(2021-11-10). The Facebook team that tried to swing Nicaragua's election is full of U.S. spies. mronline.org 
A tacit agreement between the government and Facebook appears to have been made: you can keep the profits, but we control the message. As such, a cynic might wonder what functional difference there is between Facebook and the national security state.
(2021-11-10). Liberian health workers organize amidst the pandemic. roarmag.org 
Ebola survivor Korlia Bonarwolo leads a training of health workers at a mock Ebola Treatment Unit in Monrovia, Liberia. November 2014. Photo: Morgana Wingard / Sarah Grile | This essay is published in collaboration with Public Services International | | On October 26, the Liberian government declared that the country no longer had any active COVID-19 cases. Dixon Korveh heard the news and felt good, "no active case is proof of the hard work we did, despite challenges, we did this" he says. | The challenges Dixon talks about are major. During the…
(2021-11-10). On American Patriotism: A Marxist Polemic. orinocotribune.com By Danny Haiphong — Nov 5, 2021 | The embrace of American patriotism, what some are calling "proletarian patriotism" within online circles, is yet another attempt to rebrand American nationalism. It is similar in character but different in form to the ongoing effort to rebrand the two-party system through the development of a "socialist" bloc within the Democratic Party's corporate jaws. Ideology is rendered an abstraction in each case rather than a reflection of the material conditions of society. The Democratic Party is a capitalist-owned party and therefore cannot but serve the interests of the capitalist…
(2021-11-10). Apple loses appeal in epic battle against payment monopoly. rt.com 
A US federal judge has denied Apple's request for a pause on a previous court order forcing the company to allow app makers to implement their own payment systems, after the tech giant was sued over alleged antitrust violations. | Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals shut down the company's petition for a stay on an earlier order on Tuesday,
(2021-11-10). NASA will miss Trump target for Moon landing. rt.com 
NASA has shared that its astronauts will not return to the Moon until 2025 at the earliest, missing an ambitious target set by then-US President Donald Trump's administration to reach the lunar surface "by any means necessary." | Announcing the delay on Tuesday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Congress had not provided enough funding for the landing system needed for its Artemis moon program and that more money is required for its Orion capsule program — which now has a revised cost of $9.3 billion. | A legal challenge from billionaire Jeff Bezos rocket company, Blue Origin, over the procurement by El…
(2021-11-10). COP26: Military pollution is the skeleton in the West's climate closet. mronline.org 
Leaders at the COP26 summit have no intention of tackling the growing environmental impacts caused by their 'defence' spending.
(2021-11-10). HSBC: A Climate-Pledge Cautionary Tale. scheerpost.com 
By Julia Conley / Common Dreams An effort by global financial giant HSBC to water down an industry climate pledge exemplifies the fact that banks and other profit-driven companies "cannot be trusted" to end their complicity in the human-caused climate emergency, critics charged on Tuesday. According to new reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ), HSBC …
(2021-11-10). Pfizer deploys meme to fight vaccine misinformation. rt.com 
US drug-maker Pfizer has followed up its CEO's denunciation of Covid-19 vaccine "misinformation" by tweeting a cartoon about "science" protecting humanity from "wild conspiracy theories" — and disabling the replies. | The cartoon shows a blob labeled "science" holding back a humanoid figure from embracing a bubble labeled "wild conspiracy theories." | "It's easy to get distracted by misinformation these days, but don't worry… Science has got your back," Pfizer's corporate account tweeted on Tuesday evening, along with a hashtag #ScienceWillWin. | It's easy to get distracted by misinformation these days…
(2021-11-10). On the Campaign to "Bury" Erdogan in Turkey and Abroad. journal-neo.org 
General elections in Turkey are two years away, but the battle for votes has already begun. Every day, more and more forces join the struggle for political influence in the country that is strategically important for many international players. In addition to internal opposition, even his former allies are in play to eliminate the impulsive and …
(2021-11-10). This Week in Fascism #122: Boston Shuts It Down, Hundreds Protest Milo, Far-Right Mass Shooter in Boise, National Justice Party Gathers Neo-Nazi Island of Unwanted Goys. itsgoingdown.org photo: @AlissaAzar And we are back! Lots to cover in this installment — and happily, a lot of it is action! We've got a jammed list of action reports along with the usual doxxes, news, ways to support prisoners, and a few alerts and breaking stories. From leftovers ala Unite the Right attempting to rebrand…
(2021-11-10). 21N Elections: 1,895 Voting Machines Deployed in 19 States — EU Companions Work Without Restrictions. orinocotribune.com This Tuesday, November 9, a total of 1,875 voting machines were deployed across 19 of Venezuela's 24 states, for use in the upcoming regional and municipal elections to be held on November 21. | Through a press release, Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) reported that for the deployment of the machines, the fifteenth day of audit of the production of voting machines was carried out, and is ongoing in the industrial warehouse of the National Electoral Council in Filas de Mariche. | CNE indicated that on Tuesday, 35 teams corresponding to four municipalities in Anzoátegui state (Bolívar, Aragua, Diego Bau…
(2021-11-10). Sri Lankan government to impose drastic austerity measures. wsws.org "The people will not gain anything, we will take from them" in the next budget, the finance minister declared.
