Daily Archives: November 16, 2021

2021-11-16: News Headlines

Staff (2021-11-16). Rittenhouse defense accuses prosecution of defaming teen in closing arguments. rt.com Defense attorneys for Kyle Rittenhouse have accused the prosecution of lying to jurors in their closing statements, saying the state's lawyers played "fast and loose" with the evidence to smear the teen as a murderer. | The defense and prosecution both made their final arguments before the jury on Monday, following eight days of testimony from dozens of witnesses and the screening of nearly 20 videos from the night of August 25, 2020 — when Rittenhouse, then 17, shot and killed two men and wounded a third during a violent bout of protests and rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He faces charges including first…

Moderator (2021-11-16). Why Are Moderna's Billionaires Airbrushing Scientists Out of the Vaccine Patent Picture? scheerpost.com By Sam Pizzigati / Moderna, the world's hottest new Big Pharma giant, now has four of its top players sitting on the annual Forbes list of America's 400 richest. In early 20…

Staff (2021-11-16). Headlines for November 16, 2021. democracynow.org Biden Signs $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill; Build Back Better Act Remains Stalled in Senate, Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping Pledge Cooperation in U.S.-China Virtual Summit, Three Killed and Dozens Wounded as Suicide Bombers Strike Ugandan Capital City, Spanish Coast Guard Rescues More Refugees in Waters Near Canary Islands , Polish Border Guards Fire Tear Gas and Water Cannons at Asylum-Seekers , Thai Protesters Call for Reforms to Monarchy After Court Rules Against Activists, U.S. Condemns Russia Over "Dangerous and Irresponsible" Anti-Satellite Missile Test, Biden Proposes Drilling Ban Near Sacred Indig…

Editor (2021-11-16). Canadian imperialism and the responsibility to 'Voluntour'. mronline.org The term 'voluntourism' is a portmanteau of the words 'volunteer' and 'tourism' and refers to a practice in which people, often young upper or middle-class white women in the Global North (Bandyopadhyay and Patil 2017, 645), pay an organization to coordinate their trip to a country in the Global South.

Fight Back (2021-11-16). Chicano movie screening of Nicaragua's fight against U.S. imperialism. fightbacknews.org Lincoln Heights, CA – On Sunday, November 7, the Immigration Committee of the Community Service Organization (Centro CSO) hosted a screening of The screening, at the Church of the Epiphany in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, fell on the day of the Nicaraguan presidential elections, which resulted in the victory of leftist Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) with 75.96% of the vote. The country named these elections "Elecciones Soberanas 2021" (Sovereign Elections 2021) and invited int…

Editor2 (2021-11-16). "I am Lenin" — Remembering the Bolshevik Revolution from India. orinocotribune.com By Suryashekhar Biswas — Nov 8, 2021 | In 1917, the worker-peasant alliance in economically-backward Russia began the formation of the first state in the world that truly belonged to the hardworking masses. The Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin, displayed to the whole world that it was possible for ordinary people to achieve self-determination. With counter-revolutionaries, loyalists, monarchists and revivalists attempting to purge Russia from within and imperialists waging war from outside, the tale the first "Really Existing Socialism" began under circumstances of great challenge. Nonet…

Editor (2021-11-16). As we run out of time to save the planet, COP26 ends in 'utter betrayal'. mronline.org Following two weeks of negotiations, the UN climate summit COP26 concluded with the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Staff (2021-11-16). Activist says he's got '1,000 soldiers locked and loaded' to defend CRT. rt.com An African-American activist defending critical race theory at a Texas school board meeting said he has "thousand soldiers" who are "locked and loaded" on standby, but insists it's a sports term and not a threat. | Video of a meeting of the Fort Worth Independent School District board shows Malikk Austin arguing that he fights for "critical race theory equity" for the sake of his children, and that he's got "over 1,000 soldiers ready to go." | pic.twitter.com/VmqNaQQh10— Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) Nove…

