(2022-02-19). Hedges: Democrats, the More Effective Evil. orinocotribune.com By Chris Hedges — Feb 14, 2022 | The US is a de facto one-party state where the ideology of national security is sacrosanct, unsustainable debt props up the empire and the primary business is war. | When all else fails, when you are clueless about how to halt a 7.5% inflation rate, when your Build Back Better bill is gutted, when you renege on your promise to raise the minimum wage or forgive student debt, when you can't halt the Republican suppression of voting rights, when you have no idea how to handle the pandemic which has claimed 900,000 lives — 16% of the world's total deaths although we are les…
(2022-02-19). Biden threats over Ukraine roil markets. wsws.org There have been warnings of a "perfect storm" that could hit, resulting from a combination of rising geo-political conflicts and increased interest rates.
(2022-02-19). Russians have hacked American military-industrial complex — US. rt.com 
The purported cyber attacks are said to date back at least two years | Russian government-backed hackers have been stealing "sensitive" information from American weapons companies for several years, a recent announcement by US security agencies has claimed. | The FBI, National Security Agency, and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a report on Wednesday alleging that since at least January 2020, the hackers have been collecting information that is unclassified but contains "significant insight into US weapons platforms development and deployment timelines." | The attacks appare…
(2022-02-19). Germany increases military spending for war against Russia. wsws.org Germany is playing an increasingly provocative‚ÄÜrole in NATO's aggression against Russia which poses ever more clearly the threat of a third world war.
(2022-02-19). British MP has Russia & China warning. rt.com 
The remarks come as Moscow and Beijing emphasize their deepening ties amid an impasse in eastern Europe | If the US and its partners in Europe hit Moscow with crippling embargoes, Russia could seek more economic and political cooperation with Beijing and form a pact with China against the West, a leading British lawmaker has warned. | Speaking to Sky News from Kiev on Thursday, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood set out his view on the standoff between the two eastern European nations and what impact punitive measures could have in the event of a Russian incursion. | "Any sanctions that are imposed onto Russia, th…
(2022-02-19). Over 1000 people already support #Palestine2022 campaign in France. samidoun.net 
In just a few weeks after its launch, the #Palestine2022 campaign, highlighting Palestine in the French presidential elections, has already received the support of more than 1000 people for its demands and its objectives. The campaign aims to denounce the collaboration of French governments with Israeli apartheid and introduce the subject of the Palestinian cause …
(2022-02-19). Colombia Wants Only 'Wealthy and Educated' Venezuelan Migrants. orinocotribune.com The Vice President of Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez, has complained about the "less wealthy and unskilled" Venezuelans who stay in Colombia as migrants. That group of vulnerable Venezuelans is at the center of the smear campaign and hybrid war against Venezuela, led by the US with its regional allied governments. | The Colombian vice president made the classist comment against migrants who are in a vulnerable economic situation or who do not have a considerably "high" academic level, during the regular session of the Permanent Council of the Organization of States Americans (OAS) this week. | "Colombia has not be…
(2022-02-19). Tapping Fortress Australia: Priti Patel's Border Force Review. dissidentvoice.org When in opposition, Alexander Downer, destined to become Australia's longest serving foreign minister in the conservative government of John Howard, was easy to savage. The Australian Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating was particularly keen to skewer an establishment individual prone to donning fishnet stockings and affecting a plummy disposition. Never, he suggested, had there been …
(2022-02-19). Crisis-wracked Australian government ramps up war drumbeating. wsws.org This fortnight's dysfunctional parliamentary session saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison virtually accuse Labor Party leaders of being treasonous agents of China.
(2022-02-19). Eco-Justice, People Power, Documentary Premiere- "We Still Here" indybay.org CubaCaribe announces a special community screening of We Still Here / Nos Tenemos, the latest documentary by award winning filmmaker by Eli Jacobs-Fatauzzi in collaboration with Defend Puerto Rico, FistUpTV and Clenched Fist Productions. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Bay Area filmmakers Eli and Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi along with a dynamic live music and dance performance by Aguacero.
(2022-02-19). Oakland ILWU. OEA, Students & Community Rally To Stop Privatization & Union Busting. indybay.org Hundreds of ILWU Longshoreman, OEA teachers, students, labor and community activists rallied against the privatization of the Port Of Oakland Howard Terminal to the GAP A's billionaire owner John Fisher for a stadium and 3,000 condos and also against the closure of public schools in Oakland.