(2021-11-09). China to strengthen scientific cooperation. ecns.cn The Chinese scientific community will collaborate with international peers to deepen research cooperation in frontier sciences, promote openness and inclusivity for scientific undertakings, and jointly tackle major global challenges.
(2021-11-09). Facebook ending race, sex & politics ad targeting. rt.com 
Facebook is set to remove marketing options that allow advertisers to target certain "sensitive" subjects, including race, religion and politics, citing concerns that its ad system could be abused to harm vulnerable people. | In a
(2021-11-09). Facebook Team That Tried To Swing Nicaragua's Election Is Full Of US Spies. popularresistance.org Managua, Nicaragua – Less than a week before Nicaragua's presidential election, social media giant Facebook deleted the accounts of hundreds of the country's top news outlets, journalists and activists, all of whom supported the ruling left-wing Sandinista government, a top Washington target for regime change. | Facebook claims that these accounts were bots engaged in "inauthentic behavior." Considering that around half of the country uses the platform for news and entertainment, the decision could barely have been more heavy-handed and intrusive. However, early reports show that if their goal was to swing the re…
(2021-11-09). Vladimir Acosta Discusses his New Book 'Leaving the Colony' at Venezuela's National Book Fair. orinocotribune.com Venezuelan intellectual Vladimir Acosta was honored at the 17th International Book Fair of Venezuela (FILVEN), where he explained the content of one his four books, Leaving the Colony. | Acosta, speaking on the role of Catholicism both during colonialism and now under US imperialism, commented that "today we can see how a religion was used to impose culture and language on us. They took our consciousness from us. In three years we will be celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of the battle of Ayacucho, which was the decisive moment in the fight against Spanish colonialism, but we have to keep fighting. Now we…
(2021-11-09). What Happened In The Buffalo Mayor's Race? How Socialist India Walton Was Stopped By Democratic Party Establishment And Republicans. moguldom.com Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton made history in the Democratic primaries in June when she defeated long-serving incumbent Mayor Byron Brown. For a while, it looked like Walton was on the verge of becoming the first Black person, woman and openly socialist candidate to lead New York's second-most populous city. Those hopes were dashed on …
(2021-11-09). SpaceX Crew-2 Dragon splashes down after 6 months in orbit. rt.com 
SpaceX completed its second operational manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS), and its four-person crew splashed down off the coast of Florida without issue as NASA prepares for another launch later this week. | The private aerospace firm's Crew Dragon Endeavor touched down off the Gulf Coast near Pensacola, Florida on Monday night carrying NASA's Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency, and Akihiko Hoshide from Japan's JAXA, completing their Crew-2 mission after a nearly 200-day stay on the ISS. | SpaceX shared footage of the splashdow…
(2021-11-09). MSNBC claims jump in US inflation is a 'GOOD THING', actually. rt.com 
MSNBC is trying to sell Americans on the idea that the inflation crisis is a "good thing." Online reaction suggests that few people are buying it — so much so that the left-wing media outlet deleted its claim without explanation. | The network posted a Twitter message on Monday to promote an article on rising prices by saying, "Why the inflation we're now seeing is a good thing." The article was an
(2021-11-09). Headliner of deadly Astroworld concert was warned about 'public safety concerns' — police. rt.com 
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said he had a meeting with Travis Scott to express his public safety concerns to him ahead of the rapper's sold-out show on Friday, which ended in eight people being killed in a crowd surge. | The meeting was "brief and respectful," Finner said in a statement on Twitter, adding that the head of security of the Astroworld Festival, which Scott founded in 2018, was also present. | "I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years of law enforcement experience I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pand…
(2021-11-09). Test results for steel used in US Navy subs 'falsified' for decades. rt.com 
A former metallurgist at a Washington state foundry that produced steel used in US Navy submarines has admitted to taking "shortcuts" and doctoring the results of strength and toughness tests on the metal for over three decades. | Elaine Marie Thomas, 67, pleaded guilty to the fraud at a Tacoma court on Monday. Thomas was the director of metallurgy at a foundry in the city that provided steel castings used by Navy contractors Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding to manufacture submarine hulls. | According to the Justice Department, the tests were to prove that the steel would hold up in a collision or d…
