2021-02-04: News Headlines

Juan Cole (2021-02-04). After Years of Outrage Politics, RepubliQans have surrendered to the Neo-Nazi Conspiracy Theorists. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — From Sarah Palin's alarmist and mendacious charge of death panels in the Affordable Health Act to Benghazi, where the smarmy Mike Pompeo tried to hang a terrorist attack around the neck of secretary of state Hillary Clinton (who was not in charge of military or intelligence decisions), the brand of …

Ramzy Baroud (2021-02-04). The Palestinian boycott of Israel is not racist, it is anti-racist. zcomm.org The boycott movement aims to hold the oppressor colonial state of Israel accountable as it places a price tag on its military occupation and apartheid…

_____ (2021-02-04). 111 NGOs Call On Biden To Close Guantánamo. popularresistance.org On February 2, more than a hundred non-governmental organizations joined a letter led by the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Center for Victims of Torture, urging President Joe Biden to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and end indefinite military detention. The letter is signed by organizations ranging from those working to end anti-Muslim discrimination and torture to immigrant rights organizations and organizations working broadly on civil rights, civil liberties, and racial justice at the national and local level. It emphasizes the devastating and ongoing consequences of the prison, including…

Ali Salam (2021-02-04). Israeli Military Detains One Palestinian, Attacks Fishermen, Farmers in Gaza. imemc.org The Israeli occupation army opened fire at Palestinian farmers, and fishermen, on Wednesday morning, in different areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, The Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported. The army opened fire with live ammunition and smoke bombs at farmlands, while farmers were present, south of Khan Younis in the southern coastal enclave, …

Staff (2021-02-04). Pelosi Calls McCarthy a Member of the "Q" Party After Failure to Act on Greene. truthout.org Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) referred to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) as a member of the "Q" political party after House Republicans failed to take any action against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia). | Pelosi released the statement following news that the Republican caucus would not remove Greene, a supporter of QAnon, from the House Budget and Education panels. Greene has been criticized for espousing anti-Semitism and conspiracies, includin…

Joe Bernick (2021-02-04). Anita Torrez, Southwestern labor leader and Communist activist, dies at 94. peoplesworld.org The American working class suffered a great loss on Jan. 31 with the passing of Anita Torrez. Torrez, who celebrated her 94th birthday last fall, spent almost her entire adult life in the struggles for economic justice and against racist and sexist discrimination. Born and raised by farmworkers in the small farming village of Gila, in Southwestern New …

Staff (2021-02-04). Billionaire Family Bankrolled Election Lies, Far Right and the Capitol Siege. truthout.org Four years before Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pumped his fist to a supportive mob that would soon overrun the Capitol Police and hunt lawmakers through the halls of Congress, the former Missouri attorney general needed a deep-pocketed patron. Naturally, he

Tania Siddiqi (2021-02-04). The struggle continues: Indian protesters resist state terror. workers.org In September 2020, India's Parliament passed three "farm bills" intended to crush India's workers. To serve capitalist interests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of the fascist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), lent his support to the bills depriving farms of current protections. He allowed corporate greed to further encroach on India's . . . |

The Palestinian News & Info Agency (2021-02-04). WAFA: "Attorney, three minors among 25 Palestinians detained from West Bank" imemc.org RAMALLAH, Wednesday, February 03, 2021 (WAFA) — Israeli forces Wednesday overnight detained 25 Palestinians, including an attorney and three minors, from various parts of the occupied West Bank, according to local and security sources. They confirmed that Israeli forces detained five Palestinians, including two minors, aged 16 and 17, after ransacking their families' houses in …

MEE and agencies (2021-02-04). Israel razes Palestinian Bedouin village for second time. middleeasteye.net Israel razes Palestinian Bedouin village for second time | Rights group denounces attempt to displace entire Palestinian community from Khirbet Humsa in Jordan Valley | Thu, 02/04/2021 – 08: 20 | On Wednesday, Israeli troops accompanied by bulldozers also knocked down several steel and wooden structures in the village (Reuters) | Israel has begun demolishing a Bedouin village in the occupi…

Staff (2021-02-04). Headlines for February 4, 2021. democracynow.org CDC Director Warns Coronavirus Variants Could Reverse Drop in Caseload, Education Secretary Nominee Favors Return to In-Person Classes, Supports Trans Athletes, Senate Agrees to Power-Sharing Deal That Leaves Democrats in Control of Committees, Republican Leader Won't Punish Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over Racist and Violent Rhetoric, 100s of Congressional Aides Call on Senate to Convict Trump and Bar Him from Holding Office, Canada Designates Proud Boys as a Terrorist Group, Prosecutors Seek Rearrest of Kyle Rittenhouse, Wisconsin Teen Charged with Killing 2 Protesters, Tigray Opposition Say 52,000+ Killed in C…

Joe Glenton (2021-02-04). Police accused of 'harassment' after Palestine Action co-founder arrested for blackmail. thecanary.co Palestine Action co-founder Richard Goddard was The arrest, which was

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-04). Powerful explosion hits Haifa in occupied Palestine. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (MNA) — An explosion was reported near a Chemicals factory in the occupied Palestinian city of Haifa.