Staff (2021-11-16). Republican Liz Cheney disowned by own party in home state. rt.com The Wyoming Republican Party voted to stop recognizing Congresswoman Liz Cheney as a Republican in response to her criticism of former President Donald Trump, which included voting for his impeachment. | Wyoming's Republican Central Committee voted 31-29 in favor of no longer recognizing Cheney as a Republican on Saturday. | Newsweek

Staff (2021-11-16). China's Xi outlines vision for relations with US in 1st virtual sit-down with Biden. rt.com Chinese President Xi Jinping urged for closer ties and improved cooperation with the United States during his first formal meeting with President Joe Biden, but said that any change in relations must be based on mutual respect. | The two leaders sat down for virtual talks on Monday to discuss a range of issues, with both Xi and Biden opening the meeting on a cordial note. Calling his US counterpart an "old friend," Xi argued that a "healthy and stable" relationship is needed to address global challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, noting that he would like to steer US-China ties in a "positi…

Staff (2021-11-16). Democrat Texas representative defects to Republicans over defunding of police, border crisis. rt.com Texas state Representative Ryan Guillen announced his defection from the Democratic Party to the Republicans this week, citing his opposition to Democrat policies on the southern border and defunding the police. | Guillen He added that the values of the Democrats sitting in the capital were not the values…

Staff (2021-11-16). Trump claims 'clown' ex-staffer lied about 2020 election. rt.com Donald Trump has blasted his former White House communications director Alyssa Farah as a "clown" and "backbencher" after she claimed the former president had at first privately admitted to having lost the 2020 election. | In a

Michael Hudson (2021-11-16). Michael Hudson — 'Life and Thought'. mronline.org Professor Hudson talked about his formative years, and his turn to economics from music as he found his mentor Terence McCarthy's speech about economics beautiful and asethetic.

Moderator (2021-11-16). Lee Camp: AOC & Pelosi's Hilarious Climate Statements. scheerpost.com Lee Camp argues that AOC and Nancy Pelosi need to dive deeper, and disputes their claim that the United States is leading the world in climate action. | America and other countries have not abided by any of the promises they gave at previous global climate summits while the planet heats up as predicted. By 2030, most people will not be talking about what happened in 2021, because current "leaders" will not be in office when that time rolls around and there will have been many more summits since then. Even though Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims that "America is back" and a leader of climate action, | Lee Cam…

Staff (2021-11-16). Argentina's Legislative Elections: Alberto Fernández Loses Senate Majority — Results Not as Bad as Expected. orinocotribune.com With 98.98% of the votes counted, Argentina's right-wing opposition coalition Juntos por el Cambio leads the elections held on Sunday, November 14. The coalition obtained a majority in the Senate, according to ultra-conservative news outlet At press time, Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change) has 42.18% of the national deputies, while the Frente de Todos (the Peronist and Kirchnerist coalition that supports current President Alberto Fernández) retains only 33.

Staff (2021-11-16). "Hell on Earth": Millions of Afghans Face Starvation as U.S. & West Freeze Billions in Gov't Funds. democracynow.org Humanitarian and economic conditions are rapidly deteriorating in Afghanistan, where the U.N. estimates that more than half of the population suffers from acute hunger. The country has fallen into an economic crisis after the U.S. and other Western countries cut off direct financial assistance to the government following the Taliban takeover in August. Taliban leaders are also unable to access billions of dollars in Afghan national reserves that are held in banks overseas. "Forty million civilians were left behind when the NATO countries went for the door in August," says Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Nor…

teleSUR (2021-11-16). Argentina Expects To Start Servicing The IMF Debt From 2026. telesurenglish.net Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez announced the preparation of the "Multi-year Economic Program for Sustainable Development" (MEPSD) bill, a fiscal policy instrument that will include new payment conditions for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans contracted by President Mauricio Macri (2015 -2019). | Related | "The program contemplates the results of the negotiations between our government and the IMF, which…

WSWS (2021-11-16). Workers Struggles: The Americas. wsws.org The National Private Education Workers Syndicate (SINTEP) of Uruguay has voted in favor of a 24-hour strike over salaries, while Catholic elementary teachers in Toronto, Canada are continuing a work-to-rule action over stalled contract talks.

