(2021-03-17). US intel report claims Russia 'probably' tried to sway 2020 election (as well as Iran, Venezuela & Cuba… but not China). rt.com 
The Joe Biden administration is reportedly preparing new sanctions against Russia after an intelligence assessment claimed to find attempts at interference by Moscow, Tehran and other usual suspects in the 2020 presidential race. | A
(2021-03-17). Lula After The Annulment Of Convictions. popularresistance.org "The word 'give up' does not exist in my dictionary. I learned from my mother: 'always struggle,'" affirmed former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday March 10, in the main office of the ABC Metalworkers' Union in Sà£o Bernardo do Campo in the metropolitan region of Sà£o Paulo. His address occurred after the annulment of the sentences against him emitted during the Operation Car Wash case, by the 13th Federal Court of Curitiba, in the state of Paraná. The decision, made on Monday March 8, was published by Minister Edson Fachin of the Supreme Federal Court (STF). | People voiced…
(2021-03-17). Brazil banking on vaccination to control Covid pandemic in 2nd quarter. laprensalatina.com Rio de Janeiro, Mar 17 (efe-epa).- Brazil, the current world epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, is banking on increasing its vaccination campaign to control the spread of the virus in the second quarter of this year after having achieved more stable vaccine production, the incoming and outgoing health ministers both said on Wednesday. One day …
(2021-03-17). Washington pressured Brazil not to buy 'malign' Russian vaccine. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-17). Washington Pressured Brazil Not to Buy 'Malign' Russian Vaccine. globalresearch.ca There is evidence of competition and confrontation between Big Pharma conglomerates….
(2021-03-17). The Heat: COVID-19 in Brazil. america.cgtn.com 
Brazil is fighting to control a devastating COVID-19 outbreak while it tries to save its economy.
(2021-03-17). The Political Fight in Brazil is Between Democracy and Authoritarianism. zcomm.org Instead of idealizing a non-existent centrist alternative, those who still believe in democracy in Brazil should appreciate Lula's return to the political arena…
(2021-03-17). How a Colombian Smear Campaign Rocked Ecuador's Presidential Election. cepr.net See also Part I: "How a Colombian Ex-President Went to Bat for Trump in Florida" The previous piece in this series explored how key right-wing Colombian political figures, namely President Iván Duque, ex-president àÅlvaro Uribe, and several senators from the ruling Centro Democrático Party, acted to influence the US elections in Florida last year in …
(2021-03-17). Headlines for March 17, 2021. democracynow.org Gunman Kills 8 People, Almost All Women of Asian Descent, at Three Atlanta Spas, Report Finds a Third of COVID Deaths Tied to Lack of Insurance as Dems Reintroduce Medicare for All, WH to Increase Vaccines for COVID Hot Spots; Tribal Groups Open Up Inoculations for All Oklahomans, WHO Urges Against "Vaccine Passports" Due to Widespread Inequality in Access, New Report Details Horrific Blaze That Killed Dozens of Refugees at Yemeni Migrant Jail, Colombian Journalist Accuses Paramilitaries of Rape, Torture in Testimony to Inter-American Court, U.K. Lifts Cap on Nuclear Arsenal as U.S. Considers Plan for $100 Billio…
(2021-03-17). IDB chief: Latin America at crossroads due to pandemic. laprensalatina.com Barranquilla, Colombia, Mar 17 (efe-epa).- Latin America and the Caribbean are at a crossroads as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and the only way forward is to pursue "a sustainable recovery," the president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Mauricio Claver-Carone, said Wednesday at the opening of the annual meeting of the boards of governors …
(2021-03-17). Philippine activists demand: 'Stop the killings and arrests!'. workers.org 
"Kill them all!" ordered Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, addressing the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines on March 5. Two days later, state forces following the dictator's edict carried out a deadly attack on progressive activists in the Southern Tagalog region. Protest against the March 7 massacre . . . |
(2021-03-17). Asian Americans Reel in Response to Gun Attack on Massage Parlors in Georgia. truthout.org 