(2022-02-19). California's "endemic plan" sets the stage for unending COVID-19 infections and deaths. wsws.org The propaganda campaign is driven not by science, but by the demands of the corporations and financial elite. The aim is to fabricate a narrative that COVID-19 is harmless, in order to maximize the production of profits under the guise of a "return to normalcy."
(2022-02-19). Strikes, protests engulf Haitian capital as workers demand higher wages, better conditions. wsws.org The strikes are an indication of growing working class opposition to the regime headed by Prime Minister Henry and backed by US corporations.
(2022-02-19). Sunday 2/20: Red Books Day. indybay.org Bobby Hutton Park…
(2022-02-18). U.S. Labor Against War opposes U.S. moves towards Ukraine combat. peoplesworld.org 
(2022-02-18). Second Ukrainian tests positive for banned drug at Olympics. rt.com 
The bobsledder's Winter Olympics sample contained a steroid, doping chiefs announced in the wake of a Ukrainian skier testing positive for three banned substances | Strongwoman-turned-bobsledder Lidiia Hunko has become the second Ukrainian to fail a drugs test at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games this week, the International Testing Agency (ITA) has announced. | The 28-year-old, who is a former world champion deadlifter, was tested by the ITA during an in-competition anti-doping control check on Monday, when she finished 20th in the women's monobob. | A World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited (WADA) laboratory in B…
(2022-02-18). Video: SGP chairman condemns NATO's war preparations against Russia. wsws.org In this video Christoph Vandreier, the chairman of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP—Socialist Equality Party), condemns NATO's preparations for war against Russia and explains the need for an international anti-war movement.
(2022-02-18). Demand for Russian grain growing in Iran — business council. tass.com "Fruits and vegetables of high quality from Iran are slowly but steadily consolidating their hold on shelves of stores, competing increasingly with products from Turkey, Egypt and Azerbaijan," Vladimir Obydenov said…
(2022-02-18). Was the Hacking of Ottawa Trucker Convoy Donors a US-Canadian Intelligence Operation? libya360.wordpress.com Kit Klarenberg Aubrey Cottle, the hacker claiming credit for stealing convoy donor info, has boasted of work with the FBI and Canadian law enforcement. The data was published by DDoSecrets, an anti-Wikileaks non-profit which has targeted states in the crosshairs of US intelligence. On February 13th, the names and personal details of almost 100,000 individuals…
(2022-02-18). The Revolutionary Power Of The Real Circular Economy. popularresistance.org Most of us are familiar with the social and environmental impacts of life under the Capitalocene ('the age of capital' — the historical era shaped by the endless accumulation of capital): inequality, commodification, imperialism, racism, and much more are already causing intragenerational suffering and ecological collapse. We are bombarded weekly with publications that assess the dire state of the world — and while I don't want to focus on this, a brief reminder is in order. | There is extensive literature portraying the social and ecological degradation of our times (e.g. Intergovernmental Panel on C…
(2022-02-18). The Political Violence Of National Oppression. popularresistance.org Jacksonville, FL – Throughout the months of January and February, there were over 20 bomb threats directed towards historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Black churches, most of which were in the South. These concentrated actions over the last few months are a microcosm of the extensive history of racism and national oppression that Black people have faced within the United States, particularly its southern region. | In general, all Black communities within the United States face systemic racism. The evidence is in the economically depressed ghettos of every city (big and small), riddled with de…
(2022-02-18). Opioids are Americans' "Comfort" for the Authorities' Failed Social Policies. journal-neo.org 
Drug addicts are commonly seen as marginalized people with a tourniquet around their arm who get hooked on drugs because of social and economic dislocation, personal problems, and an inability to fulfil themselves. But today, America is also suffering from a massive opioid crisis, which has already been declared an "emergency situation" by the authorities. …
(2022-02-18). United Steelworkers on strike at Sherwin-Williams. fightbacknews.org Pittsburgh, PA – 55 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 14919 began an unfair labor practice strike against Sherwin-Williams on Saturday, February 5 at the company's facility in Bedford Heights, Ohio. | Negotiations started on October 26, 2021, and union members had been working without a contract since the previous agreement expired on November 20. Sherwin-Williams refused to enter into an extension agreement. | Terrell Williams, president of United Steelworkers Local 14919 states, "All we are asking for is a fair and just contract that keeps up with inflation and provides economic sustainability and sec…