WSWS (2021-11-16). African National Congress suffers electoral collapse, as its rotten record is underscored by the death of de Klerk. wsws.org The collapse in popular support for the ANC is only the end product of its failure to advance the social interests of the millions of black workers who looked to it for leadership and an end to the grotesque inequalities that characterized white minority rule under apartheid.

Anonymous103 (2021-11-16). USAID's Attempts To Challenge Russia With $20 Million Grant To Georgia Will Achieve Little. southfront.org Illustrative ImageDespite the grant being unlikely to achieve much, it demonstrates the US' intentions to continue pushing Georgia away from Moscow. | Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst | The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to allocate millions of dollars to Tbilisi again, this time for the deep integration of ethnic and religious minorities into mainstream Georgian society. According to USAID's announcement, the new $20 million grant is about supporting the integra…

Anonymous103 (2021-11-16). Republican Senators Want To Increase Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. southfront.org Illustrative ImageBiden could be accused of cooperating with Russia if he refuses to approve the bill or face frictions with Europe if he supports it. | Written by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. | After announcing an alleviation of sanctions, Washington's "carte blanche" to Nord Stream 2 may be close to being reversed. Recently, the Republicans amended next year's defense bill, extending coercive measures against the pipeline. If Biden appro…

teleSUR (2021-11-16). Suicide Bomb Blasts Leave 6 Dead and 33 Injured In Uganda. telesurenglish.net On Tuesday, six people including three suicide bombers were killed and 33 others injured in twin bomb blasts in the Ugandan capital Kampala. | RELATED: | The suicide bombers detonated themselves at a checkpoint at the Central Police Station and on the parliamentary avenue. The injured were rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital while counter-terrorism response teams managed to pursue a fourth suicide bomb attacker.

teleSUR (2021-11-16). Venezuela: Five Days Ahead To Subnational Elections. telesurenglish.net On Sunday, over 20 million Venezuelans will go to the polls to elect 23 governors, 335 mayors, 253 state legislators, and 2,471 councilors for the 2021-2025 term. | RELATED: | "Due to its complexity, this mega-election implies an organizational challenge, but everything is ready," National Electoral Council (CNE) President Pedro Calzadilla assured, recalling that 37 national organizations and 43 regional organizations registere…

WSWS (2021-11-16). Sri Lankan finance minister's budget proposals deepen social attacks. wsws.org The budget proposals are a major assault on workers and the poor, with wages frozen amid rising inflation and shortages of essentials, and a full-scale attack on social services and public sector workers jobs and conditions.

Staff (2021-11-15). Judge drops gun charge against Rittenhouse. rt.com The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial dropped a gun charge against the 18-year-old on Monday, providing yet another win for the defense as the case draws to a close. | Among the charges prosecutors were levying against Rittenhouse was a misdemeanor gun charge related to a Wisconsin statute that Judge Bruce Schroeder admitted last week was difficult to understand. | Read more | | Rittenhouse is facing multiple charges, including first-degree homicide, for shooting and killing two…

Editor2 (2021-11-15). TPLF's War on Ethiopian Gov't is a US-EU Backed Ploy to Thwart Cooperation in the Horn of Africa, Says Former Ethiopian Diplomat. orinocotribune.com The coalition of nine ethnic groups formed in Washington D.C to fight the Ethiopian government is merely a psy-op and does not exist on the ground, diplomat Mohamed Hassan told Pavan Kulkarni | Tens of thousands have been killed and millions are starving and have been displaced in the civil war in northern Ethiopia which passed the one year mark last week. The devastating war began with the attack on an army base of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on November 4, 2020. | According to Ethiopian diplomat Mohamed Hassan, it was the US security establishment o…