Juan Cole (2021-02-04). As a Muslim American, I'm heartened Biden Repealed Muslim Ban: But Rampant Islamophobia is Undiminished. juancole.com By Domenica Ghanem | ( Otherwords.org ) — President Joe Biden has repealed the Muslim ban. As the news rolled in, I remembered how I felt four years ago, when the Trump administration first announced its intention to ban people from from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the country. The feeling wasn't incredulity. I distinctly …

_____ (2021-02-04). Why Always Israel? Only One Country Matters to Congress and the Media. strategic-culture.org Pandering to Israel as part of the political process in the United States has become part of the DNA of both major parties. | The job of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations must have some kind of curse on it as it seems to attract a type of woman who seeks to prove her suitability by running up a tally of how many wars she can start and how many people she can kill. One recalls fondly Bill Clinton's monstrous Madeleine Albright, who famously declared the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children as "worth it" due to the sanctions that Washington had imposed and enforced. And then there was Barack Obama's darling Samanth…

news.un (2021-02-04). Elections vital to building democratic Palestinian State: UN chief. news.un.org Elections this year in the Occupied Palestinian Territories will be "a crucial step" towards Palestinian unity, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday.

Igor Derysh (2021-02-04). How one billionaire family bankrolled election lies, white nationalism — and the Capitol riot. salon.com Rebekah Mercer is "one of the chief financiers of the fascist movement," says longtime GOP insider Steve Schmidt…

Jonathan Cook (2021-02-04). Why Israel Is Joining the Pentagon's 'Arab NATO'. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | With none of the usual fanfare associated with such a momentous …

Richard Falk (2021-02-04). The B'tselem Report On Israeli Apartheid. zcomm.org It is only Palestinian resistance from within and global solidarity from without that can have any prospect of achieving Palestinian rights and a peaceful future for both peoples…

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-04). Canada declares pro-Trump white supremacist group Proud Boys a terrorist organization. peoplesdispatch.org Proud Boys, which was founded by a Canadian Gavin McInnes, in 2016 describes itself as "western chauvinist" and has openly supported many of Donald Trump's racist policies…

Dr. Rudolf Hà§nsel (2021-02-04). What is In Store for The World. BAKS Recommendation to German Government: "Support Military Strike by the USA and/or Israel Against Iran!" globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | What is in store for the world? US Secretary of State …

Prof. Ruel F. Pepa (2021-02-04). Dehumanization Through the Dynamics of Racial Discrimination. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | "It is race, is it not, that puts the hundred millions …

Darryl Lorenzo Wellington (2021-02-04). Black Lives Matter Deserves Nobel Prize. progressive.org The organization touched a chord in this land and overseas by making us acknowledge that racism is a scourge on human progress.

Dr. Rudolf Hà§nsel (2021-02-04). Bundesakademie fàºr Sicherheit (BAKS) empfiehlt deutscher Regierung: ‚ÄûMilità§rschlag der USA und/oder Israels gegen Iran unterstàºtzen!" globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | Was steht der Welt bevor? US-Auàüenminister Antony Blinken behauptete am 1.02.2021, …

Jon Levy (2021-02-04). Biden Administration Accused of Supporting Apartheid. Chagos Islands and US Military Base in Diego Garcia. globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The United Nations General Assembly, African Union, and International Court of …

Phelan Acheson (2021-02-03). PatriotCare and the Pandemic: MMT Healthcare. realprogressives.org We are nearly a full year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and If the capitalist governments of the Western world conti…

MEE staff (2021-02-03). Normalisation deals with Israel 'not a substitute for peace', State Department says. middleeasteye.net Normalisation deals with Israel 'not a substitute for peace', State Department says | Peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine still 'very important', spokesperson Ned Price says | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 16: 19 | US State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks at his first daily press briefing at State Department on 2 February (AFP/File photo) | Recently cemented normalisation deals between several Arab count…

Lubna Masarwa (2021-02-03). Protests erupt over killing of Palestinian citizen of Israel during police shoot-out. middleeasteye.net Protests erupt over killing of Palestinian citizen of Israel during police shoot-out | The death of Ahmed Hijazi, a 22-year-old nursing student, has reignited anger over Israel's selective policing of Palestinian communities in the country | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 14: 29 | Palestinian protesters in the town of Umm al-Fahm carry a placard saying "We are killed while the police are laughing" (Twitter\@ume…