(2021-11-09). Security breach over jurors' identities in Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial. rt.com 
The Wisconsin judge in teenager Kyle Rittenhouse's murder trial has ordered tougher measures to protect the identities of jurors in the case after someone was caught filming them as a bus arrived to take them to the courthouse. | "It was reported to me…that this morning, at the pickup, there was someone there and was videorecording the jury," Kenosha County District Court Judge Bruce Schroeder said on Tuesday as the trial entered its seventh day. He added that officers approached the person and required that the video be deleted from his or her smartphone. | Judge Bruce Schroeder says that someone was record…
(2021-11-09). SFSU President sides with tech giants on silencing of Palestinian voices. mronline.org 
President Mahoney's decision upholds the University's acceptance of Big Tech's increasing control over academic discussion, and its complicity with Zionist organizations.
(2021-11-09). One of the greatest pushers of disgraced Steele Dossier is trying to distance himself from it. rt.com 
House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has scrambled to spin the Russiagate narrative following the arrest of one of the scandal's major sources, exposing some massive hypocrisy in the bargain. | Schiff acknowledged that anyone who lied to the FBI and to British ex-spy Christopher Steele should be prosecuted during a Tuesday appearance on The View, where he was grilled by Donald Trump's former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus over his role in the ever-metastasizing Russiagate scandal. However, the California Democrat managed to evade further questioning along that line with a bit…
(2021-11-09). Brazil mourns Marília Mendonàßa. mronline.org 
In the macho, back-country world of Sertanejo music, Mendonàßa demanded respect for women.
(2021-11-09). Class conflict and economics. mronline.org 
A funny thing happened on the way to the recovery from the Pandemic Depression: class conflict is back at the core of economics.
(2021-11-09). We have been lied to! Caleb Maupin from polling place in Nicaragua. mronline.org 
Nicaragua's electoral process far proceeds that of which the U.S. media has led the people of the United States to believe.
(2021-11-09). Julian Assange's Fiancée Stella Moris: WikiLeaks Helped Expose Climate Change Hypocrisy & War Crimes. democracynow.org 
Britain's High Court is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where he faces up to 175 years in prison under espionage charges for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes. We get an update from Assange's partner, Stella Moris, who is in Glasgow as part of her campaign to free Julian and to highlight how WikiLeaks has also revealed evidence of how corporations and states have undermined the goals of prior climate summits. Moris says WikiLeaks is an "extraordinary tool … to understand the relationships between the states…
(2021-11-09). COP26 warned on fossil fuels: 'We're investing in our own demise'. peoplesworld.org 
"You may as well bomb our islands instead of making us suffer, witnessing our slow and fateful demise," Palau President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., told the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. In those few words, Whipps summed up the desperation felt by small Pacific Islands and a number of other developing countries. The rich G20 …
(2021-11-09). Why the California Shipping Bottleneck Reflects a Threat to U.S. Security. independentmediainstitute.org Workers at the Sibanye-Stillwater complex in Montana mine minerals used to fight cancer, produce lifesaving surgical instruments and manufacture the wind turbines and solar panels essential for the clean economy. They touch so many facets of American life that Ed Lorash, president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 11-0001, considers their work essential to national security. …
(2021-11-09). New book gives civil rights leader Alphaeus Hunton long overdue recognition. peoplesworld.org 
People's World continues its interview series with authors of the latest books from International Publishers. In this edition, we talk with Tony Pecinovsky, author and editor of The Cancer of Colonialism: W. Alphaeus Hunton, Black Liberation, and the Daily Worker 1944-1946. Q: This is the third book you've had in as many years dealing with …
(2021-11-09). Statement Against Israel Declaring Six Human Rights Organizations as "Terrorist" fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. | The Israeli Defense Minister has tagged six human rights organizations in Palestine as "terrorists." These organizations – Al-Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees — are all well known for their courage in aiding the besieged Palestinian people as they continue to resist harsh and illegal occupation. | Labeling them as terrorists means the occupation f…
