(2021-02-22). The U.S. Empire Is an Abusive Narcissist. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | Americans: healthcare please | Government: Sorry did you say a new military base in northeastern Syria? | Americans: no, healthcare | Government: Alright you drive a hard bargain but here's a * | Sorry we're not going to be able to do the $2000 checks thing, or the cancelling student debt thing, or the $15 minimum wage thing. Would you accept payment in the form of social media "dunking" on Senate Republi…
(2021-02-22). New European Union sanctions on democratic elections: 30 Venezuelan politicians to be sanctioned. mronline.org 
The European Union (EU) announced this Friday, February 19, that the body will sanction about thirty Venezuelan leaders for participating in the legislative elections last December, reported Europa Press, alluding to a "high ranked official" of the community bloc.
(2021-02-22). Prisons Prime Testing Ground for Dehumanizing Hi-Tech 'Advances'. strategic-culture.org 
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. | By Raul DIEGO | Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is coming under fire again from Democratic lawmakers, as well as from the American Postal Workers Union, who are calling for President Joe Biden to pave the way for DeJoy's removal after the Trump-appointee
(2021-02-22). 'They destroyed our dreams': Israel's bulldozers target Palestinian women farmers. middleeasteye.net 
'They destroyed our dreams': Israel's bulldozers target Palestinian women farmers | The Palestinian women workforce faces a 'direct threat', as Israeli forces raze their agricultural lands | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 11: 05 | On 6 December 2020, Israeli bulldozers carried out one of the largest tree uprooting operations to date in the West Bank, destroying 3,400 olive trees in one day (Social media/Daoud A…
(2021-02-22). Covid-19: Former Israeli minister urges denial of vaccine to Palestinians in Gaza. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Former Israeli minister urges denial of vaccine to Palestinians in Gaza | Ayelet Shaked argued humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the besieged territory should be blocked over bodies of two Israeli soldiers held by Hamas | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 14: 57 | A Palestinian health worker holds swab samples collected to test for Covid-19 in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 16 February 2021 (AFP) | Former Isr…
(2021-02-22). One Flew Over the US. counterpunch.org 
On the best route (also the route that the Metro North Railroad follows) to New York City from western Massachusetts, stands the remnants of a long-abandoned state psychiatric facility (Harlem Valley State Hospital) in upstate New York. The many buildings that housed mentally ill people, like others in many states, have the appearance of brick military-style
(2021-02-22). Greece to install long-range cameras and radars along border with Turkey: Report. middleeasteye.net 
Greece to install long-range cameras and radars along border with Turkey: Report | Athens continues to tighten border security in a bid to discourage undocumented migration | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 10: 48 | Migrants near the fence of the Turkey-Greece border buffer zone in Edirne, Turkey, 7 March 2020 (AFP) | Greece will position radars and cameras with a range of up to 15km along its land border with Turkey…
(2021-02-22). Why Didn't Speaker Pelosi Want Witnesses? counterpunch.org 
Democratic leaders told the House managers to huddle privately with Trump's defense lawyers to strike a deal. They did. They would place a mere statement from Rep. Beutler into the trial record and call no witnesses. The Republicans couldn't have been more delighted, knowing that the Democratic leadership wanted the trial over that day before Congress went on a week-long vacation.
(2021-02-22). Who Messed with Texas? counterpunch.org 
Texans like to brag endlessly about how great their state is, its "independence," and warn, "don't mess with Texas." But as millions of Texans now huddle freezing in the dark of this self-proclaimed "energy capital of the world," it might be worth thinking about how this tragedy happened, who and what caused it, and why Republican politicians are trying to blame renewable energy for a problem caused by poorly built and maintained fossil fuel generation facilities and the predatory capitalism of its deregulated energy system.
