(2021-03-19). No 'fix' to police violence, without tackling scourge in society, says rights chief. news.un.org The Human Rights Council embarked on a discussion over police violence against people of African descent on Friday, with a warning from UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet that "brutality and discrimination against people of African descent continue to occur".
(2021-03-19). MPs and peers slam lockdown laws on protest as 'a mess'. thecanary.co Laws on the right to protest during the coronavirus pandemic have been a "mess" and campaigners deserve clarity so they can demonstrate safely, a group of MPs and peers has said. | The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has called on the government to place the rights of protest on an equal footing with that of the right to communal worship under lockdown rules. | Committee chairman Harriet Harman said: "The law on the right to protest during the pandemic has been a mess and the right to protest has not been protected. | "While the Government has rightly protected the right to assemble for religion, they have…
(2021-03-19). The Angola 3 support Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Color of Change petition. indybay.org In this new statement from from former Black Panther political prisoners Albert Woodfox and Robert King of the Angola 3 declare about Mumia Abu-Jamal: "He has always fought for all of our human rights from inside prison walls. Please fight for his human rights today."
(2021-03-19). Is There a New Era for Human Rights on the Horizon? aclu.org This piece originally appeared in It's been a busy week for the Biden-Harris administration on the global stage. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris made the first official administration statement to the United Nations,
(2021-03-19). Proud Boys members charged with conspiring to block Congress from certifying Biden victory during January 6 riot. rt.com 
A federal grand jury has charged four prominent members of the far-right Proud Boys movement with conspiring to impede Congress in certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory on January 6. | The charges were revealed in a superseding indictment unsealed on Friday, according to multiple reports. | Federal investigators continued their crackdown on those involved in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol and identified members of the Proud Boys as being chief instigators in the day's events, which led to five deaths, including that of a police officer. | FBI agents arrested Charles Donohoe, a Proud Boys leader fro…
(2021-03-19). Migrant children held in US custody soar to 14,000 as Biden press secretary accidentally acknowledges border 'crisis'. rt.com 
More than 14,000 migrant children are currently held in US custody, a senior administration official said, insisting there's no "crisis" at the border soon after Biden's press secretary invoked the very same term. | The official said the number of youths detained after attempting to cross the border had soared to 14,000 during a Thursday press briefing, noting that they are divided between facilities run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Border Patrol. | While the official argued that "Children presenting themselves at the border is not a national crisis," White House Press Secret…
(2021-03-19). Dropping off migrants with unchecked health & criminal history 'like opening Pandora's box' — Arizona border town mayor to RT. rt.com 
The mayor of a small border town in Arizona has told RT that federal agents did not provide crucial information about the migrants that are being released in the US after the White House relaxed border policies. | "The number of migrants that come across on foot has ramped up substantially in just the last few weeks," Chris Riggs, the mayor of Gila Bend, an Arizona border town of 2,000, told RT. | Mayor Riggs said he began worrying after the town was notified that border control officials will be releasing migrants in the local community after processing them quickly. At the same time, federal agencies did not…
(2021-03-19). Protest Outside Federal Facilities in Mountain View. indybay.org On March 15 SIREN (Services, Immigration Rights, and Education Network) led a protest against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' consideration of Moffett Federal Airfield as a shelter for unaccompanied migrant children.