(2021-11-09). Medicare Spending, Utilization, and Quality in the Oncology Care Model. jamanetwork.com Health care costs are an issue of national importance. Health expenditures in the US are projected to reach $6.19 trillion by 2028, or 19.7% of gross domestic product, an estimated annual growth rate of 5.4% since 2019. The growth rate for Medicare spending is projected to be even higher at 7.6% per year. Cancer spending accounts for a significant proportion of these expenditures. Aging and population growth are projected to increase the costs of cancer care delivery from $183 billion in 2015 to an estimated $246 billion in 2030. Although drug prices constitute the fastest-increasing proportion of cancer care cos…
(2021-11-09). Latino Theater Company's 'RE:Encuentro 2021' highlights Latinx companies, artists. peoplesworld.org 
LOS ANGELES — Latino Theater Company presents RE: Encuentro 2021, a virtual, national Latinx theater festival featuring 16 companies and performers from across the U.S. in "digital residence" at The Los Angeles Theatre Center from Thurs., Nov. 12 through Sun., Nov. 21. Streaming performances and panels can be experienced for free via Latino Theater Company's online …
(2021-11-09). Medical Debt in the US From 2009 to 2020. jamanetwork.com To the Editor The recent article about medical debt found that the average stock and flow in medical and nonmedical debt have been declining over the last decade. However, we posit that ongoing changes in collection agency practices, debt reporting guidelines, and national consumer laws may obscure the true extent of medical debt in the US.
(2021-11-09). Nicaragua Celebrates Democracy — Election Day Report. popularresistance.org On the fight down to Nicaragua a few days ago to be one of 225 international official election accompaniers from 27 countries, the expat Nicaraguan woman sitting next to me was hostile to the current Sandinista government. She said there will be an election but no vote, because only one person is on the ballot. At the polling station in the colonial city of Leon this election morning, November 7, candidates from six political parties standing for president were in fact on the ballot: PLC, FSLN, CCN, ALN, APRE, and PLI. | Some of these parties included elements that tried in 2018 to violently overthrow the Nicarag…
(2021-11-09). Portugal And Spain Send Troops To Participate In Provocative Drills In Lithuania. southfront.org 
Illustrative Image | As the interests of the great European powers in NATO dwindle, weaker states seek to expand participation in the alliance. | Written by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. | Tensions are on the rise in the Baltics. Recent NATO military exercises in Lithuania show that the organization really plans to maintain a constant siege strategy, with no interruptions. Troops from the US, Canada, Portugal, and Spain participated in the last week of October i…
(2021-11-09). Kabul Diaries Part 19: Afghan cricketers subtly defy Taliban. greenleft.org.au Afghanistan, a country gripped by misery, tyranny and an uncertain future, is having moments of joy and pride, thanks to the men's national cricket team, reports Yasmeen Afghan.
(2021-11-09). Indigenous-Led Action In Memory Of MMIW And Relatives. popularresistance.org As climate chaos rages forward, Indigenous communities and land defenders continue to remain on the frontlines challenging the continued expansion of major contributors to the climate crisis. According to the Front Line Defenders 2020 report, the three most targeted sectors of human rights defence were: land, environmental and Indigenous Peoples' rights (21%), LGBTIQ+ rights (14%), and women's rights (11%). Of the 331 human rights defenders killed in 2020, 26% were working on Indigenous Peoples's rights. | In 2016, the international community was horrified when Berta Caceres, a Lenca Indigenous rights fighter, co…
(2021-11-09). Absent Any Proof, Israel Designates Palestinian Rights Groups "Terrorist" truthout.org 
In an effort to cut off the financial lifelines of six of the most prominent Palestinian human rights groups, the state of Israel has baselessly designated them as "terrorist" organizations. | On October 22, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that Israel will henceforth officially consider the six groups — Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children International — Palestine, the Union of Agri…
(2021-11-09). Stagecoach faces further strike action across England and Wales. wsws.org Unite and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) have so far managed to prevent twenty or more pay disputes across Stagecoach from becoming a national strike movement, including shutting down at least a half dozen.
