(2021-03-03). Solidarity rallies call for end to U.S.-backed dictatorship in Haiti. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON——On the morning of March 1 at the Embassy of Haiti, local D.C. organizers with Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) held a solidarity rally with the people of Haiti who are rising up against a U.S.-backed dictator. Jovenel MoàØse's term of office ended Feb. 7, but he has so far refused to relinquish power. MoàØse, …
(2021-03-03). Haitians Continue To Resist Dictatorship And Imperialist Forces. popularresistance.org Protests continue in Haiti against the dictatorship of Jovenel MoàØse and the neo-colonialist, imperialist forces that back him. | Tens of thousands took to the streets in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, on February 21, two weeks after the official end of the presidential term of Jovenel MoàØse.
(2021-03-03). MoàØse gives Haiti to Coca-Cola, while people starve. greenleft.org.au Weekly protests continue following Haitian President Jovenel MoàØse's decree extending his mandate for another 12 months. The Assembly of Haitians in Montréal against the Occupation of Haiti released the following statement, co-authored by Renel Exentus and Ricardo Gustave.
(2021-03-03). ICC prosecutor opens investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas. middleeasteye.net 
ICC prosecutor opens investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel and Hamas | Fatou Bensouda formally begins her investigation after the International Criminal Court ruled it had jurisdiction in the Palestinian territories | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 14: 26 | Bensouda said the decision to begin an ICC investigation comes after a five-year preliminary inquiry (Reuters) | The International Criminal Court's pros…
(2021-03-03). The Real Threats to America are the Pandemic and Poverty; why Give Ever More Money to the Pentagon? juancole.com 
By Mandy Smithberger | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — This country is in a crisis of the first order. More than half a million of us have died thanks to Covid-19. Food insecurity is on the rise, with nearly 24 million Americans going hungry, including 12 million children. Unemployment claims filed since the pandemic began have …
(2021-03-03). The class character of the expansion of COVID-19: The case of Peru's Capital City Lima. mronline.org 
At the end of December 2019, the world was notified about the existence of a new coronavirus in the city of Wuhan in China. This virus, SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19), rapidly spread and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.
(2021-03-03). Andrew Cuomo: Legend of a Fall. counterpunch.org 
Future historians will have a field day examining the daily commentary of the COVID pandemic. Early on there was Madonna sitting nude in a marble bathtub filled with rose petals proclaiming COVID 'the great equalizer.' Trump of course supplied his daily dose of schizophrenic fare so incoherent that even conservative TV hacks were unable to morph it into a convincing picture of brave leadership. Yet nothing tops the spectacle of Ellen Degeneres and Trevor Noah actually declaring themselves to be 'Cuomosexuals', in honor of New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a term that was immediately plastered on various merchandise…
(2021-03-03). Arabic press review: Egypt tries to boost human rights credentials for Biden. middleeasteye.net 
Arabic press review: Egypt tries to boost human rights credentials for Biden | Meanwhile, Jordan has reportedly received $1bn from the European Union to fight the pandemic, and Iraq's PM vows to crack down on militias | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 15: 03 | Watchtowers at the notorious Tora prison on the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo on 11 February 2020 (AFP) | Egypt concerned by US…
(2021-03-03). Latinx Farmworkers Risk Their Lives During Pandemic. Many Now Struggle to Access Vaccines. democracynow.org 
