(2021-02-22). Who Messed with Texas? counterpunch.org 
Texans like to brag endlessly about how great their state is, its "independence," and warn, "don't mess with Texas." But as millions of Texans now huddle freezing in the dark of this self-proclaimed "energy capital of the world," it might be worth thinking about how this tragedy happened, who and what caused it, and why Republican politicians are trying to blame renewable energy for a problem caused by poorly built and maintained fossil fuel generation facilities and the predatory capitalism of its deregulated energy system.
(2021-02-22). Global Solidarity Is Needed During The Pandemic To End Medical Apartheid. dissidentvoice.org 
Some of the truths the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing about the United States are its racial disparities in health and access to health care. Black and Indigenous people are more likely to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 than white people. They are two to three times more likely to be hospitalized and …
(2021-02-22). WHO Busts Wuhan Myths: Pandemic started with wild Animal, not Lab, and Wet Market wasn't Ground Zero. juancole.com 
By Dominic Dwyer | — As I write, I am in hotel quarantine in Sydney, after returning from Wuhan, China. There, I was the Australian representative on the international World Health Organization's (WHO) investigation into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Much has been said of the politics surrounding the mission to investigate the viral …
(2021-02-22). The pandemics of racism and COVID-19 are a deadly mix. therealnews.com 
A century of racist public policy laid the foundation for deep racial inequities in employment and vaccination rates in the U.S. pandemic response.
(2021-02-22). IP, vaccine imperialism cause death and suffering, delay recovery. mronline.org 
Vaccine developers' refusal to share publicly funded vaccine research findings is stalling broader, affordable vaccinations which would more rapidly contain COVID-19 contagion. The pandemic had infected at least 109 million people worldwide, causing over 2.4 million deaths as of mid-February.
(2021-02-22). Crisis sin Precedentes en Ecuador: Desafío para Andrés Arauz. globalizacion.ca 
Independientemente de cualquiera sea el ganador a la presidencia en el Ecuador, Arauz o Lasso, se tendrá que enfrentar a una brutal crisis, herencia de Lenin Moreno, por ejemplo, la crisis de salud, ocasionada por la pandemia del Coronavirus, atendida…
(2021-02-22). On the picket line. workers.org 
McDonald's workers win settlement In Los Angeles, between April and August 2020, workers at a McDonald's complained about inadequate protection from COVID, including lack of social distancing and forcible exposure to customers who refused to wear masks. Following strikes to protest these unsafe working conditions, McDonald's management retaliated by firing . . . |
(2021-02-22). Half a million COVID dead: Trump death cult meets shock doctrine. peoplesworld.org 
Remember just a few short months ago when President Donald Trump floated the number of 200,000 coronavirus deaths as an acceptable number before COVID-19 just vanished like a miracle? The inevitable outcome of Trump's death cult has arrived—as of this week, a staggering half a million Americans in their graves from a disease that could …
(2021-02-22). Covid-19: Former Israeli minister urges denial of vaccine to Palestinians in Gaza. middleeasteye.net 
Covid-19: Former Israeli minister urges denial of vaccine to Palestinians in Gaza | Ayelet Shaked argued humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the besieged territory should be blocked over bodies of two Israeli soldiers held by Hamas | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 14: 57 | A Palestinian health worker holds swab samples collected to test for Covid-19 in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 16 February 2021 (AFP) | Former Isr…
(2021-02-22). Antonio Guterres criticizes unequal global access to COVID-19 vaccines, calls it 'wildly unfair'. mronline.org 
The UN secretary general pointed out that 75% of all vaccinations so far have been administered in just 10 rich countries, whereas 130 mostly poor countries have not received a single dose of vaccine.