Staff (2021-11-15). Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon taken into custody. rt.com Steve Bannon, longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump, has surrendered himself to authorities to face contempt charges following his refusal to comply with a congressional investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot. | Speaking to reporters on his way to the courthouse on Monday, Bannon urged his followers to remain focused on the "signal" rather than the "noise" which he said was obscuring the important events surrounding his arrest. | Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday, having been held in contempt by Congress for ignoring a subpoena in October. | He is facing two contempt char…

Staff (2021-11-15). Headlines for November 15, 2021. democracynow.org COP26 Final Agreement Waters Down Coal Pledges, Leaves World on Track for Climate Disaster, NYT: U.S. Covered Up 2019 Syria Airstrikes That Killed 70 Women and Children, Austria Enacts Lockdown for the Unvaccinated as Europe Becomes Pandemic's Epicenter Again, COVID Cases Rising in Over Half of U.S. States; OK Nat'l Guard Defies Pentagon's Vaccine Mandate, Sudanese Military Kills Eight People During Latest Anti-Coup Protests, Detains Al Jazeera Bureau Head, Eight Refugees Found Dead, Dozens Others Rescued on Boat Near Canary Islands, U.S. Journalist Danny Fenster Freed from Burmese Prison, Journalist and Minority…

_____ (2021-11-15). TPLF's War On Ethiopian Gov't Is A US-EU Backed Ploy To Thwart Cooperation In The Horn Of Africa. popularresistance.org Tens of thousands have been killed and millions are starving and have been displaced in the civil war in northern Ethiopia which passed the one year mark last week. The devastating war began with the attack on an army base of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on November 4, 2020. According to Ethiopian diplomat Mohamed Hassan, it was the US security establishment of president-elect Joe Biden that had advised the TPLF to launch this attack.

_____ (2021-11-15). TPLF's War On Ethiopian Government Is A US-EU Backed Ploy. popularresistance.org Tens of thousands have been killed and millions are starving and have been displaced in the civil war in northern Ethiopia which passed the one year mark last week. The devastating war began with the attack on an army base of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on November 4, 2020. According to Ethiopian diplomat Mohamed Hassan, it was the US security establishment of president-elect Joe Biden that had advised the TPLF to launch this attack.

_____ (2021-11-15). Wealthy Liberal Arts Colleges Are Exploiting International Students For Cheap Teaching Labor. popularresistance.org Language assistants at Grinnell can be asked to work up to 20 hours per week, although it's unclear how many hours are actually scheduled for the typical student worker. However, if someone worked 20 hours per week every week for the full academic year (nine months) at $12/hour, they would still only make $9,072. Even including the value of room and board, which the language assistants receive for free, their income is still only $23,470 for the year — about $5,000 less than what is considered a living wage for Poweshiek County, Iowa, where Grinnell is located.

_____ (2021-11-15). Wealthy Liberal Arts Colleges Are Exploiting International Students. popularresistance.org Language assistants at Grinnell can be asked to work up to 20 hours per week, although it's unclear how many hours are actually scheduled for the typical student worker. However, if someone worked 20 hours per week every week for the full academic year (nine months) at $12/hour, they would still only make $9,072. Even including the value of room and board, which the language assistants receive for free, their income is still only $23,470 for the year — about $5,000 less than what is considered a living wage for Poweshiek County, Iowa, where Grinnell is located.

Chris Slee (2021-11-15). Sri Lanka: Tamil resistance continues despite repression. greenleft.org.au Despite ongoing repression, Tamils continue to fight for their rights, including over the seizure of Tamil land for military bases, reports Chris Slee.