(2021-02-22). Global Solidarity Is Needed During The Pandemic To End Medical Apartheid. dissidentvoice.org 
Some of the truths the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing about the United States are its racial disparities in health and access to health care. Black and Indigenous people are more likely to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 than white people. They are two to three times more likely to be hospitalized and …
(2021-02-22). WHO Busts Wuhan Myths: Pandemic started with wild Animal, not Lab, and Wet Market wasn't Ground Zero. juancole.com 
By Dominic Dwyer | — As I write, I am in hotel quarantine in Sydney, after returning from Wuhan, China. There, I was the Australian representative on the international World Health Organization's (WHO) investigation into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Much has been said of the politics surrounding the mission to investigate the viral …
(2021-02-22). How One Community Creatively Solved Keeping Its Residents Fed During A Pandemic. popularresistance.org Hunger and food insecurity have increased worldwide since COVID-19 took hold. In December 2020, the United Nations warned of the threat of "catastrophic global famine," urging worldwide governments to prioritize food security and humanitarian needs in their COVID-19 response plans. The global, industrialized food supply chain is strained and fraying. Production and shipping delays are increasingly commonplace. Given the lack of substantial response by many governments to food insecurity, it has often fallen to individuals to step in and feed their communities. Neighborhood-based volunteer groups across major U.S.
(2021-02-22). Global Solidarity Is Needed During The Pandemic To End Medical Apartheid. popularresistance.org Some of the truths the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing about the United States are its racial disparities in health and access to health care. Black and Indigenous people are more likely to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 than white people. They are two to three times more likely to be hospitalized and two to two and a half times more likely to die than white people. There are a number of factors that contribute to this. | Another related truth that is being exposed by the pandemic is the relative failure of capitalist countries to contain the virus and limit deaths when compared to socialist countr…
(2021-02-22). There's Evidence Chinese Military Responsible for COVID-19 Pandemic, Ex-Deputy NSA Says. sputniknews.com The Donald Trump administration regularly traded barbs with Chinese officials over the origins of the deadly coronavirus flare-ups across the world, with the ex-POTUS insistently referring to the novel infectious disease as "the Chinese virus", much to Beijing's annoyance.
(2021-02-22). The pandemics of racism and COVID-19 are a deadly mix. therealnews.com 
A century of racist public policy laid the foundation for deep racial inequities in employment and vaccination rates in the U.S. pandemic response.
(2021-02-22). IP, vaccine imperialism cause death and suffering, delay recovery. mronline.org 
Vaccine developers' refusal to share publicly funded vaccine research findings is stalling broader, affordable vaccinations which would more rapidly contain COVID-19 contagion. The pandemic had infected at least 109 million people worldwide, causing over 2.4 million deaths as of mid-February.
(2021-02-22). Hong Kong leader, top officials first to get Covid jabs. laprensalatina.com Hong Kong, Feb 22 (efe-epa).- Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam and her ministers became the first people in the city to receive the coronavirus vaccine Monday afternoon. Describing the vaccination as "a ray of light" shone on the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the top leader said she was "extremely pleased" to be getting …
(2021-02-22). What The Vaccine Debacle Tells Us About Predatory Capitalism. popularresistance.org Vaccines have been a beacon of hope amid a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 2.4 million people and brought world economies to a halt. They have been presented as a remedy that would put an end to the immense suffering — physical, emotional, and economic — caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. | But as vaccine roll-out has faltered due to various foreseen and unforeseen circumstances, the light of this imaginary beacon seems to be getting dimmer. As a recent article published in the leading medical journal The Lancet concludes, "new vaccines will mean little to individuals around the wo…
(2021-02-22). Saturday 2/27: End the Pandemic Everywhere: Global Equal Access to COVID Vaccines For All. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2021-02-22). US approaches coronavirus death toll of 500,000. thecanary.co The US stands on the brink of a once-unthinkable tally: 500,000 people lost to the coronavirus. | A year into the pandemic, the running total of lives lost is 498,897 — roughly the population of Kansas City, Missouri, and just shy of the size of Atlanta. | The figure compiled by Johns Hopkins University surpasses the number of people who died in 2019 of chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer's, flu and pneumonia combined. | America's top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN: It's nothing like we have ever been through in the last 102 years, since the 1918 influenza pandemic. | O…
(2021-02-22). Red Books Day celebrated internationally to mark 173 years since the publication of 'The Communist Manifesto'. peoplesdispatch.org 
On February 21, 1948 the Manifesto of the Communist Party written by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels was first published in the UK. The book is recognized as one of the most influential in the history of humankind and it has been translated in almost all languages in the world.
