2021-02-26: News Headlines

Global Research News (2021-02-26). Haiti Betrayed: Screening and Discussion. globalresearch.ca To commemorate the anniversary of the US/France/Canada led overthrow of Haiti's elected government, we are hosting a screening and discussion of …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-02-26). US Sponsored Coup d'État: The Destabilization of Haiti. globalresearch.ca Of relevance to recent developments in Haiti: | This article was written in the last days of February 2004 in response to the barrage of disinformation in the mainstream media. | It was completed and published on February 29th, the day of …

Global Research News (2021-02-26). Selected Articles: Haiti Betrayed. globalresearch.ca By There's a big mystery that needs to be solved. It's how many people are getting sick and dying from the Covid vaccines. …

Alan Macleod (2021-02-26). Media Completely Ignore American Secret Agent's Trial for Terrorism in Venezuela. mintpressnews.com One might think that a supposedly innocent American citizen on trial for terrorism inside a hostile enemy country, facing decades behind bars in Venezuela's notorious prisons, would spark a nationwide media furor.

Roger Harris (2021-02-26). Joe Biden's US Foreign Policy: Return to the Old Normal? counterpunch.org US President Biden bellicosely proclaimed, "American is back," in his major foreign policy priorities speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 19. Repeated twice for effect, Biden signaled the end of the Trump interregnum. No more assuring words could have been uttered for George W. Bush's former Defense Secretary Colin Powell and the 70 odd Republican national security officials, who wrote an open letter endorsing Biden out of fear that Trump would upset the bipartisan foreign policy consensus of regime change, forever wars, and the NATO alliance. Republican neo-cons now shelter in the Democrat's big…

Staff (2021-02-26). Battleground Baltimore: Maryland shows solidarity with unionizing Amazon workers. therealnews.com Amazon workers rally in Baltimore County, the LEOBR could survive attempts to weaken it, City Councilperson Ryan Dorsey feuds with the FOP, and more.

RT (2021-02-26). Amazon-owned Twitch removes anti-union ads pushed by parent company after media and users complain. rt.com Ads urging workers in Alabama not to unionize "shouldn't have been allowed," the streaming platform Twitch said, bucking its parent company Amazon after a pro-union outlet published a story complaining about the videos. | "Twitch does not allow political advertising, and these ads should never have been allowed to run on our service," the company said in a statement on Wednesday, thanking the "community" for bringing them to attention. | new: Twitch says they have removed these ads from the platform "Twitch does not allow political advertising, and these ads should never have been allowed to run on our service…

Areeb Ullah (2021-02-26). Shamima Begum not allowed to return to UK, Supreme Court rules. middleeasteye.net Shamima Begum not allowed to return to UK, Supreme Court rules | Londoner who travelled to Syria to join Islamic State as a teenager argued she should be able to appeal stripping of citizenship in UK | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 09: 45 | Shamima Begum, photographed in her tent at the al-Roj camp in northeastern Syria in February 2020 (Screenshot) | The UK's Supreme Court has ruled that Shamima Begum, a British wo…

Eds. (2021-02-26). Hundreds of law students announce boycott of Chevron law firm Seward & Kissel for "unethical" private prosecution of human rights attorney Steven Donziger. mronline.org Students from over 50 leading U.S. law schools—including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and New York University—have announced a recruiting boycott of a prominent Chevron law firm to protest its "unethical" private prosecution of U.S. human rights lawyer Steven Donziger after he helped win a $9.5 billion pollution judgment against Chevron.

