Daily Archives: February 22, 2020

2020-02-22: News Headlines

Center for Biological Diversity (2020-02-22). Congress Introduces Bill to Save Monarch Butterflies in West. indybay.org Western Population Has Declined by 99%, Extinction Looming…

Alan Macleod (2020-02-21). As Media Amplifies Unrest in Venezuela and Beyond, Millions Are Quietly Revolting in Colombia. mintpressnews.com Despite protests of historic proportions fueled by anger over corruption and a brutal right-wing crackdown, the unrest in Colombia has garnered remarkably little international media attention compared to Venezuela.

Lucas Koerner (2020-02-21). EXCHANGE: Left Media and Venezuela. mronline.org The sociologist never levels the "authoritarian" charge against his own government, despite the United States' murderous lawlessness at home and abroad—mass deportations, illegal wars, serial police killings, etc.—all in the absence of any credible external threat. |

teleSUR (2020-02-21). Uruguay: Lacalle's Investiture Ceremony Alined With US Biases. telesurenglish.net Uruguay's President-elect Luis Lacalle decided not to invite the diplomatic representatives of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to his investiture ceremony on March 1rst. | RELATED: | "We have taken the decision not to invite the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua to my inaugural ceremony. It's my decision," Lacalle said. | He alleged that those countries violate the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), which…

teleSUR (2020-02-21). Venezuelan Parliament Reinstates Committee to Choose New CNE. telesurenglish.net The deputies of the Bloque de la Patria and of the Venezuelan opposition in the National Assembly announced that the period of nominations for the Preliminary Commission that will choose the members of the new National Electoral Council (CNE) will soon be over. | RELATED: | The preliminary committee was installed last December, but the elections of the new directive of the National Assembly on January 5th and the refu…

The Canary (2020-02-21). Windrush draft 'branding Home Office institutionally racist was watered down'. thecanary.co A warning not to water down a review into the Windrush scandal has been issued after it was reported that a portion branding the Home Office "institutionally racist" was stripped out. | The delayed independent review was commissioned after people with a right to live in the UK were wrongfully detained or deported to the Caribbean. | The Times reported sources saying the phrase "institutionally racist" was included in an earlier draft of the Windrush review led by Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams, but had subsequently been removed. | Labour MP David Lammy, a vocal campaigner over the scandal caused by the…

Ron Jacobs (2020-02-21). The Young Lords: Luchadores Para La Gente. counterpunch.org The Young Lords were a somewhat unique political formation. Their primarily Puerto Rican membership focused their organizing on the neighborhoods they lived in. Despite the Marxist foundations of their political philosophy, they were able to gain popular support for their programs among the traditional Catholic Puerto Rican population. As Johanna Fernandez patiently explains in her

Alan Macleod (2020-02-21). Venezuelan Embassy in Washington Reopens Under Watch of Anti-Maduro Thugs. mintpressnews.com The new embassy is a microcosm of Juan Guaidó's attempted premiership; backed by the U.S. but existing only in theory, with the Maduro government still holding office.

Ed Rampell (2020-02-20). Pan African Film & Arts Festival returns to L.A. peoplesworld.org LOS ANGELES—One of the top ways to celebrate Black History Month—and the moviegoing experience in general—is to attend the Los Angeles-based 28th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival. PAFF focuses on Black-themed films, ranging from studio pictures to indie productions, with works from Hollywood, the USA, Mother Africa, the Caribbean, Melanesia (the Black South …

news.un (2020-02-20). Haitian leaders urged to end political impasse. news.un.org Leaders in Haiti must step up and end the political impasse between President Jovenel MoàØse and a surging opposition movement that has paralyzed the island nation since July 2018, the top UN official there said on Thursday in a briefing to the UN Security Council in New York.

Susan Price (2020-02-20). Venezuela files ICC lawsuit over US sanctions. greenleft.org.au

Staff (2020-02-19). Latinx Group Mijente Backs Bernie Sanders in First-Ever Presidential Endorsement. democracynow.org In its first-ever presidential endorsement, the Latinx and Chicanx organization Mijente endorsed Bernie Sanders on Tuesday ahead of the Nevada caucuses. The group tweeted its decision, saying, "We know that in 2020, Trump's potential re-election is a life-or-death threat for us, for our people, and for our planet. This moment demands a historic mobilization. That's why Mijente is uniting with the movement to elect @BernieSanders." A video accompanied the announcement. After the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the electorate is overwhelmingly white, Nevada is the first election with a diverse population.