(2021-02-22). Israeli Ministry of Health Study finds Pfizer Vaccine stops 89.4% of Virus transmission, Raising Hopes of Return to Normalcy: Der Spiegel. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — Israel's national health system, an artefact of its past as a country founded by socialists, has allowed the country of 9 million to vaccinate almost half of its citizens already, the most progress made by any country in the world. This accomplishment (which unfortunately excludes the five million stateless Palestinians …
(2021-02-22). NGO refugee rescue ship left waiting on European help that never came. peoplesworld.org 
An NGO refugee rescue ship in the central Mediterranean waited hours today for help from the Maltese and Italian coastguards that never came after the vessel saved the lives of 148 people, 28 more than it is legally allowed to carry. Basque charity Humanitarian Maritime Rescue (SMH) announced in the morning that the Aita Mari …
(2021-02-22). Indigenous Youth Demand End To Trans Mountain Insurance. popularresistance.org A group of Indigenous youth took their fight against the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project to the Vancouver offices of insurance companies backing the controversial venture earlier this week. | On Thursday, approximately 20 youth from the x ∑m…ôŒ∏kw…ôyÃì…ôm, Skwxwú7mesh, S…ôlÃìílw…ôta…¨ (Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh) and other First Nations occupied the lobby — as well as south and west entrances — of 250 Howe St., a high-rise building housing Chubb Insurance Co. of Canada, one of 11 insurers backing…
(2021-02-22). Fossil Fuel Shock Doctrine: Naomi Klein on Deadly Deregulation & Why Texas Needs the Green New Deal. democracynow.org 
Millions of Texans are still suffering after severe winter weather devastated the state's energy and water systems. About 8 million Texans remain under orders to boil water, and 30,000 homes still have no power. Around 70 deaths have now been linked to the winter storms, including at least 12 people who died inside their homes after losing heat. Republican lawmakers in Texas are facing increasing criticism for their handling of the crisis, their decades-long push to deregulate the state's energy system, and their unfounded attacks on renewable energy and the Green New Deal. Naomi Klein, senior correspondent at Th…
(2021-02-22). France Reports Another 22,046 COVID-19 Cases. telesurenglish.net France's Health Agency reported 22,046 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, slightly down from 22,371 a day before. | RELATED: | To date, France has recorded 3,605,181 infections, the sixth-highest tally in the world. The number of French people who have died from the virus rose by 160 to 84,306, compared to a single-day increase of 183 reported on Saturday. | In the Mediterranean city of Nice, the virus was c…
(2021-02-22). US woman died after receiving coronavirus-infected lungs during organ transplant, study reveals. rt.com 
A Michigan woman died of Covid-19 last year after getting a double-lung transplant from a donor who turned out to be infected with the virus, according to a medical study describing the first such case in the US. | The unnamed organ recipient had chronic obstructive lung disease, while her donor was another woman, who succumbed to a severe brain injury after a car crash, a The surgery took place at the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan in mid-2020…
(2021-02-22). Medical vulnerability of individuals with down syndrome to severe COVID-19 — data from the trisomy 21 research society and the UK ISARIC4C survey. thelancet.com Leading signs/symptoms of COVID-19 and risk factors for severe disease course are similar to the general population. However, individuals with DS present significantly higher rates of medical complications and mortality, especially from age 40.