MEE staff (2021-02-03). Normalisation deals with Israel no 'substitute for peace', US State Department says. middleeasteye.net Normalisation deals with Israel no 'substitute for peace', US State Department says | Peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine still 'very important', spokesman Ned Price says | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 16: 19 | US State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks at his first daily news briefing at State Department on 2 February (AFP/File photo) | Recently cemented normalisation deals between several Arab countries…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-03). Covid-19: Tunisia and occupied Palestinian territory to receive vaccine via Covax. middleeasteye.net Covid-19: Tunisia and occupied Palestinian territory to receive vaccine via Covax | Both areas were given vaccines from Covax after meeting the requirements for the programme | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 13: 38 | The World Health Organisation said that Tunisia would receive 37,000 shots from Pfizer and BioNTech with the Palestinians getting 93,600 (AFP)
| Tunisia and the occupied Palestinian t…

Juan Cole (2021-02-03). Were the Canaanites from Iran? Genomic History Shows that Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese have Zagros Ancestry. juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — There are no races. Human beings are all mixed up, and genomic history demonstrates this principle better than any other approach. So much of Middle Eastern politics depends on a kind of "sleeping beauty" nationalism (in Ernest Gellner's phrase) in which it is alleged that there was an ancient race …

Peoples Dispatch (2021-02-03). Philippines apex court kicks off hearings on anti-terror law. peoplesdispatch.org The Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments on over three dozen petitions filed against the Anti-Terror Act passed by the Rodrigo Duterte government in July 2020…

Walter Smolarek (2021-02-03). Meet the fascists' favorite members of Congress. liberationnews.org Photo: Marjorie Taylor Greene being sworn into office by House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy Less than one month into its new session, the House of Representatives is faced with the question of whether or not to expel one of its own — Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia's 14th District. Rep. Greene's embrace of racist conspiracy …

Jeff Armstrong (2021-02-03). West Papua Calls for Independence Referendum to Avert Genocide. counterpunch.org The Indonesian-occupied nation of West Papua has called for urgent international intervention against Indonesia's intensification of what a 2016 report called "slow motion genocide." West Papua is facing an onslaught of colonial settlement backed by the military of the fifth largest nation in the world, with the largest army in Southeast Asia. Papuans are quickly

The Palestinian News & Info Agency (2021-02-03). WAFA: "Four minors among 30 Palestinians detained by Israel in the occupied territories" imemc.org RAMALLAH, Tuesday, February 02, 2021 (WAFA) — Israeli occupation forces last night and today detained at least 30 Palestinians, including four minors, from various parts of the occupied territories, according to local and Palestinian security sources. They said Israeli occupation forces rounded up five Palestinians, including a minor, from Ramallah and al-Bireh district, in the …

RT (2021-02-03). Syrian air defenses respond to 'Israeli aggression' near Golan Heights — state media. rt.com Syrian air defenses have responded to an Israeli missile attack near al-Quneitra, according to reports in the country's state media. | The missile strikes were launched late on Wednesday night around al-Quneitra, a city south of Damascus and just outside the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency. | Footage circulating online purported to show the attack in progress. | Syria's air defenses were also activated near Damascus, according to i24news and the Times of Israel. There were no casualties in either city, but the strikes did inflict unspecified "material damage," accord…

IMEMC News (2021-02-03). Army Demolishes A Palestinian Home Near Hebron. imemc.org Israeli soldiers demolished, on Wednesday afternoon, a Palestinian home in Khallet al-Forn area, near Birin village, south of Hebron in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. The National and Popular Committees in Yatta have reported that the soldiers demolished a 200 square/meter under-construction home owned by Jamal Rajab Sarsour. The Committee added that …

IMEMC News (2021-02-03). Israeli Soldiers Injure Several Palestinians In Sebastia. imemc.org Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday evening, Sebastia Palestinian town, north of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and injured many Palestinians. Mohammad Azem, the mayor of Sebastia, said several army jeeps invaded the town, and fired gas bombs and concussion grenades at local youngsters, who protested the invasion. Azem added that many Palestinians, including …

MEE staff (2021-02-03). Egypt asked for 'goodwill' gesture from Israel as condition for Netanyahu visit: Report. middleeasteye.net Egypt asked for 'goodwill' gesture from Israel as condition for Netanyahu visit: Report | According to Israeli news outlet Walla, the Israeli prime minister was hoping to visit prior to legislative elections, but Cairo conditioned trip on support for two-state solution | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 14: 08 | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, right, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, on t…

