2021-11-20: News Headlines

Fight Back (2021-11-20). Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. fightbacknews.org FRSO strongly condemns the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on all charges. This verdict is another example of how the police and courts work hand in hand with racist vigilantes to kill and injure African Americans, other oppressed nationalities, and all who try to fight to end police crimes. | In August of 2020, Jacob Blake, a young African American man, was shot in the back four times and three times in the side in by a white police officer Kenosha, Wisconsin. Coming less than two months after the killing of George Floyd, another uprising took place, with the African American community and supporters battling poli…

_____ (2021-11-20). Industrial Nations Value Capitalism Over People at Global Climate Conference. popularresistance.org When considering the need to end government subsidies for fossil fuels, especially coal, the language of the agreement was switched from "phase out," to "phase down." And while this language change was publicly attributed to India, the United States, which provides an estimated $22 billion annually in fossil fuel subsidies is culpable and certainly not beyond reproach. The tentacles of U.S. influence and coercion was present in every decision made at the COP.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-11-20). 'Farmers' victory will be a boost to all democratic struggles'. peoplesdispatch.org On 19 November 2021, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi announced that the government will be repealing the three controversial farm laws. Farmers have been protesting for close to a year against these laws…

Ajamu Baraka (2021-11-20). COP26: greenwashing and Plutocratic misadventures. mronline.org COP26 reaffirmed what has been obvious from the beginning: the Northern colonial and capitalist states most responsible for creating the climate crisis are unwilling to place people before profits in order to address the planet's looming ecological collapse and humanitarian catastrophe.

Chris Nineham (2021-11-20). Philosophers with no clothes: A Review of 'The War Against Marxism'. mronline.org Tony McKenna's new book is an important defence of Marxism, against thinkers who have confused and obscured its revolutionary core, argues Chris Nineham…

Moderator (2021-11-20). There's a Good Case to Be Made for Central Bank Digital Currencies. scheerpost.com Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. ( By Ellen Brown | Whether the U.S. should have its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) is hotly debated. Several countries, including China, already have CBDCs in operation; but the U.S. Federal Reserve is proceeding with caution. Prof. Saule Omarova, President Biden's nominee for Comptroller of the Currency, is in favor of a CBDC and has made a strong case for it; but many conservative commentators are opposed, and her nomination remains in doubt. | Omarova sees the CBDC as an e…

Sara Flounders (2021-11-20). Palestine's flag waves in Jersey City. workers.org On Nov. 15, the flag of Palestine waved in front of Jersey City's City Hall, an important first step to the recognition of the Palestinian people, said Ward D Councilperson Yousef Saleh. Saleh had suggested the flag raising to the Jersey City Cultural Affairs Department — saying it was . . . |

Staff (2021-11-20). Armored truck scatters cash on freeway (VIDEO). rt.com Traffic down a California freeway was paralyzed when people scrambled to get their hands on the dollar bills flying out of an armored truck. Authorities asked the public to return the cash or risk criminal charges. | The California Highway Patrol (CHP) told local news stations that when the vehicle was driving down the Interstate 5 in Carlsbad, near San Diego, on Friday morning, one of its doors popped open and bags of cash flew out. | "People stopped in the lanes, completely blocked the lanes, started picking up the cash," a CHP spokesperson said. | A video on social media shows jubilant drivers and passenger…

Staff (2021-11-20). Russia-NATO war over Ukraine is becoming increasingly unavoidable. rt.com Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the West isn't taking his country's "red lines" seriously and the US and its allies could be about to sleepwalk into a dangerous conflict with the world's largest nuclear power. | Red lines are about deterrence. The purpose of drawing them in the first place is to communicate crucial security interests and the severe consequences that would ensue if they were undermined. In essence, Moscow's ultimatums are intended to stop the West from making a dangerous miscalculation. | Deterrence rests on the three Cs: capability, credibility, and communication. Russia has t…

Staff (2021-11-20). Tesla sued over 'nightmarish conditions' at California factory. rt.com A former Tesla employee has sued the firm, claiming she experienced "rampant sexual harassment" at the factory where she worked while describing "frat-house"-like conditions. | Former Tesla employee Jessica Barraza filed a lawsuit against Tesla on Thursday, claiming she was subject to catcalling and "aggressive physical touching," as well as a slew of inappropriate comments when working at the carmaker's factory in Fremont, California, the Washington Post reported. | In an interview with…

Staff (2021-11-20). Pentagon chief promises Arab allies it will counter Iran. rt.com Iran and its drones are a threat to US troops and allies in the Middle East, and Washington will work to deter it, the Pentagon chief told Gulf officials amid concerns that US forces are being realigned away from the region.