A 21-year-old white man was taken into custody Tuesday night as the primary suspect in three metro Atlanta massage parlor shootings that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent. | While law enforcement officials have yet to determine suspected gunman Robert Aaron Long's motive, advocacy groups and lawmakers feared that the massacre was an anti-Asian hate crime given the establishments targeted and the victims, which also included a white man and woman. | Stop AAPI Hate, a…
(2021-03-17). Georgia mass shooting suspect may have 'SEX ADDICTION' and wanted to 'eliminate temptation' at massage parlors — police. rt.com 
The suspect behind a string of shootings at massage parlors in Georgia has told police he wanted to "eliminate" sexual temptation and the massacre was not racially motivated. | Robert Aaron Long, 21, told police he was trying to eliminate the temptation of the spas, which he allegedly visited, and claimed he had an addiction to sex. | "He gave indications that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction," Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds told reporters, adding that Long "may have frequented some of these places in the past" and could have been "lashing out." | Eight people were killed in the shootin…
(2021-03-17). Egypt's mass demolitions of Sinai homes 'likely war crimes'. middleeasteye.net 
Egypt's mass demolitions of Sinai homes 'likely war crimes' | Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 12,350 buildings have been demolished by the Egyptian military in the restive Sinai | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 11: 32 | Image grab, taken from a video released by the official Facebook page of Egypt's military spokesman on 8 December 2020, shows Egyptian army vehicles driving in the desert (Screengrab)
| The…
(2021-03-17). Protests demanding resignation of Paraguayan president and his cabinet continue. peoplesdispatch.org Since March 5, thousands of Paraguayans have been mobilizing in different cities of the country in rejection of the national government's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deepening of economic crisis and social inequality…
(2021-03-17). CNN ripped for article admitting anti-lockdown Florida is 'booming' but implying Gov. DeSantis shouldn't be 'taking credit'. rt.com 
Critics are accusing CNN of playing politics and spinning the success of 'booming' Florida, which defied typical Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, as having nothing to do with Gov. Ron DeSantis. | "Everyone told me I was wrong," DeSantis said this week at a fundraiser about pandemic lockdowns. "I faced continued pressure from radical Democrats and the liberal media, but I refused to back down. It's clear: Florida got it right." | While many states are just beginning the process of reopening businesses and rolling back pandemic-era restrictions, Florida has been open for the better part of the last year — an…
(2021-03-17). Selected Articles: COVID — Bioethics, Eugenics and "Death Panels": "A Warning" globalresearch.ca 
By 193 UN member countries, in unison and lockstep, closed their borders, economies and live-societies. It marked the beginning of the planet's economic and societal …
(2021-03-17). Inmates in Uruguay's toughest prison volunteer for Covid-19 shot. laprensalatina.com By Federico Anfitti Montevideo, Mar 17 (efe-epa).- The biggest troublemakers in Uruguay's most violent prison lined up on Wednesday to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Dubbed "kamikaze kids" by the guards, the young toughs — many of them serving time for relatively minor offenses — endure subhuman conditions at the rat-infested Santiago Vazquez penitentiary on the …
(2021-03-17). 'The only acceptable treatment for Mumia Abu-Jamal is his freedom!'. workers.org 
Organized in less than 24 hours, around 50 supporters of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal rallied outside Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office March 12. They demanded Krasner immediately release 66-year-old Abu-Jamal, who has tested positive for COVID-19. At a protest outside DA Larry Krasner's office, Pam Africa compares photos of . . . |
(2021-03-17). The EU's Vaccination Lag. counterpunch.org 
The advanced industrial countries are now inoculating their populations with the Covid-19 vaccines. A Vaccine Tracker provided by Bloomberg indicates that of the following three countries, the UK's rollout has been the most effective (36.03 doses per 100 people), followed by the US at 28.83 doses per 100 people (as one would expect, the US's individual state variation is considerable—extending from North Dakota (36.84) to Georgia at 13.4), while the EU is far behind at 10.64 doses per 100 people.