(2021-02-22). Vienna State Opera offers museum tours as Covid keeps stage empty. laprensalatina.com Vienna, Feb 22 (efe-epa).- The Vienna State Opera has shifted its focus from overtures and arias to galleries and paintings to welcome visitors as a museum while Austrian theaters remain closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. With the health crisis keeping the curtain down on live shows for now, officials at the famed opera house have …
(2021-02-22). Govt's response sought over Indian guru's 'WHO-okayed' Covid-19 drug claim. laprensalatina.com New Delhi, Feb 22 (efe-epa).- A body of some 350,000 doctors in India on Monday sought a government response over a controversial yoga guru's "blatant lie" that the World Health Organization had certified a traditional medicine that he claims to be effective in treating Covid-19. Billionaire yogi Baba Ramdev, the co-founder of medicine-and-consumer-goods company Patanjali …
(2021-02-22). 'Why would anyone get the jab after this?': AP criticized for saying Covid vaccination WON'T bring life back to normal. rt.com 
Mainstream US media is under fire for publishing an article telling Americans that life won't go back to normal even after they've been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — and critics argue the message discourages vaccination. | In an AP
(2021-02-22). Antonio Guterres criticizes unequal global access to COVID-19 vaccines, calls it 'wildly unfair'. mronline.org 
The UN secretary general pointed out that 75% of all vaccinations so far have been administered in just 10 rich countries, whereas 130 mostly poor countries have not received a single dose of vaccine.
(2021-02-22). WHO chief: Some high-income countries undermining fair distribution of jabs. laprensalatina.com Berlin, Feb 22 (efe-epa).- The director-general of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom on Monday that some developed nations were striking Covid-19 vaccine deals that undermined the interests of Covax, the initiative to secure an equitable global distribution of jabs. "Some high-income countries are approaching manufacturers to secure more vaccines, which is affecting the deals …
(2021-02-22). The Philippines Approves Use of China's Sinovac Vaccine. telesurenglish.net The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director Enrique Domingo on Monday announced that his country granted the emergency use authorization to China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines. | RELATED: | "After a thorough and rigorous review of the currently available published and unpublished data by our regulatory and medical experts, the FDA is granting an emergency use authorization to the COVID-19 vaccine of Sinovac," Doming…
(2021-02-22). It's Time to End This Relic of Slavery. scheerpost.com hans van den berg / CC BY 2.0] By Rebekah Entralgo / OtherWords If it's passed by Congress, President Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief proposal would do a lot more than fund relief payments and vaccine rollouts. It would also raise the wage floor for all U.S. workers — and give a particularly long overdue raise to restaurant servers, taxi drivers, manicurists, and other tipped workers. |
(2021-02-22). Peruvian Lawmakers to Be Tested to Discard Illegal Vaccinations. telesurenglish.net Peru's Congress this weekend passed a motion calling on all 130 lawmakers to undergo a test to rule out that they received a COVID-19 vaccine. | RELATED: | Supported by 111 Congress members, the decision seeks to discard that lawmakers are linked to the "VaccineGate" scandal which involves over 400 high-ranking government officials. | "We demand transparency and public objectivity," the Congress plenary stated, adding…
(2021-02-22). Facebook Reportedly Bans Ads Raising Vaccine Awareness for Being 'Political Messages'. sputniknews.com As part of what it calls its fight against disinformation and encouraging accountability, Facebook placed limits on political advertisements during last year's election. Since ads from elected officials are outright prohibited, it reportedly blocks routine notices from the authorities about the availability and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
(2021-02-22). Pressure Mounts for Biden to Remove Global Barriers to Vaccines. zcomm.org President Joe Biden is meeting with the G7 leaders of other wealthy nations Friday to discuss global plans to defeat COVID…
(2021-02-22). Cuba Starts Large-Scale Production of Soberana 02 Vaccine. telesurenglish.net BioCubaFarma business group's President Eduardo Martinez Sunday informed on the large-scale production of a new batch of Soberana 02, the most advanced COVID-19 vaccine developed by the country so far. | RELATED: | "The effort to have a vaccine that protects Cubans and helps other peoples is enormous. We are moving forward, but under incredible political hostility," Martinez said and informed that Soberana 02 is being…
(2021-02-22). Australia begins vaccinating frontline workers amid controversy. laprensalatina.com Sydney, Australia, Feb 22 (efe-epa).- Australia on Monday began the first phase of its Covid-19 vaccination program by administering the vaccine to essential workers amid a controversy after Tennis Australia's president was booed for praising the vaccines during the presentation ceremony at the Australian Open. Australian authorities plan to distribute about 60,000 doses of the …
(2021-02-22). One-Third of Deaths Reported to CDC After COVID Vaccines Occurred within 48 Hours of Vaccination. 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). | *** | According to new data released today, as of Feb. 12, 15,923 …
(2021-02-22). Thursday 2/25: COVID-19 Vaccines & African American Communities Town Hall w/ NAACP. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2021-02-22). GOP Offers Preview of Brutal Climate Policies in Texas. counterpunch.org 
As Texas battles a severe snowstorm and mass power outages this winter, Tim Boyd, the now-former Republican mayor of Colorado City, revealed his party's plan for the deadly extreme temperatures linked to climate change. In a lengthy Facebook post that was deleted soon after it went viral, then-Mayor Boyd told his residents that they were entirely on their own as the brutal winter weather caused mayhem and deaths across the Lone Star state.