(2021-02-22). Thursday 2/25: COVID-19 Vaccines & African American Communities Town Hall w/ NAACP. indybay.org Online via livestream…
(2021-02-22). German Special Forces soldiers training in Arizona mistaken for TERRORISTS after 'bizarre' visit to local hospital. rt.com 
Two members of Germany's Special Forces Command (KSK) were reported to the FBI as likely terrorists after they showed up acting "strange" at a hospital near where they had been conducting weeks of military exercises. | The pair of plainclothed Bundeswehr soldiers turned up at an Arizona medical clinic looking to find out whether Germans would be able to receive treatment there in case of injury or infection with Covid-19. But the mystery men's visit set off alarms among the hospital staff, German outlet Der Spiegel reported on Monday. | Hospital workers immediately alerted the FBI, suspecting the visitors coul…
(2021-02-22). 'Why would anyone get the jab after this?': AP criticized for saying Covid vaccination WON'T bring life back to normal. rt.com 
Mainstream US media is under fire for publishing an article telling Americans that life won't go back to normal even after they've been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — and critics argue the message discourages vaccination. | In an AP
(2021-02-22). US woman died after receiving coronavirus-infected lungs during organ transplant, study reveals. rt.com 
A Michigan woman died of Covid-19 last year after getting a double-lung transplant from a donor who turned out to be infected with the virus, according to a medical study describing the first such case in the US. | The unnamed organ recipient had chronic obstructive lung disease, while her donor was another woman, who succumbed to a severe brain injury after a car crash, a The surgery took place at the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan in mid-2020…
(2021-02-22). Fossil Fuel Shock Doctrine: Naomi Klein on Deadly Deregulation & Why Texas Needs the Green New Deal. democracynow.org 
Millions of Texans are still suffering after severe winter weather devastated the state's energy and water systems. About 8 million Texans remain under orders to boil water, and 30,000 homes still have no power. Around 70 deaths have now been linked to the winter storms, including at least 12 people who died inside their homes after losing heat. Republican lawmakers in Texas are facing increasing criticism for their handling of the crisis, their decades-long push to deregulate the state's energy system, and their unfounded attacks on renewable energy and the Green New Deal. Naomi Klein, senior correspondent at Th…
(2021-02-22). Bessemer, Alabama: The whole world is watching. workers.org 
An injury to one is an injury to all. This famous labor slogan, popularized by the Industrial Workers of the World over a century ago, is more meaningful today than ever. But it has a double meaning for workers at Amazon, where the workplace injury rate is exceptionally high due . . . |
(2021-02-22). New York rallies for Amazon workers. fightbacknews.org New York, NY – Between February 8 and March 29, over 6000 Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, are voting on joining the Retail, Wholesale Department Store Workers Union (RWDSU). On Saturday, February 20, there was a national day of action called by the Southern Workers Assembly, with actions taking place in over 50 cities across the country. | This struggle is in response to the exploitative conditions faced by Amazon workers. | While CEO Jeff Bezos' net worth is $194.2 billion, Amazon workers do not have a union and do not make living wages. Amazon has faced lawsuits for failing to provide proper PPE…
(2021-02-22). One Flew Over the US. counterpunch.org 
On the best route (also the route that the Metro North Railroad follows) to New York City from western Massachusetts, stands the remnants of a long-abandoned state psychiatric facility (Harlem Valley State Hospital) in upstate New York. The many buildings that housed mentally ill people, like others in many states, have the appearance of brick military-style
(2021-02-22). New European Union sanctions on democratic elections: 30 Venezuelan politicians to be sanctioned. mronline.org 
The European Union (EU) announced this Friday, February 19, that the body will sanction about thirty Venezuelan leaders for participating in the legislative elections last December, reported Europa Press, alluding to a "high ranked official" of the community bloc.
(2021-02-22). Trump cries it's 'fascism, not justice' as SCOTUS allows release of tax returns to NY prosecutor, adds he 'won' 2020 election. rt.com 
Former US President Donald Trump has lashed out at the Supreme Court after his lawyers failed to block his tax returns and financial records from being released to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. | The court's ruling was in response to Trump's team filing an emergency order in October 2020, seeking to shield his financial records from prosecutors. | The
(2021-02-22). 'Inviting erosion of voter confidence': Justice Thomas calls out SCOTUS for 'baffling' refusal to hear Pennsylvania election case. rt.com 
The US Supreme Court has refused to hear two lawsuits over Pennsylvania rules in the 2020 election, saying they were now moot. Justices Alito, Gorsuch and Thomas argued that, if left unaddressed, this risks damaging democracy. | Among the BREAKING: <...