(2022-02-18). What Red Book Will You Read This Year On Red Books Day? popularresistance.org On 16 February 2015, Govind and Uma Pansare went for a morning walk near their home in Kolhapur, in the western state of Maharashtra, India. Two men on a motorcycle stopped them and asked for directions, but the Pansares could not help them. One of the men laughed, pulled out a gun, and shot the two Pansares. Uma Pansare was hit but survived the attack. Her husband, Govind Pansare, died in a hospital shortly thereafter on 20 February at age 82. | Raised in poverty, Govind Pansare was fortunate to go to school, where he encountered Marxist ideas. In 1952, at the age of 19, Pansare joined the Communist Party of Ind…
(2022-02-18). Child Poverty Increased by 41 Percent After Monthly Tax Credits Expired. truthout.org 
New data shows that the ending of the popular Child Tax Credit payment program due to objections from conservative Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (West Virginia) has resulted in a massive increase in the childhood poverty rate throughout the U.S. |
(2022-02-18). New Zealand rail workers highlight unsafe conditions as COVID-19 surge continues. wsws.org While the media provides round-the-clock coverage of a small anti-vax protest outside New Zealand's parliament, there is growing anger and opposition to the Labour Party-led government's policy of allowing COVID-19 to spread.
(2022-02-18). Labor Solidarity, and Worker Victories, Across Borders. cepr.net NACLA See article on original site Book Review: International Solidarity in Action: The Relationship Between the United Electrical Workers (UE) and Frente Auténtico del Trabajo, by Robin Alexander On February 3, workers at a General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico, secured an important victory for organized labor when a huge majority voted to join the …
(2022-02-18). Black History Month — Heroes of Flint Sit-down Strike. workers.org 
February 11 marked the 85th anniversary of the victory in the Flint Sit-Down Strike. While this is one of the most famous battles in U.S. labor history, too little is said about the Black workers who helped bring about this victory. This graphic pays tribute to Black sit-down striker Roscoe . . . |
(2022-02-18). CAS finds WADA explanations about Valieva doping test delays unconvincing. tass.com The Panel also did not find compelling the fact that the Stockholm laboratory blamed the processing delay on staffing problems caused by the pandemic…
(2022-02-18). Apple Store Employees Are Reportedly Unionizing. truthout.org 
Employees at at least eight Apple Stores in the U.S. are in various stages of unionizing efforts, according to new reporting According to anonymous sources, including at least one organizer, two stores are prepared to file a petition for unionization with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and have contacted major unions, while six other stores are in more nascent stages of organizing, The…
(2022-02-18). Nuclear watchdog will get Fukushima water checked. rt.com 
Scientists in Austria and Monaco are to verify if samples from Japan's nuclear facility are safe | Some 50 liters of treated water used to cool down the Fukushima melted nuclear reactors will be sent for analysis to "independent" laboratories in Austria and Monaco, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a
(2022-02-18). Federal Reserve Member Bullard: Inflation Could Get Out Of Control In America. moguldom.com St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard is not sugarcoating the current inflation crisis as prices rise at the fastest pace in 40 years. Inflation could get out of control without action on interest rates, Bullard said. "We're at more risk now than we've been in a generation that this could get out of control," …
(2022-02-18). 'Mega-retailers are using inflation as a cover to raise prices and turn record profits'. mronline.org 
CounterSpin interview with Rakeen Mabud on supply chain breakdown.
(2022-02-18). Removing The Kool-Aid? How The Federal Reserve Shrinking Its Balance Sheet Could Hurt Startup Valuations. moguldom.com For startup founders, the Federal Reserve's declared intent to end quantitative easing and shrink its balance sheet could mean the party's over when it comes to venture capital funding. The Fed's balance sheet, a weekly report that lists its assets and liabilities, has increased sevenfold since the 2008 financial crisis. Fed officials put plans into motion …
(2022-02-18). Sanders Calls to Cancel All Student Debt After Biden Axes $415 Millions' Worth. truthout.org 
After the Biden administration canceled $415 million of student debt for victims of for-profit colleges, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) called for all student debt to be canceled, a move that could relieve tens of millions of borrowers of what is often a huge financial burden. | On Wednesday,
(2022-02-18). UK cost of living crisis hits millions as inflation reaches new record. wsws.org Many staples are now unaffordable for millions of people. Workers are not seeing their wages rise to compensate.