Martha Grevatt (2021-11-15). Trabajadores de Kellogg siguen en huelga. workers.org Battle Creek, Mich. La famosa frase de Tony el Tigre: "Las hojuelas azucaradas de Kellogg son "rrricas", ha sido reformulada. Los carteles en el césped que apoyan la huelga de 1.400 trabajadores de Kellogg muestran a un Tony enfadado con un piquete que dice " °Kellogg esta en hueeelga!". Battle Creek, . . . |

Martha Grevatt (2021-11-15). Seven years later, still fighting for 'Justice for Tamir'. workers.org Cleveland Nov. 22 will mark the seventh anniversary of 12-year-old Tamir Rice's murder by Cleveland police. Tamir's Campaign for Justice held a "Long March for Justice for Our Beloved Tamir Rice" Nov. 9 and rallied to demand both Cuyahoga County and the U.S. Department of Justice reopen the case, which . . . |

Staff (2021-11-15). US & Israel launch joint cybersecurity force. rt.com The US Treasury Department announced a new cybersecurity partnership with Israel's Ministry of Finance, saying that the two nations would work together to protect the global economy from ransomware and other tech-related threats. | The partnership was announced in a US Treasury Department press release on Sunday, which

Staff (2021-11-15). Bolton predicts whether Trump will run in 2024. rt.com John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, has predicted that the former president won't run for office in 2024, instead preferring to act as the kingmaker among vying Republican candidates. | Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Bolton Read more | | "He's deeply afraid of losing again, he doesn't wan…

Staff (2021-11-15). GOP senator claims Biden 'intended' record gas prices hike. rt.com Joe Biden's administration wants Americans to switch from pickup trucks to electric compacts and is letting gas prices run rampant to coerce fans of gallon-guzzlers, Senator Tom Cotton has claimed. | Speaking to conservative outlet Breitbart News, the Republican senator alleged that rising gasoline prices in the US are "the intended effect of Joe Biden's energy policy," rather than "some accident." | "They want gas to cost $4 a gallon because they want all of us to get out of pickup trucks and SUVs and get into small electric compacts or bicycles or scooters or whatever else Pete Buttigieg takes to work," Cott…

Staff (2021-11-15). GOP senator claims Biden behind gas price hikes. rt.com Joe Biden's administration wants Americans to switch from pickup trucks to electric compacts and is letting gas prices run rampant to coerce fans of gallon-guzzlers, Senator Tom Cotton has claimed. | Speaking to conservative outlet Breitbart News, the Republican senator alleged that rising gasoline prices in the US are "the intended effect of Joe Biden's energy policy," rather than "some accident." | "They want gas to cost $4 a gallon because they want all of us to get out of pickup trucks and SUVs and get into small electric compacts or bicycles or scooters or whatever else Pete Buttigieg takes to work," Cott…

Staff (2021-11-15). FBI raids on Project Veritas 'could have serious consequences'. rt.com The Justice Department's recent raids on Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe and multiple associates "could have serious consequences for press freedom," the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has warned. | The ACLU "Project Veritas has engaged in disgraceful deceptions, and reasonable observers might not consider their activities to be journalism at all," the organization…

Staff (2021-11-15). Beto O'Rourke wants to challenge Republican's 'extremist policies' with governor bid. rt.com Former US Representative Beto O'Rourke has announced that he will challenge Republican Greg Abbott for the governorship of Texas in 2022, as he criticized the current administration's divisive politics. | In a tweet on Monday, O'Rourke — the former El Paso congressman, 2018 US Senate nominee, and 2020 Democratic presidential contender — said that he was running to make progress on the things that most Texans actually agree on, such as legalizing marijuana and expanding Medicaid. | I'm running for governor. | Together, we can push past the small and divisive politics that we see in Texas today —…

Staff (2021-11-15). California gas prices hit another record. rt.com California gas prices have hit a new record high, averaging $4.68 a gallon, as Americans continue to suffer the effects of inflation coupled with ongoing supply chain issues. | Monday marked the second day in a row that America's most populated state broke its own record on gas prices, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA). On Sunday, gas prices were averaging $4.67, besting a previous record set in October 2002. | The national average for gas per gallon stands at $3.41 as of Monday — a figure that continues to rise as Americans face the effects of inflation and supply chain iss…