(2021-02-22). Nathan Robinson speaks about losing his Guardian column after criticizing Israel. therealnews.com 
Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan Robinson tweeted a joke satirizing U.S. support of Israel, and The Guardian newspaper cancelled his regular op-ed column. Now he speaks with TRNN about facing accusations of anti-Semitism for criticizing Israeli power on Capitol Hill.
(2021-02-22). Texas refineries used storm to hide release of tons of pollutants. peoplesworld.org 
Editor's note: This article has been reprinted from EcoWatch. Texas oil refineries released hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants including benzene, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide into the air as they scrambled to shut down during last week's deadly winter storm, Reuters reported Sunday. Winter storm Uri, which killed dozens of people …
(2021-02-22). Saving the Classics from Blindness. counterpunch.org 
Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a classics professor at Princeton, was the subject of a recent article in the New York Times Magazine entitled "He Wants to Save the Classics From Whiteness. Can the Field Survive?" Padilla, according to the article, believes classics, as an academic discipline, "has been instrumental to the invention of 'whiteness' and its continued domination." I won't argue with that. I don't know enough about classics as an academic discipline. I do know something about academic disciplines more generally, though, and I have to say that, in my experience, most are characterized by at least unconscious,…
(2021-02-22). 2011 Book Gives Voice to Palestinian Women Who Survived 1948 Nakba. mintpressnews.com 
"If you'd only seen the bodies in the streets, if you only had seen the bodies. Little children without their shoes walking about the mayhem and crying."
(2021-02-22). Impeachment manager Raskin's last word on Trump: He's 'a traitor'. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (PAI)—Unveiling a key word he never uttered during Donald Trump's impeachment trial in mid-February, chief House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has labeled former White House Republican denizen Trump a "traitor." Raskin, a longtime constitutional law professor, delivered that verdict at the opening of a short Zoom video speech to the Government Employees …
(2021-02-22). Haitian Official stashes Wealth in Montréal. dissidentvoice.org 
Recent media reports of a Haitian official stashing wealth in Montréal property ignore a key element of the story: Canada's contribution to enabling Haitian corruption. As a neo-Duvalierist regime becomes ever more dictatorial it's also worth revisiting Canada's history in facilitating fraud and money laundering in the hemisphere's most impoverished nation. Recently La Presse reported …
(2021-02-22). Headlines for February 22, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Declares Major Disaster in TX as Tragic Stories Emerge, Residents Hit with Soaring Power Bills, U.S. to Top 500,000 COVID Deaths as Democrats Advance $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package, U.K. Eases Lockdown; Iranian Vaccine Shows Promising Results; Bolivia Health Workers Launch Strike, Protests Intensify in Burma After 3 Demonstrators Die Amid Violent Crackdown, Thailand Anti-Government Protests Continue After PM Survives No-Confidence Vote, Conservative Guillermo Lasso Advances to 2nd Round of Ecuadorian Presidential Election, Uber Drivers in U.K. Win Legal Battle to Be Recognized as Company Employees, Pentagon…