John Bachtell (2021-02-26). Haaland on track to make history as first Native American cabinet secretary. peoplesworld.org "This is all of our country, this is our mother. You've heard the Earth referred to as Mother Earth. It's difficult to not feel obligated to protect this land, and I feel that every Indigenous person in this country understands that," said Rep. Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden's nominee to be Secretary of Interior. "It's …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-26). Imagining Palestine: On Barghouti, Darwish, Kanafani and the Language of Exile. counterpunch.org For Palestinians, exile is not simply the physical act of being removed from their homes and their inability to return. It is not a casual topic pertaining to politics and international law, either. Nor is it an ethereal notion, a sentiment, a poetic verse. It is all of this, combined. The death in Amman of

Steve Ellner (2021-02-26). Maduro's Decision To Expell European Union's Ambassador To Venezuela Was Justified. zcomm.org Maduro's expelling of the EU's ambassador in Caracas was a response to the EU's decision to sanction 19 Venezuelans for "undermining democracy" and alleged human rights abuse…

Staff (2021-02-26). Biden's team won't end the forever wars. therealnews.com From Afghanistan to Niger, the "new normal" of American warfare shows no signs of changing course under President Biden and his hawkish national security team. In this episode of "The Marc Steiner Show," combat veteran and writer Danny Sjursen issues a dire warning about American military policy. Tune in for new episodes of The Marc Steiner …

Staff (2021-02-26). "We Want the Truth Uncovered": Malcolm X's Daughter Ilyasah Shabazz Backs New Probe into Assassination. democracynow.org The family of Malcolm X is demanding a new investigation into his 1965 assassination in light of the deathbed confession of a former New York police officer who said police and the FBI conspired to kill the Black leader. Ilyasah Shabazz, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and one of Malcolm's six children, says the latest revelation is further evidence of how the authorities worked to infiltrate and undermine Black organizations during the Civil Rights Movement. "All he wanted was for America to live up to her promise of liberty and justice for all," she says of her father. "I'm happy…

Staff (2021-02-26). The Assassination of Malcolm X: Ex-Undercover Officer Admits Role in FBI & Police Conspiracy. democracynow.org The FBI and New York Police Department are facing renewed calls to open their records into the assassination of Malcolm X, after the release of a deathbed confession of a former undercover NYPD officer who admitted to being part of a conspiracy targeting Malcolm. In the confession, Raymond Wood, who died last year, admitted he entrapped two members of Malcolm's security team in another crime — a plot to blow up the Statue of Liberty — just days before the assassination. This left the Black civil rights leader vulnerable at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, where he was fatally shot on February 21, 1965.

Staff (2021-02-26). "The Whole System Needs to be Indicted": Attorney Benjamin Crump on Overhauling U.S. Policing. democracynow.org The Democratic-led House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on a sweeping police reform bill that would ban chokeholds, prohibit federal no-knock warrants, establish a National Police Misconduct Registry and other measures. The legislation, known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, is in response to a series of high-profile killings of Black people in 2020 and the nationwide racial justice uprising they sparked. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented the families of Floyd, Daniel Prude, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many other victims of police and racial viol…

Ahmed Abdulkareem (2021-02-26). Futile: Saudi's Decade-Long Attempt to Bottle Up Yemeni Youth Revolution is Failing. mintpressnews.com "Saudi Arabia has crushed our revolution, turned our lives into hell because our uprising was interpreted by the ruling family as a threat to [their] influence and because of their fear of the revolution spreading to the Saudi interior." — Yemeni artist Aisha Ali Saeed…

Joe Parkin Daniels (2021-02-27). [World Report] Colombia grants protected status to 1 ∑7 million migrants. thelancet.com The decision will enable 950‚Äà000 undocumented Venezuelans to access the health system in Colombia. Joe Parkin Daniels reports from Bogotá.

Viviana Weinstein (2021-02-26). Denver protest: 'No war on Iran!'. workers.org Feb. 20, Denver.Denver Students for a Democratic Society, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Denver Peace Council held a demonstration Feb. 20 at the state capital, in cooperation with the national call to prevent Washington from instigating a war against Iran. Threats the U.S. warships would move into the Persian/Arabian . . . |

The Socialist Program (2021-02-26). Their Protest Forced Investigation on Elijah McClain Police Killing; Now They Face Decades in Prison. liberationnews.org A damning new independent investigation into the police murder of Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado has been released, but the only people facing charges so far in this case are the activists who led the movement for justice for Elijah McClain.