Staff (2021-11-15). Republicans gain edge in 2022 elections — media. rt.com The 2022 midterms are shaping up badly for the ruling Democrats, the New York Times claims, identifying the culprit: the "highly distorted congressional map" and Republican gerrymandering. | Democrats currently have an eight-seat majority in the House of Representatives, but all 435 seats will be up for re-election in November 2022. With the congressional maps being redrawn to match the 2020 census, the US paper of record points to Republicans "gerrymandering" the districts in states where they control the legislatures. | Republicans' upper hand in the redistricting process, combined with plunging approval rat…

Staff (2021-11-15). Six teens injured in shooting in Aurora, Colorado. rt.com Police in Aurora, Colorado are investigating a shooting that wounded six victims ranging in age from 14 to 18, in a park close to Aurora Central High School. The shooter fled the scene. | Denver-based media reported a heavy police presence outside the school, which is just south of the Nome Street park where the shooting took place on Monday. | Aurora PD initially reported the school had been placed on lockdown, but later clarified that it was part of the "secure perimeter" instead. | Five victims of gunshot wounds were taken to area hospitals. They ranged in age between 14 and 17, the authorities said. An 18-…

Staff (2021-11-15). Tensions mounting between Biden and Harris camps — media. rt.com Plummeting approval ratings for both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have supposedly turned the two politicians and their camps against each other, according to rumors hailing from both ends of the political spectrum. | With Harris' approval rating sitting at a dismal 28%, according to one recent poll, headlines about her performance as vice president have been brutal. | Now, CNN has acknowledged that some of the VP's staff are "getting frantic." In a revealing report on Monday, CNN said that West Wing aides are "worn out" by the apparent "entrenched dysfunction and lack of focus" from Harris' camp. | Read more…

Staff (2021-11-15). George Clooney calls Baldwin shooting circumstances 'insane'. rt.com Hollywood star George Clooney has called the 'Rust' set where actor Alec Baldwin shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins "insane," adding he's never heard the term "cold gun." | Appearing on the latest episode of Marc Maron's 'WTF' podcast, Clooney turned his attention to the Baldwin situation, which has rocked Hollywood and led to many critics pointing blame for the situation at least partly at Baldwin's feet. | "Look, he may be a d**k, I don't know the guy at all, but I've been on sets for 40 years," Clooney said, "and the person that hands you the gun, the person that is responsible for the gun, is…

Editor (2021-11-15). Friends of Cuba: oppose U.S. intervention. mronline.org Seizing on small protests over shortages on the island in July, the U.S. is now trying to build anti-government feeling with worldwide protests against socialist Cuba, including one in London—we must show our support instead, writes NATASHA HICKMAN…

Editor (2021-11-15). Climate conspiracy theorists say it is suspicious that every single research paper says the EXACT same thing. mronline.org A group of climate change conspiracy theorists has uncovered a set of strange patterns and repeated terminology in research papers which they say is highly suspicious.

Devin Cole (2021-11-15). First clinic for transgender youth established in China. workers.org The Children's Hospital of Fudan University, located in Shanghai, has announced the establishment of a health clinic to safely manage and maintain the gender transition of transgender youth and adolescents. (globaltimes.cn, Nov. 4) China's famous transgender female artist, Jin Xing. Photo credit: VCG The clinic is a response to issues . . . |

Editor (2021-11-15). Thirteen theses of Marxism-Feminism. mronline.org The theses are a working tool and an insurance at the same time of what we are and where we want to go to, while both the path and the goal are open for joint discussion and thus for change.

2021-11-16 22:17 | 16:17 EST | jz | 52 | 0 | 28 | 24 | 0