Staff (2021-11-20). Gunshot halts flights at Atlanta Airport. rt.com Flights out of Atlanta Airport were briefly halted after the "accidental discharge" of a gun. With the airport packed with travelers ahead of Thanksgiving, airport staff assured the public that there was no "active shooter." | Outbound flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were briefly halted on Saturday, after a firearm went off near a security checkpoint. No injuries were reported, and police told reporters that the incident is being investigated. | Video footage shared on social media captured the chaos, with passengers running through crowd-control barriers and lying flat on the gro…

Staff (2021-11-20). Fauci comes up with new 'rule' to wear masks. rt.com White House health adviser Anthony Fauci was seen at an elite book party regularly taking his mask on and off, confusing many attendees. An author says Fauci explained to her why he chose to wear it around some and not others.

Janine Jackson (2021-11-20). 'Moderna is trying to turn this people's vaccine into a rich people's vaccine'. mronline.org CounterSpin interview with Peter Maybarduk on NIH/Moderna patent…

a guest author (2021-11-20). 'We became visible' — a Sandinista's view on autonomy. workers.org By Johnny Hodgson The following is part two of a presentation given by Johnny Hodgson, Sandinista National Liberation Front's Political Secretary for the Autonomous Region of the South Caribbean (RACCS), on Oct. 6 in Managua, Nicaragua, to a U.S. delegation comprised of Coleen Littlejohn, Sara Flounders, Monica Moorehead, Joav Elinevsky . . . |

Anis Chowdhury (2021-11-20). WTO finished without TRIPS waiver. mronline.org The World Trade Organization (WTO) will soon decide on a conditional temporary waiver of Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

A Guest Author (2021-11-20). No Trans Liberation without Socialism and No Socialism without Trans Liberation! workers.org Statement by the LGBTQ+ Caucus of Workers World Party Second Annual Boston Trans Resistance March, June 12. The LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer+) Caucus of Workers World Party condemns the ongoing murders of transgender, Two-Spirit and gender-variant people. We reaffirm our solidarity with transgender, Two-Spirit and gender-variant people, as . . . |

Peter Koenig (2021-11-20). The Final Solution. Full Digitization. "The QR Codification of the World" globalresearch.ca You have no idea what is or what will eventually be put on this QR-code. The goal is all your personal information, your complete health record, your bank accounts — just everything. But you wouldn't know. You cannot read what is on the QR-code.

Richard Horton (2021-11-20). [Comment] Offline: The flies of our remorse. thelancet.com Eugene Richardson's Epidemic Illusions (2020) is subtitled On the Coloniality of Global Public Health. Although listed as the book's author, he prefers to describe himself as "a single node in a vast, interconnected net of support, mentoring, toleration, encouragement, inspiration, and generosity". He lists over 140 "other nodes"—individuals, organisations, and groups—to whom he owes a debt, with "the twin goals of epistemic reconstitution and improvement of human well-being". Although not a handbook explaining how to decolonise medicine and global health, Richardson has delivered what may be the firs…

_____ (2021-11-20). Teamsters United Takes The Wheel. popularresistance.org A new administration will soon take the helm of the 1.3 million-member Teamsters union. The Teamsters United slate swept to victory in this week's vote count, beating out their rivals 2 to 1. It's the first time in almost a quarter-century that a coalition backed by Teamsters for a Democratic Union has taken the driver's seat in the international union. The incoming president is Sean O'Brien, leader of New England Joint Council 10. He says his top priorities are to unite the rank and file to take on employers, organize Amazon and other competitors in the union's core industries, and withdraw support from politici…

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-11-20). NAM and Nehru's Principled Stand. libya360.wordpress.com ND Jayaprakash One development that had a significant bearing on shaping a non-aligned policy was Nehru's visit to the United States in October 1949. The US administration timed the visit to coincide with the ascendancy of the Communist Party to power in China. According to Prof HW Brands of the University of Texas at Austin,…

