02-09). Cuba alcanza el tercer lugar del mundo en vacunación anti-Covid-19. telesurtv.net Cuba apostó por la producción de vacunas nacionales, las cuales alcanzan un elevado por ciento de efectividad.

WSWS (2022-02-09). Student petition calls for reinstatement of COVID safety policies at Baylor. wsws.org Baylor has repudiated remaining safety measures, even as students are demanding basic safety measures, including an option for virtual learning, in the midst of mass infections at the university.

WSWS (2022-02-09). Petition in Germany gathers more than 125,000 signatures opposing deliberate mass infections in schools. wsws.org The only way to stop the herd immunity policy is the international struggle for a Zero COVID policy.

WSWS (2022-02-09). More than 300 children infected on first day back at school in Australian state of Queensland. wsws.org Premier Palaszczuk's government sent teachers, staff and students back into classrooms under unsafe conditions, declaring that it would lead to further COVID-19 outbreaks and hospitalisations.

WSWS (2022-02-09). Boston University epidemiologist Dr. Eleanor Murray speaks on COVID-19 and endemicity. wsws.org Part two of a two-part interview on the COVID pandemic and the claims that COVID has become endemic.

Jackie Kriz (2022-02-09). Pandemic hits privatised aged care system hard, urgent reform needed. greenleft.org.au Aged residents in care are dying at alarming rates from COVID-19, while the PM wastes precious time trying to convince us that the system is not in crisis. Jackie Kriz argues for a complete overhaul.

WSWS (2022-02-09). As far-right Ottawa occupation continues, Canadian authorities move to shred all anti-COVID measures. wsws.org Even as the capitalist establishment feuds over how to end the fascist-led Ottawa occupation, it is being used to shift Canadian politics further to the right.

WSWS (2022-02-09). Two right-wing figures to contest South Korean presidential election. wsws.org The candidates from the two main parties are both determined to further open the economy despite the surge of COVID-19 cases and have backed the US war drive against China.

teleSUR- jaa, JL (2022-02-09). Confirman tendencia baja en cuarta ola de Covid-19 en México. telesurtv.net El subsecretario de Salud resaltó que solo el 2.9 por ciento de los casos se encuentran activos.

Staff (2022-02-08). Scientists invent '4-minute' Covid test. rt.com The new electromechanical sensors are as precise as PCR lab tests and show results in four minutes, researchers say | Scientists at Fudan University in Shanghai have come up with a new method for coronavirus testing, which they say is as sensitive but much quicker than PCR lab testing. | The new method involves electromechanical sensors capable of detecting, with high precision, SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human genetic material, according to the study published Monday in Nature Biomedical Engineering science journal. | "We implemented an electromechanical biosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 into an integrated and…

Sandipan Talukdar (2022-02-08). Research bolsters studies on Omicron's triple vaccine-evading capacity. peoplesdispatch.org Recent research bolsters earlier studies which showed that Omicron has an extraordinary capacity of evading vaccine protection. The Omicron variant is far more expert in evading vaccine immunity than Delta…

WSWS (2022-02-08). New Zealand government to re-open borders amid escalating Omicron outbreak. wsws.org The dangerous border re-openings are the next stage in the New Zealand Labour-led government's pro-business strategy to end public health restrictions and let COVID run.

WSWS (2022-02-08). Omicron wave devastates US nursing home residents and staff. wsws.org In the week ending January 23, there were 42,584 resident cases, according to CDC data. This number surpassed the record set during last winter's surge, when vaccines were just becoming available.

Jake Johnson (2022-02-08). Pfizer Forecasts Record-Breaking 2022 Profits — as Billions Remain Unprotected. truthout.org Pfizer projected Tuesday that it will generate a record-shattering $32 billion in revenue from its "Big Pharma has made more than…

Editor2 (2022-02-08). The Privilege of Public School in Nicaragua. orinocotribune.com By Becca Mohally Renk — Jan 27, 2022 | This week the new school year started in Nicaragua and I waved my eldest daughter, Eibhlín, off to her final year of high school. I teared up remembering my three-year old in her first tiny blue and white uniform, proudly marching off to preschool in pigtails. | I've also been reflecting that this month marks 15 years since President Daniel Ortega declared public education to be free once again, just 24 hours after he was inaugurated. That was his second declaration; the first was to declare public health care free again. Those two declarations have led to the most sign…

Mark Gruenberg (2022-02-08). Construction union leaders hail Biden's pro-union executive order. peoplesworld.org

WSWS (2022-02-08). Turkish health workers strike as COVID-19 pandemic, living costs surge. wsws.org As COVID-19 cases explode and real annual inflation exceeds 110 percent in Turkey, many layers of the working class are increasingly taking strike action.

WSWS (2022-02-08). Health and Care Bill drives another nail in the coffin of the UK National Health Service. wsws.org The legislation will further enshrine the ability of the private sector to cherry pick the most profitable parts, while those that produce no "shareholder value" will be left to a cash-strapped NHS.

Gabriel Arkles (2022-02-08). Transgender and Non-Binary Leaders Tell Federal Court Trans People Deserve Joy at Any Age. aclu.org In 2021, Arkansas passed a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for trans young people. This discriminatory law would not only prohibit healthcare professionals from providing or referring trans young people under 18 for medically necessary health care, it would also allow private insurers to refuse to cover gender-affirming care for trans people of any age. If it is allowed to go into effect, the law will undermine the mental, emotional, and physical health of transgender and non-binary people across the state. | Though the ACLU has won a temporary pause on Arkansas' health care ban, the fight continues in…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-08). Ecuador court upholds Indigenous rights against oil, mining projects and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode of the Daily Round-up we look at a major ruling by Ecuador's Constitutional Court protecting Indigenous peoples' rights to block resource extraction projects on their lands; another round of mass mobilisations against the military coup in Sudan as protestors reject negotiations with the junta; the deployment of troops to health centers amid a worsening COVID-19 crisis in the aged care sector; and an agreement reached between President Xiomara Castro's Libre Party and dissenting lawmakers to resolve the political crisis in the Honduran Congress.