(2021-03-17). Covid-19 and Ramadan: UAE issues strict social measures. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19 and Ramadan: UAE issues strict social measures | UAE said residents and citizens must avoid evening gatherings and the exchanging of food to break the fast, except for members of the same household | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 12: 17 | A man registers before receiving a Covid-19 vaccine at the Dubai International Financial Centre, UAE, 3 February 2021 (AFP) | The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday introduced a nu…
(2021-03-17). Covid-19: West Bank receives first Covax vaccine doses. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: West Bank receives first Covax vaccine doses | World Health Organisation's vaccine-sharing initiative adds 62,000 doses to the occupied West Bank's struggling inoculation programme | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 18: 00 | A worker unloads a refrigerated truck carrying the first Covax delivery to a Palestinian Authority storage facility in the West Bank city of Nablus on 17 March (AFP) | The Palestinian Authority…
(2021-03-17). Nepal probes Bahraini prince's 'gift' of 2,000 vaccines to Himalayan village. middleeasteye.net 
Nepal probes Bahraini prince's 'gift' of 2,000 vaccines to Himalayan village | Nepal's medicines regulator said vaccine doses were brought into the country without a licence or prior knowledge of the health ministry | Wed, 03/17/2021 – 19: 32 | Sheikh Mohamed Hamad Mohamed al-Khalifa (second right) poses for pictures upon arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (AFP) | An investigation has bee…
(2021-03-17). 'Making it' in America as pure fantasy: Ayad Akhtar's 'Homeland Elegies: A Novel'. peoplesworld.org 
The book jacket describes Homeland Elegies as "art family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel." The decision to confuse these genres is both tantalizing and frustrating. Its subtitle identifies it as "a novel." This pre-pandemic text refers often to real-life events, such as to his own plays and to main actors in those plays …
(2021-03-17). Spain Plans to Begin Experimenting With a Four-Day Workweek. truthout.org 
As the coronavirus pandemic changes the way societies around the world view work, Spain has announced it will begin a limited trial of a four-day workweek in a bid to boost productivity, mental health, and the environment. | The Guardian
(2021-03-17). Jackson Mayor Demands Help After Month-Long Water Crisis Amid Pandemic, Racism, Broken Infrastructure. democracynow.org 
Residents in Jackson, Mississippi, have been facing a water crisis over the last five weeks, with many people lacking reliable access to clean drinking water after deadly February winter storms caused pipes and water mains to burst. While water delivery has largely been restored, "boil water" orders remain in effect for most people. The city estimates it could cost $2 billion to fix the city's water system. The crisis in Jackson, which is 82% Black, highlights how climate catastrophe threatens much of the nation's aging infrastructure. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says while the city "contributes millions of dollar…
(2021-03-17). Pandemic NHS workers should be granted indefinite leave to remain — Aaron Gates-Lincoln. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Migrant workers have been essential to the operations of the NHS ever since its inception in 1948. Over the decades, many programmes have been used to encourage and find overseas workers and help them migrate to the UK to be employed in the healthcare system, demonstrating our governments acknowledgment of how important they are. As …
(2021-03-17). False alarm or malicious rumor? Twitter account claiming to be Ecuadorian FM falsely announces death of Julian Assange. rt.com 