Diego Sanchez (2021-02-26). El Monte taco vendors and community: 'LA County Department of Public Health, stop harassing us!'. liberationnews.org Community members gathered on Feb. 13 in front of the El Monte Police Department in solidarity with local street vendors. This action comes a week after a violent attack by an LA County health inspector and EMPD on the Los Palomos taco stand. Community members and organizations such as ACAB El Monte, Revolutionary Socialists for …

_____ (2021-02-26). U.S.-Backed Ecuador Government Tries Stopping Socialist Electoral Victory. strategic-culture.org If Arauz wins the presidency, he may appoint an important economist and ideologist of the "Citizens Revolution" to a government post, Ron Ridenour writes. | U.S.-backed Lenin Moreno government is trying to stop the new socialistic UNES political party candidate, Andres Arauz, from winning the national elections underway. | Andres Arauz, won first place, 32.7%, on the first round of national elections, February 7. Arauz is the first presidential candidate of UNES, Union of Hope. | Former president Rafael Correa led the formation of this party, Union of Hope (UNES) after he had backed Moreno for president in 2017.

Greg Kearney (2021-02-26). When it comes to COVID, why aren't Republicans 'pro-life' anymore? peoplesworld.org Read:

Marilyn Bechtel (2021-02-26). Calif. essential workers and supporters call for extended COVID-related sick leave. peoplesworld.org Essential workers, labor advocates, and legislators are joining together to urge the California legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom to act immediately to expand emergency paid sick days and paid family and medical leave protection for workers in the state's 2021-2022 early action budget. Both federal and California emergency paid sick leave mandates on employers expired …

Henry Tufnell (2021-02-26). High Court: Covid self-employed support scheme does not unlawfully discriminate against women. ukhumanrightsblog.com R (The Motherhood Plan and Anor) v HM Treasury [2021] EWHC 309 (Admin) — read judgment In a judgment handed down on 17 February 2021, the High Court has ruled that the Self Employment Income Support Scheme ("the Scheme") introduced during the coronavirus pandemic does not indirectly discriminate against self-employed women who have taken a …

Staff (2021-02-26). Sanders Blasts Parliamentarian's Ruling Dropping Wage Hike From COVID Bill. truthout.org Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and several other Democratic lawmakers are lambasting a decision by the Senate parliamentarian, a nonpartisan referee in that legislative body, who determined on Thursday that a provision to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the COVID economic relief package does not align with the rules for the reconciliation process. | But while Democrats appear upset over the decision, the party may be disunited on what path they should take next to raise the minimum wag…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-26). Iraq: Protesters killed in clashes with security forces in Nasiriyah. middleeasteye.net Iraq: Protesters killed in clashes with security forces in Nasiriyah | At least five demonstrators have been killed over the past week as activists defied a Covid-19 lockdown to take to the streets | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 16: 00 | Iraqi protesters are pictured next to burning tyres during clashes with police during anti-government demonstrations in the city of Nasiriyah in the Dhi Qar province…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-26). Covid-19: Israel freezes programme to send vaccines abroad amid legal scrutiny. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Israel freezes programme to send vaccines abroad amid legal scrutiny | Bid to garner international goodwill suspended after attorney general said to be seeking clarification about its legality | Fri, 02/26/2021 – 10: 32 | Palestinians have accused Israel of ignoring its duties as an occupying power by not including the Palestinians in its inoculation programme (AFP) | Israel has…

Online News Editor (2021-02-26). Serbia embraces Chinese Covid jab as rollout leads continental Europe. laprensalatina.com Belgrade, Feb 26 (efe-epa).- Serbia is leading continental Europe's Covid-19 vaccine drive thanks to its decision to purchase millions of Chinese-produced jabs combined with a well-planned rollout strategy. The Balkan nation's health authorities on Friday said they had administered a total of 1.37 million doses to a population of around seven million, which means almost …