(2021-03-19). Taliban threatens with 'reaction' if US does not pull out troops by May deadline. rt.com 
The Taliban warned the Biden administration to honor a Trump-era agreement and pull US and NATO troops out of Afghanistan by May 1, warning a "retaliation" if the deal is violated. | "They should go," Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban negotiation team, told reporters in Moscow on Friday. Troop presence beyond May 1, Shaheen warned, will qualify as a "violation of the agreement" struck with the Trump administration and will warrant a "reaction." | "We hope that this will not happen, that they withdraw and we focus on the settlement, peaceful settlement of the Afghan issue, in order to bring about a perman…
(2021-03-19). There are so many lessons to learn from Kerala. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-19). National Day of Action March 27: Call It What It Is, a Hate Crime! Stop Anti-Asian Violence, Stop China-Bashing! liberationnews.org 
The following national call to action was issued by the ANSWER Coalition Join the March 27 National Day of Action! Endorse the national day of action here Organize an event in your city — register your event here Initial list of cities, check back for updates! San Francisco, CA1 PMLocation TBD Atlanta, GATime & Location …
(2021-03-19). "The Russians Are Coming, Not Again…": Biden Regime Imposes More Illegal Sanctions on Russia. globalresearch.ca "When a Soviet submarine gets stuck on a sandbar off the …
(2021-03-19). Oakland joins West Coast cities mandating hazard pay for grocery workers. peoplesworld.org 
OAKLAND, Calif. — Cities around the Bay Area have joined, or on the road to joining, the growing list of West Coast cities requiring large grocery outlets to provide their workers hazard pay while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors now requires large grocers to pay their frontline workers $5 more …
(2021-03-19). Ernesto Falcon on Internet for All, Alexander Kaufman on Future-Proofed Housing Codes. fair.org 
This week on CounterSpin: Reporters covering the pandemic can't help but note the impact of the digital divide: How do you work from home, or do remote learning, or even register for a vaccine, without not just available, but affordable high-speed internet? Yet a major congressional effort to end that divide is, so far, generating little interest from big media. It's almost as if the corporate press accepted the existence of information haves and have-nots, because that's how goods get divided in this country—even if it doesn't make technological, economic or humanitarian sense. We'll hear about the Access…
(2021-03-19). Palestine liberation leader sentenced by Israeli military tribunal. workers.org 
By Mayana Ashley-Carner Khalida Jarrar is a Palestinian politician, elected representative to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), and a member of the Marxist-Leninist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The Israeli government has been holding her in "administrative detention" since October 2019. Recently, she was sentenced to . . . |
(2021-03-19). The Geopolitics of Vaccine Nationalism: Perspectives from Australia. counterpunch.org 
"The eagle has landed", said Australia's federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on 15 February 2021 referring to the arrival of the first international shipment of Pfeizer's Covid-19 vaccines in Australia. On the day which was supposed to be a vaccine response 'D-day' for Australia and to add a boost to the government's approval ratings, the
(2021-03-19). Poor People's Campaign demonstrates for priorities in 30 state capitols. liberationnews.org 
Among the policies are "comprehensive, free, and just" COVID-19 relief; universal healthcare; redirection of the military budget to social needs; and many others.
(2021-03-19). Covid, Consent and the Court of Protection. ukhumanrightsblog.com 
Many of the newly vaccinated booked their appointments with gusto and left with a sense of elation. For others the process wasn't so simple. We see a snapshot of this in a handful of reported cases from the Court of Protection: Re E [2021] EWCOP 7; SD v RBKC [2021] EWCOP 14; and Re CR …
(2021-03-19). WATCH: Rand Paul challenges Fauci's ever-more-elaborate 'mask theatre' on Senate floor. rt.com 
US coronavirus czar Anthony Fauci has again butted heads with Republican senator (and fellow doctor) Rand Paul over the government's mask mandates. Paul got under Fauci's skin by denouncing current mask rules as "theater." | The Kentucky senator demanded Fauci explain why Americans who'd already been sick with Covid-19 and recovered, or received the vaccine should be "wearing masks well into 2022" during a Senate hearing on Thursday. Insisting there "no scientific studies arguing or proving that infection with Covid does not create immunity," Paul demanded the doctor cite "specific studies" to bolster his clai…
(2021-03-19). Why is it still so hard to get vaccinated in Massachusetts? liberationnews.org 
Massachusetts has a reputation for progressive policies, especially in healthcare. So why is the Bay State's COVID-19 vaccine rollout one of the sloppiest?
(2021-03-19). WTO Fails to Act on COVID Patent Waiver Again. counterpunch.org The World Trade Organization (WTO) has, for the third time, failed to approve a petition submitted by South Africa and India to temporarily waive intellectual property rights relevant to the production of COVID-19 vaccines. PhRMA (the pharmaceutical industry's lobbying group) has said that doing so would fundamentally undermine the global response to COVID-19 without providing
(2021-03-19). Is Biden Using a Trump Card to Pressure Maduro Regime Change in Venezuela? globalresearch.ca Six years of punishing economic sanctions have had a "devastating" humanitarian …
(2021-03-19). Love & Rage: The Eros Effect and Spontaneous Combustion. counterpunch.org 
"Today the fight for life, the fight for Eros, is the political fight." — Herbert Marcuse, Eros and Civilization, 1966 "Eros is historically shaped but eternally emergent. Love binds us together, gives us the courage to make history, to stare down our fears . . . and gives us the nerve to be resolute .