Fight Back (2020-02-18). Afro-Venezuelan socialist youth leader's message to the people of the U.S. fightbacknews.org In January, Fight Back! reporters participated in the World Anti-Imperialist Gathering in Caracas, Venezuela. While there, they interviewed delegates from Venezuela and from several other countries. In this interview, Ender Sabalsa, a leader of the youth sector and the Afro-descendent sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), gives his message to the people of the United States. | Ender Sabalsa: Revolutionary greetings to everyone reading this and to all the peoples of the world. My name is Ender Sabalsa. I'm a member of the youth sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). I'm also…

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2020-02-17). Mistrial Is Another Blow to US Coup In Venezuela. dissidentvoice.org Last week we, along with Adrienne Pine and David Paul, were unsuccessfully prosecuted by the Trump administration for our protection of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC from April 10 to May 16, 2019. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision and so we remain innocent of the charge of interfering with the …

Fight Back (2020-02-17). Un mensaje al pueblo estadounidense de un joven venezolano afrodescendiente socialista. fightbacknews.org En enero unos periodistas de °Lucha y Resiste! participaron en el Encuentro Mundial Antiimperialista en Caracas, Venezuela. Allí hicieron entrevistas con delegados de Venezuela y de varios otros países. Esta es una entrevista con Ender Sabalsa, un líder de la Juventud PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) y del sector afrodescendiente en que él comparte un mensaje al pueblo de los Estados Unidos. | Ender: Un saludo revolucionario a todos los que nos están viendo y a todos los pueblos del mundo. Mi nombre es Ender Sabalsa, milito en la juventud del Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, del sector afro…

Leonardo Flores (2020-02-15). Mistrial in Trump admin's biased case against Venezuelan embassy protectors is win for sovereignty. thegrayzone.com The Trump administration's case against Venezuelan embassy protectors was severely biased, but ended up with a hung jury. The mistrial…

Anya Parampil (2020-02-12). Did Venezuelan coup leader Ricardo Hausmann stage fake IDB resignation to keep cushy Harvard job? thegrayzone.com Caught in a conflict of interest with his employer at Harvard, Ricardo Hausmann publicly resigned his job as Guaido's Inter-American…

Venezuela Analysis (2020-02-06). Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law" theantimedia.com In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-20). Notes on a private TV newscast in Bolivia. The contrast with Venezuela is clear as day. zcomm.org In August, I took detailed notes a news broadcast on one of Venezuela's largest TV networks. I summarized these notes in an interview I did with the Real News Network making the point that Venezuela's private media (which reaches 60-90% of households) is remarkably free — most especially when you consider the US is openly

Joe Emersberger (2019-12-16). Francisco Rodriguez answers some questions I asked about Venezuela. zcomm.org Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodriguez, formerly of Torino Economics, answered a few questions of mine about his country. He was the economic adviser to Henri Falcon, the second place finisher in the May 2018 presidential election. His updated estimate for 2019 is that Venezuela's real GDP will contract by 25% . That's horrific, but less severe

2020-02-22: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Congress Introduces Bill to Save Monarch Butterflies in West
Center for Biological Diversity | indybay.org | 2020-02-22
Western Population Has Declined by 99%, Extinction Looming…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/20/18830857.php

As Media Amplifies Unrest in Venezuela and Beyond, Millions Are Quietly Revolting in Colombia
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-21
Despite protests of historic proportions fueled by anger over corruption and a brutal right-wing crackdown, the unrest in Colombia has garnered remarkably little international media attention compared to Venezuela.
mintpressnews.com/media-silent-millions-quietly-protest-colombia/265096/

EXCHANGE: Left Media and Venezuela
Lucas Koerner | mronline.org | 2020-02-21
The sociologist never levels the "authoritarian" charge against his own government, despite the United States' murderous lawlessness at home and abroad–mass deportations, illegal wars, serial police killings, etc.–all in the absence of any credible external threat. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/21/left-media-and-venezuela-an-exchange/