Online News Editor (2021-02-26). South Korea starts its vaccination campaign against COVID-19. laprensalatina.com Seoul, Feb 26 (efe-epa).- South Korea began Friday its vaccination campaign against Covid-19 more than a year after detecting its first case in the country and with the aim of having immunized the majority of its population by November and thus achieve herd immunity. The first person to be inoculated with the vaccine developed by …

Lubna Masarwa (2021-02-26). Israel's closure of Covid clinic leaves 50,000 people at high risk. middleeasteye.net Israel's closure of Covid clinic leaves 50,000 people at high risk | Termination of vaccine programme for those living in Israel without legal status may be legally challenged by rights groups
| Fri, 02/26/2021 – 13: 50 | A paramedic with Israel's Magen David Adom medical services prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for a Palestinian man in a mobile clinic on 26 February 202…

_____ (2021-02-26). Scheer Intelligence: Lawrence Ferlinghetti. popularresistance.org Ninety-seven-year-old Lawrence Ferlinghetti was one of the founders of the paperback bookstore City Lights in San Francisco, as well as publisher and champion of beat poets and writers including Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. In their conversation, Ferlinghetti tells Robert Scheer how his experience as a naval officer in Japan during World War II made him an "instant pacifist." Ferlinghetti discusses many in the Beat movement's surprising sympathy for Fidel Castro and Cuba in spite of their socially progressive views. Despite his lifetime of work with the Beats, Ferlinghetti never considered himself one.

Eds. (2021-02-26). The Pandemic: Half a million lives lost in U.S., more than the two World Wars and Vietnam War combined. mronline.org Over half a million people have died of coronavirus in the U.S. Grasping the enormity—half a million people gone—is difficult to visualize.

Mike Walter (2021-02-26). The Heat: One scientist's fight against disease & Racism against Asian-Americans. america.cgtn.com As the pandemic continues to take its toll, we'll talk to one of America's leading science pioneers. Plus — what's behind the alarming rise in violence against Asian Americans?>

Staff (2021-02-26). Big Tech Shouldn't Be the Arbiter of Our Free Speech Rights. truthout.org Business corporations don't need free speech rights. Nor should they have the power to deny free speech to others. But leading up to and following the 2020 election, we saw both undemocratic realities on display. | The 2020 election was largely "democratic." Due to the pandemic, more voters had more ways to cast their ballots than ever, and the elections were overall free and fair. H…

Vijay Prashad (2021-02-26). Your privileges are not Universal. mronline.org Stencilled in red on the walls of Santiago, Chile is a statement of fact: 'your privileges are not universal' (tus privilegios no son universales).

Ted Kelly (2021-02-26). Biden sends B-1 bombers to Norway, threatens Russia. workers.org The U.S. Air Force announced during February that it is sending four B-1 bombers and at least 200 personnel to Orland Air Base on the central coast of Norway. Pentagon officials made no secret of the fact that the deployment is meant as a threat to Russia, which is well . . . |

Michael T. Klare (2021-02-26). A New Cold War on a Scalding Planet: Biden, Climate Change, and China. counterpunch.org Slowing the pace of climate change and getting "tough" on China, especially over its human-rights abuses and unfair trade practices, are among the top priorities President Biden has announced for his new administration. Evidently, he believes that he can tame a rising China with harsh pressure tactics, while still gaining its cooperation in areas of concern

Ron Jacobs (2021-02-26). Health Care and Colonialism: A Sickness unto Death. counterpunch.org Nothing is immune from the stain of colonialism and its associated phenomena of racism. This includes the practice of medicine. Whether one is considering the inequality of medical care between the global north and south, the unevenness of medical care inside imperial nations stemming from those nations' colonial history, or the racist attitudes still endemic