There are about 2.5 million farmworkers around the U.S., many of them undocumented immigrants working under dangerous and exploitive circumstances without sick leave or healthcare. Despite their status as essential workers, however, many farmworkers are facing an uphill battle to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Estella Cisneros, legal director of the Agricultural Worker Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, says an uneven rollout in California as well as technical barriers have left many farmworkers unvaccinated. "There's been a lot of inequities that we've seen," she says. We also speak with Mary Jo Du…
(2021-03-03). Latinx Farmworkers Risk Their Lives During Pandemic. Many Now Struggle to Access Vaccines. democracynow.org There are about 2.5 million farmworkers around the U.S., many of them undocumented immigrants working under dangerous and exploitive circumstances without sick leave or healthcare. Despite their status as essential workers, however, many farmworkers are facing an uphill battle to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Estella Cisneros, legal director of the Agriculture Worker Program for California Rural Legal Assistance, says an uneven rollout in California as well as technical barriers have left many farmworkers unvaccinated. "There's been a lot of inequities that we've seen," she says. We also speak with Mary Jo Dud…
(2021-03-03). Cuba Offers Soberana 02 and Abdala to Lebanon to Fight COVID-19. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, Cuba expressed its willingness to assist Lebanon to combat COVID-19, offering its most advanced vaccines, Soberana 02 and Abdala, which will start their final-phase clinical trials sometime this month. | RELATED: | Cuban Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Pellicer made the offer during a meeting with Major General Mahmoud Al Asmar. The latter heads the working group to tackle the pandemic in this Mediterranean country…
(2021-03-03). Defend the Guard Act Stirs Debate in West Virginia Over Military Industrial Complex. counterpunch.org 
A debate over the military industrial complex is raging in West Virginia. The debate was kicked off in the West Virginia legislature again this year by Patrick McGeehan, a Republican member of the House of Delegates from the northern panhandle. McGeehan has introduced House Bill 2138 — the Defend the Guard Act. It's a short
(2021-03-03). 7 lies Amazon tells about the union. liberationnews.org 
In a historic development, 5,800 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, are right now voting on whether to be represented by the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union.
(2021-03-03). The Bessemer front in the international class struggle. workers.org 
Bessemer, Ala., is now the site of a historic labor struggle between the majority-Black Amazon warehouse workers there and the $1.7 trillion international capitalist monopoly corporation. About 80% of the warehouse workers are African American, and almost half are women. Rally for Amazon workers, Bessemer, Ala., Feb. 6. In March . . . |
(2021-03-03). Support keeps building for #BAmazon union drive, Biden feels pressure. workers.org 
A people's movement against an anti-people corporation has intensified, backing the union drive at Amazon's Bessemer, Ala., warehouse. The courageous Southern union warriors are finally starting to get the support they need and deserve. People's Organization for Progress rally to support Amazon workers outside Whole Foods, Newark, N.J., Feb. 27. . . . |
(2021-03-03). The devastating, irreparable death of Aruká Juma. peoplesworld.org 
Manaus, Amazonas — The death of the last survivor of the Juma people, the warrior Amoim Aruká, from complications linked to COVID-19, is an incalculable tragedy. The Juma people suffered innumerable massacres throughout their history. There were 15,000 of them at the turn of the 20th century and by 2002 there were only five Jumas …
(2021-03-03). Ecuador: Indigenous organizations announce national strike. mronline.org 
Supporters of Indigenous presidential candidate Yaku Perez demand the recount of electoral records due to alleged electoral fraud.
(2021-03-03). The Bits and Bytes of The Great Reset: COVID-19 and the Scaling Up of Data-Capitalism. mintpressnews.com 
The so-called Great Reset amounts to little more than a campaign to turn humanity into datasets, which the world's most powerful hedge funds and transnational corporations can use to create more profits for themselves and their clients.