Xiaolu Sun (2022-02-08). NFL to host vaccination clinic at Super Bowl. america.cgtn.com This year, the NFL is working with the local department to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for fans. And they're also offering free tickets to the Super Bowl experience for anyone who receives any dose of the vaccine at the on-site clinic. Find out more.

From Embers (2022-02-08). From Embers: A Transportation Worker Speaks on the "Freedom Convoy" itsgoingdown.org From Embers speaks with a transportation worker about their view on the ongoing far-Right convoy protests against vaccine mandates. We spoke with a transportation worker about the so-called Freedom Convoy currently occupying capital cities and border crossings across Canada. Links: Naujawan Support Network Canadian Anti-Hate Network Punch Up Collective (Ottawa) Ottawa Trip Report Three Way…

C.J. Atkins (2022-02-08). Canada convoy protest a truckload of anti-vax and white supremacist BS. peoplesworld.org

Doctors for COVID Ethics (2022-02-08). J'Accuse! The Gene-based "Vaccines" Are Killing People. Governments Worldwide Are Lying to You the People, to the Populations They Purportedly Serve. globalresearch.ca The Signal of Harm is now indisputably overwhelming, and, in line with universally accepted ethical standards for clinical trials, Doctors for Covid Ethics demands that the 'Covid' vaccine programme be halted immediately.

sputniknews (2022-02-08). Canadian Protesters Against Vaccine Mandate Block Bridge on US-Canada Border, Police Says. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Canadian protesters demanding an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates have blocked the Ambassador Bridge linking the US city of Detroit and the Canadian city of Windsor, the Ontario Provincial Police said on Tuesday.

Global Research News (2022-02-08). U.K. Vaccine Crime Investigation. Metropolitan Police and International Criminal Court (ICC). globalresearch.ca First published by Global Research on January 28, 2022 | This is an important article. | . | UK Law Enforcement procedures have been initiated against the architects of the Covid-19 crisis. | This initiative sets a precedent Worldwide. | Should a Criminal Investigation be …

_____ (2022-02-08). Boston Demands 'Free Leonard Peltier'. popularresistance.org Jericho Movement Boston, United American Indians of New England (UAINE), and Boston BDS called for a standout in front of the JFK Federal Building in Boston on Monday, February 7, 2022 at 4: 00 pm to call attention to international calls to free Native American prisoner Leonard Peltier, now 77 and ill with COVID-19. | Known internationally as the most famous and longest-serving Native American political prisoner in the US, Peltier has been imprisoned since 1976 on charges that he shot two FBI agents on Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. Peltier was framed up for a crime he did not commit. Witnesses perjured themselve…

WSWS (2022-02-08). More than 200,000 American children have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19. wsws.org The staggering figure of 200,000 children deprived of their caregivers represents an incalculable social and personal loss, which will impact all those affected for their entire lives.

teleSUR (2022-02-08). US National Cathedral Tolls Bell for 900,000 COVID-19 Victims. telesurenglish.net The Washington National Cathedral tolled its funeral bell 900 times, once for every 1,000 people who had died from COVID-19 in the United States. The mourning, also livestreamed on social media, took nearly 90 minutes. | RELATED: | "I remember when this particular sad tradition began in 2020, when 50,000 and 100,000 seemed horrible and unthinkable. Here we are. Soon, no doubt, one million," tweeted Susan B. Glasser, a f…

Staff (2022-02-08). Policing on Trial: Attorney Ben Crump on Fed Case Against Three Cops Involved in George Floyd Murder. democracynow.org The Minneapolis judge who signed the no-knock warrant that led to the fatal police shooting of 22-year-old Black man Amir Locke also presided over the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer convicted for the murder of George Floyd. The trial of three officers facing lesser charges — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng — is currently underway after being delayed when one of the defendants tested positive for COVID. The trial will show the importance of accountability even from police who are bystanders to murder, says Benjamin Crump, part of the legal team for George Floyd's famil…

John Knefel (2022-02-08). Homeland Security's Attempts to "Combat Misinformation" Are Suspect. truthout.org During Donald Trump's campaign for president, claims of Russian misinformation and disinformation were ubiquitous on cable news, Twitter and op-ed columns. Public discussion of misinformation has since skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, usually focusing on harmful anti-vaccination media coverage on, for example, Fox News and Joe Rogan's popular podcast. There are, of course, no shortage of Fox News segments praising anti-vaxxers until they die, generally by hosts who themselves have gotten the vac…

Editor (2022-02-08). Canada: The Left is nowhere on COVID. And that's a big problem. mronline.org They have failed to step into the current political climate and counter far-right protests, and get workers the income, housing and other social support they need.

WSWS (2022-02-08). Right-wing majority on Colorado school board fires superintendent to attack COVID mitigations. wsws.org The ousting of superintendent Corey Wise was an outcome of back-room plotting driven by a campaign against mask mandates and bogus claims about the teaching of Critical Race Theory.

WSWS (2022-02-08). Democratic governors in the US northeast dropping school mask mandates. wsws.org While coronavirus cases have hit record levels among children, and hospitalizations and deaths overall continue to rise, the Democrats, like the Republicans are implementing the policy of profits over lives demanded by corporate America.

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