Uruguay: Lacalle's Investiture Ceremony Alined With US Biases
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-21
Uruguay's President-elect Luis Lacalle decided not to invite the diplomatic representatives of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to his investiture ceremony on March 1rst. | RELATED: | Lacalle Looks to Turn Uruguay Into Tax Haven Again | "We have taken the decision not to invite the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua to my inaugural ceremony. It's my decision," Lacalle said. | He alleged that those countries violate the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), which…
telesurenglish.net/news/lacalle-excludes-cuba-venezuela-and-nicaragua-from-his-assumption-of-office-20200221-0005.html

Venezuelan Parliament Reinstates Committee to Choose New CNE
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-21
The deputies of the Bloque de la Patria and of the Venezuelan opposition in the National Assembly announced that the period of nominations for the Preliminary Commission that will choose the members of the new National Electoral Council (CNE) will soon be over. | RELATED: | Maduro Announces Measures to Defend Venezuela's Oil Industry | The preliminary committee was installed last December, but the elections of the new directive of the National Assembly on January 5th and the refu…
telesurenglish.net/news/venezuelan-parliament-reinstates-committee-to-choose-new-cne-20200220-0024.html

Venezuelan Embassy in Washington Reopens Under Watch of Anti-Maduro Thugs
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-21
The new embassy is a microcosm of Juan Guaidó's attempted premiership; backed by the U.S. but existing only in theory, with the Maduro government still holding office.
mintpressnews.com/copy-of-venezuelan-embassy-washington-reopens/265111/

Technology Kicks China-LatAm Cooperation Into High Gear
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-21
"I was surprised by the service," Chilean Cristobal Velasquez recently said of Chinese ride-hailing app Didi, which in a short time has gained a firm foothold in Latin America. | "While it's a relatively new app (here), it has spread quickly in (Chile's capital) Santiago and throughout the whole country," offering a "safe and economical" alternative to standard ride-sharing services, said Velasquez. | RELATED: | China: 'Venezuelan Oil Sales Are Legal and Should Be Respected' |
telesurenglish.net/news/Technology-Kicks-China-LatAm-Cooperation-Into-High-Gear-20200221-0014.html

Windrush draft 'branding Home Office institutionally racist was watered down'
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-02-21
A warning not to water down a review into the Windrush scandal has been issued after it was reported that a portion branding the Home Office "institutionally racist" was stripped out. | The delayed independent review was commissioned after people with a right to live in the UK were wrongfully detained or deported to the Caribbean. | The Times reported sources saying the phrase "institutionally racist" was included in an earlier draft of the Windrush review led by Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams, but had subsequently been removed. | Labour MP David Lammy, a vocal campaigner over the scandal caused by the…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/02/21/windrush-draft-branding-home-office-institutionally-racist-was-watered-down/

A tiny British company is trying to undo the country's landmark law on elephant ivory
Tracy Keeling | thecanary.co | 2020-02-21
There aren't many policies and laws that come from the British parliament these days that citizens can be proud of. In 2018, however, politicians of many stripes united around bringing in a stringent ban on the trade in elephant ivory. Given how dramatically populations of elephants and other magnificent wildlife species have fallen in recent decades, this is something everyone can get behind. | Well, everyone, that is, apart from those who prof…
thecanary.co/discovery/analysis-discovery/2020/02/21/a-tiny-british-company-is-trying-to-undo-the-countrys-landmark-law-on-elephant-ivory/

The Young Lords: Luchadores Para La Gente
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-21
The Young Lords were a somewhat unique political formation. Their primarily Puerto Rican membership focused their organizing on the neighborhoods they lived in. Despite the Marxist foundations of their political philosophy, they were able to gain popular support for their programs among the traditional Catholic Puerto Rican population. As Johanna Fernandez patiently explains in her…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/21/the-young-lords-luchadores-para-la-gente/

Haitian leaders urged to end political impasse
news.un.org | 2020-02-20
Leaders in Haiti must step up and end the political impasse between President Jovenel MoàØse and a surging opposition movement that has paralyzed the island nation since July 2018, the top UN official there said on Thursday in a briefing to the UN Security Council in New York.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057781