(2021-03-19). Transnational and Transformative Movements: BLM, Kashmir, and Prison Reform in Oklahoma. counterpunch.org 
Considering electoral processes in my state of adoption, Oklahoma, are healthier than they are in my state of origin, Jammu and Kashmir, I remind millennials to identify important issues to them as voters, so they are inspired to make a significant difference by participating. I will not deny the feeling of hopelessness that sets in
(2021-03-19). With renewed union backing, House passes Dream Act. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—With renewed labor backing, this time from the Union Veterans Council, the House voted 227-197 at 6 p.m. on March 18 to pass the Dream Act, formally legalizing and providing an eventual path to citizenship for the 700,000 "Dreamers," undocumented people brought to the U.S. as kids, who are Americans in all but their papers. …
(2021-03-19). The Paris Commune of 1871, banks and debt. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-19). A People's History of the Civil Rights Movement. counterpunch.org 
The story of the Civil Rights movement is often told in a manner that glorifies certain Movement organizers and so-called leaders while ignoring the multitudes in the churches, the cotton fields, the hamlets of the South and the streets of the nation. This portrayal exists in spite of the ongoing reminders from those who have
(2021-03-19). From the Earth to the Moon: Biden's China Policy Doomed from the Start. dissidentvoice.org 
A much anticipated American foreign policy move under the Biden Administration on how to counter China's unhindered economic growth and political ambitions came in the form of a virtual summit on March 12, linking, aside from the United States, India, Australia and Japan. Although the so-called 'Quad' revealed nothing new in their joint statement, the …
(2021-03-19). We can't erase the radicalism of the Rainbow Coalition. therealnews.com 
"Judas and the Black Messiah" has received much-deserved praise, but there are still many facets to the story of the Rainbow Coalition and Fred Hampton's murder that need to be told.
(2021-03-19). Battleground Baltimore: Brandon Scott sets a progressive path. therealnews.com 
In this week's round-up of Baltimore news: Mayor Brandon Scott delivers his State of the City address, students and leaders look to end digital redlining, activists push for further cannabis reform, and more.
(2021-03-19). Case of Sarah Everard, kidnapped and murdered by cop, sparks reform in Britain. peoplesworld.org 
Walking home alone in the darkness of night is a regular experience for many—whether they live in the busiest cities or the quietest towns. It is such a norm that many people never stop to think about safety. But for women everywhere, this action is often fraught with fear and anxiety. Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old …
(2021-03-19). How America Got the Vapors…Over ANTIFA. counterpunch.org 
It started last summer during the George Floyd Rebellion: alarming tales about left-wing terrorists, about hordes of antifa ready to invade dozy suburbs and burn down the local post office, Walmart and Starbucks. These wild fabrications percolated through right-wing media, causing a panicked spike in gun purchases, followed by announcements from red-blooded Amuricans in the Midwest and matrons from Florida that they were locked and loaded, ready to defend their real estate and SUVs from the battalions of communist terrorist antifa about to overrun their front lawns and trample azaleas, hydrangeas and any other be…
(2021-03-19). Biden's 'killer' comment about Putin reflects obsolete foreign policy. peoplesworld.org 
I want to start this critique of Biden's developing foreign policy by stating clearly and unequivocally that his $1.9 trillion rescue plan deserves total support from everyone in our country. It is nothing less than a dramatic disavowal of the right-wing era launched by Ronald Reagan some 40 years ago. Although Biden deserves praise for …
(2021-03-19). Text scandal exposes bigoted character of Eureka, Calif., police. liberationnews.org 
Five Eureka police officers are on paid leave following the exposure of a bigoted group chat.
(2021-03-19). Villagers & Pillagers: Who Will Survive the Collapse? counterpunch.org 
Unless you live in a state of denial you're probably like me, troubled about the future. There's not much left of mine, but my daughter's generation and their children will have to survive the aftermath of fossil-fueled civilization on the ravaged, toxic planet we've left them. How will that look? Will democratic eco-settlements rise from
(2021-03-19). Startling Discovery of New Dead Sea Scrolls sheds light on Jewish Revolts against Imperial Rome. juancole.com 
By Gareth Wearne | — On Tuesday news broke of the discovery of fresh fragments of a nearly 2,000-year-old scroll in Israel. The fragments were said to come from the evocatively named Cave of Horror, near the western shore of the Dead Sea. The finds were announced with attention-grabbing headlines that these were new fragments …
(2021-03-19). How Chesa Boudin is pursuing his promise to reduce incarceration. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-19). From the Earth to the Moon: Biden's China Policy Doomed from the Start. counterpunch.org 
A much anticipated American foreign policy move under the Biden Administration on how to counter China's unhindered economic growth and political ambitions came in the form of a virtual summit on March 12, linking, aside from the United States, India, Australia and Japan. Although the so-called 'Quad' revealed nothing new in their joint statement, the
(2021-03-19). Text scandal exposes bigoted character of Eureka, California police. liberationnews.org Five Eureka police officers are on paid leave following the exposure of a bigoted group chat.