(2021-03-03). Covid-19 in Lebanon: Health workers yet to receive vaccines as MPs jump the queue. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19 in Lebanon: Health workers yet to receive vaccines as MPs jump the queue | After Lebanese lawmakers were controversially inoculated, half of the country's overwhelmed medical workers anxiously await their turn | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 10: 58 | A medic prepares a dose of the Covid-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at Lebanon's American University Medical Centre in the capital Beirut, on 14 Februa…
(2021-03-03). Can we kick out immigrants like Denmark does? Critics snicker after AOC lauds McDonald's workers' wages in European nation. rt.com 
A time-tested talking point about wages of McDonald's workers in Denmark was invoked by AOC in a call for a minimum wage boost in the US. Her opponents asked if Washington should also adopt Copenhagen's harsh immigration policies. | The fact that paying workers a living wage is even up for debate is "embarrassing," progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) tweeted on Tuesday as she called to override the Senate parliamentarian and push forward with the $15/hour minimum wage. The official ruled last Thursday that the proposal cannot be included in President Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus bill…
(2021-03-03). You're not supposed to say that out loud! Covid-19 vaccines & 'return to normal' might hurt Facebook's bottom line, CFO admits. rt.com 
Facebook's CFO is concerned that as more people get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, they'll be less likely to click on Facebook ads and more likely to seek out travel and non-sedentary pursuits. | CFO David Wehner Speaking at the Morg…
(2021-03-03). Cuomo Must Go: Calls Grow to Remove NY Governor over COVID Nursing Home Cover-up & Sexual Harassment. democracynow.org 
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing mounting calls from fellow Democrats and progressive organizations to resign or be impeached over sexual harassment allegations and his cover-up of thousands of COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes. New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched an investigation after three women — two former aides and a woman who met Cuomo at a friend's wedding reception — accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. "Credible accusations of sexual harassment made by these courageous women coming forward show a clear pattern of Cuomo's abuse of power," says New York Assembly…
(2021-03-03). Policing Universities by Neoliberal Governments in the UK And France. counterpunch.org 
The respective motivations, and their specific underlying conditions, are of course different in the UK and France, but both culminate in plans for universities to curb the expression of leftist points of view. In the UK this gives a potential pulpit to "maverick" speakers on the right, such as Steve Bannon, who (facetiously?) approved the delivery of pipe bombs to critics of Trump, and who lost his book deal for having a favourable view of underage sex.
(2021-03-03). Congelación de Texas: los ricos, más ricos mientras obreros sufren. workers.org 
Houston Una tormenta invernal sin precedentes azotó a Texas el 15 de febrero y trajo temperaturas bajo cero. Una semana después, grandes sectores de la población siguen sin electricidad, calefacción y/o agua. El horizonte de Houston brilla, mientras millones sufren sin calefacción ni agua en medio de cortes de energía . . . |
(2021-03-03). Richland, Washington protesters demand 'No kids in cages'. liberationnews.org 
Facilities used to cage children that were closed under Trump's administration are being reopened under Biden's administration.
(2021-03-03). What the trees of Notre Dame have to tell us. peoplesworld.org 
On April 15, 2019, watching television footage of Notre Dame Cathedral burning, I wept like millions of other French people and others around the world. The flames which invaded the screen brought back memories of my first visit to the cathedral as a child, reading the novel by Victor Hugo (Notre Dame de Paris, 1831), …
(2021-03-03). 'Back of the Moon': A Noirish apartheid-era South African film. peoplesworld.org 
Director/co-writer and Oscar nominee Angus Gibson's Back of the Moon is another example of why I love PAFF—the Pan African Virtual Film + Arts Festival. If not for this festival film buffs like moi probably would never have heard of, let alone had the opportunity to see, this highly entertaining South African movie. Moon is …
(2021-03-03). Biden's Quandary: Proxy Wars and Endless Wars. counterpunch.org 