Pan African Film & Arts Festival returns to L.A
Ed Rampell | peoplesworld.org | 2020-02-20
LOS ANGELES–One of the top ways to celebrate Black History Month–and the moviegoing experience in general–is to attend the Los Angeles-based 28th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival. PAFF focuses on Black-themed films, ranging from studio pictures to indie productions, with works from Hollywood, the USA, Mother Africa, the Caribbean, Melanesia (the Black South …
peoplesworld.org/article/pan-african-film-arts-festival-returns-to-l-a/

Venezuela files ICC lawsuit over US sanctions
Susan Price | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-20
international solidarity Paul DobsonIssue 1254 Venezuela ICC International Court of Justice US blockadeFebruary 20, 202…
greenleft.org.au/content/venezuela-files-icc-lawsuit-over-us-sanctions

Latinx Group Mijente Backs Bernie Sanders in First-Ever Presidential Endorsement
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-19
In its first-ever presidential endorsement, the Latinx and Chicanx organization Mijente endorsed Bernie Sanders on Tuesday ahead of the Nevada caucuses. The group tweeted its decision, saying, "We know that in 2020, Trump's potential re-election is a life-or-death threat for us, for our people, and for our planet. This moment demands a historic mobilization. That's why Mijente is uniting with the movement to elect @BernieSanders." A video accompanied the announcement. After the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, where the electorate is overwhelmingly white, Nevada is the first election with a diverse population.
www.democracynow.org/2020/2/19/latinx_groups_back_bernie_sanders

Afro-Venezuelan socialist youth leader's message to the people of the U.S
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-18
In January, Fight Back! reporters participated in the World Anti-Imperialist Gathering in Caracas, Venezuela. While there, they interviewed delegates from Venezuela and from several other countries. In this interview, Ender Sabalsa, a leader of the youth sector and the Afro-descendent sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), gives his message to the people of the United States. | Ender Sabalsa: Revolutionary greetings to everyone reading this and to all the peoples of the world. My name is Ender Sabalsa. I'm a member of the youth sector of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). I'm also…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/2/17/afro-venezuelan-socialist-youth-leader-s-message-people-us

Mistrial Is Another Blow to US Coup In Venezuela
Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-02-17
Last week we, along with Adrienne Pine and David Paul, were unsuccessfully prosecuted by the Trump administration for our protection of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC from April 10 to May 16, 2019. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision and so we remain innocent of the charge of interfering with the …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/02/mistrial-is-another-blow-to-us-coup-in-venezuela/

Un mensaje al pueblo estadounidense de un joven venezolano afrodescendiente socialista
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-17
En enero unos periodistas de °Lucha y Resiste! participaron en el Encuentro Mundial Antiimperialista en Caracas, Venezuela. Allí hicieron entrevistas con delegados de Venezuela y de varios otros países. Esta es una entrevista con Ender Sabalsa, un líder de la Juventud PSUV (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela) y del sector afrodescendiente en que él comparte un mensaje al pueblo de los Estados Unidos. | Ender: Un saludo revolucionario a todos los que nos están viendo y a todos los pueblos del mundo. Mi nombre es Ender Sabalsa, milito en la juventud del Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, del sector afro…
www.fightbacknews.org/node/7849

Mistrial in Trump admin's biased case against Venezuelan embassy protectors is win for sovereignty
Leonardo Flores | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-15
The Trump administration's case against Venezuelan embassy protectors was severely biased, but ended up with a hung jury. The mistrial…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/14/mistrial-trump-case-venezuelan-embassy-protectors/

Solidarity activists report on visit to Venezuela
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2020-02-14
international solidarity Chris SleeIssue 1253 Australia Venezuela MelbourneFebruary 14, 2020Three solidarity activists who recently returned from Venezuela addressed a meeting organised by the Ve…
greenleft.org.au/content/solidarity-activists-report-visit-venezuela

Did Venezuelan coup leader Ricardo Hausmann stage fake IDB resignation to keep cushy Harvard job?
Anya Parampil | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-12
Caught in a conflict of interest with his employer at Harvard, Ricardo Hausmann publicly resigned his job as Guaido's Inter-American…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/12/venezuelan-coup-ricardo-hausmann-idb-resignation-harvard/

Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law"
Venezuela Analysis | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-06
In this exclusive interview, VA talks to the activists who defended the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC ahead of their trial.

Embassy Protection Collective: "We Are Not the Ones Who Violated the Law"