(2021-11-09). NATO trains Azerbaijani navy to meet NATO standards in Turkish exercise. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com This is an ongoing exercise that includes military observers from Azerbaijan's and Turkey's Three Brothers military axis ally Pakistan as well as Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Nigeria, Oman and Ukraine. Azerbaijani naval sailors took part in NATO assessment exercises As part of the NATO Operational Capabilities Concept at the Eastern Mediterranean-2021 multinational naval exercise in …
(2021-11-09). COP26: Emitters Sue To Chill Climate Measures. popularresistance.org International negotiators are meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, to develop solutions to the climate change threat. But one major obstacle to global sustainability is largely absent from the discussions: the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system. | This system gives transnational corporations the power to sue governments over actions — including policies to address climate change — that reduce the value of their foreign investments. Allowing corporations to continue to wield this power could undermine whatever agreements might be reached in Glasgow. | How does this system work? Clauses in more th…
(2021-11-09). Russia's Defense Ministry reacts to U.S. nuclear-capable bombers, interceptor warship off its Black Sea coast. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com US setting up multinational group of forces close to Russian border — top brass The United States is setting up a multinational group of armed forces close to the Russian border, Russia's Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday. Currently, the US Navy's guided missile destroyer [USS] Porter, tanker John Lenthall and command ship Mount Whitney are …
(2021-11-09). War Helps Fuel the Climate Crisis as U.S. Military Carbon Emissions Exceed 140+ Nations. democracynow.org 
Climate activists protested outside the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow Monday spotlighting the role of the U.S. military in fueling the climate crisis. The Costs of War project estimates the military produced around 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon emissions between 2001 and 2017, with nearly a third coming from U.S. wars overseas. But military carbon emissions have largely been exempted from international climate treaties dating back to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol after lobbying from the United States. We go to Glasgow to speak with Ramón Mejía, anti-militarism national organizer of Grassroots Global Justice Allian…
(2021-11-09). Ukraine's top military commander tells NATO officials "the war continues," conjures up hypothetical Russian threat. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukrainian Army Commander says expansion of Russia's military aggression not ruled out During the opening of the 5th multinational annual conference on improving the training of sergeants in Ukraine under the NATO DEEP (Defense Education Enhancement Program), the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhnyi, said he could not rule out …
(2021-11-09). Syria can re-enter Arab League if certain steps are met, says Egypt's foreign minister. middleeasteye.net 
Syria can re-enter Arab League if certain steps are met, says Egypt's foreign minister | Sameh Shoukry said Syria must 'play its traditional role in support of Arab national security' | Tue, 11/09/2021 – 19: 32 | Egyptian Foreign Minister visited Washington this week for the Egypt Strategic Dialogue with the Biden administration (AFP) |
(2021-11-09). Jan. 6 Committee Issues 6 Subpoenas, Including to Michael Flynn, John Eastman. truthout.org 
The select committee investigating the January 6 breach of the United States Capitol building has subpoenaed six more individuals, including a lawyer for Trump who helped craft a scheme to upend the Electoral College and the former president's first National Security Advisor. | The January 6 commission believes these six individuals — all of whom were associated with Trump's campaign and his so-called "Stop the Steal" movement — can provide insight into Trump's motivations in the da…
(2021-11-09). World faces hunger dilemma in Afghanistan. asiatimes.com 
The fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban has presented the world with some stark choices. In recent weeks, the international community has raised alarm about the rapidly escalating humanitarian emergency in the country, calling for an influx of aid to reach millions of Afghans ahead of the winter. In the meantime, the new …
(2021-11-09). Ortega Wins Nicaragua Elections Prompting U.S. Threat Of Sanctions. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega won a fourth consecutive presidential term. | The United States reacted swiftly threatening sanctions, as Ortega reportedly jailed political rivals ahead of the vote. | This prompted the initial threats of sanctions from the United States and international calls for free elections. | Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council said that with nearly all the ballots counted, a preliminary tally had Ortega's Sandinista alliance winning with about 76% of…