MEE and agencies (2021-02-03). Hezbollah fires missiles at Israeli drone over southern Lebanon. middleeasteye.net Hezbollah fires missiles at Israeli drone over southern Lebanon | Lebanese security sources say the anti-aircraft missiles failed to hit target, which returned to Israel | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 14: 35 | Naqura, south of the Lebanese city of Tyre, which is controlled by the United Nations peacekeeping force (Unifil), on the border with Israel (AFP) | Anti-aircraft missiles were fired at an Isra…

OCHA (2021-02-03). OCHA: Data on demolition and displacement in the West Bank. imemc.org The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs In the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA-OPT): The figures below reflect the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures and the resulting displacement of people from their homes across the West Bank since 2009. Together with other policies and practices, the threat of destruction of homes and sources of …

MEE staff (2021-02-03). Canada declares far-right Proud Boys group a 'terrorist' organisation. middleeasteye.net Canada declares far-right Proud Boys group a 'terrorist' organisation | Designation allows Canadian authorities to seize property and bank assets of group members and make it a crime to knowingly provide assistance to them | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 21: 12 | Members of Proud Boys gather outside Harry's Bar during protest in Washington DC last December (AFP/File photo) | Canada has officially labelled the far-right Pr…

Sammie Lewis and Jerry Goldberg (2021-02-03). Detroit mass arrests thrown out as anti-racist struggle continues. liberationnews.org Even while dismissing hundreds of cases, however, the city has stated it still intends to prosecute the protesters who it considers to be leaders of the protests.

Ali Harb (2021-02-03). 'Desperate distraction': Republicans target Omar amid calls to denounce Greene. middleeasteye.net 'Desperate distraction': Republicans target Omar amid calls to denounce Greene | Democrats are pushing to formally rebuke Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has expressed bigoted views and embraced conspiracy theories | Wed, 02/03/2021 – 21: 49 | Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has voiced opinions that critics say are Islamophobic and antisemitic (AFP/File photo) | US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene…

Eugene E Ruyle (2021-02-03). Sunday 2/7: Dope + Capitalism = Genocide. indybay.org Zoom Meeting | LOG-IN INFO AT ICSSMARX.ORG…

Caitlin Johnstone (2021-02-03). The Lesson Of The BLM Protests: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Remember when Americans shook the earth with massive protests demanding an end to the police state and the entire liberal establishment just kept saying "I hear you, I agree with you" and then did absolutely nothing to even reduce police brutality? It's important to remember such lessons. | People would ask me "Why are you supporting Black Lives Matter Caitlin? Don't you see all the corporations and corporate Dems support it? Why would they do that if it didn't serve them?" This is why they did it. Empty words of support can defuse a situation far easier than open opposition. | Imagine if all the plutocrats, pun…

Paul Jay (2021-02-03). Where is Biden's Foreign Policy Headed? — Phyllis Bennis and Larry Wilkerson. theanalysis.news Biden has appointed many old guard interventionists and new Cold Warriors, but there is some hope for a better Iran policy. Watch out for attempts by Israel to scuttle the nuclear deal. A wide-ranging discussion with Phyllis Bennis and Larry Wilkerson on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.

Staff (2021-02-03). Headlines for February 3, 2021. democracynow.org Democrats Say Trump "Singularly Responsible" for Jan. 6 Insurrection in Impeachment Brief, U.S. to Start Sending Vaccines to Pharmacies; Single AstraZeneca Shot Cuts Transmission by 67%, Senate Confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as DHS Chief, Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary, Senator Warren to Introduce Wealth Tax on Households Worth Over $50 Million, Kevin McCarthy Weighs Removing Marjorie Taylor Greene from Education Committee After Bipartisan Condemnation, Alexei Navalny Receives 3.5 Years in Prison Amid Mass Protests, Healthcare Workers in West Bank Receive Vaccines from Israel While Other Palestinians Mad…

Editor (2021-02-03). Battling White Supremacy in the Ring. scheerpost.com Buy a copy of Horne's book "The Bittersweet Science: Racism, Racketeering, and the Political Economy of Boxing," By Gerald Horne Reviewed by Chris Hedges There were three nationally prominent Black men in the early twentieth century. Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute; W. E. B. Du Bois, perhaps America's most important intellectual; and the world heavyweight boxing champion… |

Online News Editor (2021-02-03). Palestine gives first doses of coronavirus vaccine to healthcare workers. laprensalatina.com Hebron, West Bank, Feb 3 (efe-epa).- Palestine started its coronavirus vaccine rollout on Wednesday, administering the first doses to healthcare workers. The Palestinian National Authority received its first 5,000 doses of the BioNTech vaccine from Israel on Saturday. This comes a few days after the PNA's foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki told the United Nations Security …