Staff (2021-11-20). 21N: 99% of Voting Stations Already Installed in Preparation for Elections. orinocotribune.com On Friday, November 19, the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela, Pedro Calzadilla, informed that by Friday noon, 90% of the voting stations had been installed for the regional and municipal elections to be held this Sunday, November 21. | "The electoral material is already deployed, it is ready," said Calzadilla in a television interview. "So far we have 90% of the tables installed." | He assured that for this election, the international monitoring, accompaniment and observation program is very broad, given the importance of the elections in the political stability of Venezuela. | "We h…

Staff (2021-11-20). Venezuela Provides Spain Information on Terrorists who Attacked CNE Headquarters. orinocotribune.com Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Félix Plasencia provided the Spanish Chargé d'Affaires in Venezuela, Ramón Santos, with information on the terrorist gang from Spain that attacked the headquarters of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE). Minister Plasencia informed this through a post on his Twitter account. | "At the headquarters of the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry," wrote Plascencia, "we delivered a formal note to the Chargé d'Affaires of Spain, Ramón Santos, with documentation confirming the existence of terrorist gangs in that country that are trying to attack Venezuelan public institutions…

news.un (2021-11-20). First Person: 'Bridge the gap between indigenous youth and the world'. news.un.org Nadya Zafira, an international relations student at Indonesia's Gadjah Mada University, won a writing competition for her letter to UN chief António Guterres, in which she addressed the inequalities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how indigenous communities and youth are marginalized in global conversations on climate crisis.

Constance D Lehman, Eric J Topol (2021-11-20). [Perspectives] Readiness for mammography and artificial intelligence. thelancet.com One area that has attracted great attention for the use of deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) in health care is medical imaging, especially mammography. Many initial AI studies proclaimed remarkable improvement in accuracy over the performance of radiologists, but a recent systematic review highlighted there is insufficient scientific evidence to support such findings. The UK National Screening Committee commissioned Freeman and colleagues to review the quality and results of studies that assessed the accuracy of AI algorithms, alone or in combination with radiologists, to detect cancer in digital mammogr…

Lise Alves (2021-11-20). [World Report] Brazilian scientists reject national award. thelancet.com 21 scientists have rejected one of Brazil's highest scientific honours, after President Bolsonaro vetoed two recipients. Lise Alves reports from Sà£o Paulo.

The Lancet (2021-11-20). [Editorial] Afghanistan: the international community must act. thelancet.com "It is going to be hell on Earth." Afghanistan is set to become the world's worst humanitarian crisis according to David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme. Nearly half of Afghans need humanitarian aid. 22 ∑8 million people could face acute hunger this winter, with 8 ∑7 million at emergency levels of food insecurity. A resulting refugee crisis is likely to affect Afghanistan, the region, and the rest of the world. In desperation, people are selling their assets, and some are resorting to child labour and child marriage.

Vijay Prashad (2021-11-19). In the name of saving the climate, they will Uberise the farmlands: The Forty-Sixth Newsletter (2021). mronline.org The organisers of COP26 designated themes for many of the days during the conference, such as energy, finance, and transport. There was no day set aside for a discussion of agriculture; instead, it was bundled into 'Nature Day' on 6 November, during which the main topic was deforestation.

Editor2 (2021-11-19). China and Solutions to Climate Change. orinocotribune.com By K.J. Noh and Michael Wong — Nov 16, 2021 | The Earth's greenhouse gas concentrations are at their highest levels in 2 million years, driving catastrophic climate change, and creating an existential threat to the planet. But there is a way out. | Last year, President Xi Jinping, pledged that China's CO2 emissions would peak before 2030, and China would become carbon neutral before 2060. | China has a track history of setting ambitious, nearly impossible goals and then achieving them—often before deadline—so this pledge is significant. Under the CPC, China has already created "an economic miracl…

Staff (2021-11-19). Headlines for November 19, 2021. democracynow.org House to Vote on Build Back Better Act After Filibuster-Style Delay by Republican Leader, Julius Jones Granted Clemency Hours Before Scheduled Execution, Henry Montgomery, Sentenced to Life Term at 17, Leaves Angola Prison on Parole, Belarus Shelters Some Asylum Seekers on Polish Border, Deports Iraqi Refugees, As COVID Surges in Europe, Austria Orders New Lockdown and National Vaccine Mandate, 18,000 Cut Off by Flooding in British Columbia; Millions of Kenyans at Risk of Hunger Amid Drought, Amazon Deforestation in Brazil Hits 15-Year Peak; Indigenous Groups in Ecuador Oppose Mining Plans, Delhi School Shutdown…