From the end of the Second World War until the administration of Ronald Reagan, there were very few American battlefield deaths in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and Southwest Asia. Since the administration of George H.W. Bush, however, most American battlefield deaths have taken place in those regions. The turning point took place in 1979 with the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
(2021-03-03). CDC school reopening guidance suppresses aerosols based on thin evidence and driven by budgetary concerns. mronline.org 
For a period of time after this article was originally published (February 18, 2021) it was scrubbed from Google's search index. When the author, Lambert Strether, realized the piece had been "censored," it was published a second time on March 1, 2021 with an analysis of the purging. Subsequently, the article magically reappeared in the search …
(2021-03-03). Biden pick for Secretary of Agriculture no friend of farmworkers or small farmers. workers.org 
President Joe Biden nominated former Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a job he held for the entire Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. Vilsack testified before the Senate on Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — and was confirmed a few weeks later. Vilsack's . . . |
(2021-03-03). Rosa Luxemburg at 150: Toward 'a social order worthy of the human race'. peoplesworld.org 
On March 5, 2021, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rosa Luxemburg's birth. No one who wishes to get a sense of Rosa Luxemburg as a person, both political and private, will regret watching Margarethe von Trotta's meticulously researched 1986 film of the same name. It is available with English subtitles. The film begins on …
(2021-03-03). How Facebook Suppressed Kurdish Site for sake of its Business in Turkey. juancole.com 
By Jack Gillum and Justin Elliott | — ( ProPublica ) — As Turkey launched a military offensive against Kurdish minorities in neighboring Syria in early 2018, Facebook's top executives faced a political dilemma. Turkey was demanding the social media giant block Facebook posts from the People's Protection Units, a mostly Kurdish militia group the …
(2021-03-03). Richland, Wash., protesters demand 'no kids in cages'. liberationnews.org Facilities used to cage children that were closed under Trump's administration are being reopened under Biden's administration.
(2021-03-03). Debt relief with Chinese characteristics. mronline.org 
As China is poised to become the world's largest creditor, concerns about debt sustainability have grown. Yet considerable confusion exists over what is likely to happen when a government runs into trouble repaying its Chinese loans.
(2021-03-03). A common soil pesticide cut wild bee reproduction by 89% — here's why scientists are worried. juancole.com 
By Philip Donkersley | — When you think of bees, a hive humming with activity probably comes to mind. But most of the world's 20,000 bee species don't call a hive home. These wild species lead solitary lives instead, and around 70% of them build nests underground where they raise their offspring on the nectar …
(2021-03-03). Biden's Quandry: Proxy Wars and Endless Wars. counterpunch.org From the end of the Second World War until the administration of Ronald Reagan, there were very few American battlefield deaths in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and Southwest Asia. Since the administration of George H.W. Bush, however, most American battlefield deaths have taken place in those regions. The turning point took place in 1979 with the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
(2021-03-03). Ecuador: from horror to electoral debate. mronline.org 
Amidst denunciations and accusations the campaign for the April 11 runoff begins.
(2021-03-03). What We Got in Biden. counterpunch.org 
The wrenching appeals by some on the political left to vote for Biden must sting for some of those who actually did cast their vote for him, or at least against Trump in November 2020. This is the game that plays itself out again and again and again, ad nauseam, in US politics, the politics
(2021-03-03). Republicans make the FBI look like the good guys. peoplesworld.org 
Not too many years ago, it would have been unthinkable that at a congressional hearing on right-wing terror the FBI would be defending left and progressive demonstrators, saying that it was not them but rather white supremacists that were the real threat to security in the U.S. At the obvious displeasure of Republican senators Tuesday, …
(2021-03-03). Biden pick for Secretary of Agriculture no friend of farmworkers or small farmers. workers.org President Joe Biden nominated former Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a job he held for the entire Obama administration from 2009 to 2017. Vilsack testified before the Senate on Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — and was confirmed a few weeks later. . . . |
(2021-03-03). Ruling Class Joe and the Essence of American Politics. counterpunch.org 