A Twitter account purporting to belong to Ecuador's newly promoted foreign minister has falsely reported Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's death, acknowledging the news is "unconfirmed." It's not clear who's behind the report. | A recently created Twitter account supposedly belonging to Ecuadorian FM Manuel Mejía Dalmau posted an "URGENT" message on Wednesday declaring "diplomatic sources in London" had reported "the news of the death of Julian Assange," the Wikileaks founder's partner Stella Moris revealed on Wednesday, posting a screenshot of the tweet that noted the report was "unconfirmed." | pic.t…
(2021-03-17). With First Native Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, Hope Grows U.S. Will Confront Toxic Uranium Legacy. democracynow.org 
Deb Haaland, a tribal citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, is being sworn in as secretary of the interior and will be the first Native American ever to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet. Just four Republicans joined Democrats in voting to confirm Haaland, who will manage 500 million acres of federal and tribal land. Haaland will also oversee government relations with 574 federally recognized tribal nations and is expected to address the legacy of uranium mining on Indigenous land and other areas. Leona Morgan, a Diné anti-nuclear activist and community organizer, says that while it's "impossible to expect one person…
(2021-03-17). "Suave": New Podcast Follows One Man's Journey to Freedom After a Life Sentence Without Parole at 17. democracynow.org 
A new Futuro Media podcast, "Suave," tells the story of one person's journey to freedom after receiving a life sentence without parole at the age of 17. David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez met journalist Maria Hinojosa in 1993 during a talk at the prison in Pennsylvania where he was serving a sentence for first-degree homicide. For years, Gonzalez and Hinojosa stayed in touch through letters, visits and phone calls that Hinojosa recorded. The seven-part podcast series chronicles Gonzalez's experience as he is eventually given the opportunity to experience life on the outside for the first time, after the 2016 Supreme Cou…
(2021-03-17). Twitter Deletes QAnon to Protect US from Upheaval; Russia May Delete Twitter for the Same Reason. mintpressnews.com 
With American social media companies increasingly controlled by the national security state, Russia is considering bans on the likes of Twitter and YouTube.
(2021-03-17). The University Deception: Rankings and Academic Freedom. counterpunch.org 
Forget the global university rankings of any list. The global university promotion exercise is filled with snake oil and perfumed refuse, an effort to corrupt the unknowing and steal from the gullible. The aim here is to convince parents, potential students and academics that their institutions of white collar crime are appealing enough to warrant
(2021-03-17). Bust the filibuster! Pass the PRO Act! workers.org 
On March 9 the House of Representatives passed the Protect the Right to Organize Act, the most sweeping amendment to the 1935 National Labor Relations Act since the notorious, union-busting Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. Unions are now demanding the Senate pass the PRO Act, which undoes parts of Taft-Hartley and . . . |
(2021-03-17). Every day is war' — a decade of slow suffering and destruction in Syria. juancole.com 
By Ammar Azzouz | — Abduljalil sent me a photo of his ruined home in Homs, Syria. "It is the third floor", he told me over WhatsApp. The building still stands but it looks like an empty skeleton. Most of its facade has been destroyed, while piles of debris surround it. Residents have not been …
(2021-03-17). The watchdogs of imperialism and the Uyghur genocide slander. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-17). Why are hate crimes against Asian Americans on the rise? liberationnews.org 
Over the past year, we have seen an alarming surge in racist violence directed toward Asian Americans.