Kim Petersen (2021-02-26). North Korea Steadfastly Resisting US Hegemony. dissidentvoice.org I learned a while back to be especially skeptical of western mass media and their governments.1 My experience of life in China is nothing like how western demonization portrays it to be. Therefore, I looked forward to the chance to experience North Korea first hand. I traveled there with a Chinese group departing China. Starting …

Jordan Woll (2021-02-26). Biden bombs Syria: "Self-defense" or an act of war? liberationnews.org President Joe Biden engaged in his first high-profile military operation yesterday, launching an airstrike on Syria that left as many as 22 dead. This attack appears to have targeted facilities, equipment and fighters of Iraqi resistance organizations affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, one of the main groups responsible for liberating much of Iraq from …

National Committee for Justice in Denver (2021-02-26). Activists who forced Elijah McClain investigation facing retaliation, decades in prison. liberationnews.org This statement was issued by the newly-formed National Committee for Justice in Denver. To support their work, you can sign the petition demanding the charges be dropped or make an urgently-needed donation. An explosive new report finds Aurora, CO cops who tortured and killed Elijah McClain had no cause to detain or choke him; corrupt …

C.J. Atkins (2021-02-26). àÅlvaro Cunhal's prison novel 'The Six-Pointed Star'—A chat with the translator. peoplesworld.org Editor's note: Eric Gordon is translating several fictional works written by Portuguese Communist Party leader àÅlvaro Cunhal under the pseudonym Manuel Tiago. The Six-Pointed Star is the second in what is hoped to be a series of works put out in English for the first time by International Publishers. Below is an interview between People's …

Cameron Orr (2021-02-26). 'We're not going back': N.Y. Black History event featuring Gerald Horne, Feb. 28. peoplesworld.org NEW YORK—In celebration of African-American culture and struggle, People's World will be supporting an online event broadcast from New York by the We're Not Going Back Host Committee this Sunday, Feb. 28th at 6: 30pm. This years' installment of the annual event will feature historian Gerald Horne as its keynote speaker. Dr. Horne, a prolific author …

Eds. (2021-02-26). Catastrophe and Utopia: Kim Stanley Robinson's 'Ministry for the Future'. mronline.org We need no longer speculate about whether we live in a climate emergency. The scientific verdict has been out for some time now, each year's report grimmer than the last.

Wayne Nealis (2021-02-26). George Floyd justice coalition puts officials on notice before Chauvin trial. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS—At a press conference held in Minneapolis on Feb. 25, a coalition of groups demanding justice for George Floyd reminded city and state officials that they will fill the streets March 8 on the opening day of the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin. They put the city on notice that no matter how …

RT (2021-02-27). NYT columnist faces conflict of interest accusations after singing praise for Facebook 'Groups' feature in tech giant's blog post. rt.com New York Times writer David Brooks has come under fire for a potential conflict of interest after penning a blog post for Facebook's corporate site while a project he helped to found accepted money from the social media giant. | A

The Lancet (2021-02-27). [Editorial] 50 years of the inverse care law. thelancet.com "The availability of good medical care tends to vary with the need for it in the population served. This inverse care law operates more completely where medical care is most exposed to market forces, and less so where such exposure is reduced."

Andy Haines, Mayara Floss (2021-02-27). [Comment] The inverse care law in the Anthropocene epoch. thelancet.com Julian Tudor Hart described the inverse relationship between the need for effective health care and its provision in compelling terms. During his career in primary care in a former coal mining community in south Wales, UK, he showed how, by integrating clinical care with an epidemiological approach, much can be done to improve health in disadvantaged populations.1 He wrote the inverse care law2 based on an analysis of the UK National Health Service (NHS) 50 years ago and yet its importance has transcended that historical period and its national context.

Haiti Action Committee (2021-02-26). Monday 3/1: Stand with the People of Haiti Demonstration. indybay.org Meet in front of San Francisco Main Library at 100 Larkin Street…