Staff (2021-11-19). Federal agency reveals long-term consequences of Biden bill. rt.com A non-partisan agency has estimated that US President Joe Biden's massive infrastructure and climate spending package would increase the country's budget deficit by some $367 billion. | In a development that may put some moderate Democrats on the fence, the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan body in charge of estimating the cost of pending legislation, found that Biden's Build Back Better plan is likely to come at a heavy price for the US economy. | In its

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-11-19). How NAM Changed International Relations. libya360.wordpress.com ND Jayaprakash Image Courtesy: India Today Organised opposition to colonialism and imperialism began in the late 1920s, and Indian leaders, especially Jawaharlal Nehru, made significant contributions via the Non-Aligned Movement. The Belgrade Declaration, adopted at the first NAM Conference on 6 September 1961 and the McCloy-Zorin Accords on General and Complete Disarmament signed between the United States and the USSR…

a guest author (2021-11-19). Amazon unleashes cops on union organizers. workers.org Nov. 18 press release from Movement Media has been slightly edited. The militant mood of workers, whose increasing strikes and union drives are making headlines, erupted Nov. 11 during a union-busting, captive-audience meeting called by Amazon bosses at the company's Staten Island facilities. Chris Smalls, president of Amazon Labor Union, . . . |

A Guest Author (2021-11-19). Staten Island, N.Y./Amazon unleashes cops on union organizers. workers.org Nov. 18 press release from Movement Media has been slightly edited. The militant mood of workers, whose increasing strikes and union drives are making headlines, erupted Nov. 11 during a union-busting, captive-audience meeting called by Amazon bosses at the company's Staten Island facilities. Chris Smalls, president of Amazon Labor Union, . . . |

_____ (2021-11-19). Indian Government Forced To Withdraw Farm Laws. popularresistance.org After fighting for almost a year, farmers in India finally won a victory against the three farms laws enacted by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government last year. Prime minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday, November 19, that the three laws would be repealed and all legal processes related to the matter will be completed during the upcoming session of parliament.

Ben Chacko (2021-11-19). Indian farmers score victory as Modi retreats on pro-corporate farm laws. peoplesworld.org Indian farmers scored a spectacular victory Friday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi repealed three marketizing farm laws after 14 months of mass struggle. The laws, passed late last year, deregulated the sale of food across state borders, legalized private stockpiling and speculation in foodstuffs, and removed price controls, effectively marketizing the sector and threatening food …

teleSUR (2021-11-19). India: PM Modi To Repeal Controversial Agriculture Laws. telesurenglish.net "Today I have come to tell you, the whole country, that we have decided to withdraw all three agricultural laws," Modi said on Friday in an address to the nation coinciding with a major Sikh festival — the religion of many protesting farmers. | "In the Parliament session starting later this month, we will complete the constitutional process to repeal these three agricultural laws." | RELATED: | The legislation…

Jyotsna Singh (2021-11-19). Vaccine inequity persists as African continent yet to surpass 10% vaccination rate. peoplesdispatch.org While the world is discussing ways to move on from the pandemic and return to normalcy, an entire continent is struggling to get even the first dose of vaccine, with little concern expressed by international bodies…

Peter Certo (2021-11-19). In OtherWords: November 24, 2021. otherwords.org We're off for Thanksgiving this week, so I hope these recent favorites can tide you over. | If you missed them, Domenica Ghanem's explainer on inflation and Scott Klinger's on…

Staff (2021-11-19). Punishments set for US troops who refuse vaccination. rt.com The US Army has threatened repercussions for soldiers who decline to receive Covid-19 vaccinations, saying that insubordinate troops will be barred from promotions, reenlistment, and a number of special military services. | Army personnel who refuse the jab, including reservists and Army National Guard troops, will now have their service records "flagged," preventing them from receiving "favorable personnel actions" such as reenlistment bonuses, promotions to higher ranks, decorations and other awards, attending military academies, as well as tuition assistance with higher education, according to an official m…