It's a damn good thing that the demented pandemo-fascist oligarch Donald Trump no longer sits in the White House and that his Republifascist Party no longer holds the majority in the U.S. Senate. But make no mistake: Americans continue to live under an unelected dictatorship of money and empire. Just because that class dictatorship isn't quite ready for Door #1, open fascist rule, don't look for Door #2, neo-New Deal reformist social democracy, anytime soon. No, we are still getting slammed in the face with Door #3, a neoliberal corporate-imperial authoritarianism that cancels #2 while setting us up for a harsher…
(2021-03-03). UK media coverage of Scottish politics. thecanary.co 
Image description | This cartoon is titled "UK media coverage of Scottish politics". It shows a bar graph, and the first bar is tiny, coloured green, and labelled "Usual". The second bar is massive, coloured like a Scottish flag, and labelled "When a distraction from Westminster is needed". | By
(2021-03-03). Here's the BBC's most insidious bit of Rishi Sunak propaganda yet. thecanary.co 
BBC News couldn't let Budget day go by without an insidious Who is Rishi Sunak?: | On Wedn…
(2021-03-03). Fracking banned in Delaware River Basin. workers.org 
In a historic ruling, the Delaware River Basin Commission voted Feb. 25 to permanently ban fracking (hydraulic fracturing) for natural gas in the Delaware River Watershed. This ruling formally affirms a drilling moratorium the DRBC imposed in 2010. Protesters call for ban on fracking at Delaware River Basin Commission hearing . . . |
(2021-03-03). Emboldened by Trump and Netanyahu, Jewish Settler Terrorism is Spiking. mintpressnews.com 
"I saw a lot of settlers be proud of attacking Palestinians, be open about annexation and apartheid — all of this behavior came out during the Trump administration." — Issa Amro, Founder Youths Against Settlements…
(2021-03-03). Iraq: Christians in Iraq's devastated Qaraqosh await Pope Francis's visit. middleeasteye.net 
Iraq: Christians in Iraq's devastated Qaraqosh await Pope Francis's visit | Iraq's drastically diminished Christian communities are full of hope for the pope's trip, while senior church officials remain more circumspect | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 10: 03 | Posters adorn the front of the Mar Yusef church in Baghdad, where Pope Francis will lead a mass on 6 March 2021 (MEE/Tom Westcott) | In the Christian-major…
(2021-03-03). 'Digital Suez': How the internet flows through Egypt – and why Google could change the Middle East. middleeasteye.net 
'Digital Suez': How the internet flows through Egypt – and why Google could change the Middle East | Most web traffic between Europe and Asia passes through fibre optic cables crossing Egypt. Could a proposed new route through Israel and Saudi Arabia break the 'Red Sea bottleneck'? | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 14: 55 | Most internet traffic between Europe, the Middle East and Asia passes through Egypt (MEE/…
(2021-03-03). US calls on Saudi Arabia to forgo 'developing' country status at WTO. middleeasteye.net 
US calls on Saudi Arabia to forgo 'developing' country status at WTO | Washington says Riyadh is 'wealthy and influential player' that should not get special treatment by World Trade Organisation | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 19: 02 | Saudi Arabia is a member of the G20, a forum of the world's largest economies (AFP/File photo) | The United States is calling on Saudi Arabia to give up its "developin…
(2021-03-03). Financial Times investigating complaint over Macron's claims about French Muslims. middleeasteye.net 
Financial Times investigating complaint over Macron's claims about French Muslims | UK newspaper examining accuracy of French president's published letter, in which he said young girls were wearing the veil and being separated from boys | Wed, 03/03/2021 – 16: 49 | French President Emmanuel Macron has described Islam as a 'religion in crisis' (AFP) | The Financial Times is investigating a complaint that…
(2021-03-03). Asian American Communities Organize Against Rise in Hate Crimes, Say More Policing Is Not the Answer. democracynow.org 
Anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked across the U.S. over the past year, fueled in part by Donald Trump's racist rhetoric about the coronavirus. One recent study found a 150% increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans in 2020, even though overall hate crimes fell last year. Ron Kim, member of the New York State Assembly representing the 40th District in Queens, New York, says anti-Asian sentiment tends to flare up during times of crisis. "There's a long history of Asian Americans in this country feeling targeted and scapegoated whenever we experience economic downturns," says Kim. We also speak with Kim Tran…