(2021-02-22). 'They destroyed our dreams': Israel's bulldozers target Palestinian women farmers. middleeasteye.net 
'They destroyed our dreams': Israel's bulldozers target Palestinian women farmers | The Palestinian women workforce faces a 'direct threat', as Israeli forces raze their agricultural lands | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 11: 05 | On 6 December 2020, Israeli bulldozers carried out one of the largest tree uprooting operations to date in the West Bank, destroying 3,400 olive trees in one day (Social media/Daoud A…
(2021-02-22). Why Didn't Speaker Pelosi Want Witnesses? counterpunch.org 
Democratic leaders told the House managers to huddle privately with Trump's defense lawyers to strike a deal. They did. They would place a mere statement from Rep. Beutler into the trial record and call no witnesses. The Republicans couldn't have been more delighted, knowing that the Democratic leadership wanted the trial over that day before Congress went on a week-long vacation.
(2021-02-22). Red Books Day celebrated internationally to mark 173 years since the publication of 'The Communist Manifesto'. peoplesdispatch.org 
On February 21, 1948 the Manifesto of the Communist Party written by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels was first published in the UK. The book is recognized as one of the most influential in the history of humankind and it has been translated in almost all languages in the world.
(2021-02-22). This Is What Deregulation Looks Like: Some Texans Face $10K+ in Electric Bills, Others Still in Dark. democracynow.org 
When millions of Texans lost power during extreme winter weather, some who were fortunate enough to keep the lights on now face astronomically high energy bills, with people being charged thousands of dollars for just a few days of energy use. The skyrocketing bills are a result of the state's years-long push to deregulate its energy market, says Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's Energy Program. "We are seeing in these deregulated environments unscrupulous companies preying on their assumption that households will not understand or read the fine print," says Slocum. We also speak with Texas resident Akil…
(2021-02-22). No Heat or Water, Overflowing Toilets, Disgusting Food: Texas Prisons Went "from Bad to Dire" in Storm. democracynow.org 
As winter storms overwhelmed Texas, many incarcerated people in the state went days without heat and water, making already grim conditions behind bars even more intolerable for thousands of people. Officials say 33 prisons across the state lost power and 20 had water shortages after the state's electrical grid failed. Staff shortages compounded the problems, and some incarcerated people report not being provided with blankets to keep warm in their freezing cells and being served inedible food. "Texas prison conditions have gone from bad to dire," says Marshall Project reporter Keri Blakinger. "Prisons didn't real…
(2021-02-22). It will take more than dumping Trump to stop the neo-fascists. peoplesworld.org 
At the end of World War II, we saw a worldwide defeat of fascism. Millions in countries around the planet rejected what their fascist overlords had to offer—racism, genocide, economic austerity, and war. U.S. and Soviet soldiers marched for the same cause as they defeated fascism in one country after another. The liberating troops marching …
(2021-02-22). India: Rail roko protest and growing state-sanctioned terror. workers.org 
Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the farmer unions' umbrella body, launched a rail roko protest to halt train transit in many parts of India for four hours on Feb. 18. This action is the farmers' latest attempt to push India's national government to repeal three "farm bills" intended to appease corporate cravings. . . . |
(2021-02-22). Saving the Classics from Blindness. counterpunch.org 
Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a classics professor at Princeton, was the subject of a recent article in the New York Times Magazine entitled "He Wants to Save the Classics From Whiteness. Can the Field Survive?" Padilla, according to the article, believes classics, as an academic discipline, "has been instrumental to the invention of 'whiteness' and its continued domination." I won't argue with that. I don't know enough about classics as an academic discipline. I do know something about academic disciplines more generally, though, and I have to say that, in my experience, most are characterized by at least unconscious,…
(2021-02-22). 2011 Book Gives Voice to Palestinian Women Who Survived 1948 Nakba. mintpressnews.com 
"If you'd only seen the bodies in the streets, if you only had seen the bodies. Little children without their shoes walking about the mayhem and crying."