Staff (2021-11-19). Biden's pick for bank regulator grilled over Soviet past. rt.com US President Joe Biden's pick to be America's next Comptroller of the Currency, the country's top banking regulator, has faced down accusations that she is a communist, telling lawmakers that you can't choose where you're born. | At a hearing on Thursday, Dr Saule Omarova, Biden's nominee to be chief of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, received a grilling from Republicans, who accused the Kazakh-born lawyer of being a communist. | Three decades after the fall of the Iron Curtain…

Staff (2021-11-19). Comedian Ron Placone talks cancel culture on Tara Reade's RT podcast. rt.com Slaying sacred cows is a comedian's job, funnyman Ron Placone told Tara Reade on RT's podcast, and being offensive goes with the territory. | 'Cancel culture' and its impact on comedy is once again in the news thanks to the furore over Dave Chappelle's latest Netflix special. In the latest episode of 'The Politics of Survival,' Placone told Reade how thanks to the ubiquity of social media, it's never been easier for people to complain about jokes they don't like. | Read more | | "I remember somebody,…

Staff (2021-11-19). Reuters says Biden still 'the real president' despite VIDEO. rt.com Joe Biden is the real US president and not a computer-generated image, Reuters and AP have declared in fact-checks, after the presidential seal was blurred in one video that came from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). | Fact-checks of online commentary about Monday's signing of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill were the top Twitter trend on Friday morning. They addressed the questions and speculation about why the great seal of the US was blurred in one particular bit of footage. | "Claims that Biden event to sign a bipartisan bill used CGI or that he is not the real US president are baseless," Reut…

Staff (2021-11-19). Biden's health condition revealed. rt.com Joe Biden is taking multiple medications but is otherwise healthy, his long-time personal doctor has said, adding that the US president does not suffer from any severe neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis. | "President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency, to include those as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief," Dr. Kevin C. O'Connor said on Friday after the US president underwent a detailed medical exam. | O'Connor has been Biden's physician since 2009, when he was Barack Obama's vice president. In a…

Staff (2021-11-19). Boy defends his right to say there are 'only two genders'. rt.com Mother of a New Hampshire boy suspended by the school for claiming that there are "only two genders" is prepared to defend his rights to free speech and religious freedom in court. | "My first reaction was that I was shocked," the woman who prefers to stay anonymous told Fox News. | She added that she had agreed with her son's opinion and defended him during a conversation with Exeter High School's vice principal Marcy Dovholuk by saying that "he has a right to his opinion." | Now the student and his mother are suing the school and Dovholuk on the grounds of violation of the boy's right to free speech. The do…

Editor (2021-11-19). Tony Platt: California's Grim Genocidal Past Implicates the University of California. scheerpost.com Author, Tony Platt. [T.William Wallin/The Lumberjack] | Click to subscribe on: The United States of America is founded on the original sin of Native American genocide and the myth that the Indigenous Peoples that lived on these lands for thousands of years had no right to it. White settler colonialism is not just a stain on the country's history, it is its very ra…

a guest author (2021-11-19). Survivors of mass incarceration speak truth to power at 'Spirit of Mandela' tribunal. workers.org The following are excerpts from testimony given at the Oct. 23-25 "Spirit of Mandela" International Tribunal for Political Prisoners, held in New York City. The U.S. was found guilty of six counts of human rights violations, including mass incarceration—in particular of political prisoners and prisoners of war. These excerpts include . . . |

Editor (2021-11-19). Latin America: modest advice for a confused Left. mronline.org The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) is a U.S. law passed in 1938 that requires individuals representing the interests of foreign governments, in "political or quasi-political capacity," to disclose their relationship to said foreign government and provide detailed information on its finances and activities to the U.S. authorities.

Ari Paul (2021-11-19). Media's anti-'woke' mania moves social justice to the fringe. mronline.org "Woke" is the label the aggrieved conservative suburbanite puts on the indignity of having to call their Starbucks barista "they" and finding Ibram X. Kendi on their child's school reading list.

Editor (2021-11-19). There is one place in Cuba where torture occurs. mronline.org Chilling testimony of the torture and abuses committed against Majid Khan, at the illegal U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo, was recently presented by the prisoner.

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