(2021-03-17). On January 6th, the U.S. Became a Foreign Country. juancole.com 
By Kevin Tillman | — ( Tomdispatch.com) — Just about everyone was shocked by what happened at the Capitol building on January 6th. But as a former soldier in America's forever wars, horrifying as the scenes were, I also found what happened strangely familiar, almost inevitable. I thought that, if only we had taken our …
(2021-03-17). Pittsburgh's city budget works for the police but not for the people. liberationnews.org 
The Pittsburgh city budget is a further entrenchment of the same capitalist status quo…
(2021-03-17). One year later: Don't forget about Breonna Taylor. peoplesworld.org 
Her death sparked a movement for change. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to demand accountability for months following the killing of Breonna Taylor and other African Americans at the hands of police. On the one-year anniversary of Taylor's death, there is still justice to be fought for. The fight goes beyond a trending …
(2021-03-17). The Ongoing Calamity: US Collective Punishment of the Venezuelan People Must End. dissidentvoice.org 
Recent statements made by US officials suggest that Washington will continue to pursue a hardline policy on Venezuela. The new Biden Administration, however, needs to urgently rethink its approach. US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, remarked on February 3 that he "certainly" does not "expect this administration to be engaging directly with (President) Maduro." Namely, …
(2021-03-17). India's Farm Crisis: "How Long Will the Lies Work?" counterpunch.org 
If it weren't for the violent blows of police lathi s, the farmers protesting in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district would not have left their protest site on January 27. "The protest had been going on for 40 days," says Brijpal Singh, 52, a sugarcane farmer from Baraut town, where the sit-in was held. "It was not
(2021-03-17). Killings of Korean women reflects U.S. misogyny and racism. workers.org 
Demonstrators at "Love Our Communities: Build Collective Power" rally to raise awareness of anti-Asian violence in Los Angeles, March 13. Atlanta Beginning at 5 p.m., March 16, the first horrific news of the murders of four people and the wounding of a fifth at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, a . . . |
(2021-03-17). Columbia University forces TAs, RAs to strike, again. peoplesworld.org 
NEW YORK—For the second time in four years, Columbia University's intransigent bosses' refusal to meaningfully bargain for a contract with their more than 2,000 teaching assistants and resident assistants forced those workers to strike. The walkout began on March 16, even though a three-and-a-half-hour bargaining session was scheduled for that afternoon. The two sides are …
(2021-03-17). Racial Justice and Civil Liberties: An Inseparable History at the ACLU. aclu.org 
After World War I, it quickly became clear that the war to make the world "safe for democracy" had not made America safe for equality. Anti-Black race riots ripped through Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and even Elaine, Arkansas. In October 1919, after Black sharecroppers in Elaine convened a union meeting, newspapers labeled the effort a "Negro uprising." The state mobilized troops and mobs to quell the rebellion. The result was "possibly the bloodiest racial conflict in the history of the United States," concluded the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. | The American Civil Liberties Union's origin…
(2021-03-17). The Impossible Peter Oborne. dissidentvoice.org 
On the face of it, Peter Oborne is impossible. It's not possible to be educated at Sherborne independent school, at Cambridge University, to work as political editor of the Spectator, as chief political commentator of The Daily Telegraph, as a journalist at the Evening Standard, as a commentator at the Express, to make nearly 30 …
(2021-03-17). John Locke and the Roots of White Supremacy in the US. counterpunch.org 
Ideas count — sometimes, they are even stronger than material interests. This is the case with the legacy of 17th century philosopher John Locke in the United States, which is central to explaining why class solidarity is so weak while white racial solidarity is so strong. Recent events have confirmed the unfortunate fact that there
(2021-03-17). Biden administration 'tackling' difficult border situation, progressives say step up the pace. peoplesworld.org 
In its attempts to deal with rising numbers of immigrants at the southwest border, the Biden administration is facing strong criticism from many different sources, some of it legitimate but much of it outrageously hypocritical. The administration's head of Homeland Security insisted yesterday that the situation is "under control." He made that assertion during a …
(2021-03-17). Magellan, inquisition and globalisation. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-17). Environmentalists seek climate action in U.S. infrastructure bill. peoplesworld.org 
Environmental groups are launching a $10 million push for Congress to make climate change central to infrastructure legislation. "The Great American Build" campaign, a joint effort of Climate Power, the League of Conservation Voters and Potential Energy Coalition, will pressure lawmakers to include funding for climate action as part of the emerging infrastructure package. "Americans elected pro-climate …
(2021-03-17). Diversity and False Dichotomies at Smith College. counterpunch.org 
Can exchanges between individuals always unproblematically be characterized as either racist or not racist? Bret Stephens appears to think so. Smith College hired an independent law firm to investigate what a student argued was a racist incident on campus back in 2018. The investigation ended with a finding of "no persuasive evidence of bias." This