(2021-02-22). 'Judas and the Black Messiah,' the story of revolutionary Black Panther Fred Hampton. peoplesworld.org 
In the summer of 2020, the United States, as in much of the world, experienced an uptick in activism around the issue of racial oppression. The recent increase in police killings of Black people, exemplified by George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, was answered by the militancy of those who have simply had too much. Black …
(2021-02-22). GOP Offers Preview of Brutal Climate Policies in Texas. counterpunch.org 
As Texas battles a severe snowstorm and mass power outages this winter, Tim Boyd, the now-former Republican mayor of Colorado City, revealed his party's plan for the deadly extreme temperatures linked to climate change. In a lengthy Facebook post that was deleted soon after it went viral, then-Mayor Boyd told his residents that they were entirely on their own as the brutal winter weather caused mayhem and deaths across the Lone Star state.
(2021-02-22). Will Biden scrap Afghanistan withdrawal? liberationnews.org 
To the extent that the administration is still considering following through on the withdrawal, it is an expression of the military failure of the United States over the long course of the war.
(2021-02-22). Partners: China and Cuba. mronline.org 
In the 1960s, the main forms of the Chinese assistance offered to Cuba were preferential trade and interest-free loans. From 1961 to 1965, China gave Cuba an interest-free loan of 60 million U.S. dollars.
(2021-02-22). Cuba en vicepresidencia del Comité de ONU sobre Descolonización. peoplesworld.org 
Naciones Unidas, 18 feb (Prensa Latina) Cuba fue electa hoy para la vicepresidencia del Comité Especial de Descolonización de la ONU, cargo que asume con el compromiso de seguir luchando para erradicar el colonialismo en cualquiera de sus manifestaciones. Así expresó el representante permanente del país caribeño ante Naciones Unidas, Pedro Luis Pedroso, al asumir …
(2021-02-22). NGO refugee rescue ship left waiting on European help that never came. peoplesworld.org 
An NGO refugee rescue ship in the central Mediterranean waited hours today for help from the Maltese and Italian coastguards that never came after the vessel saved the lives of 148 people, 28 more than it is legally allowed to carry. Basque charity Humanitarian Maritime Rescue (SMH) announced in the morning that the Aita Mari …
(2021-02-22). Portland, Ore. — Police stop hungry people from retrieving food from dumpster. workers.org 
Portland, Ore. As a massive winter storm swept across the U.S. last week, knocking out power from Oregon to Texas to the East Coast, millions of people found themselves in a desperate situation: no electricity, no water, no transportation and life-threatening cold — all in the midst of a global . . . |
(2021-02-22). Protests continue in Haiti against the dictatorship and imperialism. peoplesdispatch.org 
Another round of massive protests took place on February 21 calling for an end to the dictatorship of Jovenel MoàØse whose term was supposed to end on February 7…
(2021-02-22). The Weekly Round-up: Free Speech: Chilling Effects or Phantom Threats? ukhumanrightsblog.com 
A number of legal developments put free speech under the spotlight this week. First, media commentators disputed the significance of the Duchess of Sussex's successful privacy claim against Associated Newspaper Limited, covered in last week's round-up. A leader in The Times issued the grave warning that 'Mr Justice Warby's judgment creates a precedent that will have a chilling effect on …
(2021-02-22). Texas refineries used storm to hide release of tons of pollutants. peoplesworld.org 
Editor's note: This article has been reprinted from EcoWatch. Texas oil refineries released hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants including benzene, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide into the air as they scrambled to shut down during last week's deadly winter storm, Reuters reported Sunday. Winter storm Uri, which killed dozens of people …
(2021-02-22). Nathan Robinson speaks about losing his Guardian column after criticizing Israel. therealnews.com 
Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan Robinson tweeted a joke satirizing U.S. support of Israel, and The Guardian newspaper cancelled his regular op-ed column. Now he speaks with TRNN about facing accusations of anti-Semitism for criticizing Israeli power on Capitol Hill.