(2022-02-18). EU Chief Calls Patents "Precious" as Hundreds of Millions Lack Vaccine Access. truthout.org 
The head of the European Commission on Friday defended coronavirus-related intellectual property protections as "precious" after South Africa's president reiterated his support for a temporary patent waiver, arguing the step is necessary to ramp up vaccine production on the African continent. | Speaking at the E.U.-African Union summit in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen argued that instead of suspending vaccine-related intellectual property protections, world leade…
(2022-02-18). Australia's state and federal governments lifting handful of remaining COVID restrictions. wsws.org Governments are implementing profit-driven policies identical to those that resulted in the Omicron explosion over December—January.
(2022-02-18). The Mythology, Ritual, and Art of Romantic Socialism. dissidentvoice.org 
Introduction For the most part socialists and members of organized religion seem to be opposites. After all, didn't Marx say religion was the opium of the people, the heart of a heartless world? But has it always been this way? Socialists in the 19th century had very different ideas about the importance of mythology, ritual, …
(2022-02-18). Workers World message to 'The International' Marxist magazine. workers.org 
Workers World newspaper congratulates Progressive Thinkers for its first year of consistent monthly publication of "The International" (Internationalmagz.com) as an openly "not unbiased" communist magazine and blog. We salute the initiators of this endeavour, Debojit Banerjee, Shuvam Banerjee, Sourav Chakraborty and Gourab Ghosh, for creating a venue for members of . . . |
(2022-02-18). Australia: Svitzer steps up pressure on workers to accept cuts to wages and conditions. wsws.org Determined to drive through a regressive new deal, Australia's largest tugboat operator is threatening to terminate the existing enterprise agreement covering workers.
(2022-02-18). Mass strikes and protests continue in Puerto Rico against debt deal. wsws.org Mass protests are culminating in a general strike across the island following the imposition of a debt settlement deal dictated by Wall Street that will gut wages and pensions.
(2022-02-18). USW pushes ExxonMobil deal to end Texas lockout: A warning to all oil workers. wsws.org ExxonMobil's latest ultimatum, which the United Steelworkers will bring to a vote on Monday, would set the precedent for the wholesale destruction of the jobs, wages, benefits and working conditions of workers throughout the entire oil industry.
(2022-02-18). Why We Need A Mau Mau In Amerikkka. popularresistance.org There is nothing left to do in the US but to organize and mobilize the masses. The US is a country made up of conservatives who are openly racist and imperialist, and liberals who are incoherent and inconsistent; only "inclusive" when it comes to upholding white supremacy and imperialism. They both give false hope to us, the colonized masses, lie after lie, broken promise after broken promise. We have come to see that the US has always resembled genocide, war, imperialism, capitalism, white supremacy, and so many other cancers that we as the colonized masses are infected with. To be cured, to be free, we must rid…
(2022-02-18). Chicago activists continue to call for killer cop to be fired, charged in death of Anthony Alvarez. liberationnews.org 
On what would have been Anthony Alvarez's 23rd birthday, dozens of activists gathered outside the 16th District police station in Chicago on Feb. 14 to celebrate Alvarez's life and to demand justice for him. The event was organized by members of Alvarez's family in coordination with the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
(2022-02-18). Organizers demand justice for man killed by NYPD, expansion of resources for mental health. liberationnews.org 
The Party for Socialism and Liberation convened a speakout in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn after Eudes Pierre, a 26-year-old Black man, was shot 10 times and killed in the neighborhood by NYPD officers…
(2022-02-18). A Brand of "Portugal Socialism" May Overtake the World Soon. journal-neo.org 
During the Trump Administration we were introduced to the unsmiling figure of a certain Stephen Miller, senior adviser and speechwriter. According to a longstanding and far-fetched conspiracy theory, the world is run by a race of reptiles disguised as humans. The only reason Miller cannot be one of them is that, in his case, the …
(2022-02-18). Friday 2/18: Black History Month: Almost 2 years after the George Floyd uprising, what's at stake? indybay.org Virtual event. Register: bit.ly/struggle-continues…