(2021-03-19). Ley de ayuda por COVID evita miles de despidos en Hawái. peoplesworld.org 
Hacia finales de 2020, oficiales estatales de Hawái enfrentaban un déficit presupuestario de mas de $2 mil millones en gran parte por la pandemia del coronavirus. El Gobernador David Ige dijo que se podría ver obligado a despedir o descansar a miles de empleados estatales, muchos de ellos miembros de AFSCME, a partir de julio. …
(2021-03-19). Water is Life, Can We Protect It? counterpunch.org 
From West Texas to Jackson, Mississippi, tens of millions of people struggled through late winter storms that froze pipes, broke water mains, and cut off electricity. They froze without showers, toilets, or washing machines — let alone drinking water — for days or even weeks. The irony that Texas, the state built on fossil fuels,
(2021-03-19). The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson. workers.org 
Atlanta A videotape shows 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson walking down a hallway and entering the gym in the Lowndes County High School in Valdosta, Ga., eight years ago on Jan. 10, 2013. That night his mother, Jacquelyn Johnson, called the emergency number 911 to report that her son had not come . . . |
(2021-03-19). The Sports Pages of Death: Life in a Wounded and Wounding Land. juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com) — Here's one of the things I now do every morning. I go to the online Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and check out the figures there — global coronavirus cases and deaths, U.S. coronavirus cases and deaths. And I do so the way that, not so long ago, I would have opened …
(2021-03-19). The Paris Commune's 150th anniversary — A blueprint for revolution. workers.org 
An uprising in Paris on March 18, 1871, toward the end of the Franco-Prussian War, burst open the structure of 19th-century European capitalist society. The 72-day social explosion in what would become the capital of the French Empire became the iconic blueprint for workers' revolution. Lessons of the Paris Commune, . . . |
(2021-03-19). Art & Politics in San Francisco, 2021: Portraits of a City in Upheaval, Again. counterpunch.org 
Bay Area artist and teacher, Miranda Bergman, knows by heart the most famous lines in The Tempest. She ought to. Her Old Left parents named her after Shakespeare's feisty heroine who exclaims, "How amazing! How many wonderful creatures there are here! Mankind is so beautiful! Oh, what a wonderful new world that has such people
(2021-03-19). No, the Rich Aren't Paying Their Fare Share. counterpunch.org 
We hear it all the time: The wealthy must pay their fair share in tax. Many of the wealthy, and the members of Congress they sponsor, contend they already are. And they have all sorts of facts and figures to make that appear true. After all, for a billionaire, even a tiny tax payment in
(2021-03-19). Ten years since beginning of failed regime-change operation against Syria. mronline.org 
MR Online
(2021-03-19). Police union defends convicted cops keeping their jobs. therealnews.com 
Why is it so hard to reform the police, let alone hold police accountable for abusing their power? What are the legal and political protections that have put police above the very law they're supposed to enforce?
(2021-03-19). Travelers, Sour and Sentimental. counterpunch.org 
"I hate traveling and explorers." —Claude Levi-Strauss, Tristes tropiques (1955) Texas loosens, Italy locks down. With the skies mostly still clear and quiet, one can hear the collective champing at the bit before the gates open and vacationers charge into their first getaway in more than year. As Airbnb bookings surge, it's worth asking what
(2021-03-19). How AFSCME and ACLU Gutted New Mexico's Proposed Ban on Chemical Weapons, Attack Dogs, Rubber Bullets. counterpunch.org 
If police reform could fix what's wrong with policing in the United States, it would have already happened in Albuquerque. No police department in the U.S. has undergone more reform, over more years, than the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). None of it has worked. New Mexico consistently ranks among the states with the highest rate