(2021-02-22). "Apocalypse Cow:" Point Reyes National Seashore Launches a Propaganda War Targeting Independent Journalism. counterpunch.org 
Grab your popcorn: The battle over livestock destruction of natural ecosystems at Point Reyes National Seashore is heating up. For years, conservationists have pointed out the ecologically catastrophic toll that beef and dairy ranching has been having on native coastal prairies, the wildlife that depend on these places, and public health and safety. As the
(2021-02-22). Hungry, cold and victims of inhumanity behind Texas prison walls. workers.org 
Houston On an average day in Texas, prisons are hellholes run by racist officials and a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison board that won't request the legislature allocate money for proper maintenance. Every weather emergency in the state, from hurricanes to flooding to subfreezing weather, has proven time and . . . |
(2021-02-22). District Court declares South Carolina Republicans' anti-abortion bill unconstitutional. peoplesworld.org 
South Carolina's draconian Senate Bill 1, the "Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act," hit its first legal snag on Friday when U.S. District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis issued a two-week temporary restraining order while the case works its way through the courts. Issued just a day after Gov. Henry McMaster signed the bill …
(2021-02-22). Impeachment manager Raskin's last word on Trump: He's 'a traitor'. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON (PAI)—Unveiling a key word he never uttered during Donald Trump's impeachment trial in mid-February, chief House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has labeled former White House Republican denizen Trump a "traitor." Raskin, a longtime constitutional law professor, delivered that verdict at the opening of a short Zoom video speech to the Government Employees …
(2021-02-22). Haitian Official stashes Wealth in Montréal. dissidentvoice.org 
Recent media reports of a Haitian official stashing wealth in Montréal property ignore a key element of the story: Canada's contribution to enabling Haitian corruption. As a neo-Duvalierist regime becomes ever more dictatorial it's also worth revisiting Canada's history in facilitating fraud and money laundering in the hemisphere's most impoverished nation. Recently La Presse reported …
(2021-02-22). Saudi F1 race: Activists urge Lewis Hamilton to speak out on human rights. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi F1 race: Activists urge Lewis Hamilton to speak out on human rights | Dozens of rights organisations write letter urging world champion to boycott Saudi Grand Prix or use his platform to promote human rights in the kingdom | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 17: 35 | Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has been politically outspoken in the past (AFP/File photo) | Dozens of human rights organisations have called on Formula One c…
(2021-02-22). Saudi Arabia arms deals: UK 'prolonging' Yemen war with weapon sales. middleeasteye.net 
Saudi Arabia arms deals: UK 'prolonging' Yemen war with weapon sales | UK issued open licences for bombs, missiles and rockets worth £1.36bn in 2020, as well as equipment to help air-to-air refuelling of Saudi jets | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 12: 34 | Workers in the Yemeni capital Sanaa search through debris at a warehouse after it was reportedly hit in an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition on 2 July 20…
(2021-02-22). Jordan's Queen Noor asks for information on missing Dubai princess Shamsa. middleeasteye.net 
Jordan's Queen Noor asks for information on missing Dubai princess Shamsa | Princess Shamsa has not been seen for more than 20 years after she was forcefully picked up in UK city of Cambridge | Mon, 02/22/2021 – 17: 03 | Queen Noor serves on board of commissioners for International Commission on Missing Persons (AFP) | Queen Noor of Jordan has asked for information on missing Dubai Princess Shamsa, following r…
(2021-02-22). Prisons Prime Testing Ground for Dehumanizing Hi-Tech 'Advances'. strategic-culture.org 
A new form of exploitation, known as "stakeholder capitalism," is already being tested in many places around the world and prisons are among the main targets for its implementation, as they provide an ideal and literally captive market for its proof of concept. | By Raul DIEGO | Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is coming under fire again from Democratic lawmakers, as well as from the American Postal Workers Union, who are calling for President Joe Biden to pave the way for DeJoy's removal after the Trump-appointee